Rotation 4, blog 3

“Triolet” Robert Bridges
-has a good rhythm
-the name of the poem itself means: a poem that has eight lines and there is repetition of certain lines throughout the poem
-the name of this poem doesn’t have anything to do with what the poem is about
 I find this really weird that someone would name a poem like this
 Maybe she wanted to show that she was exaggerating certain parts of the poem
-slant rhymes: “guess, mater” “friendliness, guess”
-comparing love to master  controlling
-personification: “That Love would prove so hard a master”
-love is also capitalized as if it were a person’s name
-gives love the characteristics of a person in control
-made up of 2 stanzas
-some punctuation usage
-the line “we did not guess” is repeated three times and the line “Love would prove so hard a master.”
-makes you feel like love is very controlling
-makes you feel like it can also happen unexpectedly: “of more than common friendliness”
-“Irretrievable disaster”  makes love sound horrible
-the opposite of what most people say about love
-most people think of love and think it’s a great thing but this poem shows the opposite
-tone: not very upbeat
-“irretrievable disaster”
-no metaphors
-makes you turned off towards love in a way  makes it seems so horrible that you wouldn’t want to venture out into that area


“Ancient stairway” Denis Levertov
-One stanza
-made up of two sentences
-needs the next line to make sense: “footsteps like water hallow”
 That example is also a metaphor
-no real rhyme scheme
-reads like a poem more than a story
-short lines
-tone: ancient, adventurous
-“the broad curves of stone”  makes me think of England and back in the day when dungeons and castles were very common
-“century by century”  shows that even after all this time, this stone is still here
-the last four lines of the stanza make me feel that this stairs will never be dissembled
-talks about the last person on these stairs may either being going up or down
-weird to think though that the last person using them would be going up
-would need another way down  “century by century”  by this time elevators could be invented so the person wouldn’t need the stairs to get down
-over time maybe the stairs may not be used anymore but they are still there
-because each line is broken up  allows for more emphasis on each line
“The broad curves of a stone” – makes you think of stones and how they must curve along the wall
-emphasis on each line also helps with imagery
-allows you as the reader to take the poem line by line and paint a picture in your mind


“I Shall Paint My Nails Red” Carole Satyamurti
-Each line starts with the word “because”
-all one stanza but a space between each line and each line is its own sentence
-each line is a reason why she wants to pain her nails red
“Because it is quicker than dyeing my hair.”  this is very true
-women want to make changes about themselves but want them to be quick
-most people are impatient and want fast results
-“Because it will remind me I am a woman”  red can be considered a feminine color
-usually if you wear a red dress it is thought of as “sexy” and this may be why red nail polish will remind her that she is a woman
-but another line: “because I will look like a survivor”  red is known for being a strong and bright color  shows that red has two sides to it
-word that I looked up: Moratorium – to freeze/ stop
-the last line in the poem really stood out to me: “Because it is reversible.”
-this line seemed the strongest because it is shorter than all the other ones
-but also because of the last word in the line
-if there is something we don’t like about ourselves we wish we could change it
-this is a minor part of our body that we can quickly change if it turns out badly
-tone: light hearted, not very serious
-each line just basically stands for a reason why she wants to paint her nails red
-Very straight forward poem – doesn’t use any complicated words or metaphors
-she isn’t trying to explain a hard idea  she can use more simple diction
-still a good poem even though it’s still simple

Rotation 4, blog 2

“End” Langston Hughes
-made up of three stanzas
-One stanza equals one sentence
-each line could not stand on its own without the next line
-no rhyming
-has somewhat of a beat/ rhythm
-no metaphors
-Kind of bland poem – not much excitement and doesn’t really make me think
-some imagery: “No shadows that move/ from dawn to dusk.”
-makes you think of an empty room with no windows
-tone: feels like you are lost
-no direction in life  confused or in a daze

“The World Is Too Much With Us” William Wadsworth
-One big stanza
-a little bit of rhyming but I think it’s coincidental: “hours, flowers” “boon, moon”
-words that may need to be looked up: sordid, boon, Pagan, creed, forlorn, wreathed, lea
-metaphor: “And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers.”
-only metaphor in the poem
-Tone: starts out that we have abused the naturalness of our world and have abused our power
-all of these bad things are occurring and if he/she could just see something happen that wouldn’t make him so sad
-would want to see Triton or Proteus  put him in a happier mood
-a lot of punctuation is used
-stanza is more than one sentence
-has a rhythm but not a definite one
-feels more like a story rather than a poem  the lines are pretty long  feels like all prose but is just broken up into short lines
-personification: “the winds that will be howling at all hours”
-gives the wind an animal/person characteristics
The line “For we are out of tune” makes me feel that we have changed the world itself
-we have changed the movement of the sea, and the direction of the wind
-even though we are “out of tune” it doesn’t really bother us
-this makes me think of Global Warming  we have ruined our earth for the worse, and even though we have done this horrible deed a lot of people don’t really care/ don’t want to change their habits for the better

“Acquainted With the Night” Robert Frost
-made up of five stanzas
-the last word in the first line rhymes with the last word in the third line of each stanza, “night, light, “lane, explain” “feet, street” “good-bye, sky”
-the last stanza is a couplet: “right, night”
-has a really good rhyming when read  I think the rhyming helps this rhythm
-The lines are end- stopped even though they all don’t have periods or punctuation at the end of them:
“I have been one acquainted with the night”  no punctuation but can still be end- stopped
-all three lines in the first stanza start with “I have”
-good imagery: “I have looked down the saddest city lane.”
 Makes you think of a really dirty, grimy street that has trash everywhere and the houses are pretty dumpy looking
Another example: “I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.”
-makes me think of a huge storm
-a little twist  saying he’s walked out in rain and back in  this diction plays off each other
-Tone: a little depressing  all dark adjectives: “night, rain, saddest, dropped my eyes, not to call me back or say good-bye”
-the line: “And further still at an unearthly height,/ one luminary clock against the sky.”
-makes me think of the moon
-the moon is really far away from earth, and it is a pretty bright source of light
-could be considered a “clock” because it can be used to tell time  depending upon its position in the sky, how much of the moon is showing, how high or low it is in the sky
-interesting poem  makes you think
-the lines seem pretty straight forward but I feel that you have to kind of read beyond what’s written on the page
-trying to paint a picture and I don’t think this one is very simple
-words that may need to be looked up: proclaimed, unearthly, luminary
-the last line: “I have been one acquainted with the night.”
 Makes me feel that this person may go on adventures at night or may just take walks at night
-also kind of gives me a bad feeling  vampires, dark/scary

"Perfect Dress"

“Perfect Dress” Marisa de los Santos

What is it about each underlined word or phrase that appeals to you?
-All suggest beauty
-make me think of celebrities in a way  known to be beautiful
-the adjectives are very feminine

How does the word or phrase relate to the other lines? What does it contribute to the poem’s effect?
“Most elegant neck” relates to other lines because it’s talking about runway models and how they are lone and lanky  showing how they’re so pretty
The phrase “Perfect Evening” relates to the rest of lines in the poem because that’s what this poem is about  finding a dress for the Perfect Evening and being a beautiful person
-These phrases add a touch of feminism to the poem  makes me think of fashion too because of the descriptions: “I reached for polyester satin,/ machine – made lace, petunia – and Easter egg - colored.”
-adds more color to the poem and makes it a little more light hearted instead of concentrating on this girls image problem the entire time

How does the sound of a word you’ve chosen add to the poem’s mood?
The word “sublime” makes the poems mood feel not as down about her looks
-makes the poem seem a little more encouraging because she believes that one day someone will refer to her using this word
-helps to uplift the mood from the beginning of the poem

What would be lost if synonyms were substituted for your favorite words?
I feel that synonyms would take away some of the grace that the feminine words have added to the poem
-the words “Sublime, incandescent, elegant” all help the poem so if they were substituted I feel that the poem would lose its sense of beauty of grace

What sort of diction does the poem use?
This poem uses conversational diction for sure.
“Today in the checkout line, I saw a magazine/ claiming to know…” this is definitely something I would say to one of my own friends

How does diction contribute to the poem’s flavor and meaning?
The diction makes the poem seem a lot more realistic
-makes you think of a lot of teenagers across America
-feel a little more connected to the writer
-gives the poem more flavor in the sense of realistic situations and things that girls actually do say and think to each other

Rotation 4, blog 1

Rotation 4, blog 1

“The Heart” Stephen Crane
-when read aloud, it has a certain rhythm but no definite pattern
-tone: starts out somewhat creepy  “I saw a creature, naked, bestial”
-tone changes  very weird “It is bitter – bitter,” he answered.” This quote is talking about the way his heart tastes when eaten
-may make some people feel uncomfortable
-very different because the heart is mostly thought of to be a pleasant object, and usually the heart is involved with love
-only consists of two stanzas
-good usage of punctuation
-One word that may need to be looked up: bestial
-no metaphors or similes
-the guy eating his heart says “it is bitter – bitter,” he answered/ “but I like it/ because it is bitter/ and because it is my heart.”
Somewhat ironic because when something is bitter most people don’t like it
Because it is his heart, his possession  could be why he likes it even though it’s bitter
 Maybe he is a bitter or evil person therefore he likes this
-this poem starts out with the setting “In the desert” which shows that this “creature” is rare
-not many animals live in the deserts that are common in other areas
-but the tone of the poem makes the act of eating your heart sound normal

“The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost
-has a good rhythm when read aloud
-slant rhymes: “claim, wear”
-ending rhymes: “wear, there”
-last line and second line in the second stanza rhyme: “claim, same”
-made up of four stanzas
-Pretty good usage of punctuation – all four stanzas doesn’t make up one sentence
-last two lines: “I took the one less traveled by,/ And that has made all the difference.”
-after reading these last two lines, it makes me want to do something different
-you always hear the usual things that people do after high school or the usual colleges that people go to  this makes you feel like you should branch out and something different with your life because it obviously has helped this person for the better
-lines aren’t too long
-tone: adventurous, courageous  do something out of the norm
-Good lines that gives imagery: “because it was grassy and wanted wear.”
-makes me think of a road out in the west that hasn’t been traveled on a lot and is surrounded by nature
-Each first word in all the stanzas is capitalized  some of the lines are end- stopped  “I shall be telling this with a sigh”
-It doesn’t have punctuation at the end of the line but I believe this is an end – stopped line
-another example: “I took the one less traveled by”
-this one doesn’t have punctuation at the end either

“The Mother” Gwendolyn Brooks
-after reading this poem I felt a little sad and disturbed  tone
“It is just that you never giggled or planned or cried.”
-this quote gives abortion of a horrible light/view
-makes you think of a little boy or girl running around, but this idea is crushed by the fact that the young child never got to do these things
-the last word in each stanza rhymes with the one below (couplets)
-“forget, get” “hair, air” “beat, sweet”
-lines are really long and a lot of punctuation is used
-feels more like a story somewhat  I believe this because there is a more of a sense of prose in this poem
-“I have heard in the voice of the wind the voices of my dim killed children.”
-really depressing line  makes tone really dark here
-the first line “abortions will not let you forget”  shows that the rest of the poem is about the thoughts and ideas that will always haunt you if you have an abortion
-you think you’re problems are solved by getting rid of the child, but they are still mentally present
-the last line: “Believe me, I knew you, though faintly, and I loved you, I loved you/ All.”
-because the word “all” is on a line by itself and it’s the last word of the poem  huge emphasis
-makes me feel that there’s been more than one abortion
-or it could mean that the mother loved all of the child, even though she didn’t actually get the chance to know her child
-towards the end of the poem the writer starts to talk about how it is her fault that the baby was created and that she decided to kill it, but at the same time she cannot complain and feel bad for her decision
“Believe that even in my deliberateness I was not deliberate./ Though why should I whine,/ Whine that the crime was other than mine?” This really makes you feel opposed to abortions  really biased writer
-at the same time makes you think that the pregnant mother shouldn’t complain that she has a baby because it’s her fault even if she thinks she tried to stop it from happening
-cannot blame anyone else for this incident
-Overall this poem is really good
-makes me feel more connected to my mom in a way  know how she feels about when I was a little girl and all the things she loved that she got to do with me

Rotation 3, blog 4

Rotation 3, Blog 4

“Anger” Cesar Vallejo
-made up of 4 stanzas
-good amount of usage of punctuation
-each stanza starts out with the word “anger”
-then from the first line the big object is broken down into more little pieces throughout the stanza
I.E.: “Anger which breaks a tree into leaves/ and the leaf into unequal buds/ and the bud into telescopic grooves.”
-as you can see each line is broken down into a smaller and smaller object from the bigger object in the first stanza
-no rhyming but has a good beat when read aloud
-the line “The poor man’s anger” is repeated in every stanza as the fourth line
-the “poor man’s anger” line is used after the big object in the first stanza has been broken down all the way into something that is useless
-words that may need to be looked up: octave, steel, arcs, dissimilar
-compares anger à tree
From good à doubts
From soul à bodies à organs
-really interesting word choice when comparing anger to objects/ideas

“O Moon, when I gave on thy beautiful face” Anonymous
-the end lines rhyme:
“Face, space” “mind behind”
-only one stanza à one whole sentence but commas are used also throughout the poem
-word that may need to be look up: careering
-has a really good rhythm
-for consisting of only one stanza à a really good/interesting poem
-good word choice
-makes the moon seem real à “o moon, when I gaze on thy beautiful face (first stanza)”
-even though the writer is talking about the face of the moon à in a way sounds like the face of a person
-really good imagery:
“Careering through the boundaries of space”
-makes you think of space as a huge place but it does have boundaries still
-also makes you feel that the moon has a “job” in a way
-the last line in the stanza: “if I ever shall see thy glorious behind.”
-this line by itself can be taken as the bottom of a girl
-therefore this line needs the rest of the poem to make sense
-in this poem though the writer is talking about the other side of the moon, and maybe even to the extent of what is behind the moon itself
-maybe another world

“I’m Nobody! Who are you?” Emily Dickinson
-made up of two stanzas
-a lot of punctuation
-no specific rhyme scheme
-metaphor: “How public – like a frog”
-Words that may need to be looked up: bog, livelong, dreary
-tone: really happy à wouldn’t think that a poem about being a “nobody” would have a happy tone
-this poem shows the side of a person who likes being a “nobody” and doesn’t like being in the spotlight a lot
-this poem could also be taken as a joke à “Are you – Nobody – too?/ Then there’s a pair of us!/ Don’t tell! They’d advertise – you know!”
- These three lines really stand out in the poem
à showing that the person likes to be a nobody
-also funny or light hearted in a way because she says “They’d advertise” and I have a feeling that she means people would talk about this pair of “nobodies”
-this actually does happen in some schools
-ironic in a sense à poem is about someone who is a nobody and enjoys it but then at the same time is happy that someone else is a nobody with them
à I feel like if you were a nobody you wouldn’t want to be with others
-pretty good poem overall à I like the tone, choice of words, and how the main idea of the poem has a twist to it

Rotation 3, blog 3

Rotation 3, blog 3

“To Waken an Old Lady” William Carlos Williams
-no rhyming
-Short lines – only four times is punctuation is
-each line has emphasis because it’s only a couple of words:
“Skimming/ Bare trees/ above a snow glaze.”
-compares old age and waking an old woman to a flight of birds
-pretty good imagery: “oh harsh weedstalk”
-“the snow/ is covered with broken/ seedhusks.”
-some words that may need to be looked up: buffeted, tempered, piping
-this poem doesn’t particularly make me think after I’ve read it
-isn’t very interesting
Tone: somewhat calm, but at the same time made me feel a little sad or empty
-“gaining and failing”
-“dark wind”
-“is covered with broken/ seedhusks”

“Mother to Son” Langston Hughes
-has a definite rhythm but no actual rhyming
-sometimes seems like slant rhymes: “climbin and landin”
-uses words in a southern accent: “For I’se still goin’, honey”
-uses this type of language as an advantage for the rhyming
-also makes poem have an older feel to it
-isn’t how we would speak today even though we’re from the south
-adds character to poem
-pretty good usage of punctuation
-End – stopped:
“I’se still climbin”
-Uses the line: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” in the beginning and end of the poem
-tone: never give up
-keep pushing the hard times à courage and strength to move on
-Uses items such as tacks and splinters to compare her life to
à Some of the things she has run into really hurt her life, and had to get over these obstacles
-Emphasis on the line with one word: “Bare.”
à Makes you feel alone à change in tone at this one point in the poem
-only a couple of lines are longer than the others, but all pretty much short lines
-makes you want to keep going with your life, and be thankful for the things you do have

“Life” Grace Treasone
-Only one stanza and one whole sentence
-every other line rhymes
-metaphor: “Life is like a jagged tooth.”
-good beat to it
-End – stopped
“Fix the tooth and save the root”
-tone: inspiring, starts out as a little depressing and by the last stanza and a half the tone feels a lot more lifted and happy
-makes you realize that how your life turns out is up to you
-your everyday attitude affects how your day is in general à good attitude can lead you to a better life
-life can be tough but you can get move on and instead of staying upset, you can be happy about your life
-even though this poem is only one stanza, I feel that it is very moving
-it’s talking about life which is a hard concept to grasp sometimes à harder to form into poetry
-Treasone did a good job explaining her view of life in such a short poem
-doesn’t feel like a philosophical point of view on life
-just a general moral that can help to guide others
-when I read the phrase, “cuts into your heart” it made me think that life really is “sharp”
-life really is hard at times
-the tooth that represents life cuts into your heart, and you must fix it
-to think of fixing your life sounds really complicated, but this poem makes it sound like a simple task à good word choice
-there aren’t any words you would have to look up
-pretty straight forward even though life is compared to a jagged tooth and how you must fix it

Rotation 3, blog 2

Rotation 3, blog 2

“Fork” Charles Simic
-a very short point but pretty creative
-gets to the point, but uses personification and a metaphor is used within
-compares a fork à bird
“It’s head which like your fist/ is large, bald, beakless, and blind.”
-the first line keeps you reading: “This strange thing must have crept.” Leaves you thinking, what strange thing?
-the next line: “Right out of hell.” With this being on its own line in the stanza really adds emphasis to it
-makes you think that the “strange thing” must be horrible
-no rhyming at all
-the first stanza doesn’t have much of a beat compared to the second stanza
-weird thing that I noticed: compares the bird’s head to a person’s fist à says the bird is “large, bald, beakless, and blind.”
-how could a bird be beakless? This really caught me off guard
-the word “Blind” make me think of how a lot of Americans eat anything à putting your fork into whatever is put on your plate à not really conscientious of what we eat
-the tone starts out a little strong à makes you think of a monster “worn around the cannibal’s neck”
-each line could not stand on its own
-needs next line à keeps you reading

“To See a World in a Grain of Sand” William Blake
-a very short poem: only on stanza and the whole stanza is one sentence
-a lot of imagery and use of metaphors
Metaphors: “to see a world in a grain of sand”
Every other last word in each line ends with each other: “sand, hand” flower, hour”
-leaves room for imagery because the ideas in this poem are abstract:
“Hold infinity in the palm of your hand”
-since you can’t really hold infinity in your hand, this leaves space for you think what a symbol for infinity may be à may be a watch
-even though this poem is really short à leaves you feeling inspired
Tone: not dark at all, more creative and deep
“and a heaven in a wild flower” à makes me think of a huge field of flowers that are over grown yet still look beautiful
-also makes me feel warm inside à a pretty spring day where the air feels weightless
-each line couldn’t be its own sentence à needs the next line
-definitely has a beat to it when read aloud, and the rhyming helps to keep this beat
-for such a small poem it has it is VERY moving
-shows that a poem doesn’t have to be long to be good
-it depends a lot upon the author’s word choice

“The Wind” James Stephens
-rhyme scheme: every other end word rhymes and the last stanza is a couplet
“Shout, about” “and, hand”
-personification: “the wind stood up and gave a shout.”
“And thumped the branches with his hand”
-Needs each line – not end stopped rhymes
-not a whole lot of punctuation
-the ending couplet makes the tone suddenly very dark: “And said he’d kill and kill and kill/ and so he will and so he will.”
-a lot of repetition in the last couplet
-the killing part is what makes the tone dark and him being determined to do this à even darker
-the tone starts out as strong and noble in the first stanza à second stanza: shows the winds actions and what “he’s” capable of à third stanza shows his final plan
-reminds me of what it feels like outside right before a storm
-maybe even a little of Katrina “And said he’d kill and kill and kill”
-has a good beat
-rhyming helps to keep this beat
-a lot of room for imagery à makes you think of the wind as something you can actually see
-this imagery helps the poem
-not any words that would be hard to understand, maybe the worth withered but that’s it
-lines are a good length – not too long

Rotation 3, blog 1

Mattie Cannon
15 September 2009


Rotation 3 blog 1:
“London” William Blake

-at time has a musical flow
“In every infant’s cry of fear,/ in every voice, in every ban”
-but other times it doesn’t have much of a flow
“But most through midnight streets I hear/ how the youthful harlot’s curse”
-has ending rhymes in each stanza, but every other line rhymes
“Street and meet” “flow and woe”
-some words that you may need to look up: hapless, chartered, manacles, blights
-a fair amount of punctuation and each stanza is its own sentence
-a dark tone: “how the chimney- sweeper’s cry/ every black’ning church appalls.”
-Pretty hard to read out exactly what Blake is trying to say – not straightforward



“Root Cellar” Theodore Roethke
-longer lines than most poems
-a lot of punctuation
-metaphors: “dank as a ditch”
-“hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.”
-roots ripe as old bait”
-personification: “even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.”
-“bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark.”
-some words that might need to be looked up: rank, lolling, obscenely, chinks
-more straightforward than the poem “London” but still leaves room for interpretation
-good imagery:
“Leaf- mold, manure, lime, piled against slipper planks.”
-the tone seems to be dark because it’s describing a root cellar and how the roots are growing through crates and every nook and cranny
Dark tone: “And what a congress of stinks!/ roots ripe as old bait.”




“Neutral Tones” Thomas Hardy
-end rhymes:
“God, sod” “day, gray”
-switches from first line in the stanza rhyming with last line in the stanza to à first line in stanza rhyming with third line in stanza
-metaphors:
“Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove”
“And a grin of bitterness swept thereby/ like an ominous bird a-wing”
-starts off the poem talking about standing by a pond with grey leaves, and ends the poem around a pond with grey leaves
-some words that may need to be looked up: Chidden, rove, tedious, ominous, keen
-tone: a little sad
-makes me feel that something happened to the one he loved and that love changed him for the worse
“Since then, keen lesson that love deceives/ and wrings with wrong, that have shaped me.”
-this makes me feel as if love has shaped him for the worse instead of the better
-you tend to hear love making you a better person, but I feel he has had the opposite experience
-a fair amount of punctuation
-At the end of each stanza is a period – no periods within any of the stanzas
-Lines aren’t too short, but not too long – a good length
-has a beat when read but at some points feels more like a story

"Naming of Parts"

Mattie Cannon

Waddington

“Naming of Parts”

9 September 2009

Henry Reed, “Naming of Parts”

1.The language in the first half of the stanzas isn’t as pretty as the second half of the stanzas. First half, “And this/ is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see.” Compared to the language in the second half of the stanza, “The branches/ hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures.” As you can see, the language in the second half of the stanza leaves a lot more room for imagery, and it sounds a lot more beautiful.
The language in the first half of the stanzas is also a lot more direct than the second half. First half, “And this you can see is the bolt.” Compared to the second part of the stanza, “The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers.” The second line leaves more room for different interpretations compared to the example from earlier in the stanza. The first three and a half lines of the stanzas also seem a lot more colloquial compared to the last two and a half lines.

2. In the first half of the stanza, he is describing how to use a gun, and the soldiers in World War II. The way that Reed “names” things, he makes it sound like a very simple poem in the first three and a half lines. Compared to the last two and a half lines in the stanzas, he is describing nature: the bees, branches, flowers, and blossoms. Then in the last stanza he combines all of these into the last two and a half lines.
These two descriptions show differences in language by using two different tones. The first half of the stanzas isn’t very touching, or deep. Whereas the second half of the stanza make these objects seem real. Example: “The branches/ hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures.” Branches don’t make gestures but the way Reed structures his lines, he makes it sound normal. The first lines in the stanzas also don’t feel as emotional as the last two and a half, since they are direction about how to use a gun. They seem a lot more dull, and straightforward, and I think the last two and a half stanzas really help to keep the poem moving.

3. In the first stanza, the phrase “and today we have naming of parts,” shows up twice. But the word “parts” is what caught my eye. In the first half of the stanza, “parts” is leaning towards the side of naming parts of an object (the gun), whereas the second “parts” seems to be more towards naming parts of a garden, or objects in a garden.
In the third stanza, the word “finger” appears twice. In the first half of the stanza, it’s relating to a persons actual finger on their hand. Compared to the second time it is used, it’s relating to the blossoms.
In the fourth stanza, “backwards and forwards” is used twice. In the first half of the stanza, it is referring to the bolt that helps to open up the breech. Whereas in the second half of the stanza, “backwards and forwards” is referring to the bees, and how they are quickly moving backwards and forwards between flowers to pollinate them. The bees have to fight for their own flowers, which is why they must move quickly.

4. I think Reed is trying to point out that a poem can consist of almost anything. One poem can have more than one type of language in it, and still sound/move well. Even if part of the poem is colloquial, and the other half of the poem isn’t, it doesn’t matter. As long as the writer finds a way to keep the poem moving, he can write whatever he/she wants.


Work Cited
Reed, Henry. “Naming of Parts.” An Introduction To Poetry. 12th ed. Ed. X.J. Kennedy,
Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 500. Print.

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.