Blog #4

March 31st, 2012

I am most proud of blog number three. I’ve learned so many things while completing this. The blog talks about the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and what it means. It includes many metaphors, figuaritive language and repetitive phrases. Based on the poem’s tone and language I had learned that love is not always as grateful and warm as it should be.

By reading this poem and writing an entry about it, I’ve learned how to interpret the language in poems such as metaphors, smililies, figuative language and repitition as well as symbolism. For example, in the poem when it says “chronic angers”, I was able to understand that it had described the bad  relationship of the father and son. I’ve also learned that one symbol can stand for many different meanings. One example is shown by the different perspectives of the Statue of Liberty, Some say that it represents freedom while on the other hand, others think of it as a symbol of New York. I’ve also been taught by reading “Literary Terms I: Poetry. It taught me how to differenciate the speaker from the characters.

Working with the House members was very helpful. We discussed specific things about the poem and we were able to connect each other’s opinions. I was able to take their thoughts and perspectives of the poem and create new ideas of my own. If I had the chance to do another activity like this, I’d take it. It gives me the opportunity to learn more about various topics.

I have completed my House member’s evaluation. Their blogs had taught me that there are many ways to describe a metaphor and a symbol. The way they interpret something may be different from the way I do and it all depends on the person.

"Those Winter Sundays," by Robert Hayden

"Those Winter Sundays," by Robert Hayden

Monday, March 19, 2012

Blog # 3

               Robert Hayden, photographed by Jay Semple 

                                     from Wikipedia

 One of the poem that I have decided to write is called “Those Winter Sundys"Written by Robert Hayden, it was first published in 1962.

     It is a short poem, only consisting of 14 lines and 3 stanzas. There is no rhyme scheme involved, it is written in free verse. However, Hayden used many elements to enhance the poem, such as metaphors, figurative language, and repetative phrases.

Here is a quick summary of the poem:


      "Those Winter Sundays" Describes how a father shows love for his family and he gets nothing in return. The father wakes up every Sunday morning (Line 1) in a freezing cold house in order to make fire with his tired ached hands (Line 3). No one ever thanks his father (Line 5) for his love and concern for his family. In second Stanza the speaker describes how his father used to call him only when the rooms were completely warm and comfortable (line 7).  Chronic angers of the house (Line 9) decribes the inside condition of the house besides temperature. Its means the relationship between family members is not that good. In final stanza, depicts the father and son relationship. Eventhough they live in a same house act like a strangers. He remembers how he spoke to his father indiferently (Line 10). Although, the father has devotion for his family, he gets nothing in return.
      
     I think the speaker is the author and the readers are the  audience in the poem. This poem is very simillar to pablo Neruda's "Sonnet XI" which is also a poem of regrets.
I think the tone of this poem is regret. The speaker regrets that no one ever thanks his father for his concern and love.


     The main image in the poem is the winter sundays. It is describing a cold season. I believe the key words could be grouped so:


    1. "Sundays too my father got up early"---indicates that the father not only wake up                                  
         in weekdays but sundays too he wake up early.
    2. "The blublack cold"---a clear image of a harsh freezing cold in the morning.
    3. "Cracked hands that ached"---indicates that the father's hands are tired and weak   
        from working weekdays.
    4. "chronic angers"---describes the relationship between father and son is not that   
         good.
    5. "The cold splintering and breaking"---depicts how the cold is diminishing by the   
         fire.
    Based on the poem's image, key words and tone, the overall theme of this poem is that love is not always as grateful and warm as it should be.
   

       Link to you tube video on Pablo Neruda's "Sonnet XI"
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pildv4lo3hw

     

     

     

Poem: "First poem for you"

Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Blog # 2

http://mini-friday.blogspot.com/2010/05/fire-padlock-tattoo-for-man.html

                                               
         This week, we are studying figurative language in poetry in class. So i decided to write an entry on Kim Addonizio's poem "First Poem For You."

          I really don’t like to read poems and write about them, but when I read “First Poem For You” by Kim Addonizio, I actually loved that poem. The message of this poem is one’s deep regret about their relationships.The most touching and heart breaking lines are “They’ll last until you’re seared to ashes; whatever persists or turns to pain between us, they will still be there." She seems happy to know that the tattoo will last until death but she is scared about seeing an end to their relationship. 

     I chose an image of a boy with tattoo on, because when I read “I like to touch your tattoos in complete darkness, when I can’t see them”, I assumed that the speaker of this poem is a girl talking about her boyfriend’s tattoo.

    If I had choose a person to e-mail this poem to, I would e-mail it to one of my best friend. She got divorced recently. Atleast I could send her a message through this poem that relationships can’t be guaranteed permanent nowadays like tattoos.

          

"Perfect Rose"

Wednesday, February 7, 2012

                            Photographed by Canon in 2006
                                          from Wikipedia
             

This week We are learning about symbol and illusion in class, so i decided to write an entry on Micheal Ferber's "Rose"which was published in 2000.

First, here is my paragraph of the entry:

           " There were several varieties of rose in the ancient world, as there are hundreds in the modern, but the rose in poetry has always been red (or "rose") in color, unless otherwise described. "Red as a rose" is the prime poetic cliche, and poets have used every other term for red to describe it, such as shakespeare's "deep vermilion"(sonnets98) or the "crimson joy" of Blake's"Sick Rose". The rose blooms in the spring, and does not bloom long; the contrast is striking between its youth in the bud and its full-blown maturity, and again between both these phases and its final scattering petals on the ground, all in the course of a week or two. It is rich in perfume, which seems to emanate from its dense and delicate folds of petals. It is vulnerable to the canker-worm. And it grows on a plant with thorns. All these features have entered into range of symbolic uses."

Paraphrase of the paragraph:
         
             Roses came in quite a few varietes and there are hundreds of them in the modern world. They bloom in the Spring and does not stay for long and appreciated their smell in delicate folds of petals. This type of flower has been used in poetry for many years and always described in the same color, red. poets throughout the years have used every other kind of term for red to describe it. Some of them include "deep vermilion" from Shakespear and "crimson joy" of Blake's "Sick Rose".


             I chose this paragraph because whenever I think of a rose, the first thing that comes into my mind is the color red and also its purity. From my country, I have learned that in poems, the rose represents a girl. We compare a girl's character with roses, because of their purity and beauty.


"Rose." Dictionary of Literary Symbols. ED. Michael Ferber.
     Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge,1999.172-177.
     Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.