Which poem did you find most difficult? What questions do you have about the poem? Which poem did you find most accessible?
My favorite poem read in this class so far is "To his Coy Mistress" solely because of the last two lines:
Stand still, yet we will make him run.
I love it :) Perhaps it's because im female, and like mooshy lines like this, but I remember that when I read this poem the first time, I reread it a second time over because of those last lines and how they pulled at my heartstrings.
The most accessible poem however, was "The Chimney Sweeper." The theme of the poem was easily identifiable and the overlaping imagery of darkness and light was evident throughout the entire poem. I might find this poem the easiest to read because I always used to watch cartoon shows when I was younger, and the cartoons always dealt with good versus evil; evil being dark, and goodness being light. Since I always watched these cartoons, I am used to associating characters as either "good" or "bad," and it turns out that this poem has many of the same elements in the poem.
The most difficult poem for myself was "Cinderella." The poet changes up the entire story line of cinderella, having the prince cover the steps in "cobbler's wax" and the evil stepsisters cut off their toes and feet in order to fit into Cinderella's shoe! I understand that the poet is trying to convey the typical, perfect, fairytale in a different light, but I did not like the method he used in order to get his point across. Taking a child's fairytale and presenting it to an older generation does not seem very sophisticated and classy of the poet. It does not convey any puns or ironic twists that truly make the readers think about the poets message. This poem seems like a high schooler could of been the poet! Or maybe I'm missing an even deeper alegory in the poem? If anyone has anything to comment on "Cinderella," please do so!
I found "Cinderella" disturbing too but it was revealed in class that this version is closer to the original fairy tale. Fairy tales in their original form are usually morbid and filled with violence. The world is very different now than even a hundred years ago. The way society treats chidren is vastly different.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean! When we went over it in class, I thought, Oh. This poem is the original version, and the disney "Cinderella" is actually the revised version.
ReplyDeleteSince I discovered that, the poem does not seem as repetitive, since it is actually the original version!
I really like "To His Coy Mistress" too!
ReplyDeleteI like mooshy lines! As much as I hate to admit, mooshy lines make me happy. But I felt like the intentional meaning of this poem is kind of...no...REALLY...lusty. geh.