High on Life

"Inebriate of Air - am I -
And Debauchee of Dew..."
("I taste a liquor never brewed" - Emily Dickinson)

Diction, or word choice, is a major part of this poem.  The speaker describes him or herself as tasting "a liquor that was never brewed" and "inebriate of Air."  (Inebriate means to be drunk).  However, the speak is not drunk on alcohol or liquor; instead, the speaker is drunk on the simple things of life.  In the excerpt above, the speaker is made drunk by something as simple as air.  Even the dew makes this person drunk. 

I think my interpretation is a little far-fetched, but when I first read this, I thought that the poem was describing clouds moving carelessly through the sky.  Air and dew both fill a cloud, and clouds "reel through endless summer days."  I interpreted the "inns of Molten Blue" to be the blue sky.  Also, in the final stanza, it says the drunkard was "leaning against the sun." 

The image of the bee confuses me.  When the bees crawl out of the flower, they are drunk as well.  However, what is the speaker trying to prove?  Maybe that he or she is more drunk on life then even the bees who are constantly drinking nectar. 

In the last stanza, the Seraphs and Saints run to watch the drunkards.  I think the message of this poem is that if you are happy with life, God will allow you to go to heaven.  Even saints will admire those who enjoy life.

The Zoo?

"...It seems to him there are
a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world."
("The Panther" - Rainer Maria Rilke)

The poem of the panther really caused a lot of controversy in my small group today.  When I first read through the poem, I honestly just thought it was pretty straight forward... just your regular old panther trapped inside a cage at the zoo.  However, from the circus to people who can not reach their potential, a wide variety of responses were mentioned. 

This poem relies heavily on hyperbole and dramatic imagery.  In the excerpt above, it states that behind the bars of the cage, there was "no world."  Now obviously, if the cage exists on Earth, the world exists beyond the zoo.  However, this exaggeration adds effect of confinement to the poem.  The panther feels trapped and has never seen the outside world; therefore, to him, there is no escaping the prison life he must lead. 

Another literary device used in the poem is irony.  I thought it was a little ironic that Rilke placed an image of a "ritual dance" in the poem.  Maybe this is a little far-fetched, but this reminded me of tribes of Indians.  I think Indians are being compared to animals trapped in captivity.  Just as animals live in captivity, Indian tribes were placed in Reservations as if they were animals.  This cruel act is still criticized today. 

Trapped!

"A Service, like a Drum -

Kept beating - beating - till I thought

My Mind was going numb."

("I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" - Emily Dickinson)

After a major discussion with my small group today, I think I finally have an understanding of this poem.  However, before I even knew what the poem was about, I still knew that imagery played a major part in this Dickinson poem.  Most of the the imagery appeals to the sense of hearing.  For example, "creak," "drum," and "beating" all refer to sounds.  Also, the author specifically leaves out the sense of sight.  The inner workings of the body are also described through the imagery.  In the excerpt above, the heart is compared to a drum that is constantly beating. 

Even from the title, a reader can see that the image of a funeral is involved with this poem.  The opening stanzas even describe the speaker as if he or she is inside the casket.  I think this poem's aim is to describe the process of going insane.  Even throughout the poem, Dickinson hints at the process of insanity through phrases such as "my Mind was going numb," and "Wrecked, solitary here."  The author's diction produces an image of being trapped and helpless.  This reminded me of an episode of Bones where two of the main characters who investigate criminal cases are buried alive.  Both the character in this poem and the characters in Bones feel the same exact way - hopeless.  However, Dickinson's character is trapped inside his or her own body, whereas Bones and Hodgins are physically trapped underground.

"Bleared and Black and Blind"

"Jewels in joy designed
To ravish the sensuous mind
Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind."
("The Convergence of Twain" - Thomas Hardy)

This poem has a tone of an ominous situation composed through contrasting imagery.  In the excerpt above, "jewels of joy" are described as lying lightless "bleared and black and blind."  Usually, jewels represent happiness and riches; however, in this situation, the riches actually led to the downfall of the characters.  Many people in this predicament would have never boarded the Titanic if money did not play a huge role in their life.  Another contrasting image is the opulent mirrors and the sea-worm, both mentioned in the same stanza.  Mirrors remind the reader of the passengers aboard the ship who are carefree about their journey.  However, the "grotesque, slimed" sea-worm shows the reader that although the Titanic may appear lavish on the surface, there are many things that the passengers do not know.  I think the sea-worm also represents the passengers in a way.  Both the passengers and the worm are oblivious to the outside world.  These two images come together and form a dark tone of danger.  Also, details such as the Iceberg growing in the "shadowy silent distance," the "welding" of the iceberg and ship after the collision, and the "cold currents" drifting through the sea further work to achieve this tone.  

This poem really contrasts with the movie Titanic.  No detail or description even remotely relates to a love story or even a positive outcome.  Hardy tells the story of the accident with no sympathy or care for any of the passengers.  In most historical accounts, the iceberg is portrayed as the "villan" while the Titanic is the innocent, naive bystander.  However, Hardy blames both sides.

Death is at your doorstep...

"Today my son told me 

that in the meadows, 

at the edge of the heavy woods..."

("The Widow's Lament in Springtime" - William Carlos Williams)

Symbols are extremely important to this poem about death and misery.  In the excerpt above, "meadows" is mentioned as a symbol of moving in a new direction.  This location is also related to another symbol in the story, the "yard."  The meadow and yard both represent life when the woman was happy and her husband was alive.  However, that joyous "fire" now ends with the loss of her husband.  No longer can she enjoy the spring with all the colors and flowers that it brings.  The "woods" in the excerpt represent the woman's despair.  The two locations of the "woods" and "marsh" hint at dark and depressing places.  This easily observed because the woods are described as being heavy which seems to be an odd adjective choice.  However, heavy literally means "something of great weight, difficult to life or move."  Sorrow is something that is difficult to shake in a person's life; memories of a person will last forever.  The marsh is obviously negative because the woman hints that she would kill herself before even attempting to find hope.  It is interesting how the meadows are at the edge of the dark woods, almost as if life is the meadows and the woods represent death.  

Innocence and Poison

"A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning

    In Eden garden - Have get, before it cloy..."  

+"Spring" Gerard Manley Hopkins

This poem begins with the innocence of spring with references to "thrush," or songbirds, and "lambs."  Each animal adds to the imagery of purity and innocence.  However, carefully placed in these descriptions of spring are words with negative connotations.  For example, "weeds" rise in the spring, and the ear "strikes like lightning" to hear the songbird.  These words suggest sin and greed.  I think the image of the ear striking like lightning means that many times, people selfishly take advantage of things in nature.

The second part of the poem alludes to the Bible.  In the excerpt above, "Eden garden" refers to the story of creation.  I think that spring represents innocence in the lives of all.  However, life's pleasures sometimes make our lives impure.  The word "cloy" means disgust from excessive sweetness.  With excessive pleasures, our lives can become boring and not enjoyable.  Sin only poisons the mind.  Without sin, it would be easy to see the difference between purity and impurity.       

Interpretation 101

"It is, as we would say, too farfetched." Laurence Perrine

"The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry" presents difficult concepts for me to wrap my head around.  For one, Perrine's opening argument states that no author should reveal his interpretation of a poem for it "limits its suggestibility."  I understand this part of the article - this is the same with every type of art, for art should speak for itself.  In fact, one of the most hated question during an art show or critic is "what does this mean?" Imagination and creativity should speak for the observer.  However, later in the article, Perrine clearly argues that only ONE interpretation can be correct.  If this is true, wouldn't the reader need to rely on the author's interpretation?  I think an author would be much less reluctant to explain his or her work if this was the case.  But instead, the author allows room for interpretation to leave room for the reader or observer to grow.  I disagree with the author - no opinion is too farfetched.  Without these odd and wacky interpretations, how would a reader be allowed to grow? 

This article really revealed how non-observant I really am.  First of all, I need to connect details.  In Melville's poem, I never really thought about the idea of a constellation in the night.  Sometimes, it is necessary to look past the literal meaning of the words (such as "legions" and "chief") and find the bigger picture.  Poems are like puzzles - tiny pieces fit together to make a whole.  Also, instead of reading a poem like a novel, I should observe it as if it is art.  In my personal opinion, a painting is much more exciting to study then a bunch of words put together on a page.  However, poems are more like a painting than a novel.  All the minute details and descriptive language come together to form one image.  For example, Emily Dickinson uses words that would normally relate to a garden to describe a sunset.  Again, literal meaning is not always the correct answer (if there even is a correct answer in the art of interpretation...)