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.