Multi-genre Proposal

For my multi-genre project, I am going to write the personal literary analysis and talk about how my tastes in literature have evolved throughout the semester and which particular genres and literary works contributed to the change.

Word Sounds

Each of the poems assigned have a rhythm to them. They flow best when read aloud, and I enjoyed reading all of them. In the Raven, Poe ended each stanza with "Nevermore," and had a rhymed scheme throughout the rest of the poem. It kept me reading with interest. 

In "Sestina," the author used the same words to end each line "almanac, grandmother, tears, house and stove." That is an incredible thing to write, and still make sense and a good poem. I would like to be able to create poems like that, with clever rhyme schemes and creative words.

HAIKUS FOR SHOES!

Shoes

 

Travel on a road

Endless possibilities

Walk in confidence

 ------------------------

Tiresome and worn,

canvas and rubber, scorched from dirt, pavement and trials.

The scuffs of triumph.

Ten Poems

Lost Some Memory - Juli

Which Parent Will I Be? - Unknown Author

To Paint a Water Lily - Ted Hughes

The Beautiful Changes - Richard Wilbur

We Real Cool - Gwendolyn Brooks

Sudden Journey - Tess Gallagher

The Clock - Daniel Tobin

All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

Mr. Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan

Hug O' War - Shel Silverstein

"We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks, was a very short, and blunt poem. The language was very easy and I enjoyed the direct message it made. It basically talks about how a bunch of pool players spend their days "lurking late. striking straight, and sing in sin." They also down gin habitually and abandoned school in the past. The poem repeats itself by starting each line with "We," and the action follows. The pool players consider their actions to be cool, but in the last line, the speaker admits that by living this lifestyle, they will "die soon." I have never really come across a poem that speaks as straightforward and matter-of-fact as this one, and I thought it was great.

I also read the poem "Which Parent Will I Be," by an unknown author. The poem compares neighboring homes, and the manner in which each set of parents "celebrates" their children. In the first home, both the mother and father do not show appreciation for the hard work that their children put forth. The first stanza shows this: "I got two A's," the small boy cried. His voice was filled with glee. His father very bluntly asked, "Why didn't you get three?"

In the neighboring house, the same situation occurs, yet this boy's father reacts with love and admiration. "I got two A's," the small boy cried, His voice was filled with glee. His father very proudly said, "That's great, I'm glad you belong to me." This is a perfect example of how children feel neglect from their parents, and illustrates how a mother, or father figure should really treat their children. 

Six Poems

Things I Learned Last Week - William Stafford

Symphony in Yellow - Oscar Wilde

The Night Has a Thousand Eyes - Francis William Bourdillon

Diving Into the Wreck - Adrienne Rich

My Papa's Waltz - Theodore Roethke

In the Park - Gwen Harwood

One of the poems I chose was William Staffords, "Things I Learned Last Week." The poem begins with two stanzas explaining random things he learned the past week, and then the rest of the poem focuses on irony, and causes the reader to be skeptical of human actions, and for a couple stanzas, human motives. For example, in the stanza "A man in Boston has dedicated himself to telling about injustice. For three thousand dollars he will come to your town and tell you about it." The man Stafford is speaking of is every bit as unjust as what he has "dedicated himself" to talking about. Another example of irony is the stanza "Schopenhauer was a pessimist but he played the flute." The flute is a happy and positive sound, although Schopenhauer did not think that way. It is a very interesting poem and makes one focus on the small things, and how interesting they are.

I also chose the poem "In the Park," by Gwen Harwood. It is the story of a mother, who regrets the decisions she has made in the past. She has three children, whom are uncontrollable and cause the mother unhappiness. A gentleman that she used to love passes her in the park and "a small balloon," which I believe is supposed to represent a "thought bubble," comes from the man's head and looks back on the future that they could have had together. The poem ends with the woman saying "They have eaten me alive." She is referring to her children, and she seems to be depressed with the life she has.

Pass/Fail

I was surprised by the ending of  "Marks". The speaker, throughout this poem, is being rated by her family as an "average mother," or a supremely good cook. However, the speaker is "dropping out" of her family responsibilities and planning to abandon them. Her daughter mentally passes her mother as doing well at her job of parenting, but obviously, the main speaker, also believes in the Pass/Fail system, and selects fail for her family. Apparently, she loves herself more than her family, because she is choosing to abandon them, only because of the irritation and annoyance that taking care of them pushes upon her. The speaker fails, as a mother.

Morning/Night?

Billy Collin's "Morning" spoke to me, because I could relate to much of what he said, although I mostly feel this way about the night time. At night is when I am "buzzing on espresso," reading, or listening to slow music on the radio. During the summer I usually stay up until 6 in the morning, and watch the sky turn from black, to purple to red, to blue, and it is my favorite time of the day. My sister and I drive in the early morning, listening to Nick Drake, or something that captures my emotions, and we just park the car, and watch the sun rise, when it feels like everyone else is vacant from the world, but will soon be joining us once the sun is risen. I feel that the other parts of the day cannot possibly match this particular part, and therefore understand Collin's feelings toward the morning completely. Although his views seem to be linked with production and time by himself, mine is linked more closely to a feeling of nostalgia and peace.