Blog Entry 2

Red Kooser, “Abandoned Farmhouse”

Consider the words used. Are they simple, straightforward words or unfamiliar? Does the poem feel modern and contemporary or old fashioned?
The words are very straightforward and simple, as well as modern. “He was a big man, says the size of his shoes.” This example shows how there isn’t really any difficult metaphor to decipher, or a phrase that could have more than one meaning.

Does it give straightforward description or is there a lot of figurative language?
It’s very straightforward, and examples of objects are used to help the descriptions. “A woman lived with him, says the bedroom wall/ papered with lilacs and the kitchen shelves/ covered with oilcloth, and they had a child,/ says the sandbox made from a tractor tire.” The object such as the tractor tire allows you to form an image in your head. These are simple descriptions, but they allow you to have pretty detailed pictures in your mind. I only found one metaphor: “Its toys are strewn in the yard like branches after a storm…” This metaphor is definitely a strong one though; it makes you think something bad happened.

What about the sentences? Simple? Direct? Long and complex? Twisted around unusually?
The actual sentences in this poem are pretty long in the first two stanzas. The first stanza is eight lines, and its one sentence, whereas in the third stanza it is made up of four sentences. But, the sentences aren’t unusual or complex.

Are the lines long or short? Is the poem divided into stanzas or not?
The lines aren’t too long, and it’s divided into three stanzas. Each line gives a pretty good description that adds to the overall sentence.

Can you describe the tone? Dark? Cheerful?
The tone starts out a little creepy. The poem starts out talking about a big man, which gives me the idea that maybe he was abusive. “…and a good, God – fearing man, says the Bible with a broken back/ on the floor below the window…” This line especially makes me think of those crazy country families that are very religious, but at the same time believe in killing people. By the end of the poem the tone is sad and also a little unsettling: “And the child? Its toys are strewn in the yard/ like branches after a storm – a rubber cow,/ a rusty tractor with a broken plow,/ a doll in overalls. Something went wrong, they say.” The last line: Something went wrong, they say,” completely freaks me out, and makes me think of a horror movie filmed in the middle of nowhere.

Do you notice any “musical” effects – rhymes, rhythms, etc?
I didn’t notice many musical elements in the poem, but it did carry very well as a story. Even though this is written as a poem, I felt like I was more so reading a story. It seemed to have a little beat, but not any major rhyming.

Is there anything else you’d like to say about the way this poem is written?
The title of this poem kind of gives away the rest of the poem, but the descriptions are what really got to me. For some reason, this poem kind of creeped me out, which you wouldn’t expect a poem to do to someone. Regardless, I thought the description was very good, and it allowed me to create a great, detailed picture in my mind.





Lucille Clifton, “Homage to my hips”

Consider the words used. Are they simple, straightforward words or unfamiliar? Does the poem feel modern and contemporary or old fashioned?
The words are simple, and the poem is very modern. To show you how simple the words are, “these hips are big hips.” I don’t think it gets any simpler than that. The only word that I had to look up was petty because I didn’t understand it in the context in which it was used.

Does it give straightforward description or is there a lot of figurative language?
The poem is straightforward, and I think that this helps the poem. Sometimes metaphors and other figurative language helps a poem, but this poem doesn’t need that. “these hips have never been enslaved,/ they go where they want to go.” I think the straightforwardness makes this poem what it is, and also helps to not make it so serious.

What about the sentences? Simple? Direct? Long and complex? Twisted around unusually?
The sentences are very short. There is a total of seven sentences, and none of it weird sounding. Each sentence is simple and direct: “These hips are mighty hips./ these hips are magic hips.” She is stating that her hips have a “magical” power, and they are strong. In a way I feel that she is using her hips to symbolize women and their strength. She mentions in the poem, “they don’t fit into little/ petty places, these hips/ are free hips.” I feel that she is stating her hips are free to do what they please, and she feels content. And hips are connected to women because of image, and how we view ourselves. Therefore I think she views herself as a strong, free woman, and wants others to feel the same about themselves.

Are the lines long or short? Is the poem divided into stanzas or not?
The lines are very short, the longest one is made up of six words, while the shortest one is made up of three. The poem is not divided into stanzas, and I don’t think it needs to be. It flows well as one stanza.

Can you describe the tone? Dark? Cheerful?
The tone is very light-hearted, and it makes me laugh. There is a sense of power when she says, “these hips have never been enslaved.” This makes me think of how good she feels to be alive, and I think this makes the whole tone of the poem stay up beat all the way through, even to the last line: “I have known them/ to put a spell on a man and/ spin him like a top!” I think the tone stays the same throughout the poem, and focuses on her being happy with her hips, and who she is.

Do you notice any “musical” effects – rhymes, rhythms, etc?
There really isn’t any rhyming, but I feel that the poem still flows pretty well. She does repeat the lines, “these hips” but I don’t think that that brings down the poem at all. At one point she uses the same word twice in two lines, “they go where they want to go. / they do what they want to do.” I’m not sure if this use of the same word in the same line means anything, but when I read the poem out loud, I felt that it kind of kept a rhythm. Also, “these hips are mighty hips./ these hips are magic hips.” These two lines are right after each other, and there is only a one word difference in the two lines, like in the previous example. The different word starts with an “m” in both lines, which I also thought helped to keep a rhythm.

Is there anything else you’d like to say about the way this poem is written?
I really liked this poem, and I think it’s funny. It’s one that I would definitely read when having a bad day.