To Mrs. White

My other comment was on Matt Peterson's post on 1/30/11.

Personal Helicon

I find this poem rather intriguing due to the fact that it starts off seeming like a memoir of different wells and what they behold in a sort of nostalgic manner. The moment I realized that there was the possibility of symbolism was toward the end of the poem. The initial thought I gained from the first reading of this poem was that it related to people. Between the shallow wells signifying Narcissism; and the deep wells, no reflection of water (meaning to me--deep, not shallow), the poem started to create it's message to me of its theme. I found it interesting how the author left the hint of symbolism towards the end, maybe to make the point more profound that it is not a dandy poem about wells. The rhyme scheme is ABAC DEDF, so on.... The rhyme scheme is kind of interesting but very confusing. The stanzas are in quartets, so the poem is somewhat of a standard structure. I'm trying to do something with the structure, but it's not really working out yet, but I'll find my touch. Everything aside, I did find this to be an interesting poem.

Much madness is divinest sense

I really find this poem interesting because I did some research into some of the meanings of the words of the poem instead of reading the poem and running off of my visceral senses. The words "Divine" is most commonly used with the idea of God and Christianity and I feel like Emily Dickinson is taking a knock on Christianity, or questioning it at least. I think in the beginning she is saying that the majority of people are God-loving and  religious, but they are simply mad. But then she goes on to clarify that it is what defines people i our society as "normal"--you aren't questioned, you will go to heaven and that's that. But those who have different outlooks--"Oh no, stay away from them, because they are dangerous and must have an eye kept upon them." The word "Demur" means to essentially object. I think Dickinson is tapping into the reality of our situation in the fact that if one is of a different culture, religion, or upbringing, then he or she is scolded for his or her beliefs. It's kind of ironic, really. This is a constant occurring event, whether someone is Catholic, Jewish, or now--Muslim--they will be tormented for not flowing with the same grain, as ignorant as the majority of the people in it are. I really like this poem.

Alone

I think this Edgar Allan Poe-m (haha) is quite interesting the way it is structured. It seems like he uses the dashes to signify the actual story-line of his poem and give the rhythm to which the reader should read it, but then his rhyme scheme is based on the structure of the lines. Poe uses an AA BB CC (etc.) type rhyme scheme here at the end of each line. He uses the dashes, instead of the line structure, to break up his lines. I just find this way of structure very clever and creative. I do like what he even has to say in his poem too. The ending seems very profound with the line "Of a demon in my view--." Although, I'm still trying to connect the dots with this. I guess I grasp the fact that he is very much an outcast in this world that he describes himself living in, but then I get thrown off at Then--... unless Poe is saying that throughout life, he has been followed by a demon and a cloud overhead that sets him different from everyone else. That makes him the puzzle piece that doesn't fit.  OR his being an outcast throughout life have caused him to create his own demons that block him from the normal world and keep him isolated and alone. I remain inconclusive, but I will be discussing this soon with Luke to construct our presentation.

Untitled

     I am really fascinated by this poem by Stephen Crane. First off, this poem just makes me think of Jim Morrison of the band The Doors and his LSD pilgrimage to the desert. The image of the man in the poem comes to me as a looney Jim Morrison. Anyway, I do also like the fact that this poem is somewhat simple and more to the point than a typically longer, more detailed poem (likewise).
    I do think this poem is symbolic in some way of something more than a homeless-looking crazy man in the desert eating his own heart from his hand. Is this symbolism for someone selling their soul away? Is it some depiction of self destruction or nihilism? Why does the man like the bitter taste and more the fact that he is eating his own heart?
     I think this has to do with the way people feel from pity. People like to be self hating for the seek of others' attention. People like attention. The best way to call it is by self destruction. It seems here that he is eating his own heart in a desert because he feels so alone in the desert of society and the world but he is morbidly craving the attention of someone by eating his own heart out, just as one may cut their wrist or a similar case.
     I think that this poem is open to several interpretations, though, but I guess this became most relevant to my mind. I really like this poem.

Tone Piece--Sarcastic/Pessimistic/Dreadful

     It is late at night and finals are coming up this week...ugh. To top it all off, I am sick and it's approximately 11:15 p.m. I am SO excited to wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning to start off this dreaded week. This week better go fast.. I just wish it was over!!!

Acquainted with the Night

I really, really like this poem. I get a feeling of a sort of depressing, lonely atmosphere, but in a bazaar way that gives one pleasure. I just kept imagining Robert Frost walking through the city at night, after everything has stopped--bars closed, buses stopped, everything in standstill and abandoned in its place until morning. Playing in my head, I can just hear a somber Sinatra tune while Frost describes his journey through the still night. I was curious, though, about the second stanza of this poem, "I have looked down the saddest city lane./ I have passed by the watchman on his beat/ And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain./" My question here is, what is he keeping from the watchman? What is Frost implying with the last line of this stanza? The last line feels to me like it is gorging with a sense of guilt and shamefulness, specifically because he states how his eyes "drop." Also, is time a symbolic feature in this poem, as he looks at a clock-tower and goes into further depth of the time being right or wrong in the next stanza? Who is calling for him? Or is this all sequentially happening to define the fact that he is extremely alone and isolated? Maybe he wishes that someone would call for him and care what he had to say even though he looked, shamefully, at the ground, and whatever time that it might be, how much does it even matter? That's why it's never right or wrong when you're lost, alone, apathetic, sad, gloomy, depressed, etc. Unlike the last poem I responded to, though, I love the tone and feeling of this poem the way Robert Frost writes it.