Katie Bomar
3.28.11
English IV AP
Jernigan
Poetry Response: “Let Me Count the Waves” by Sandra Beasley
This offbeat poem was very engaging as well as perplexing. I was initially drawn to this poem because of the clever title “Let Me Count the Waves” which echoes the infamous line “Let me count the ways.” This clever title sets the tone for the quick wit that will follow throughout the rest of the poem.
I think the first three lines did a good job of setting the scene for the type of poem this piece will be. Beasley utilizes a single word and explores the varying meanings that word contains. For the example, the first line reads, “You must not skirt the issue while wearing skirts.” This type of phrasing conveys a comical, lighthearted feel. She continues by rambling on, almost in stream of consciousness style, about fantastical, nonsensical events.
Beasley references a giraffe and an elephant in the second stanza. These jungle animals mirror the wild, untamed style Beasley employs to convey her ideas. She also alludes to many well-known, renown authors such as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. I appreciated her unconventional style, relaxed tone, and quick wit. The poem reminded me of that poem we read earlier this year called “Buttons.” This was certainly a little easier to follow, but it contained similar quirky, informal qualities. It was refreshing to read a poem that didn’t feel precise and formal and stuffy, but instead it felt light, humorous, and whimsical.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
PR 8
Katie Bomar
3.19.11
English IV AP
Jernigan
Poetry Response: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
Thomas’s primary focus in this poem is how to confront death. He opens each tercet by introducing a new type of man and revealing the way he approaches dying. “Wise men” know dark is right, but Thomas suggests that perhaps because these men lacked influential abilities, they do not go quietly to their grave. “Good men” go crying and humbled while “wild men” don’t acknowledge death until it’s too late. Finally, “grave men” have eyes that “could blaze like meteors and be gay.”
Repetition is utilized with the phrase “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” This phrase had a strong impact on the passion and purpose of the poem. Thomas is daring men to meet their death fighting courageously, to not spare a single breath even as they stand at death’s door. Thomas calls a fighting spirit, a “raging” spirit to action- especially when meeting death. Thomas also repeats a prominent idea that also happens to be the title of the poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night.” This carries some of the same threads of theme that the first repeated phrase did about warring for life in the moments when death is near.
I enjoyed the solemn, yet brave tone of this poem. It almost seems as if Thomas is championing “carpe diem” even when one goes to face their death. I loved the idea of a “raging” spirit- one that writhed and wrestled and kicked away from death’s grasp in order to take back another moment of life. This poem had similar undertones that were reminiscent of James Joyce in The Dead when he wrote, “Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” I agreed with the overall theme of the passage and I felt that the villanelle was an engaging medium to use in presenting Thomas’s perception of death.
3.19.11
English IV AP
Jernigan
Poetry Response: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
Thomas’s primary focus in this poem is how to confront death. He opens each tercet by introducing a new type of man and revealing the way he approaches dying. “Wise men” know dark is right, but Thomas suggests that perhaps because these men lacked influential abilities, they do not go quietly to their grave. “Good men” go crying and humbled while “wild men” don’t acknowledge death until it’s too late. Finally, “grave men” have eyes that “could blaze like meteors and be gay.”
Repetition is utilized with the phrase “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” This phrase had a strong impact on the passion and purpose of the poem. Thomas is daring men to meet their death fighting courageously, to not spare a single breath even as they stand at death’s door. Thomas calls a fighting spirit, a “raging” spirit to action- especially when meeting death. Thomas also repeats a prominent idea that also happens to be the title of the poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night.” This carries some of the same threads of theme that the first repeated phrase did about warring for life in the moments when death is near.
I enjoyed the solemn, yet brave tone of this poem. It almost seems as if Thomas is championing “carpe diem” even when one goes to face their death. I loved the idea of a “raging” spirit- one that writhed and wrestled and kicked away from death’s grasp in order to take back another moment of life. This poem had similar undertones that were reminiscent of James Joyce in The Dead when he wrote, “Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” I agreed with the overall theme of the passage and I felt that the villanelle was an engaging medium to use in presenting Thomas’s perception of death.
Monday, March 7, 2011
PR 7
Katie Bomar
3.7.11
English IV AP
Jernigan
Poetry Response: “Morning” by Billy Collins
Collins rambles on with descriptions of the morning in order to glorify what he views as the best time of the day. In fact, he questions in the opening line, “Why do we bother with the rest of the day?” His aim is to exalt sunrise as the superlative time of day. To back up his affection for the morning, he describes what he considers to be some of the appealing aspects of this time of day. Collins touches on many of the senses to set the scene of a typical sunup by depicting “the notorious perfume” of the night and the “feet on the cold floor.” He continues relaying the way the morning feels by describing “the splash of water on the face.” The reader can identify with these common practices that are reminiscent of daybreak.
Breaking from the theme of early morning descriptions, Collins continues his wistful tone but pauses to describe the “swale of the afternoon,/ the sudden dip into evening.” Then, extending his morning praise, Collins utilizes repetition when he illustrates twice, “buzzing around the house on espresso.” The image of coffee is one that is universally associated with waking up at dawn. Collins draws his reader in by relating many of the images, smells, sights and sounds that correlate with morning.
Collins employs free verse with no rhyme scheme in order to mimic the carefree nature of beginning a new day at sunrise. His tone shifts from dreamy and poetic in the first two stanzas to busy and commonplace in the next three stanzas, then back again to wistful and lyrical in the final stanza. Collins closes with a simile that compares the steaming lawn to a horse. He presents a stimulating argument for the supremacy of the morning over all other times of day with his tone, descriptions, and figurative language.
3.7.11
English IV AP
Jernigan
Poetry Response: “Morning” by Billy Collins
Collins rambles on with descriptions of the morning in order to glorify what he views as the best time of the day. In fact, he questions in the opening line, “Why do we bother with the rest of the day?” His aim is to exalt sunrise as the superlative time of day. To back up his affection for the morning, he describes what he considers to be some of the appealing aspects of this time of day. Collins touches on many of the senses to set the scene of a typical sunup by depicting “the notorious perfume” of the night and the “feet on the cold floor.” He continues relaying the way the morning feels by describing “the splash of water on the face.” The reader can identify with these common practices that are reminiscent of daybreak.
Breaking from the theme of early morning descriptions, Collins continues his wistful tone but pauses to describe the “swale of the afternoon,/ the sudden dip into evening.” Then, extending his morning praise, Collins utilizes repetition when he illustrates twice, “buzzing around the house on espresso.” The image of coffee is one that is universally associated with waking up at dawn. Collins draws his reader in by relating many of the images, smells, sights and sounds that correlate with morning.
Collins employs free verse with no rhyme scheme in order to mimic the carefree nature of beginning a new day at sunrise. His tone shifts from dreamy and poetic in the first two stanzas to busy and commonplace in the next three stanzas, then back again to wistful and lyrical in the final stanza. Collins closes with a simile that compares the steaming lawn to a horse. He presents a stimulating argument for the supremacy of the morning over all other times of day with his tone, descriptions, and figurative language.
Monday, February 28, 2011
PR 6
"Men Call You Fair" by Edmund Spenser
Spenser describes the praise a beautiful woman receives and exposes the futility in looking to fleeting, outer beauty. This is a common theme mimicked throughout poetry, prose, and biblical text. Spenser then juxtaposes what the speaker values with what the majority of others value in a woman. He relates that “gentle wit” and “virtuous mind” received much more of his admiration than dazzling physical attractiveness. Describing the plight of such ideas, Spenser expresses the surprise the men will come to find when the women “lose that glorious hue.” Spenser has an elevated, contemplative tone. This is seen as Spenser continues to ponder the true meaning of beauty with depth and honesty. There is a shift when Spenser transfers from focusing on the earthly view of beauty to the heavenly view of beauty.
Employing alliteration, he explains that only true splendor is “free from frail corruption.” Many of the ideas expressed in this poem mirror biblical morals. Spenser continues with the religious motif by illustrating that all things lovely are derived from “that fair Spirit, from whom all true and perfect beauty did at first proceed.” He goes on to explain that only through the Spirit can true beauty ever be found. Utilizing a simile, Spenser ends with a powerful line describing how all other beautiful people “like flowers untimely fade.” This sonnet contains romantic, wistful diction that paints the picture of the speaker’s conclusions about the nature of true loveliness. Spenser concludes that true beauty is not a striking face and a stunning figure, but instead it is something only bestowed upon the soul of others by God.
Spenser describes the praise a beautiful woman receives and exposes the futility in looking to fleeting, outer beauty. This is a common theme mimicked throughout poetry, prose, and biblical text. Spenser then juxtaposes what the speaker values with what the majority of others value in a woman. He relates that “gentle wit” and “virtuous mind” received much more of his admiration than dazzling physical attractiveness. Describing the plight of such ideas, Spenser expresses the surprise the men will come to find when the women “lose that glorious hue.” Spenser has an elevated, contemplative tone. This is seen as Spenser continues to ponder the true meaning of beauty with depth and honesty. There is a shift when Spenser transfers from focusing on the earthly view of beauty to the heavenly view of beauty.
Employing alliteration, he explains that only true splendor is “free from frail corruption.” Many of the ideas expressed in this poem mirror biblical morals. Spenser continues with the religious motif by illustrating that all things lovely are derived from “that fair Spirit, from whom all true and perfect beauty did at first proceed.” He goes on to explain that only through the Spirit can true beauty ever be found. Utilizing a simile, Spenser ends with a powerful line describing how all other beautiful people “like flowers untimely fade.” This sonnet contains romantic, wistful diction that paints the picture of the speaker’s conclusions about the nature of true loveliness. Spenser concludes that true beauty is not a striking face and a stunning figure, but instead it is something only bestowed upon the soul of others by God.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
poetry response
Poetry Response: “A Barefoot Boy” by James Whitcomb Riley
This sonnet paints the image of a young boy and his delight in a lazy summer day spent rambling outside in nature. Riley utilizes an “abba” rhyme scheme. The first octave describes the appearance of the boy with his “dirty trousers” and “bare ankles grimy.” The depiction of the boy is messy, laid-back, and youthful. Riley describes, “[The] feverish stripes, hint vividly to me/ of woody pathways winding endlessly.” The line suggests the adventures of the boy wandering through the wilderness. This is a familiar image of a relaxed boy finding glee in the beauty of the summer and nature. The short, quick lines mimic the excited shouts and exclamations of an adolescent boy.
The sestet is used to shift from describing the appearance and disposition of the boy to depicting an event. Riley illustrates the way the boy leapt into the cold water and concealed his chill by yelling “warm.” His uncomfortable chill is overcome by his glee. The boy was “never with lack/ of joy.” Riley reveals his half envy at the “graceless barefoot and his track.” It seems that Riley covets the carefree innocence and unencumbered delight the boy experiences in his experience with nature. He ends with an unconventional portrayal of the boy’s stubbed toenail “knocked back/ like unto the clasp of an old pocketbook.” Riley captures nature’s enchantment and the way it can thrill carefree youth.
This sonnet paints the image of a young boy and his delight in a lazy summer day spent rambling outside in nature. Riley utilizes an “abba” rhyme scheme. The first octave describes the appearance of the boy with his “dirty trousers” and “bare ankles grimy.” The depiction of the boy is messy, laid-back, and youthful. Riley describes, “[The] feverish stripes, hint vividly to me/ of woody pathways winding endlessly.” The line suggests the adventures of the boy wandering through the wilderness. This is a familiar image of a relaxed boy finding glee in the beauty of the summer and nature. The short, quick lines mimic the excited shouts and exclamations of an adolescent boy.
The sestet is used to shift from describing the appearance and disposition of the boy to depicting an event. Riley illustrates the way the boy leapt into the cold water and concealed his chill by yelling “warm.” His uncomfortable chill is overcome by his glee. The boy was “never with lack/ of joy.” Riley reveals his half envy at the “graceless barefoot and his track.” It seems that Riley covets the carefree innocence and unencumbered delight the boy experiences in his experience with nature. He ends with an unconventional portrayal of the boy’s stubbed toenail “knocked back/ like unto the clasp of an old pocketbook.” Riley captures nature’s enchantment and the way it can thrill carefree youth.
Friday, February 4, 2011
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