Getting Out

This poem was easy for me to understand, but also caused me some probles. The poem is talking about a marriage that failed i believe. The tone of the poem addresses a longing, remembering, nostalgiaic tense. The speaker is telling of all the things they rememebr about the split and how they just went their seperate ways. Yet, when they talk, the love says they are doing well. It talks about the battles that married couples go through and sometimes it just becomes to much to handle. They did what they thought was best for themselves and let go. They compared themselves to inmates because they really could not get out of the situation until they left eachother.

#14 The Oxen

In this poem, the author talks about his childhood christmas memories. The allusion corresponds to the nativity scene when Jesus was born. This is a form of a nostalgic piece. The speaker is remembering the way he used to think of Christmas and how as he has gotten older, he looks back on those memories. The title "The Oxen" refers to all the animals that were there on that Chirstmas Eve night. As the poem progresses, the speaker is tells of how he became more mature. Christmas is a time of innocence and happy rebirth. The animals were there to witness. When people think of Christmas, they rememebr the nativity scene. I personally liked this poem for the christmas tone and format.

#7 Crossing the Bar

Crossing the Bar was kind of confusing to me. However, I feel like the central theme was that the speaker is passing on into heaven. The word choice makes it seem as if he is moving on and leaving his loved one. The first stanza states words like "call to me" and "no moaning" which coincides with the fact of dying. Also, the poem talks about going home again. The tone in the poem appears to be like a farewell. He does not want his love to be sad. There is also a reference to God. The author chose the word "Pilot" which to me implies that he hopes to see his maker. The last line says that he will be able to see him face to face once he has crossed the bar. The theme of dying is a common one throughout poetry.

My mistress' eyes

Throughout this poem, the speaker creates the opposite of what most poems attempt to tell the audience. "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun." The speaker is pointing out all the flaws of his love. Yet, he is still tryin to figure out why he is in love with her. There is more to a person than the way they look. In a way, the speaker is showing how much love he has for her. He believes she is above all other items in nature. However, the way he describes them, the reader would get the feeling he does not think highly of her. This poem is kind of a parody to the other love poems. There is a great amount of diction used. The author used words like "black wires", "lips' red", and "pleasing sound." By using these choices of words, the audience can get a sense of what the women looks like.

Sorting laundry

This poem, to me, seems to be talking about love and the one they love leaves or dies. The author is equating laundry items to the way their life played out. As the character folds the laundry, they are folding that loved one in to the items. This poem is sad in many ways. The speaker is rememebering all the special times they had together. Also, they speak of how each piece of laundry expresses the things they shared. For instance, "pillowcases, despite so many washings, seams still holding our dreams." I feel that this line shows how happy they were together and how they impacted eachothers hopes and dreams. The only part that confused me was towards the end it says, "if you were to leave me..". I am not quite sure if the other half is still present or if they are gone. On line 49, the author says "a mountain of unsorted wash". This is an example of an overstatement to show how sad the woman would be/is.

Ozymandias

This poem was really confusing for me at first, but when we talked in our small groups I began to make sense of it. There was a king who left a bad impression on the people in that area. The whole poem seems to be a metaphor for power. It shows how power can be ruined by pride and humanity. We know that the king was arrogant and was only remembered for the way he treated people not his works. The only part of the statue remaining was the head. The sculptor was the one to choose what the structure would look like and for him to choose those characteristics emphasizes Ozymandias' bad reputation. Also, the only people who would really understand the irony in the scultpure falling apart is the people of that society. They understand the meaning behind it.

#13 APO 96225

Throughout this poem, examples of irony are used. My group thought that maybe it was a mixture of both dramatic irony and situational irony. The situational comes into play when the soldier writes his mom and tells him "sure rains a lot here", and " you ought to see the funny monkey's". But when the mother replies and tells him not to hold back and he rights what is really going on, the father tells him not to write things so depressing. It is situational because they want to hear the truth but they can not handle it when they are told. Also, there is an implied dramatic irony. As readers we know right away the struggles the soldier is going through. We can tell that his lines are understatements in his first letters. When is parents recieve the letters, they too realize the truth.

#7 Barbie Doll

The central theme of the poem is describe societies take on other people. In the poem barbie doll, this girl is very naive on society. She thinks everything is fine and she is pretty like a barbie until one of the classmates in school tell her "you have a big nose and fat legs." Society identifies people as what they see. They do not care what is really on the inside; rather, base on looks. It did not matter how smart she was, or that she was healthy. Everyone just noticed her big nose and fat legs. However, when she died, society finally got to make her look the way they wanted her too. Just like a barbie doll, they painted her lips and dressed her in something nice. The overall theme is that society can bring people down.

I taste a liquor never brewed

This was another poem my small group was a little confused on. We said that the author is talking about clouds. She uses words such as, "sun", "air", and "dew". These words stress that she is talking about nature. Our understanding of clouds comes in by the fact that the rain and the water represent the liquor. The clouds store all the moisture in them. Also, when the poem says the "little Tippler leaning against the -sun-", we were not really understanding. In question number 4 on the bottom of the page, it says what do comic drunks lean against in the street? Drunks lean against sidings of walls, stand, and anything that will not move. By showing the drunk leaning on the sun, it shows that the sun is never moving and it will always be there to keep us up. Emily Dickinson has a very distinct way of writing poetry. The other poems we read by her were very dark. However, this one seems to have a much lighter tone and meaning.

Pink dog?

Pink dog? What is going on in this poem. I have absolutely no clue what is taking place, or even the meaning of this poem. In my small group, we came up with many different possiblities, but we are not certain on what was really happening. Our understanding was that it is a poem that is critisizing society. It talks of how "noone with ever see a dog ini mascara this time of year." We took this as, people put masks on at the carnival so they can hide their true identity. People do this in society so that they can be someone else for the evening. They feel that if they are noticed for who they really are, they will not be accepted. I'm just really confused as to why the author chose the title "Pink dog" and what the dog has anything to do with the poem.

#17/#8 Bright Star

This poem was actually easy for me to understand. The way this poem is designed is a rhyming scheme. Every other line-the last word-rhymes. For example, "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art- Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite," By setting up the poem like this, the audience is able to see a sense of fluidity and progress in the poem. It is not hard to read, rather it is easy. Also, the tone of the poem is calm and collected. He relates the character to the star. Keats often uses contradictory phrases to show the character's position. The character likes that the star is in the sky can see everything;however, he does not like how far away it is. Likewise, he wishes he could be steadfast, but does not want to be alone. He wants to stay with his lover and be with her always. If he can not, he rather "swoon to death".

#6 February

So, this poem is one that is very strange. I had no idea what the author was even trying to convey when I first read it. Then, after going over it in class, I began to see what the central purpose was. Analysis of Atwood's poem said that it is one teenagers should be able to identify with, and after we reviewed the poem in class I began to understand. Atwood is telling her audience to move forward with life. When we are in are dark days, we need to get up and do something with our lives. We can not just sit around and sulk at what is taking place. At the beginning of the poem, the author used negative connotations- "eat fat" and "watch hockey"-is a form of diction used. However, at the end of the poem, Atwood switches into words such as "optimism", "get rid of death", and "make it spring". It is clearly visible that the writer is speaking about life and how we are able to learn from all the negatives we endure.

# 11 Dreams Deferred

This poem is made up of five similes and one metaphor. They deal with the ways dreams can be interpreted and how they look in our eyes. The make up of this poem is set out in a way that all the similes are together and the metaphor is the second to last line of the poem. "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." By putting this statement at the end of the poem, it shows a sense of fluidity and allows the poem to progress. Also, the similes are offered as questions, whereas the metaphor is a blunt statement. Dreams have a million of different meanings and happenings. This poem was written during the Harlem Renaissance by Hughes. It speaks of how is dream was to be equal. The make up of similes and metaphors allows the reader to see the necessity of what it means to go for one's dreams.

#17-Convergence of the Twain

This poem has a rhyming scheme. For me, it is easier to read poems that rhyme because I can get a beat going and flow through it. Also for this poem, the structure goes two short sentences and then one long one. To me, I feel the structure holds some significance. Overall, the poem is an allegory to the 'Titanic' and the journey the ship faced. The last line of the stanza offers an intense idea of what was happening. The last word in each line rhymes with one another. For example, "And as the smart ship grew, In stature, grace, and hue, In shadowy silent distance grew the Icebourg too." The poet gives us details to the event in each line. By doing this, the audience is able to obtain a vivid picture of what is taking place.

#10- I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

In this poem, the author uses good imagery. The imagery heavily reflects the senses. The two that are very noticable in this poem are sound and sight. The character can hear everything that is going on, eventhough she is inside the casket. As we know, the character is metaphorically inside the casket. She can hear the drums playing and the lift of the box. Also, she saw the the mourners and saw them being seated. The effect of this imagery is to show what is happening to the character. Obviously, she is in a tough place in her life and feels as though she can not make it. At the very end it says "Plank of Reason broke." She feels as though she is insane and it is time to accept it. All of the imagery adds to the tone and theme of saddness and depression.

Those Winter Sundays

This poem is short, but I feel it can be interpreted in many ways. When we were in our small groups, my group had a hard time on agreeing what was taking place. Some thought the father was abusive and others just thought it was the boy finally taking the time to understand all his father had done for him and the family. We never came to an agreement. The reason we saw the abusive viewpoint was because of the lines that say "fearing the chronic angers of that house", and "speaking indifferently to him". These lines offer dark personal feelings. We can definately tell there is a distance between the boy and his father. However, the rest of the poem speaks of his father's hardwork in the cold and how he trys to help the family. We see a sense of sympathy in the poem as well. ("no one ever thanked him")I am unsure of which is true because I can see both sides.

#14- Spring

Throughout the poem entitled Spring, the poet incorporates allusions to Christ and the Garden of Eden. This is very meaningful to the poem because we think of Spring as a time of new life, Easter, and joy. The Garden of Eden is alluded to to show how sin impacts our lives, but we can overcome that and enjoy life. Christ is alluded to because Easter happens in Spring. In the Catholic church, we believe Jesus rose and ascended into Heaven. This shows how our lives were renewed and can live in happiness. This poem is all about the innocense we have until it is clouded over with sin and negative aspects. The allusions do a good job of describing this idea; With the help of these allusions, the audience can tell the greatness of Spring and what it has to offer. I really liked this poem because it had a cheerful meaning to Spring and was light-hearted.

#8- London

In the poem London, there is a distinct tone that comes across to the audience. The tone is that of dark and pitiful. Throughout the stanzas, the poet talks about "in every cry of every man", "infants cry of fear", "chimney-sweeper's cry", and "soldier's sigh." This shows that the country is very unhappy. Also, the poet talks of a "Harlot's curse". This proves that London is in shame and cannot live happy married lives. When reading this, from the first line to the last, it is gloomy. There is no happy ending or exciting scene that takes place. Every line talks of derogatory ideas. William Blake, the poet, does a very good job of getting the tone to come out in the poem.

Perrine's Poetry

In poetry, there are a numerous meanings people find to the poems. There is no correct answer to which is right, only understandings that are better than others. This really confused me because number one, who has the final say on which one is better? Number two, how are readers supposed to get the same meaning as someone else? The criteria used for judging the interpretations are: the interpretation must account satisfactorily for details in the poem, and they must me economical and not based solely on general assumptions. The interpretations can not be too out there or it will not make sense. Perrine also states that context that surrounds a poem can help to expand the meaning, but may also put a limit to it. Words in poetry have richer meanings. When one reads a poem, they have to go deeper and put thought into what is actually being said. Symbolism is used in many poems. This can cause a problem since there can be more than one understanding of what it is being stood for. RObert Penn Warren says, a symbol "partakes of the reality which it renders intelligible."
My interpretations the first time I read the poems were kind of on the right track but not really. After reading Perrine's interpretations, I began to see how they truly connect with the words present in the poem. I began to see how he made all the words come together to make the poem make sense to him. However, I'm still confused as to how we can train ourselves to comprehend the true meaning. We are supposed to understand what the author is trying to say, but we really do not know. Perrine's criteria is a short list; I feel the audience needs more guidelines to truly solve the true meaning. The biggest key in reading poems is to make sense of what words are used. Overall, I feel as though i may understand poems a little better if I follow Perrine's ideas.