Aww, how sweet?

I found the poem My Mistress' Eyes very odd. I first thought that the poem was going to discuss love. However, instead of complimenting his mistress, he points out all of her faults. He takes every romantic attribute of a woman and says that his mistress is the opposite. This seemed weird to me. Poetic writing is usually romantic, whether it discusses love or not. I thought it was interesting that Shakespeare would purposefully do the exact opposite. The last couple lines confused me though. I couldn't really tell what he was saying. One of the interpretations I considered was that, even thought she had all these faults, their love was true and heaven-sent.

To His Coy Mistress

I enjoyed the poem To His Coy Mistress but there was one line in particular that kind of confused me. It is line 11:
"My vegetable love should grow".
The phrase vegetable love didn't make sense to me. I just couldn't find the meaning of it as I read. My first thought was actually of the vegetative state of some who don't have brain function. But that idea was contradicted by the word grow. When a person is vegetative, they are not moving forward or changing. They cannot grow. But the speaker is hoping for his love to grow. These opposing ideas confused me.

Figurative Language

The poem Getting Out really sparked my interest. I caught on very quickly that this was describing a divorced couple. I thought that the author's use of figurative language to convey this meaning was very effective. In just the first line, the speaker compares their relationship to that of inmates in jail. This simile shows how intensely unpleasant the relationship was. The couple was imprisioned without release from each other. At first that seemed dramatic and a bit drastic. But it makes sense when you look at it. They were kind of indifferent to each other, each tortured by the situation. They were trapped.

Symbolism

I found the poem Crossing the Bar very intriguing. My favorite aspect of it was the obvious symbolism. Crossing the bar is symbolic of death. There are many other important symbols throughout the work. For instance, my favorite symbol was in line 15 and 16:

"I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar."

The word Pilot is a reference to God. I thought that the author really emphasized this meaning my capitalizing Pilot. It was an interesting tactic. It also refers to being asleep in the second stanza. Sleep has been a recurring symbol of death in the poems we have studied thus far. The mention of it in this poem strengthens the overall symbolism of death.

Madness vs. Sense

When I first read this poem I was very excited because I thought that I finally understood a Dickinson poem. I was wrong.
My first assumption was that the poem was a reflection on insanity. The other works of hers that I'm familiar with are bizarre and some address insanity. It seemed like a logical explanation. I would have never guessed that she was discussing society and its approach to personal opinions. I actually appreciated it a lot more once I knew the meaning. I think her message is really important in today's society. Today's generation must move past pressure from the media and their peers and learn to think for themselves.

APO 96225

This poem reminded me a great deal of "The Things They Carried." The two works have very similar themes. Both discuss those left behind during a war and their response to it. Especially in APO 96225, those left behind are portrayed as extremely naive. The soldier's parents think that they can handle the cruelty and reality of war, but they can't (or refuse to) comprehend it. I think the author is trying to illustrate the differences in the realities faced by soldiers and by civilians. I don't think you can truly understand the terrors of war unless you have seen them.
These worlds are completely different and its hard for occupants of one to understand the realities of the other.

Sorting Laundry: Allusion

In line 27, Ritchie utilizes an interesting allusion. Lines 25-27 are:

"And what's shrunk
is tough to discard
even for Goodwill."

I found this line intriguing for a couple of reasons. First of all, this allusion shows what poor condition some of these clothes were in. They were even beneath Goodwill. The reference to this institution caught me off guard. I didn't know Goodwill had such a long history. I couldn't find the exact year that the poem was written, but Elisavietta Ritchie was born in 1932 so I would guess the mid 1900s. She approaches it as a familiar image and institution. This surprised me. I thought Goodwills were relatively new. It turns out that Goodwill was started in 1902 as an urban outreach ministry.

Central Theme in One Sentence

The central theme of Barbie Doll is to show the difference between inner and outer beauty and how society values the wrong one.

The girl that this poem discusses is presented in stanza two just as a simple ordinary girl, until the very last line. The last line clearly states that people simply see her outward appearance, which is not very attractive. She wants everyone to see who she really is and not judge her by her looks. Finally in the last stanza, it is said that "she cut off her nose and her legs and offer[s] them up." The nose and legs really represent all of the imperfections she saw in herself. I took this line to mean that she killed herself. The image of a coffin afterwards supports this. Society puts an unhealthy emphasis on outward beauty. The desire the fit is physically can drive people to desperate acts, even death.

Dream Deferred

I liked this poem, but not the first time I read through it. At first, some of the imagery was a little too gross for me. A running sore? Rotten Meat? These are not the images that I usually associate with my dreams and aspirations. However, the meanings we discussed in class helped me to understand the symbolism a lot better. I understand now that the poem describes not different kinds of dreams, but different ways that dreams are put off. They can be given up upon, drawn out too long, disguised as something positive, and much more. I thought the poem had an interesting approach. Instead of discussing hopes and dreams, it instead described reasons that they don't become reality.

Pink Dog = Prostitute?

I found the poem Pink Dog very intriguing. My first response to the poem was a kind of unusual one. Without really looking for symbolism, I thought that the dog seemed to represent a prostitute. I mainly found this in lines 7-9, and 19-24.
In lines 7-9, it first refers to rabies and scabies. I took these to represent STDs. Then it moves on to the topic of her children. She hides them while she goes on "living by [her] wits."
Then in lines 19-24, the speaker talks about the poor treatment showed to beggars. Then it implies that "sick, four-legged dogs" will get even worse treatment. What group is out casted more than beggars: prostitutes. Then it discusses how rare it is to be able to afford these 'dogs.' If these dogs are so sickly and out casted, why would they be so expensive? Because they offer 'special' services.

Imagery

I found the imagery in February a bit disturbing. The speaker would set things up by presenting a pleasant image for the reader. Then they would contradict this positive image with something negative (or gross). A perfect example of this is lines 7-9:

"He settles on my chest, breathing his breath of burped-up meat and musty sofas, purring like a washboard."

The cozy image of a cat curled up on an owners chest is presented first. This is a familiar and pleasant image. However, the speaker ruins the moment by describing in detail the cat's bad breath. This the first time that the speaker truly shows their pessimism. They have the winter blues and they are bitter about everything, even their cat.

Allusion

Bright Star had one allusion that sparked my interest. It is located in line four:

"Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite."

The book itself defines an eremite as a hermit. However, if that was all it meant, why was the word capitalized? So I did some research. An eremite is a hermit especially one under a religious vow. This added detail helped me understand the reference better. John Keats was not simply saying that the star was similar to a recluse. He was saying that it was devoted to its cause and had a reason behind its choices. At this point in the poem, the speaker is describing why he would not want to be like the star. I think that at this point he is saying that he does not want the responsibilities of sleepless vigilance and devotion. He wants to live a more care free life.

Extended Metaphor

I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed is a great example of an extended metaphor. Liquor is constantly compared to aspects of nature throughout the poem. The first reference I noticed was an allusion to the Rhine River in line three. Other aspects of nature discussed are air, dew, and the sky (Molten Blue). Many animals and insects are also mentioned. These include a bee, a fox, and butterflies. This reoccurring theme of nature kind of confused me. I'm not sure what the writer's purpose of it was. One theory I considered was that perhaps he was suggesting that drinking was a natural thing to do.

Figurative vs. Literal

After Apple-Picking was another poem that my original views differed with those in my small group. The other members of my group read this poem very literally. I on the other hand, looked at it completely figuratively. They imagined the scene of a man bored by apple-picking. I imagined a man who was bored and fed up with life.
Sleep is a recurring theme throughout the poem. He specifically mentions a 'long sleep'. I know some people saw this to mean hibernation but I once again disagree. I thought of death. The speaker is weary and is constantly thinking about sleep and rest. He was 'overtired'. These little details caused me to see the poem in a very different way.

No Light Bulb

The Convergence of the Twain kind of frustrated me. I understood that Hardy was talking about the Titanic, but I didn't always understand the meaning of what he was saying. I was especially confused by stanza IV. I spent a long time trying to figure out what "Jewels" stood for or represented. What was even more frustrating was the fact that my classmates did not struggle nearly as much. Many of them actually said they liked it because it was very understandable. It just didn't click with me.
The one part of the poem that I did understand and enjoy was the end. Hardy points out the shock and trauma that this collision caused. I felt as though this was important because it was such an important and tragic event of history.

Theme in One Sentence

The central theme of London by William Blake is a disdain for the city of London, especially its government.

Originally I thought that Blake was only criticizing the government of London. He refers to aspects of London that are controlled by government. One example of this is line one when he mentions a chartered street. He also speaks negatively about the Church. The Church of England is controlled by the government so he is again showing negative political thoughts. While he does focus on the government, he does in fact go much deeper. In the last stanza, he begins to criticize commoners. He refers the young. He speaks negatively of them in order to illustrate what little hope London has for the future.

Tone: "I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain"

This poem confused me a little but I found it very interesting. The tone of the poem was not completely clear to me but I did find an underlying tone: insanity. The author seems like she is on the verge of breaking down. I explored two possible meanings that could also connect to this tone. My first thought was that she was discussing her own funeral. So, the first time I read it, I felt that the tone was full of morbidness and insanity. The title itself made me question the writer's sanity. You can't "feel" a funeral in your brain. That just doesn't work.
Another meaning that my small group discussed was that she was remembering her deceased husband's funeral. This would also relate the tone. If that is a correct reading, then obviously she is caught up in the past and can't get beyond it. She can't move on and she is driving herself crazy by reliving the memories.

Symbol

I think my favorite poem out of the ones we read was The Widow's Lament in Springtime by William Carlos Williams. Originally it was my favorite because it seemed like an easy read compared to the others. I immediately understood that it seemed to be about a widow who was reminded of her deceased husband during Spring. However, when I studied it a little more, I realized it went deeper than that. Not only was she grieving for her husband but she also wanted to join him.
I primarily saw this in the last four lines of the poem:

"I feel that I would like
to go there
and fall into those flowers
and sink into the marsh near them."

I found this to be a symbol of death. A repeated theme throughout the poem is flowers. They are one of the biggest reminder of the speaker's deceased husband. I think they represent his death specifically. By saying she wants to fall into these flowers, she implies that she wants to die herself so she can be reunited with her husband.

Perrine's "The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry"

The aspect of this article that I found most interesting was the quote by E. A. Robinson. He stated that "A writer should not be his own interpreter." Yeats also said that "If an author interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility." I think this is definitely a good way to approach poetry. When I wrote poetry, I always have some sort of story in my head. But the purpose of a poem is not to tell a story. Poetry should be different for each person, I think. Poetry starts as the thoughts of a poet but it is transformed into a readers own reflections.

Due to this opinion, I did not like Perrine's theory that there is an incorrect reading of a poem. I think there are a million different ways that a poem could be interpreted. It all depends on the person reading the poem. Like the quotes above state, an author does not write a poem with a specific interpretation in mind. Therefore, who has the right to say whether a reading of a poem is correct or incorrect? The only person I would give this power to is the author and the quotes contradict that. So I definitely disagree with Perrine. Poetry is personal and different for each individual.