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In the article “How to Read a Poem” from the Poets.org website, the poet William Carlos Williams, in acknowledging the challenges of reading poetry, writes that a reader must “complete” what the poet has begun.
With specific reference to one of this week’s poems, explain how you “completed” what the poet set in motion. In your answer, be sure to refer specifically to the article and to quote from your chosen poem to illustrate your response.
Please be sure to include your section number at the end of your response. There are 3 sections of students in our big discussion group!
Also, address comments to others by name so we can all follow along.
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90 thoughts on “Week 11 Discussion”
Poetry receives its quality, “a sense of being more than the sum of its parts,” in part from an experience that, as William Carlos Williams suggests, “depends on the effort of [the] reader” (Poets.org). In what can be referred to as “imaginative play,” the reader attempts “an understanding of that moment,” the “experience, idea, or feeling that you can know but not entirely express in any direct or literal way” often found in poetry (Poets.org). Engaging in this “imaginative play,” the reader “completes” a poet’s momentum by bringing themselves to “enter” a poem by sharing with it our “experience and point of view” (Poets.org).
Reflecting on my time and experience as a musician, I felt a particular longing for the “cool” embraced through each line of Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool”. Projecting myself into smoke-filled rooms, dark mahogany, and nights sung under a full moon, the “Jazz June” of Brooks’ summer rebellion came to me with the bittersweet memory of a typically active Brooklyn music scene, its life having been drained since the outset of the pandemic (Brooks). For me, the “players” who “left school”, “lurk late,” “sing sin,” “thin gin” are characters who reside in my own sense and form of “THE GOLDEN SHOVEL,” the setting to which “we” become the “we real cool” by “striking straight” with songs born from the scene alive in that moment then (Brooks).
Commenting on life’s brevity, Brooks deliberately employs length as an intentional means to photograph a moment that won’t live forever, a moment that in itself, is of a particular “time” but timeless in that the language of poetry works to encompass that “sense of being more”; (call me annoying, but you can actually argue that a “picture doesn’t necessarily have to be worth a thousand words” with this idea here). To live now in a present in which the past is undoubtedly the past, there is nostalgia in the way Brooks submits to death (“We Die soon”), as though to say moments in time, and our roles in them, experience their own death (Brooks). Life, death, and time are thus captured in a single poetic photograph that becomes more “complete” with each new set of eyes that view and relate to its contents.
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I choose the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B Yeats because I love the theme of escaping to nature. As a reader living in New York City, I can understand the urge for nature. Before moving to New York, I lived in Connecticut, surrounded by the beauty of nature. This poem speaks to me because it gives the reader a sense of peace. In a way feels like W.B Yates’s decision to live in a cabin is final. I as the reader complete what the poet has begun by assuming and asking questions. I wonder where the author was living before making this decision. I question his motives for the drastic change. I assume he lives in the city because in the poem he says, “While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” I also think he has a moment of clarity while standing on the pavements grey of a city.
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Hello Kevin. I found it to be very interesting that you were intrigued about Yeats’ work as it focuses on nature and how as a New Yorker it is almost a completely different view of the world. The way in which you connected the feelings that you had living in Connecticut with the nature that Yeats describes in his writing makes his words even more impactful. It is almost as if he, for lack of a better term, got the job done as he was able to captivate that emotion in you as a reader so well.
Kevin, and in addition to asking questions, you completed the poem by thinking of your own personal “Lake Isle.”
The last line of the poem is certainly something you must identify with when you are in the grey city on a grey day, thinking of the green woods of Connecticut. My best friend just moved to Sherman, CT, which looks to beautiful in the photos.
Hello Professor,
Yes, especially after a long day of work, I seek nature. That is why I desired to live on the upper west side next to the park. I have always been drawn to nature I needed to be close to it. The Theme of scaping to nature has always been my favorite topic to read about. When reading literature on this topic, I feel as if the authors are having a moment of clarity and honesty. The topic of nature brings out many truths for the author and the reader. It can reignite one’s love for nature or experience it in a new way.
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Kevin, which park do you like better—Riverside or Central Park?
Professor,
For sure Central park. I think it is more quaint and it feels more like an adventure when you enter it.
However, I do enjoy riding bikes more in riverside park.
Hello Kevin,
Perhaps the one in the story lived in a city, but grew tired of the quickness of it and wanted a change of pace. Or maybe he’s similar to you in that he grew up around nature and wishes to reconnect with it. For me I feel the opposite. Like how you said you have always been drawn to nature, I have always felt drawn to city life and have an urge for it. Although I enjoy nature, at some point, I feel the need to return to city life because like Yeats said, “peace comes dropping slow”. Maybe when I’m older my view on this may change, as I know a lot of people move out of the cities to raise families. But for now, nature/peace is something I want once in a while.
Hello Kevin,
I can relate with your post a lot about the theme being “escaping to nature”. I also had a connection with this poem due to my crave for nature since I used to live in the country for a few years. While reading I also could put myself in Innisfree (visually), the author just like us is a person who is craving to be engulfed by nature which is his ideal definition of peace. There are many quotes that further emphasize the feelings of needing that tranquility that nature provides.
The article “How to Read a Poem” puts one’s mind into the understanding of what the writers of poems are trying to captivate to their readers with their words. Using all of the details stated by the article on how to comprehend what is being written and why it is being written in that way, I used Natasha Trethewey’s “White Lies” to see if I can “complete” myself into the poem by being devoted to the words and putting myself into the scene. The poem situates itself around a girl who struggles with her own identity and almost speaks as if she wishes she was someone else. This is seen in how she states she can easily tell white lies to those around her that she lived in higher end areas rather than the shanty homes she lives in and she could “act like my homemade dresses came straight out the window of Maison Blanche.” These are white lies she could tell to make herself fit in. As she gets disciplined by her mother, she wishes to lose all of the identity that surrounds her African American side with the ivory soap cleansing her within to become white entirely. By the end of the poem, I felt immersed in the words of Trethewey for she creates a scenario that makes readers sympathetic for the narrator. I could not help but to me put into the shoes of the narrator as she struggles with her identity and understanding what she is going through although I have never gone through it personally. For that reason of leading the reader to feel the emotions felt by the narrator, I believe it is easy for anyone to complete the what Trethewey started.
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Hello Richard James Proano. I also liked the poem “White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey. It is a very real poem with which many people will feel identified. I believe that many people at some point or stage in their lives have gone through this behavior of telling white lies. It is very brave of you and the author of the poem to talk that they have told white lies. My question would be if lies have color and if it is normal to tell lies. I think it would be some personal criteria to define if lies have color and if it is right or wrong to tell lies.
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Raquel, I’m curious about your comment that you wonder if lies have color. What do you mean? It’s an intriguing comment.
Hi Celeste Conway. I’ve asked myself that question for a long time. Lies are supposed to be lies and therefore should not have color. However, when they are less serious lies, they are called white lies to refer to white lies. The most serious lies then are black lies to refer to something bad. But telling lies is a bad thing, no matter if they are black or white, it is wrong. Lies are lies and should not be taken as a habit.
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Raquel, ah, I see. Of course! A white lie is a “little” lie. I guess a black lie is a big lie, and there is a whole range of coloration in between. I wonder about lies too. What if you tell lots of white lies, do they add up to something more?
Celeste Conway, I suppose that the sum of the lies becomes a habit and that person’s world becomes a complete lie.
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Richard, yes, I think the narrative force of “White Lies” is something many of us can “complete” in our imagination even if we have not experienced the same sort of identity conflict.
Hi Richard,
I also enjoyed the poem “White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey. I think this poem was somewhat more relatable to many people because even if we never felt like that girl per se, many of us experienced similar situations in our lives. Many people had to say a lie to “fit in” or to feel that they belong. I think one other detail that is worth mentioning is that there is always a source to remind us of reality and to bring us back to it. In this poem that source was the girl’s mother, in real life it can be the voice inside our head that still tells us that “even though with these white lies you made yourself feel that you belong, you know that is not true.”
My favorite part of the poem was the beginning. I think the poet was able to illustrate her deep battle that with all these white lies her life was still black.
“When I was growing up
light-bright, near-white,
high-yellow, red-boned
in a black place,
were just white lies.”
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Afsaneh, I like what you write about the “source” that can bring people back to reality; in the case of “White Lies” that source is the mother. But I do agree with you that most people have some source, which might be the voice in their heads sometimes known as conscience. The sense of guilt and shame runs through this poem strongly, I think. I agree that the lines you have chosen are especially vivid; the element of color works both emotionally and visually.
My understanding from the article “How to Read a Poem” is that, completing what the poet set in motion is to illustrate how I feel the poem should have ended or evolved. I also believe it requires my imagination to conclude on my general understanding of the poem and how it affects me.
I chose the poem “White lies” by Natasha Tretheway for this week’s task because I really enjoy the subtle but very essential message being passed in it. My understanding from the poem is that the “white lies” being told are just for societal acceptance. The lines in the poem paint the image of a young girl that tells lies so she could be seen in the same class by “white folks” and the when she got back home, she was always reminded who she actually was as seen in lines 19&20.
To complete this poem, I thought about the reasons why these “white lies” were told in the first place and I came up with my own lines. What if the poet ended by saying;
“I told white lies to be accepted
I want that social validation
Mama won’t understand because she doesn’t go to class with me
My friends would laugh and mock me if they found out my dress was homemade
That’s some torture mama
I don’t want to experience that”
This poem is very reminiscent to the life of an average high-schooler and the dress that came “straight out the window of Maison Blanche” is just like the new sneakers nobody knew where I got from.
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Ebube, I am incredibly impressed that in your execution of a more “literal” approach to “completing” the poem, you had done so with quite the poetic voice of your own. “That’s some torture mama / I don’t want to experience that” is just so well-written, I’d argue that it stands on its own, outside from your immediate interpretation of Tretheway’s voice. Additionally, it wasn’t until I read through your post that it dawned on me Tretheway’s use of the word “homemade”. Your original ending actually had enhanced my own understanding of “White Lies”, pointing to a sense of shame that emphasizes internal forces of shame (ie shame from the house) rather than external forces of shame (ie the white folks themselves). Great job Ebube, truly.
Hey Ebube,
I enjoyed reading your post and how you decided to compete it. It is a truly remarkable poem that is very relatable. I felt in your words that you are continuing the language set in the poem by talking like the narrator, “Mama won’t understand because she doesn’t go to class with me” I decided to write this poem as well and had a different perspective. From what I understand the narrator is writing about their childhood since they say “When I was growing up”. I took this as a self reflection of the past and continued the poem in a way that questions white lies. I took the last line about believing his mama and her ways of punishing him as a white lie as well, since the mama wants approval from her peers just as much but tell her child that the soap cleans away the lies.
Thank you for your post!
The article “How to Read a Poem” gives a refreshing outlook on poetry reading. As someone who does not read much poetry, this article has given me several new perspectives about the deep meanings behind such style of writing. Detail is key in poetry as every word counts in the message trying to be portrayed. I chose to write about the beautiful poem written by Natasha Trethewey, “White Lies”. I feel that this poem is truly relatable to the majority of humans who tend to tell white lie from time to time. “White lies” gives the reader a flash back to a time where popularity and reputation matters most. Children today are influenced by each other and especially with new social media tends, become something that is believed as popular and would lie to reach that goal. In White Lies”, we see a perfect example of that when the narrator states that she got a dress from Maison Blanche, which was truly a homemade dress. The girl was punished for her white lies and the poem ended with a soap mouth wash to “cleanse your lying tongue.”
I decided to continue the poem as I noticed a deeper meaning in the last sentence, “I swallowed suds thinking they’d work from the inside out.”
– But then I thought, what if mama was also telling white lies.
– Does soap really help me wash away the lies?
– Are lies justified when they are to your own benefit?
– Just as I lied for the approval of my peers, my mama subconsciously did the same with me.
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David, I’m glad you mention the importance of each word in a poem. This economy of language is one of the hallmarks of good poetry. I think we see this in short stories too. Because the form itself is short, good writers work to choose the best, most succinct and expressive words. You raise some great things to ponder in your last four lines of original thought! I wonder if lies are justified if their intention is to prevent harm. Lies are an interesting topic.
I chose the poem “the mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. As stated in the article “How to Read a Poem” we should “enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it [our] your experience and point of view.” “to “complete” what the poet has begun.” I think that is what happened to me in regards to this poem.
This poem was appealing to me because I had a personal experience that was related to this situation. Therefore, I could see the poem from my perspective. I read a few critiques about the poem, and many of them were looking at this poem as an “Antii abortion” poem. I don’t believe that is necessarily the only way that one can look at this work. I worked in a safe-house for women in a country that abortion was illegal. Some of these women have chosen to take the health and legal risks associated with illegal abortion and pursue their decision based on their unique situations.
I learned that we often ignore and don’t talk about the range of issues and difficulties that a woman experiences when she is in a situation that she has to make such a hard decision.
The conversation about abortion is usually between people who are against it because of religious beliefs and people who see it as a personal choice, and not often people talk about the emotional and psychological pressure and the physical challenges a woman faces when she has to make this decision. The notion of having to live with tough choices is a critical part of this poem. “Abortions will not let you forget.
You remember the children you got that you did not get,”
I think Brooks was able to open a conversation about the depth of the difficulties that a woman faces when she has to make such a decision.
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Afsaneh, thank you so much for sharing some of your personal experience working with women in a safe house in response to “The Mother.” You certainly know that abortion is not something anyone takes lightly. It is fraught with pain, guilt, fear, love, and many other emotions. I agree with you that this is not an “anti-abortion” poem. In fact, I always read it as something that might enlighten people who are opposed to the right to abortion, who might believe that women undergo this procedure without great soul searching. The poem is so sad, yet I do not see any indication that the speaker feels it was the wrong choice.
Afsaneh,
“The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks also stood out to me as well and also because of a personal experience of mine. This poem stood out to me because I gave birth to a daughter 5 months ago and I remember as I carried her I spoke to her all the time just like how the poet was speaking to the children she never had.
I agree with you that a lot of people don’t realize the hardships a mother has to go through, especially with abortion. There are a lot of people out there that are anti-abortion but when it comes to making this choice, the mother needs to do what she feels right. Even though in the end she chose to get an abortion, she only did it for the sake of her children. She had wanted to mother all of her children and she loved them all equally but she eventually had to let them go.
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In the article “How to Read a Poem,” Williams suggests that to “complete” a poem a reader must “enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view.” I decided to choose “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks because I felt that I could connect with this poem personally since I am a mother myself.
‘The Mother’ is an emotional poem about a woman who has had abortions and regrets them. She also speaks to the children never going to actually “get”. She wonders about the people that they could’ve grown up into “The singers and workers that never handled the air” and even speaks directly to them. I also speak to my baby girl the same way as the poet does so I can understand her pain when she speaks of her regret. The poem ends with the speaker saying that she “loved” all the children she almost had.
I can connect with the poet right away because a mothers love is unlike any other love. A mother would want her children to believe that she really does love them.
“Believe me, I loved you all.
Believe me, I knew you, though faintly, and I loved, I loved you
All.”
As I read the poem I can feel and hear her pain because the poet and I had carried a baby inside of us before and because of my personal experience I can connect and understand her.
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Angela, yes, “The Mother” is a truly heartbreaking poem, I think. My reading of it is that the speaker regrets having had to make the choice to abort. I’m not sure from the text that she actually wishes she had given birth. I’d be curious to hear how others respond to this poem.
Hello Angela, I, too, found “The Mother” to be a very moving and emotional poem. Although I have not endured what it feels like to “almost” have children or to have a child yet, period, the emotional level resonates with me. I get a sense of guilt from the writer, but I’m not 100 percent sure she regrets her decision(s). Her choice of words paints such a vivid picture of what some women might feel after an abortion—thoughts of what could have been.
Hi Faith! I definitely feel the same way about The Mother. I think my enjoyment of the poem was enhanced by reading the article “How To Be a Poem”. It allowed me to really lput myself in her shoes. I’ver never been through the very difficult dilemma of getting an abortion, but I felt every inch of her pain, her second thoughts, and her conversations with her dead child. It makes me imagine what else could she have experienced.
That was meant to be a response to her original post. My mistake
Angela ! I find this story “ the mother very touching and emotional because it elaborates on the mother abortion and it’s ironic that in today’s time the discussion of abortion is debatable and prohibited in certain places. It’s emotional to listen to what the mother shares, also her love she expressed for her aborted kids. The poem is definitely something that we can understand and sympathize with the writer and their emotion.
Taheed, watch for the meaning of “ironical.” There’s a great little Youtube in Week 2, which explains three kinds of irony.
The article “How to Read a Poem” came in handy! I would typically find poetry very difficult to dissect, but it gave useful tips and tricks that I will use from here on out.
For this week’s assignment, I chose “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. With the difficult topic of abortion, I feel the poem is as pertinent today as when it was first written. Full of emotion and incredibly moving. For me to “complete” the poem, I had to read it out loud a few times. The rhythmic pattern allowed me to piece together the story at hand. For example, “Abortions will not let you forget. You remember the children you got but did not get,..” I think it adds depth and allows me to visualize from the writer’s perspective. Also, throughout the three stanzas, the repetition used gave me the impression to emphasize those lines. I cannot relate personally but understood the circumstances that gave rise to the poem and to empathize with the pain of the writer’s past experiences.
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Hi Faith,
I do agree the poem is extremely emotional and is a very difficult topic to discuss but it and excellent example of a woman’s love for her children. So discussions are hard to make but as a mother you know what is best for your child. I do agree as well that this poem is as pertinent today as when it was first written. Woman voice are not heard enough and going through an experience like this only a woman can describe the feelings and emotion that occurs. very well written responds to the poem.
Faith, reading poetry aloud is so important to an appreciation of the work. Poems are meant to be recited really. We know by the rhythm of the language. Sometimes just reading a poem aloud can open doors to an understanding of the work.
Faith! I definitely agree. This week the topic that touches on abortion has been very debatable to a lot of people and very significant because it’s emotional to a lot of female because of the irrational decision made by a subject of people who is fully equipped with wealth and stability. I think “ emotional” would be a very interesting word because it ties to the story “ the mother” which you stated and the results of both is very mixed with a lot of passionate and apathetic opinion.
Hi! faith I completely agree with your post. Reading it out loud also made we acknowledge the trails woman have to face when they abort there child. It made me think of my mother and other woman also who faced abortion. I couldn’t imagine to face abortion myself. The sadness and resentment they must have for aborting there child.
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Osamende, please be sure your comments to others meet length requirements.
Faith,
I agree that reading poems and poetry can be challenging and sometimes very hard to get a good understanding. I liked that you tried to relate it to your our circumstances, even if you don’t understand completely that same situation, you can find others to relate it to to create that complete thought.
Claire, please be sure all comments meet the length requirements.
For this week’s reading I chose to focus on The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats. This poem spoke to me quite a bit, I’d say I spend the majority of my time in NYC dreaming of being out in nature and in this poem I can almost feel the sensations of being out in nature listening to the crickets sing as Yeats says. I feel I completed this poem very quickly in my mind. I could see the place and setting this poem was taking place in. one of my favorite lines in this poem is “and i shall have peace there, for peace comes dropping slow.” i think when he says peace drops slowly he is referring to the calm setting of being in the wilderness and how time seems to move so much slower. Time is needed to appreciate your new surroundings and to find yourself again, time is also needed to remove yourself from your humdrum life and schedule.
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Hello James
I also chose the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats”. I as well got connect to this poem because of its nature part but also to its spiritual (peace) part. The author is talking about a person who craves to be in a place where nature is ideal and peace is at its convenience. Many quotes of this poem emphasize the feelings of someone who values its surroundings and tranquility. which I think we all need.
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James, yes, peace seems to be the pervasive element in “The Lake Isle . . .” Did you notice how strongly the sense of hearing is emphasized in this work? (I guess you did with your mention of the crickets singing). I hope that you can move from NYC someday to a more woodsy setting if that’s what you really love.
Hello James,
I also chose the same reading as you and I as well can relate to the “sensation” you can get from nature such as the clear air. I like the quote that you chose, “and i shall have peace there, for peace comes dropping slow.” As this very much compliments how quite places such as upstate New York can be compared to places such as New York City. The two are so different almost as if they are different worlds even though its only an hour drive. I also like how you said “Time is needed to appreciate your new surroundings and to find yourself again.” This is very true as most people are so focused on themselves or work they don’t even give a minute to sit back and reflect. Over all, I really like your statement.
David
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I chose the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” on the Poets.org website. In this poem speaking is the city and desiring to be back in the rural Irish west, the beautiful place he grew up in. This a nature poem as the author describes the nature of the island, but it is more than just nature, the poem suggests that the speaker also desire to go on a spiritual journey, that implication of spiritual feelings is strong in the middle of the poem where it states, which talks about wanting some peace, going to a place where he will find some peace. “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,” and sort of the atmosphere we get with Innisfree “There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow”. The poet associated the dark time of midnight with light glimmering and the bright time of noon with a purple glow.
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Souadou, thanks for these sensitive comments about the poem. How did you “complete” it based on the article “How to Read a Poem?”
Reading the article “How to Read a Poem” exposed me to different tips and techniques of reading a poem. To “complete” what a poem set in motion means to conclude the poem using your imagination as well as understanding of the poem. The poem I chose was “White lies” by Natasha Tretheway because I enjoyed and could relate to the poem. From my understanding “white lies” are being told to fit in and be accepted by society. “I could act like my homemade dresses came straight out the window of Maison Blanche.” She describes a white lie she can say about her homemade dress to fit in with the other little girls. But like most kids her mother finds out about her white lies and she gets punished. “But I paid for it every time Mama found out. She laid her hands on me, then washed out my mouth with Ivory soap” Her mother punished her for lying by washing out her mouth with soap and as any naïve child she thought it would work so she “swallowed suds thinking they’d work from the inside out.” I believe swallowing the soap would not stop her from lying but i do thing she did learn her lesson from this experience.
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Michaela, yes, I think we complete a poem by using our imagination as well as by tapping into our own personal experiences. You have not mentioned the element of race in your response. What exactly is the speaker’s “white lie?”
The reading of “how to read a poem “ overview illustrates a large concept on reading poetry and finding the right term or context to elaborate and extend the poem into a figurative of different speech’s. Comprehending what a poem fully articulate is very important in responding to it. “my last duchess” a story that elaborated a portrait of his last duchess, which he keeps hidden behind a curtain. Showcases a bunch of emotion from both the duchess and the writer. The amiable painting of the duchess is detailed and praised by the writer. The quote that stood out for me more was “ she had a heart — how shall I say ? — too soon made glad, too easily impressed; she liked whate’er she looked on and her looks went everywhere.” Her warmth and gratitude attitude was the highlight of her personality. The writer killing the duchess off at the end was like a resolution to the poem. The author used this quote and stretched it out with his liable imagery of the duchess painting. By elaborating on the poem it caused a longevity of the writer reading and a better understanding overall. The poem completes the criteria of completely articulating the authors writing and place of understanding scrutiny.
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William Carlos Williams suggests that “a poet depends on the effort of a reader; somehow, a reader must “complete” what the poet has begun.” When comparing poetry to a game or a sport, the reader becomes a player in the match (poem) and the end result is dependent on the player’s actions. A poem is written to capture a “moment”, which in turn is to be understood by the reader. “Successful poems welcome you in, revealing ideas that may not have been foremost in the writer’s mind in the moment of composition. ” I think when considering this, that completing a poem means to use your own experiences to connect to the story.
For this week, I chose to “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” because it made me think of the time I stayed in a suburb in Pennsylvania for a few months. When William Butler Yeats said “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,” it made me think of how different the suburb life was in contrast to living in New York City. Life was so much slower, to the point that I felt restless and out of place. The use of nature in the poem such as “evening full of the linnet’s wings”, “midnight’s all a glimmer”, and “noon a purple glow” give off a relaxing feeling that I felt when I first arrived. But for me personally, I needed a balance of that relaxing feeling that only nature can provide and the activeness that only the city can provide.
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Hey Johnson, this was not the poem I chose but I enjoyed reading your post. I like how you connected the poem with your experience in Pennsylvania. I believe a very important aspect of completing the poem is how you relate it to your own personal experiences. Also comparing your experience with another one takes your analysis to a different dynamic. I believe as this poem talks about nature and its’ beauty, we should also learn to see it from our own point of view and appreciate it.
Hello! The poem I most enjoyed was “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B Yeats due to the reason that it brings the reader out of a “city” aspect and into the countryside. Even though I spent my whole life living in the city, I was always fortunate enough to have a country getaway. When I hear how Yate’s describes the cabin it brings me back to those city getaways me and my family and friends would have. When he says “I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;” it reminds of the waking up in the morning and the only thing you would hear besides the birds chirping is the sounds of the water hitting the dock of the lake house. I feel like I “completed” this poem mentally as soon as my thoughts and memories about my country house started flooding in.
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I choose the peom of “White Lies” by Natasha Tretheway. In fact, from the title of the poem, you can see the meaning of the poem. “White lie” is actually a virtue, because only white lie will reduce the harm to others. White lies are also easier for others to accept. The author used several colors to make a comparison at the beginning. From line 2 to line 6, she said: “When I was growing up light-bright, near-white, high-yellow, red-boned, in a black place, were just white lies”. These colors show whether the people would accept the “white lies” or either. It depend on the people decide. The author tells the world what it means with the poem of “white lies”. Although there is no rhyme every time you read a poem, you can clearly see what you want to express. Besides that, for example in line 23 to line 25, she said: “This is to purify, she said, and cleanse your lying tongue”. However the author’s mother knows she is lying, but she keep trust her when she “cleanse” her tongue. This is why white lies exist. The way that author “completed” the poem which is shows the attitude and thinking to the reader.
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In the article of “How to Read a Poem?”, it helps us clearly about how does the people and students understand the “deep inside meaning” of poem. However it is a secondary resource.
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Hi Mei,
I liked how you described the “How to Read a Poem” “that helps students and people the deep inside meaning of a poem” It is easy to understand, but it can be difficult for people who are not familiar with poverty. I also chose the “ While Lies” poem when I see the title I thought it will be interested to read because it said “lies” but when I read the poem it was emotional. I can feel that girl’s pain because she didn’t know what to say and just to her friends but her mother didn’t want her to lie about her race or her identity so every time she found out she punished her. I loved how you mentioned “Although there is no rhyme every time you read a poem, you can clearly see what you want to express”. Yes, I didn’t realize when I went back and read out aloud I heard it.
The article “How to Read a Poem” was very helpful. Sometimes is very difficult for me to understand a poem but after reading this I was able to understand the poem better. It gave me many tips I will using in the future.
I choose the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B Yeats” because I really liked the poem. When I say I liked this poem I meant I really did because as a New Yorker I barely get peace like in nature. When I was reading this poem myself was transported to a mindful place where I could have some rest and peace. I imagined myself as being in my grandmothers house near the river as we can see in the following “I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core”. I was able to project myself as actually being in the place. When I was reading I was actually having the feeling of being near the river listening to the little waves and getting a lot of peace.
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Hi Jeidy, I feel like I can’t really understand the poem “The Lake of Innisfree” because when I read through I get confused. When I listen to the poems read by Innisfree MP3, you can find out that is not rhyme in this poem. In line 3 to line 4, it said: “Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee; And live alone in the bee-loud glade”. This line made me confused because I don’t know what the author wants to express in this two lines. I did not understand the literal meaning.
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Jeidy,
I completely understand! Reading poetry can be hard and sometimes frustrating! I loved the way you could place yourself in this poem by mentally going to your grandmothers, I think that is a very wonderful thing to be able to do, especially nowadays, just being able to put yourself there mentally must have been a nice escape to the craziness of the world!!
I choose the poem “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, because of how the poem sounded when I read it aloud. When I read it aloud, it gave me a jazzy type of feeling. Brooks was able to make me feel like I truly “completed” the poem. Brooks made me feel like I was cool although I did not participate in these actions. I know the poem is short but I think that’s the point of it. Being cool is short and simple. Although The stanzas are all short. Brooks states “ We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin.” These things are all activities that I feel that Brooks might have perceived as cool. I do not know if Brooks thought these were activities that you only do when you are young because the last line states “We die soon”. Other than that I truly felt cool and somewhat connected to the poem.
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In the article “How to Read a Poem” written by Edward Hirsch he discusses a poem written by William Carlos Williams. In this poem, Williams suggests that the experience of reading and enjoying a poem depends on the reader’s effort in “completing” it using his imagination and personal experience.
For this week’s assignment, I decide to discuss “White Lies” a poet written by Natasha Trethewey. As mentioned in the article, “a poem is “play” in the sense of a game or a sport, then you enjoy that it makes you work a little, that it makes you sweat a bit.” I read “White Lies” a few times, trying to recognize how it made me feel and why. This poet challenged me and that’s why I liked it and enjoyed reading it.
I think that trying to “complete” what the poet has begun is to try and imagine yourself as the leading character of the poet, so I did.
I tried to imagine myself as the young girl, telling white lies to others and even to myself in order to fit. I think that we all can relate to this poem since I am sure we all been in a situation we felt like outsiders, and we thought the only way we can fit is by telling a little white lie, those lies are our way to change the way people sees our lives from the outside, but usually, it doesn’t “color” the life we experience in the inside. I think that in this poem, we can also see the narrator felt the same way. The leading character in this poem is constantly telling white lies about her house and dress for her surrenders to think differently about her, but at the end of the day, she returned to her real home and her actual life, where her mother me reminded her of the reality.
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Shai,
I chose the same poem and I also felt like this poem took a little work to decipher. At first glance it seemed very simple, a little girl telling harmless lies to fit in with others. I struggle with understanding poetry but I realize after reading a few of these posts that it’s about more than that. I read the poem from an outsider’s perspective but read it over from the main character’s to understand from a little girl’s point of view how it may have been difficult to recognize the mother telling her to wash her tongue with soap was a meaningless punishment. To her that was true. But I like how you bring up the idea that she’s surrounded by strangers, telling lies, creating a fake persona of herself to be accepted but at the end of the day she comes back to her real life. I especially like how you explain the white lies as being colorless and creating no change on our actual lives.
The article “ How to Read a Poem” is a collection of words that are written in the forms of lines. By reading a poem you can learn about different types of poetry, and can also learn about the meaning behind each line. I never used to read out aloud any poems after reading the article. I start reading the poem more than once and hear my voice while I say each word out aloud. It makes sense and helps me understand what I am saying. “ To Complete” by putting down your thoughts and feelings you will be able to understand them better. I chose the poem “ White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey about the racial heritage. It’s about how people are treated differently because of their skin color, but also how they’re treated differently because of their race. The author uses many colors to show how different people are from each other. She uses imagery to show how different people are from one another, and also shows that there are some differences between races. This poem is sad because it shows how people are treated differently because of their skin color. The lines that caught my attention But I paid for it every time, Mama found out. She laid her hands on me, then washed out my mouth” ( lines 19-22). Those lines make me think that her mother doesn’t want her to “lie” about her identity.
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I can relate to the poem ‘The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks . It talks about the heartache of a woman who had an abortion. It talks about how she would never hear the cries and whines of her baby since she’s never had it. She cant really know how being a mother is since the abortion. I relate to it because my mother had an abortion because of her young age which tied into her culture and religion. She told me how she felt all the sorrows and sadness. She could not have her children . But she also told me the love and caring she has for her babies. She told me even though she had an abortion she still loves them very much. If it was her choice she wouldn’t have had an abortion, but due to her religion she has to. I couldn’t imagine how the woman in the poem and my mother felt having the abortion.
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Hi Osamende, thank you for your comment! I think that being able to relate to a poem as intimate and emotional as “The Mother” on such a personal level is very powerful and I am grateful to you for sharing your mother’s story. Being able to complete a poem by applying it to your (and your loved one’s) personal journey is a difficult but important thing to accomplish. Parenthood (or lack thereof) is such a personal journey and I have a lot of respect for your mother for the struggles she has undergone. I wonder how she might complete this poem was she the one to read it–or any parent, for that matter.
The article “How to Read a Poem” explains how a reader can immerse themselves into a poem and “continue” which is described as “revealing ideas that may not have been foremost in the writer’s mind in the moment of composition”. I tried to do this with the poem “White Lies” by Natasha Tretheway. I was drawn to this poem because I felt I could relate to this little girl because when I was younger I had the same desire to constantly be seen as prospering and impress others even if that meant putting on a facade. I think the girl in the poem is doing it to feel equal to the white folks she describes. I related especially to the line “The lies I could tell/ when I was growing up/ light-bright, near-white,/ high-yellow, red-boned/ in a black place,/ were just white lies.” because as a child I too felt like any lies I told were just white lies and didn’t understand what was so wrong about them. She says “I could easily tell” because to her these lies were harmless and had no repercussions. Her mother catches her lying and as a punishment washes her mouth out with soap. This reminded me of things my mom would do to punish me like write nonsensical phrases of apology over and over again as if it would undo whatever wrong I had just done. I realized the irony in this situation because the girl washes her mouth out with the soap believing her mom saying “This is to purify, she said,/ and cleanse your lying tongue.”, but that’s not actually true. The mother was punishing her daughter for telling lies by telling her a lie herself.
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Hello Zubaida,
I feel like your interpretation of the poem is exactly what it means to “complete” a poem: you took your own experiences, feelings, and memories and reflected on them in a way that made the poem as a whole make sense to you. You were able to relate pieces of it to yourself and, in turn, enhance your meaning of the work as a whole. I’m confident that this is how you noticed something that I, myself, missed– after the lies are revealed to her mother, her mother ends up lying to her by stating that she’s “purifying” and “cleansing” her when in reality, it’s simply punishment. If this isn’t situational irony I don’t know what is.
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From what I’ve gathered, the idea of “completing” a poem lies within the reader’s ability to interpret events, moments, or feelings from the poem to derive meaning. It’s the idea of using one’s own imagination to put the pieces of the poem together to create one, comprehensive understanding or interpretation, which is likely unique to each of us in some way. My favorite poem from this week was “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning. The way in which I completed this poem was through my understanding that the Duke had, in fact, killed his last wife out of spite and out of jealousy. Although some poems can be more open-ended, this was certainly Robert Browning’s implication, but he never revealed this explicitly, so this is where he expects the reader to complete the poem for him. After the Duke explains how his last wife’s affections were elsewhere, he goes on to say,
“Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive.”
This is where the reader’s own interpretation must come into play. Furthermore, we must understand that she was killed out of jealousy and insecurity– she was never actually unfaithful or neglected her husband
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I’m going to admit right off the bat that surprisingly enough, poetry intimidates me in a way. Every single word is placed there for a very specific reason and has a tremendous effect on the overall poem. So the article “How To Read a Poem” most definitely gave me a brand new perspective on the art form. I especially appreciate the point Hirsch makes where he says: “This act of completion begins when you enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view”. I think the instance where this helped me the most was when reading The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks, a story about a woman’s existential crisis stemming from her abortion.
One line stuck with me quite a bit. She writes: “Believe that even in my deliberateness I was not deliberate. Though why should I whine, Whine that the crime was other than mine?— Since anyhow you are dead”. She faces this dilemma where she seeks to explain to her unborn child while she made the decision that she made, but also battles with the fact that she’s trying to prove her worth to a child that isn’t even alive to hear her state her case. I can see myself in her when it comes to the regretful decisions I’ve made in my life, and realizing that there’s no one to genuinely explain myself to. It really made me think about the true extent of what a woman goes through after such a life changing decision such as an abortion.
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As someone who enjoys quite a bit of poetry in her spare time, I found the article “How to Read a Poem” quite illuminating. I do a lot of the techniques mentioned on my own, and I think it is a testament to the strength of the medium that readers of poetry can (with experience) engage in deeper analysis so effortlessly. The advice offered in the article that rang the truest for me and my ability to “complete” poems was the suggestion to embrace a poem’s ambiguity–and it is for that reason that the poem I wish to talk about is “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning.
The article explains that, while it is a natural instinct to desire closure and understanding, good poems will take time and multiple readings to uncover all they have to offer. Although it may be frustrating or confusing, it is okay not to understand what is happening in a poem right away. This was exactly my experience with “My Last Duchess”, and I believe that was Browning’s intention. By writing the poem not as a narrative but as a monologue, he is able to reveal bits of exposition piece by piece that add greatly to the drama of the story. Not only is this a great way for Browning to organize his poem, but it also leaves a lot of room for the reader to fill in the blanks of what is left unsaid–to “complete” what Browning has begun–through multiple readings.
I used my first reading of “My Last Duchess” solely to get a grasp on what exactly was happening in the poem. This was necessary not only because of the monologue format but also because of the antiquated language of the piece, which was written in 1842. Although I enjoyed reading it, this was not when I truly began to analyze and “complete” the poem.
On my second reading, I was able to insert myself into the poem, thrusting myself into the role of the servant who has come to visit the Duke. Here I began to chip away at the ambiguity of the piece, adding the other side of the situation by reacting as that servant might. I could not do this at first, of course, because it is not until the last line of the poem that the reader learns the reason for this encounter, when the Duke proclaims that the servant’s master’s “fair daughter’s self, as I avowed/At starting, is my object”–she is his next target, so to speak. Knowing this, the poem becomes more complete, with the servant’s dawning realization of the danger the Count is placing his daughter in. Being able to comprehend that is only possible by reading the work at least twice.
Because of the tactful ambiguity of “My Last Duchess”, I believe wholeheartedly that readers can “complete” this poem in any number of ways, especially by reading through it multiple times through different lenses. Although I chose to round out Browning’s words through my characterization of the servant present for the monologue, I fully intend to continue reading this poem, shedding some of its ambiguity and deepening my understanding of the piece as a whole.
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Kia,
I enjoyed hearing about your second reading. It was how you say “illuminating” because, I’ve never or lets just say mostly ever, put myself in the position of the person I’m reading about in the dialog. Perhaps we already do this subconsciously, I don’t know. Just a thought, but I just see that as an interesting solution to making interpretation in certain dialogs easier. You use the word ‘ambiguity” also, and “shedding”. I can see poems more now in terms of layers, or at least have that in my basket when I need to try something in order to better understand a poem.
In the article “How to Read a Poem” by William Carlos Williams we are told that “A poet depends on the efforts of a reader; somehow, a reader must ‘complete’ what the poem has begun.” We may do this by “Entering the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view.” The poem that I can “complete” would be “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. This poem is about a woman who has an abortion and begins expressing her experience. This poem was very deep, I felt with every line being read, I was reminiscing on a similar event. My Mother experienced an unplanned abortion and this story hit every feeling my family and I were feeling. In the poem, Brooks mentions “The singers and workers that never handled the air.” I remember my mother being heartbroken at the fact that the unborn baby would not have the ability to grow up and become someone, get a job, live life, possibly have children of his or her own. Another line in the poem that stuck out to me was, “I have heard in the voices of the wind the voices of my dim killed children.” I remember a couple of weeks after my Mother began hearing baby cries in the middle of the night and even though the abortion was for emergency medical reasons my mother still felt Immense regret. While reading this poem it brought me back to an intense time in my life and I feel that was what made this poem as good as it was.
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In “How to Read a Poem,” William is saying that in order to “complete” a poem the reader has to “enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view.” The poem I chose is “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats because of its theme of nature and spirituality.
I resonate with the speaker and his desire to build a nice and unaccompanied life on Innisfree. I’ve lived amongst nature before and after moving to NY I can fully understand having that crave for nature. Before I returned to NY I had lived in Germany, Louisiana, and Georgia so I really get a sense of comfort from this poem. Being in NY really makes me kind of miss the tranquility and solidarity in that nature I got accustomed to. I feel like I completed this poem because of how I can resonate with it and envision myself sort of in my own version of Innisfree. One of the lines I like would have to be “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow” (Yeats lines 5-6). When the speaker is referring to “peace dropping slow”, I feel like he is referring to the calmness and peacefulness of Innisfree engulfing him as he lives his life of solitude in Innisfree. This is why I resonate so much with what Yeats is saying because I can appreciate and feel what he’s expressing through the poem and his desire for seclusion.
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Hello Zakiyah,
I like your post since you are explaining from your own experience. Every place has a different environment and we as humans beings also need to look for different environments especially when we are having feelings. As the author is describing in the poem a peaceful environment everyone wants a peaceful environment, as a result, we can compare this poem or feel what the author is feeling. When we compare or when we imagine what the author has written we are completing what the author begun. when we complete we understand what the author is talking about.
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When in his article entitled “How to Read a Poem,” the poet William Carlos stated, “a reader must “complete” what the poem has begun,” he is saying that a creative poet gets the thinking juices flowing for the reader who then visualizes what the poet is saying and creates images in their minds from the spoken word. In other words, the poet highlights ideas and leave situations for readers to think deeply as they read not just on the line, but also between and beyond the lines. This way the reader is kept engaged in the poem as I was, when reading W. B. Yeats’ “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” In this poem, the poet sets the stage for one to find escape from where he currently is which may be noisy as he seeks to “have some peace there.” In the description given of this peaceful place, the poet evokes the feeling of contentment. In starting this I was made to complete this as I read by visualizing a place on the country where I was born that is my go to place when I feel overwhelmed and just need some me time to sit and sort things out in my mind, especially when I am making decisions that make have serious consequences. By setting the scene in this poem, the poet started what I completed by going to my quiet place in my mind.
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Hello Kendra,
I like when you say “poet gets the thinking juices flowing for the reader” basically this is what William means when he says to complete what the author has begun. We have to think and imagine what the author has written to have an idea of what the author is talking about or to guess the scenario where it takes place. This is also a way to keep the reader interesting in what he is reading. It looks great that you compare or you remember a peaceful place where you used to go when you were overwhelming. This is our job as a reader to imagine and compare with our experiences any piece of literature that we are reading.
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In the article “how to read a poem” we have every step in detail about how to read a poem, the specific meaning of the stanzas when a line is indented, etc. The interesting part of reading this was when William Carlos says “a reader must “complete” what the poet has begun”. I means that we have to make a deep analysis to understand the meaning of the poem. In this article also we find “This act of competition begins when you enter the imaginative play of a poem”. In other words we have to use our imagination and the imagery that the author uses in the poem to understand and make sense of the poem. In the poem “The lake Isle of Innisfree” by William Butier we find this two lines at the end of the second stanza.
“There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings”.
In these lines, we find some imagery and actually, this is the job of the reader to imagine this scenario and through the image, we can understand the exact meaning of the poem. To complete what the author has begun also means to read very carefully each line (verses) and understand the vocabulary and the sentences that the author uses to enrich his writing.
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Goodnight Miguel, I like how you stated “we have to use our imagination and the imagery that the author uses in the poem to understand and make sense of the poem.” In my opinion, a poem is not as interesting if there is no imagery behind it. In makes it more enjoyable to visualize what may be taking place. The stanza you chose to touch on is a perfect example of that.
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The poem I choose was “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning. The how to read a poem was a really useful tool to make someone figure out the story of a poem and “Complete what is done.” which is what I was able to figure out when I finished the poem. The story is about a duke who brags about his marriage to a young woman who died. The story then begins to take a dark turn as the duke talks about how she never appreciated him and flirted with other men in which the duke then says “Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though” meaning she had died from drowning quite possibly meaning the Duke was responsible for her death. This is soon supported when he states is marrying another women, When reading this poem i really liked how this poem slowly creeps its darker side in when at first it seems like an innocent reminisce.
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“We real cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks is probably the shortest poem most of us have ever seen so the reader actually thinks more about the poem has to write. Our perception of the characters keeps changing and we keep changing how we feel about them. For example, in these few words the reader will assume that the poem is about lost teenagers who are just uncertain of the value of school and find more meaning being outside, “We Left school. We Lurk late.” But the very next line tells us that they are violent and they are not clumsy with their punches. Which gives the impression that they have hit a lot of people in their short lives. “We Strike straight.”(Brooks). “We Sing sin.”(Brooks). This line gives a bit of relatability to the reader because a lot of the most popular songs are considered sinful. “We Thin gin.”(Brooks) It gives the reader hope in these characters because we find out that they are not addicted to alcohol and they don’t try to go over their limits. The next line puts a smile on the reader’s face “We Jazz June,” only for it to turn into a frown “We Die soon.” In the beginning of the poem you look down on these people thinking that they are good for nothing delinquents. However towards the end, you are reminded that they are still people that just want to be happy like the rest of us. The emotional tone for the end however is more of a “choose your own adventure.” Are they suicidal? Are they saying that will be their punishment for the wrongs that they have done? Is it a cry for help? Its up to the reader to decide.
In “White Lies” by Natasha Tretheway, the focus is on the lies that the narrator of the poem tells. Reading this the first time, I initially believed it to be about little lies being told to fit in. In the next few times, I read it as lying to be equal to their peers. In the final few times I read it as lying to hide the shame of being black. Lies are being told to fit in with white peers. In the first few lines, the lies the author told when growing up were “light-bright, near-white, high-yellow, red-boned” which I interpreted as lies being told to not be labeled or seen as black. This paired with the fact that the author was mixed race really solidified this idea as the terms are ones used to describe other races. These lies of multiple races followed by “in a black place” goes with the idea of lying to not seem black since these lies comes from a person who is black. I think I completed what the author set in motion by realizing that the white lies being told are told to appease white people or to seem similar or equal to white people because maybe the narrator was ashamed of being black. The poet writes when her mother found out about the white lies “She laid her hands on me, then washed out my mouth with Ivory soap” which I think was an interesting choice of words as ivory soap is white soap, but it was then used to “purify” the narrator. The poem then ends with “I swallowed suds thinking they’d work from the inside out”, which I believe is the narrator swallowing the white soap suds so that they could turn themselves white. I think that this poem speaks to the shame that some people may have about being black due to the racism that lots of black people face. However, I don’t think this applies to only black people as lots of people can have shame about who they are and where they come from when it comes to living in America. I think this poem was really powerful since racism is blatantly present in American society and it’s something that needs to be fought against.
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Chad,
That’s really interesting how you’re interpretation of the poem changed as you read it over. I honestly believed the lies being told are to fit in but it makes a lot of sense that the little girl was doing it to hide the oppression that made her feel lesser than the white. Also really fascinating catch you made about the ivory soap being white, and if she swallowed the soap that could make her feel white. I love how you connected these little pieces together!
I see a lot of your points Chad. Your conclusion leads me to think deeper about cultural acceptance and its role currently in our society. I think people often get confused about change or improvements in a structure. When discussing it they view it as “look how far we’ve come” in some arbitrary way, that neglects the bigger picture that how far we’ve came is due to act’s and decisions in the moment. So we too must do the most we can in this moment to ensure the improvements continue. We can’t bypass this and address racism.
This week I especially resonated with “the mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. In his article “How to Read a Poem” William Carolos Williams spoke about completion of a poem beginning when “you enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view.” “The mother” reminded me of a job I had in LA a number of years ago. I worked with pregnant women who had not yet decided on their family plans, whether they were going to parent, seek adoption, or terminate their pregnancies. The women who ultimately chose to terminate put so much time, thought, and energy into their decisions and I never saw it made lightly.
The loving, protective, and maternal energy in the lines below really struck me-
“You will never wind up the sucking-thumb
Or scuttle off ghosts that come.
You will never leave them, controlling your luscious sigh,
Return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye.”
Abortion is such a taboo topic and much of the reason it is not spoken about is that there is stigma against it. I was not a counselor for these women, I drove them to Dr.’s appointments, took them to get groceries, met their families, and in many cases, met their spouses and children. Many of the women that chose termination were already mothers with children of their own, which I feel many people may not realize. The women that ultimately chose to terminate had thought through all scenarios, wondered what their children would look like, their possible personalities, what they would be missing. I liked that “the mother” really captured these feelings without there being a right or wrong.
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Hello Lauren Ashley Phillips, i enjoyed your write up on the readings we did this week. The job you had in LA must have been quite the experience and i can see why this poem struck such a chord with you. I really liked what you had to say about your experience dealing with families thinking about the option of abortion, i found it particularly powerful when you said “The women that ultimately chose to terminate had thought through all scenarios, wondered what their children would look like, their possible personalities, what they would be missing.” thanks for being willing to share such a story with us, it put the poem in a much different perspective for me reading your story.
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In “How to read a poem” explains different areas of the poem such as lines, rhythm, sound, pauses in a line. Reading a poem out loud can help me better understand each line’s meaning. In “White lies” the author introduces herself as a liar. She lies about her race, in stanza one she says “light-bright, near-white, high-yellow, red boned in a black place.” She lied about her race because she was light enough to pass as a white girl. She lied about where she lives, the clothes she bought, everything else about herself. She had friends that were white and believed her because of her skin color. Towards the end of the poem she explains that everything her mother found out she lied about her race her mother washed out her mouth so she can stop telling lies. Her mother used to prevent her from lying about her identity. When reading the title “White Lies” the author laid out the main topic of race. She wanted to be accepted by the two other white girls in her class. Creating an image in my head of how lonely and confused she felt inside but outside she was showing happiness of being accepted by her two “friends” really created a different feeling. She was creating a fake identity for herself, but her mother made sure to “wash” the lies away. Lies can not be washed physically with soap but lies can be replaced with truth.
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I think the ideas of Williams can be interpreted in two ways with equal merit in both cases. The first can focus around “effort of a reader”, which I translate as, does this reader feel interested or find some truth, meaning in my poem. This could be a ability given naturally or through much study and education. The second is focused on the idea of “completing” something, but what? I came to the conclusion that this means poems are beginnings of a thought or Idea, any type of idea with no scope. It’s our job to finish these idea’s.
To summarize I think the poems that stick with you, are ones that you find meaning in by “completing” or connect the dots. That you have to re-read and expand your interpretations, providing a-ha moments. For example, from this week’s selection, the poem White Lies connected with me in the ways I’ve described. Sample size of one I know but, I don’t see much wrong in interpreting it this way. So to illustrate, when I didn’t understand all the suggestions the author wanted me to take the hint for like, “like the time a white girl said (squeezing my hand), now we have three of us in this class.” I had to complete the dots and connect it to the first 6 lines.
Sec. 0504
Section 0503
The article “How to Read a Poem” was very interesting for me to read and try to get a comprehensive thought out of it. I think completing the poem is also very interesting. Before, I thought that you couldn’t change the way you view the poem, like everyone has to look at it the same way and see and feel the same things. But after reading the article, perhaps I can be more open to interpretation. I chose to interpret “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. I liked the way she wrote the stanzas and I thought I could give the completion a go with this one. Although I cannot personally relate to the circumstances in the poem, I felt a lot when reading it. I think the woman who had the abortions did not want them, or maybe they weren’t her first option but the only one she could commit to. The last stanza of the poem I thought was very beautiful.
“Believe me, I loved you all.
Believe me, I knew you, though faintly, and I loved, I loved you
All.”
Just the phrasing and the way she wrote with the lines really struck me. And though, sometimes we make decisions that are for the better ones self, I think that this woman, this mother, made these decisions for the better of the children.
The poem I chose this week was, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats. After reading “How to read to Read a Poem” by Edward Hirsch, I was able to understand how to “complete” a poem and used that understanding while reading “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”. Before I started to read the poem I questioned the format and seen that in the middle of the poem there seemed to be some type of action or transition. After reading I came up with questions and went back and read as Hirsch stated you should do to get a better understanding, “It would be convenient if there were a short list of universal questions, ones that could be used anytime with any poem”.
So after “completing” the poem, I gathered that “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is about a person who lives in a city and would like to retire to a nature filled place where they don’t have to deal with the city life. This is clear in the lines,” And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings” (Yeats, Lines 5-6).
-Section 0503