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.