Week 7 Discussion

My ability to read and comprehend poetry has significantly improved during the last two weeks. Reading Oedipus the King will be easier for me now that I have a greater understanding of rhythm, symbolism, and figurative language. Like GreJohn Keats’ poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is one that has a connection to Oedipus the King. Three major concepts in Sophocles’ play fate, truth, and time are examined in this poem. Similar to the urn in Keats’ poem, Oedipus searches for the truth but is ultimately unable to change his fate. My recent poetry studies have been helpful in comprehending the dramatic and lyrical depth of Oedipus the King since the play’s poetic form, particularly in the choral odes, reflects the lyrical and reflective elements of poetry.ek tragedies, which are full of theme complex and dramatic irony, poetry often requires close examination to reveal deeper meanings.

In the last two weeks of reading poetry I have learned to look into what the author of the poem is conveying instead of my own interpretation. Although I feel poetry is an art in itself and there is room for your own interpretation and meaning, I have learned to feel and comprehend what the writer intends. Through looking up words I do not understand and reading the poem correctly. I always saw how poems were writtten so differntly and we learned how to read them despite the formatting. That was something a bit new to me instead of reading line by line, reading until the end of the sentence. The poetry especially shakespeare prepared me for Oedpius the king. Sonnet poems such as “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Sonnet 18)  Helped me prepare for the more the reading and the language to come. “Thou art more lovely and more temperate: rough winds do not shake the darling buds of May,” (Shakespeare) “You may see them with one another like birds swift on the wing, quicker than fire I mastered speeding away to the coast of the gods.” (oedpius the king) Reading poetry helped by familiarizing myself in preperation for more similes and much more reading.

I have become more confident in the reading and interpretation of poetry since last week. I have learned to look beyond the mere surface meaning and instead focus on the elements of figurative language, tone, and structure to understand the more profound, oftentimes more relatable, messages. Oedipus the King relies heavily on the same symbolism and layered meanings found in more standard poetic forms. Thus, I believe that my poetic interpretive skills will serve me well as I undertake the reading of this equally significant and profound play. A poem that left a strong impression on me was Milton Bluehouse II’s “The Sound of Water.” The speaker reflects on memory, ancestry, and the spiritual connection forged between nature and personal identity. The themes of the poem made me think about how fate plays a role in Oedipus the King. We aren’t told or shown exactly how the story’s characters—primarily Oedipus himself and his wife/mother, Jocasta—are fated to fail. We do know, however, that fate in this story is something like a river that carves a channel through solid rock: the river is there, even if we can’t see it until we’re in the middle of its path. Listening to the poem’s speaker made me appreciate the emotional depth and dramatic tension in Oedipus the King.

Over the past two weeks, I feel like my ability to read poetry has definitely improved. At first, I struggled with the unique language and structure of poems. I was approaching them on a surface level and found it hard to fully understand or appreciate their meaning. But I’ve learned that each poem has its own rhythm, so now I try to only pause at commas and periods. This keeps the flow going and helps me avoid overthinking each line. Letting the words come together naturally allows me to appreciate the language more, without getting stuck on individual phrases. I also began paying closer attention to imagery, symbols, and figurative language, which has helped me uncover deeper meanings. I think this experience with poetry has really helped me with reading “Oedipus the King,” because both poetry and the play use a lot of symbolism, dramatic irony, metaphors, and figurative language. For example, when I read “My Last Duchess,” I focused on the imagery and how the Duke’s need for control leads to unwarranted jealousy toward his late wife. This reminded me of Oedipus’s attempts to control his fate, which ultimately causes his downfall. While Oedipus is devastated by his tragic realization, the Duke, on the other hand, never learns from the consequences of his actions. Instead, his pride and arrogance only grow, as he views his control over his wife’s fate as a symbol of power. Both works explore characters learning things too late, but with different responses—Oedipus faces his downfall with regret, while the Duke’s prideful nature leads him to see his actions as justified. After working with poetry, I now feel better equipped to appreciate the layers of meaning in Oedipus the King, especially the symbolism and irony.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve found poetry a bit challenging to understand but I’ve been trying hard to improve my understanding. Ive been focusing more on the emotions and deeper meanings behind the words, even though its not always easy. This approach has helped me with reading Oedipus the King. One poem that connects to the play is Natasha Trethewey’s “White Lies”. In this poem, the speaker talks about the ” white lies” to fit in, pretending to be wealthier than she actually is, while also hiding parts of her identity. For example, she says, “I could easily tell the white folks… that we lived uptown… not in that pink and a green… shanty fled shotgun section along the tracks” (Trethewey, lines 5-8)  This is similar to Oedipus the King, where Oedipus hides the truth about his identity and his past, and these lies shape his life without him realizing it. In both the poem and the play, hiding the truth leads to trouble. In “White Lies,” the speaker’s mother punishes her for lying by “washing out (her) mouth with ivory soup,” saying it will “purify” her (Trethewet, lines 13-15). This punishment shows the consequences pf the lies told, like how Oedipus’s ignorance of the truth causes his downfall. Both demonstrate that hiding the truth can cause bigger problems in the end.

I would understand my ability to read a poem a 5/10. I love reading poems and I try to grasp the concept of it, but I always find myself over reading it multiple times. I definitely need to work open the tips to improve my reading skills for poems. I still need to search up certain lines because to understand what they are saying because no matter how many times I read it I will just not be able to understand what they are saying. My tips with poetry can help me read Oedipus the King by helping me understand old time language and figurative expressions. The line “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”These lines are saying even though May is supposed to be a beautiful time of year with fresh, new buds, the winds can still mess things up and shake them around. He’s pointing out that nothing is perfect or permanent, even in the best seasons.

When I began reading Poetry it was a challenge but upon learning some techniques from the martial “How to read a poem”. What stood out to me was the reassurance that poems are ment to be read multiple times and having in correct assumptions on the first or second read is normal “The first is assuming that they should understand what they encounter on the first reading” , reading the poem out loud in order to hear any rhymes or clusters of sound, I also learned that each broken line in a poem is called a stanza and I learned how important it is to ask the questions in order to properly interpret the poem. I feel as thought when first reading my last duchess, it was a bit of a challenge and with the classes input I was able to fully comprehend the poem in it’s totality. In regard to both “The last duchess” and “Oedipus the king” there are some similarities one example is the themes of power and control. In my last duchess the duke is possessive and controlling. Seeing his late wife as an object or possession to be admired, instead of an individual with autonomy.  “She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed.”(Stance 21) and in Oedipus the King, Oedipus held significant power as king.

After the past two weeks, I’d say my ability to read poems has restored and gotten a bit better. After graduating High School in 2023, I failed to keep up with my indulgence in poems as readings. After these past two weeks of reading poems in class, I feel like I’ve refreshed myself with the writing style, and also accepted the new idea of reading the lines as many times as we need to. That was previously not an idea that’s been spoken of in my grade school classes, so I do appreciate that. This experience can help me with the reading of Oedipus the King, as the language it uses is a little more tricky, that being it isn’t modern-day English, and by re-reading the lines, I find myself almost singing along to what is being said. For instance, Sophocles writes in Oedipus the King, “Even in this my actions have not been sluggard / On Creon’s word I have sent two messengers / and why the prophet is not here already / I have been wondering” (lines 308-311). In these lines, at first I only understood that Oedipus is simply disappointed that he who he has sent out to find who the killer is has yet to report back. After re-reading it however, a couple times at that, I found that yes, he was disappointed, but he reveals how he has taken quick action as well. This situation is of great concern to him, and considering the use of the word sluggard as well as his respect for “Creon’s word”, there is a sense of urgency in his character. These lines reveal characteristics, as well as add to the story structure with anticipation, rather than just explaining that Oedipus is disappointed to not hear anything despite his attempts. […]

I would think that my ability to read and analyze poetry has increased after spending the last two weeks reading poetry, which is challenging to grasp. My ability to identify and understand literary techniques like metaphor, symbolism, and rhythm has improved. My understanding of poetry has helped me to better understand Oedipus’s multiple levels of importance. One of my favorite poems from the past two weeks was “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. It has helped me in analyzing complicated feelings and the significance of a challenging choice like abortion. My review of “The Mother” has also helped me better understand the emotional depth of the characters in Oedipus the King because it has made me aware of the profound effect that guilt can have on a person’s thoughts and actions, even when those actions were uncontrollable or unknown to them.

After reading the first two poems from week 6, I was a bit confused about how to interpret them, but when reading “The Last Duchess” in class, it became much easier to tell the underlying meaning in the words. In other words, I learned to read between the lines. It wasn’t just about what was being said, like the direct meaning, but what could be said. I think these experiences have helped me read between the lines and look for more context clues while reading “Oedipus the King”. As mentioned, “The Last Duchess” helped me immensely in regarding understanding and interpreting other poems and the play. It showed me how much can be said of a person through the narration and what they say, for example how the duke talked of his wife helped us understand he’s very arrogant self centered man and in contrast how Oedipus speaks of the plague and how it troubles him or how he must find the killer for it will benefit him in many ways (saving his skin, solving the plague and protecting the previous kings family and bringing justice as he see’s him as his father) shows how he is honest and righteous in his ways.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve found poetry difficult to understand, but I think I’ve gotten better at looking for deeper meanings. Poems often use figurative language, which can be confusing, but I’ve learned to slow down and think about what the poet is really trying to say. This will help with Oedipus the King because Greek tragedies also use symbolism and hidden meanings that aren’t always obvious at first. One poem that connects to the play is “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. In the poem, the speaker pauses in the quiet, snowy woods but remembers he has “promises to keep” and must continue on his journey. This reminds me of Oedipus because, even when he tries to escape his fate, he keeps moving forward, only to realize he was following the prophecy all along. The idea of being on a path that can’t be avoided connects both the poem and the play. Reading this poem helps me understand Oedipus the King because both show how, even when we stop and question things, we still have to keep going toward what’s meant to happen.

I would rate my ability to read poetry after the past two weeks as a 6.5/10. I understand the main ideas and can recognize poetic devices, but sometimes I still need to reread or translate certain words into French to fully understand the meaning. My experience with poetry can help me read Oedipus the King by making me more comfortable with older language and figurative expressions. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare relates to the play because both use strong imagery and formal language. In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare writes: “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” This line describes how time and nature can change beauty, similar to how Oedipus the King shows how fate changes a person’s life. By reading poetry, I have learned to pay attention to language and rhythm, which will help me understand Oedipus the King better. Overall, I think my understanding of poetry is improving!

Reading poetry over the past two weeks has helped me get used to paying closer attention to language, which I think will be really useful for reading Oedipus the King. Poetry isn’t like regular writing, I have to slow down and think about how each word is chosen and how the structure affects the meaning. One of my favorite poems from the past two weeks was “First Poem for You” by Kim Addonizio. This poem helped me notice how small details in language can carry a lot of meaning. The way she describes tattoos as something permanent and untouched by time made me realize how poets use simple, everyday things to express bigger emotions. It also made me pay more attention to how words are placed in a poem and how that affects the way we experience it. This has helped me with Oedipus the King because Sophocles also uses poetic language to create impact. Just like Addonizio carefully chooses her words to create a strong emotional connection, Sophocles does the same in his writing. Reading poetry has made me more aware of how language shapes a story, and that has helped me understand the way Oedipus expresses himself and why the people trust him so much.

I understand what is to do if you’re reading poetry. I give mine a seven out of ten because I was getting better at reading the poems. But it hard to stop mid-sentence. I was trying to read until I get to period and comma. After I practice, I was getting better at reading slowly at poetry. Reading Odiepus the King was really interesting because it gave life lessons. In real life there are lots of karma laws that were put in cause and effect such as diligent and bad luck impacts of our actions. What goes around comes around. One of my favorite poems was “The Lesson” by Toni Bambara because the poem shows how life in society is in different places in living. I was still looking and researching at other poems in The Poetry Foundation and some in the American Academy for Poets. Yet for my next Essay, I’m not sure that I’d pick the right one with twelve lines.

I would rate my ability to read poetry after the past 2 weeks from 1 to 10 as a 5 /10 because I like to reread the text more than twice to get a better understanding of the meaning of the poem most times I can’t read between the lines hard enough to understand the Poems meaning correctly. And it starts to feel like I’m creating my own meaning of the poem which could be totally wrong or somewhat right but the vocabulary section explaining the meaning of certain words I’m unfamiliar with helps a lot because it can help me better understand the poem and what the people that play a part in the are saying whether the poem is speaking about something, someone or speaking about something that is taking place or happening. Some ways I feel my experience with poetry can help with the reading of Oedipus the king is if I read each person in the poems part as if I were in a real play discussing amongst the other characters about the role I play in the story and the meaning of my part being played in the poem to get a full understanding of everyone’s role and what is taking place as if I were in the characters shoes. I would also reread the poem part by part at least 3 times to understand the main point of the story being told and the important role everyone plays connecting everything together to get a better understanding of the whole poem while using the vocabulary word section or searching the definition of the words that are difficult for me to understand. One connection I have to the play “Oedipus the King” is how they worship and praised their own Gods who they felt were powerful […]

I would rate seven out of ten in my ability to read poetry. I somewhat understand how to read poetry because i was able to understand poetry because I did my research on how to read poetry. The following steps google gave is reading the poetry out loud and reading it two or five times. Afterwards reading them out loud felt better to read because I read it slow and loud than I was able to understand the poetry. Reading the Oedipus the king poetry was interesting poetry because the poetry gives it a nostalgic sense. Free will is added to the connection of the reading because people are allowed to believe in their own beliefs, but this has a twist. In life there are karma laws that in life there are cause and effect such as positive and negative impacts of our actions. The reading relates to karma law because his own actions followed throughout his life leading to tragedy.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve noticed an improvement in my ability to read and interpret poetry. Although poetry still poses challenges, I’ve found that taking time to reflect helps me uncover deeper meanings. This skill is particularly useful when reading plays like Oedipus the King, as both poetry and drama often communicate through hidden messages that require thoughtful analysis. One poem we’ve studied, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, parallels the themes found in Oedipus the King. In Frost’s poem, the speaker pauses in the quiet beauty of the woods but ultimately acknowledges he has responsibilities that compel him onward. Similarly, Oedipus is on a relentless journey, driven forward despite his desire to pause or escape. Both Frost’s speaker and Oedipus grapple with the tension between personal desires and obligations, illustrating how fate and duty profoundly influence human lives. Oedipus the King is Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” In Frost’s poem, the narrator feels drawn to the peaceful solitude of the dark woods yet ultimately decides to continue onward. This parallels Oedipus’ journey, as he too encounters the temptation of staying in ignorance remaining metaphorically in the dark—but instead pushes forward to uncover the painful truth of his past, despite knowing it may destroy him.

The past two weeks have been a successful one, I really enjoyed it because I love poems and throughout out my journey of becoming a young adult, I stopped writing and reading poems. I am grateful for the past two weeks because it has reminded me about my childhood and how much I used to love poems. I find that analyzing symbols, themes, and emotions is the most effective way for me to grasp a poet’s intent. This have helped me while reading Oedipus the King. One of my favorite poems from the past two weeks was “The mother” By Gwendolyn Brooks, it has help me analyzing different type of emotions inside of a poems and different kind of poem structure. She was able to shift my perspective about abortion and see how much it weights on peoples mentally after making such a decision and having to accept the guilt it comes with and I  realize that they don’t realize really have much people to talk to about it because they are scared to be judge by others but Gwendlyn books was able to pass the right messages and let everyone else know they are not alone and she was able to show everyone how she deal with it and they are not alone. By analyzing the author emotion, it has helped me understand kings Oedipus a little bit more and it show me why the people love him, and they feel like they can rely on him to provide a solution to their problem it helps me see how the people connect with him emotionally and how transparent he is and ready to serve his people.

I would say that my ability to read poetry has somewhat improved over the last two weeks. Even though I still find poetry difficult at times, I’ve discovered that by reading slowly and paying close attention to the words, I can begin to understand their deeper meanings. This ability will help me as I read Oedipus the King because the play and poetry both employ subliminal messages that require critical thinking. I realize how the poem we read, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost, relates to Oedipus the King; in the poem, the speaker pauses in the dark woods but reminds himself he has responsibilities he still has to take care of, so he must continue his journey. This is pretty similar to Oedipus, as he is on the path of learning the truth and getting justice even when the truth is seemingly painful; he has a responsibility to bring justice to the people in town.  

Over the past two weeks, my ability to read poetry has improved a little. Poetry is still difficult for me, but when I take my time, I can understand some of the deeper meanings. This can help with reading Oedipus the King because both use hidden messages that require deeper thinking. One poem we read, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, connects to Oedipus the King. In the poem, the speaker stops in the woods but remembers he has things to do and must keep going. This is like Oedipus, who is also on a journey he cannot stop. The speaker in the poem might want to stay, but his duty pushes him forward. Oedipus also has to keep going, even when the truth brings him pain. Both show how fate and duty control people’s lives.

Over the past two weeks, my ability to read poetry has improved. Before, I sometimes felt like I didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning of a poem. Now, I feel more confident in looking at symbols, themes, and emotions to understand what the poet is trying to say. This skill will help me while reading Oedipus the King because, like poetry, the play also uses symbolism and deeper messages that are not always obvious at first. One poem that connects to Oedipus the King is “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy” Evening by Robert Frost. In the poem, the speaker is tempted to stop and stay in the dark, quiet woods but knows he must keep moving forward. This reminds me of Oedipus because he is also faced with a choice he could ignore the truth about his past and stay in the “dark,” but instead, he chooses to keep searching for answers, even though it leads to his downfall. Understanding this idea in the poem helped me see how Oedipus’ decisions shape his fate and made me think more about the themes of the play.

After the past two weeks, I would rate my ability to read poetry a 6/10. I struggled to understand poems because I always overcomplicated the purpose. I never immediately understood a poem after reading it a few times. I had to break it down into sections, and even then, I still found myself confused. I would say reading poems as a class better helps me understand the overall meaning. My experience with poetry helped me when reading Oedipus the King by better analyzing the theme. I was able to explore the messages that the poem was trying to convey. I could identify the symbolism and metaphors that are used. It enhanced my understanding of the poem since it was written using many poetic elements. These experiences also had a connection to the poem “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”. In the poem by Shakespeare, he compares his love to a summer day. When first reading it you might just think he’s talking about summer but because of metaphor, you know that there is a deeper meaning.  

I love reading poetry, but before these two weeks, whenever I finished reading poetry, I would feel like I wasn’t grasping something, as if an understanding was just beyond my reach. After reviewing the article, “How to Read a Poem” by the American Academy of Poets, I am much more confident when reading poetry. I particularly liked the list of prompts as a way of “talking back to a Poem” because it turned out to be quite useful when reading the poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. By following the prompts from the previous section, “talking back to a Poem,” I was able to dissect the meaning behind the poems and see the connection between the comfort the speaker experienced when they were passing through the solitary and dark woods. I was then able to use this knowledge with Oedipus the King and ask more questions about the circumstances facing the city of Thebes. These prompts also led me to find connections between the video explaining the history behind Greek theater, and have a better understanding of the stage setting.

I would rate my ability to read poetry after the past two weeks as a 7.5/10 because I do feel as though I often understand and am able to comprehend the readings. There are some times where I fill in the blanks with my imagination rather than from concepts from information provided in the poem, which leads to misinterpretations. My experience with poetry can aid me in reading “Oedipus the King” by allowing me to feel more comfortable with fanciful language and reading between the lines. “The Last Duchess” has a connection to “Oedipus the King” through it’s archaic language and theme of murder. “This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands As if alive” (Browning). This quote from “The Last Duchess” is an example of meanings of the poem not always being forthright, which is a large difference from “Oedipus the King”, which it is quite upfront. “Had you had eyes I would have said alone you murdered him” (Sophocles). Overall, I feel my understanding of poetry is improving!  

Before these past two weeks, I never really got into poetry. I thought it was just about rhyming and trying to impress someone special. But thanks to Professor Conway, I’ve started seeing poetry in a whole new way, and it’s actually pretty cool. I’ve found out that poetry comes in all sorts of styles, with deep meanings and beautiful layers that make reading so interesting. Take Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” for example. It’s about that quiet moment of thinking between wanting to disappear into the peaceful darkness of the woods and needing to keep promises. This struggle is a lot like what Oedipus faces in Oedipus the King, where he battles between his fate and his choices. Then there’s Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” which cleverly shows the Duke’s controlling nature through his words—just like how Oedipus reveals his weaknesses through his actions. Even though I didn’t know these poems before because my country has a different school program, and it’s a bit tougher for me since I’m still learning English, diving into poetry has helped me better understand themes, characters, and symbols in plays like Oedipus the King. It’s been an eye-opening experience.

At first, I thought poems were only just stories. But when I read them, I learned that poems have lots of meanings. With those meanings, I can learned a lot of vocabulary and what the main idea is. The only thing you had to do while reading a poem is not to stop reading mid-sentence. You had to stop if there is a comma, a period or if you’re at the end of the sentence. With poetry, I have to practice reading multiple times without stopping in the middle. For the play “Opedius the King”, I decided to do the part of the wife of the king. But unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time, to get to read my part.

At first, I thought poem was just like stories. But when I started reading it, I quickly realized that poem is packed with meanings.  And with those meanings came with a lot of words I do not know meaning of. Then I’ve learned that the only reason to pause is when there is comma, period etc. and usually that is not at the end of the line. With poetry I need to read the poem multiple times to understand it. Oedipus the King is structure approximately the same, so I’m ready to read it with confidence. I would say 8 out of 10 is my ability to read it. The Play resonates with Shakespear “Sonnet 18” poem to me, it feels like they written in the same manner (except the fact the author of the Play doesn’t say how great he is). There is so much classic drama, pride, and irony of fate in the Play and in the Sonnet,