Review of Week Eight Poems

Brooke "We Real Cool" and Murray "We Old Dudes"

These two poems are written very similarly. I would have though the same author wrote them both but they did not. The format is exactly the same. The pronoun comes at the end of the lines emphasizing what is actually being said. In "We Real Cool" the pool players sound like really edgy cool people. The description of their lifestyle leads up to the last line of "We Die soon." Their lifestyle sounds like it may be tough. When the author says they "lurk late" I imagine late nights in pool halls which stereotypically would mean drinking and possible bar fights. This may lead to a shorter life.

In "We old Dudes" the author describes a very stereotypical older man, out playing golf in his goofy white shoes, in Florida, a typical retirement area. Reading this, several men I know came to mind. This describes some of the retirees I know perfectly. Growing up in Boone, many people are seasonal residents who live in Florida during the winter. They tend to bring their Florida attire to Boone during the summers. Unfortunately, the final line describes these men as well. They are in their final days, enjoying what is left of their lives.

Atwood "You Ft into Me"

This poem cracked me up. Of course, I pictured a hook and eye clasp as used on clothing when I first began reading. I thought to myself how unique of a way that was to describe a relationship. Really, it seemed sweet. The next two lines were wonderful, "a fish hook, an open eye." It simply portrays a miserable relationship. When a relationship goes downhill it can feel that painful, like "a fish hook [in] and open eye."

Plath "Mirror"

This is such a unique way to describe a mirror. It gives the mirror life and a personality. There is nothing but honesty. The mirror portrays exactly what it sees. This particular mirror belongs to a woman. I love how Plath describes her growing old, "In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman Rises toward her day after day." Each day she looks in the mirror she has aged. This is more fitting since the author uses a woman instead of a man. Women typically look in the mirror more often, searching for new wrinkles, checking their outfit, makeup, and hair, and of course the final check before walking out the door.

Pastan "Marks"

Pastan describes the feelings many women have as a wife and mother. They work so hard to keep the house in order, kids where they need to be, meals prepared, chores done, homework, and happiness among the family as well as many other tasks yet a lot of the time, all this work is taken for granted. Personally, I don’t think I could handle it if my family actually graded my performance around the house. Life is stressful enough without worrying about getting straight A’s at home. The little boy really bugs me. How dare him rate his mother as average and tell her she "could improve." That’s completely ungrateful. Some days it does seem like it would be easier to quit doing everything when no one seems to appreciate it but that’s not an option of most people.

Review of Poems from Week 7

"Dogs Death" by John Updike

Anyone who has ever had a pet die can relate to this poem. Our dog was hit by a car last Christmas. He managed to survive but is the slowest 2 year old dog I've ever seen. Reading this made me think of all the times we thought he had just taken his last breath. This poem portrays our entire life with pets in just a few short lines. We work with them over and over to get them  to be obedient then it seems like when they are finally trained just how they need to be something happens, they get hit by a car, poisoned, or they naturally reach the end of their short lives. I like how Updike describes what happened to the dog, "her heart was learning to lie down forever." That is such a gentle way to describe death.

"l(a" by E.E. Cummings

What in the world is this about? If it's said in one sentence it reads "l(a leaf falls)oneliness." I don't see how a leaf falling has anything to do with loneliness. Was the author thinking about how lonely he was and saw a leaf falling while he was thinking? Also, how is this considered poetry? It's a sentence broken down into fragmented words. This poem definitely made me think and decipher what was actually being written but I still don't understand if there is a meaning and what that would be.

"Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins

I really enjoyed this poem. It's how I feel about books and literature in general. I enjoy reading a story and getting out of it whatever happens at that moment. Deciphering and breaking a story down is difficult for me to do. At that point, I no longer enjoy the story. It's then just a bunch of pieces that may or may not fit together. When I'm reading something for the first time it seems like an adventure. Sometimes I want to read it again but when I have to read things several times and figure out what the author is telling me it's no longer pleasure, its work.

"Common Ground" by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Cofer's poem gives a description of growing old unlike any that I've heard before but it's very accurate. Even at my age I can see my ancestors in my own actions and appearance. My mother's features are becoming more distinct and my father's behavior is starting to show. I really like the line "like arrows pointing downward to our common ground" in reference to wrinkles. We all have at least one thing in common, death and Cofer points that out.

"Titanic" by David R. Slavitt

This was another poem that points out our final destination of death. Slavitt seems to enjoy the idea of going down with the Titanic. To him it seems like a "first-class" way to go. He points out that in ones last days, they would be surrounded by "people, friends, servants" and would be "well fed, with music, [and] with lights!" Slavitt describes how the world would be saddened over the loss and that future generations would talk about it for years to come. The last line "We all go: only a few, first-class" describes the mind set of passengers and crew members aboard the Titanic very well. Social class was a huge deal on Titanic. Each class had their own quarters and it looked bad to intermingle. Slavitt does make a tragedy seem like it may not have been such a terrible way to go. Especially since we all have to eventually.

Review of "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

I can’t get The Help by Kathryn Stockett out of my head! I feel like I sat there, in Aibileen’s kitchen with Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter listening to their stories. Throughout the entire book, I felt heartache, joy, fear, and every other imaginable emotion going through these women’s journey. Never have I been so caught up in a fiction novel. History has never been a strong point for me. Reading this book though opened my eyes to the way things were during the 1960’s. It’s hard to imagine that races were so segregated less than 50 years ago. My mother and father witnessed all these events. At least half of our population witnessed, and lived through these events. Being born in the early 1980’s, there is, and never was, anything strange about drinking from the same fountain, using the same restroom, eating at the same table, or any performing any other daily functions with someone of a different race. It just doesn’t matter. Like Aibileen tries to teach Mae Mobley, we’re just people.

The end of this story was very stressful for me. I kept waiting for someone to hurt, even kill, Minny or Aibileen. Every time they got nervous or suspicious, I’d clench my jaw and read as fast as I could to make sure they were okay.  I was so proud of Minny when she finally took a stand for herself and left Leroy. That was brave, just like she was throughout the entire story. Minny is one of those interesting characters that seem harsh and crude all the time but she turned out to be a pretty sweet person.

The interaction Aibileen has with Mae Mobley is so loving and sincere. I was so nervous for Mae Mobley at the end. The way Stockett describes her as “scary hot” made me wonder if her mother would know what to do for her. Mrs. Leefolt has spent her daughter’s first four years completely ignoring her. How is she going to know how to tend to a sick child? By four years old, a mama should know what’s going on with her child. Mrs. Leefolt, more than likely, doesn’t.

Mrs. Hilly really got to me. I guess it would be hard to keep up her appearances like she did. Always in people’s business is probably a stressful life to lead. How does one person obtain so many people’s approval? How does she keep friends and why is everyone so afraid of her? I understand the maids being scared, she held their future, their jobs but the white girls who are in the same social class, how can they stand to be her puppets?

There is so much more that could be discussed from this book but I would be writing for days. It was truly an incredible novel. Stockett does an amazing job portraying the characters, the reader feels like they know each character. She also describes their emotions and trials in such a way that when they hurts, so does the reader; when they laugh, so does the reader; when they cry, so does the reader (at least I did); and when they are afraid, so is the reader.

Review of "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Ernest Hemingway

“The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway was fairly hard to follow. It felt like I picked up a novel, opened it to middle of the last chapter and began reading. The couple in this story had an awful relationship. The more I read, the worse their problems got. At first it seemed as if they just didn’t get along, perhaps just having a spat like every couple does. Then Hemingway reveals that they have been close to breaking up before but Margo, the wife can’t find anyone as wealthy as her husband, Macomber, and he can’t find anyone prettier. They are at a point in their lives where they both feel stuck with one another. As the reader, it’s obvious how detrimental their problems are when Macomber has been laying in his tent thinking about the lion incident and his wife comes in. It is the middle of the night and Hemingway makes it very obvious to the reader where she was. The fact that she was with the professional hunter, Wilson, is once again obvious when she kisses him on the mouth the next morning right in front of her husband.  

Their relationship is sad yet amusing. The way Macomber and Margo talk to one another is very sarcastic. When Margo calls her husband “darling” the reader can almost hear the sarcasm in her voice. Almost every sentence they say to one another is overly dramatic.

The ending of this story is so tragic. Macomber finally reaches a major turning point in his life; he overcomes fear, when his wife “accidentally” shoots him. It’s hard to believe that her killing her husband is an accident as she claims with their wild history together. Wilson doesn’t seem to believe Margo accidentally killed Macomber either. There was some foreshadowing to this moment. Hemingway makes a point to mention the gun sitting on the seat next to Margo before the men go out after the buffalo.

Review of "The Cask if Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

“The Cask of Amontillado” is very odd. I believe it is about two men that do not get along except they both love wine. This story is told in the first-person. Therefore, his own name is not mentioned. The narrator’s enemy is Fortunato, a wealthy, sickly man. The narrator tells Fortunato that he has Amontillado, apparently a wonderful wine, in his vault. The men leave together and the narrator gives wine to Fortunato along the way to the deepest part of his vault. I’m assuming the vault is his wine cellar/tomb. Seems like a creepy way to store wine. I would prefer to have two separate sections if it was necessary to have both.

The men finally reach the deepest part of the vault where the narrator chains the now drunk Fortunato to the wall. There is no struggle. Fortunato is drunk enough to believe that the Amontillado is close by and somehow he is going to get it, even being chained up. The narrator begins to build a wall and close Fortunato into the vault. After a couple layers of masonry being laid, Fortunato finally begins to realize what is happening to him.

This story is hard to follow along with, mostly because of when it was written. The language and descriptions we presently use are no longer worded like this story. It really takes some time and thought to figure out what is going on. I wonder if Fortunato realized how little the narrator liked him. If so, why would he go into the narrator’s vault with him? Why would he associate with him at all? Was wine that important to him? Fortunato would have been much better off if he would have declined the invitation and enjoyed the wine he already probably had. He was a rich man and could more than likely afford whatever he wanted. The narrator knew exactly how to get to Fortunato too. He lured him in with a wonderful wine, got the man drunk, and kept telling him to go back because of his cough. Fortunato seems to be like most of the men I know, if their “manliness” is challenged, they will not back down no matter what. Fortunato needed to learn how to say no.

Review of "The Horse Dealer's Daughter" by D.H. Lawrence

“The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” was a dark romantic story. There are several grown-up children who have recently lost their father but gained his debt. They are losing his estate which seems to bother most of them. The daughter, Mabel, is the most distraught. She keeps very quiet over breakfast while they are discussing their plans for the future. Mabel has lived in that home her entire life and seems to be afraid of the future. Her happy place is visiting her mother’s grave. As odd as it seems, it’s where she feels the most alive. I believe Mabel is looking toward her future with her mother even though that means death. She is most content in the graveyard. Mabel isn’t handling all of these changes very well.



It amazes me that all of these events occur in one day: she has breakfast with her brothers, visits her mother’s grave, attempts to commit suicide, and falls in love. That wouldn’t seem like too much except for the falling in love part. That normally takes time, at least it should. If it doesn’t then it takes time for most people to come to terms with love and be able to confess it. The doctor, Jack, whom Mabel falls in love with, appears to have some sense about him but no control over his feelings. He’s terrified to admit that he loves Mabel but he does anyway. I understand his emotion, it is overwhelming and exciting when someone comes to the realization that it’s really love. Love evokes feelings that are unimaginable and amazing.


The ending of the story left me confused, especially when she says “I feel I’m horrible to you.” How is she horrible to him? They’ve had one day together. Mabel seems to have some self-esteem, possibly mental issues she needs to deal with. Maybe a doctor is just what she needs on a daily basis.

Review of "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid

I enjoyed reading “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. Some of the guidelines the mother gives to the daughter are important for her to become a decent lady in the future. She is a little harsh when she is instructing her daughter on how to hem a dress “to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming”. I assumed these guidelines were given to the daughter throughout her entire life. Telling a young child that she’s intent on becoming a slut is not a great way to approach that subject. If I were to tell my child not to become a slut, I would first have to explain what a slut is. That is definitely not going to happen, not a conversation I’d like to have any time soon! Even if the child was old enough to know what that meant, then it would probably be rough on her self esteem.



As a mother, I am constantly instructing my children on how to do things, when to do them, why to do it a certain way, etc. This story connects with my motherly side. I have 2 boys, so the instructions are quite a bit different but they still exist on a daily basis, especially with my 5 year old. If I’m not instructing, he’s asking.


The story dates itself with some of the instructions the mother gives. Present day, the woman of the house typically works a full-time job, and does not have time for the same things women used to do such as sewing, baking, ironing, etc. I was fortunate to have a mother who taught me all those things but I sew only if a button falls off, usually 6 months later; I bake at Christmas only, sometimes birthdays; I iron if I really have to, like when the dryer won’t take out the bad wrinkles. Things have changed since this young girl was being “trained” by her mother.


The lessons the mother is teaching the daughter are all valuable, necessary life lessons that she will find useful in adulthood. I’m thankful that my mother provided me with the knowledge that she has, as will this young girl.