I’m with you in Rockland
Ginsberg and Solomon were at the same mental health hospital receiving treatment and shared a lot of time and moments together. There is a theme of repetition within the poem that emphasizes the topic within each section and while the other sections focused on topics that are unseen, this topic is an actual place with a real person which connects the poem to the real world and not just the temporal
They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven! Pavements, trees, radios, tons! lifting the city to Heaven which exists and is everywhere about us!
This section of the poem seems to be Ginsberg's commentary of on society and its lack of vision for the future. Society is hyper-focused on the wrong issues which further fuels Moloch to wreak havoc and plague people's minds. Ginsberg might be suggesting that the "heaven" people want can be partially achieved here in this kingdom if we can work together and live together in this kingdom bestowed to us
last furnished room emptied down to the last piece of mental furniture, a yellow paper rose twisted on a wire hanger on the closet, and even that imaginary, nothing but a hopeful little bit of hallucination—
Possible reference to The Yellow Wallpaper? I thought about the interesting connection the Gilman story because the mother in that story was in need of mental health care but did not get any because of who she was in her society, she did not matter or have a voice. Ginsberg's poem seems to be very heavily focused on those unseen, this first section of the poem is entirely about the "who"
who wept at the romance of the streets with their pushcarts full of onions and bad music
This line made me think about the people who suffered through a traumatic relationship of some type, with a family member, loved one, or encounter, and then see something that happened to them happen to someone else. Whether it is a good memory or bad one, it still stirs up emotions. This section of the poem focuses on a specific yet anonymous group, an interesting concept within the American culture
Slim Greer went to heaven; St. Peter said, “Slim, You been a right good boy.” An’ he winked at him.
It is interesting to think about this story in relation to other stories written by authors like Dante or Chaucer that told similar stories with holy guides. The poem is also written in the black vernacular which makes it more accessible to the black population but it also presented a challenge because most black people did not have access to the same education as white people
Today they shout prohibition at you “Thou shalt not this.” “Thou shalt not that.” “Reserved for whites only” You laugh.
This is an interesting commentary on the discrimination faced by black people in America during this time because slavery had ended but the racism and ideology behind slavery was very much alive. Black people had to persevere through the hardships of slavery and life afterwards without being asked
I shall return to loiter by the streams That bathe the brown blades of the bending grasses, And realize once more my thousand dreams Of waters rushing down the mountain passes
This poem "I Shall Return" is interesting because the tone was both stern and soft and the message was harsh yet soft. McKay wants to return but what she brings with her is meant to change where she is going. I got an image of a phoenix bringing new starts wherever it goes as McKay brought up the images of returning
Yet, as a rebel fronts a king in state
This is an interesting parallel that McKay is making between the black and white people in America because she is referring to herself as a rebel in a kingdom. Usually subjects that rebel in a kingdom are the oppressed people and could possibly be part of the kingdom from force similarly to the history of black people's immigration into America. McKay seems to be suggesting that her society is working against her but she is still a part of that society in the bigger picture
I, too, am America
The last line of this poem was really powerful for me because the poem forces the white America to face the problem of the excluded black population that the whites have ignored and oppressed. The poem does not suggest a tone of hostility but persistence and perseverance for the black people in America and it implies that the platform for white people will eventually be extended to the black folks
Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over
The poem highlights the different types of decaying and to me that read as a parallel to the different ways America failed its black people and let the problem develop similar to how food rots. Food is an energy resource that is supposed to be grown which requires care, it is to be eaten at its prime to enjoy the most nutrients, and can spoil if left alone. People require a similar type of care if they are to flourish and I feel that this poem highlights the way America failed its black people
It was rather the necessity for fuller, truer, self-expression, the realization of the unwisdom of allowing social discrimination to segregate him mentally, and a counter-attitude to cramp and fetter his own living–and so the “spite-wall” that the intellectuals built over the “color-line” has happily been taken down
I believe that Hughes is really trying to get his audience to completely dismantle how we think about black people in our (American) society because there does not seem to be a way for black people to join society without being discriminated against in some shape or form with the current way of societal thinking
The racialism of the Negro is no limitation or reservation with respect to American life; it is only a constructive effort to build the obstructions in the stream of his progress into an efficient dam of social energy and power
This seems to be a direct calling out of racism in America towards its black population and it is also drawing attention to the fact that black people in America are a polarizing topic because whites have made it so with ridiculous, false, and inflammatory notions about black people
But jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America
Hughes expresses himself as true as he can even if it is misunderstood by others because he realizes his expressions are still important and can have meaning. To him jazz is a fundamental expression of black life in America and his works answer the question of what it means to be black in America for himself and to work against the normalization of white-washed behavior
The fine novels of Chesnutt go out of print with neither race noticing their passing. The quaint charm and humor of Dunbar’s dialect verse brought to him, in his day, largely the same kind of encouragement one would give a sideshow freak (A colored man writing poetry! How odd!) or a clown (How amusing!)
It is sad to think about the generations of artists, innovators, and writers lost to slavery and the racial bias from society. It makes me think about all of the lost messages and lessons humanity lost because the stories were eradicated at the hands of racists. White society dismissed artists of color and normalized that behavior to oppress minorities
When at the grave like red soldiers We swore to end the world’s poverty Brave comrades were seen to weep
This is interesting to think in relation to the tense relationship America has with the Soviet Union and this poems connection to the "red" population. The poem touches upon sensitive topics with children irresponsibly dying and also the complex relationship society has with the government and their systems
But uneclipsed above this park the veteran of the Civil War sees havoc in the tended graves the midnight bugles blow to free still unemancipated slaves
This is perhaps a reminder to remember history and those who gave their lives in the name of emancipation. A reminder to not give up on the fight for rights and equality
Entrust no hope to stone although the stone shelter the root
Perhaps this is a commentary on those in society who are silent in the dismantlement of the oppressive patriarchy. They are not in the way but they are not helping either
Suck, little baby, suck long, Body mustn’t be frail. Muscles growing firm and strong – – Daddy’s in Fulton Jail.
The opening stanza sets the tone for the poem and the stanza (as well as the poems here) highlights the vicious and oppressive cycle the black community in America faces starting from birth. They must prepare themselves from birth to fight a system that they must participate in. The poem also highlights the complicated parental relationship that plagued the black community because of disproportionate incarceration
Seben nappy heads Wit’ big shiny eye All boun’ in jail An’ framed to die
This stanza read to me as seven black boys with bright eyes that are sitting in jail accused of a crime they did not commit. It speaks to the injustices black men faced at the hands of the white patriarchal laws set up to work against the black population. This stanza is repeated as the final stanza to leave the readers with that image in their head because the injustices persist
Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves Waited for rain, while the black clouds Gathered far distant, over Himavant. The jungle crouched, humped in silence. Then spoke the thunder
There is a relationship between the rain and the jungle because part of the ecosystem in the jungle relies on the rain to provide life. Rain is another form of water and water is a source of life which humans and animals rely on. The jungle waiting for the rain could be an allusion to the city waiting for come alive again with the rain of life
If there were water
There are many purposes for water and it is a vital part of life on Earth. It is interesting to think about how water is used as imagery in this poem because it seems that water would give life to this overly dry place but it would also bring something new. It would wash away the old and reveal what is to grow. This dramatic focus on water is also one of the few places a slightly positive tone is seen "where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees"
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
This shift in the poem is a bit unexpected but it also makes sense. Eliot finally turns his attention directly to the speaker to give a warning or advice that they should go forth in life with direction and purpose, not to focus on worldly possessions
Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead, Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell And the profit and loss
These opening lines made me think that perhaps Phlebas has moved on past the worldly and material desires because they are not truly important in this life or what matters in the end
Her brain allows one half-formed thought to pass
Interesting to think about repressed memories and how that relates to the trauma people were feeling post world war and also the sexual trauma women faced from traumatized men. There is a clear disconnect between the woman and man involved in this sex scene and there is also a disconnect between the feelings of the lovers, there is no love just physicality
I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives, Old man with wrinkled female breasts, can see At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives
It would be interesting to think of Eliot as Tiresias and what that would mean for him and his life as well as what it means for this poem. Since Tiresias was clairvoyant and also was made into a woman temporarily, Tiresias had a much more developed view of the world similarly to Eliot
“What is that noise?” The wind under the door. “What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?” Nothing again nothing. “Do “You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember “Nothing?”
This passage symbolized a sense of neurosis and potentially PTSD after the war because the wind was triggering a reaction from the narrator that was erratic and led to possibly bad past memories "do you remember nothing?". This speaks to the general overtone of the poem that reflects upon the impact traumatic events have on people and their lives thereafter
What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow Out of this stony rubbish?
Is this a comment on a the detachment people felt after the war? A sense of not belonging anywhere or to anyone. Nowhere for someone to grow their roots in and start a life
FOR EZRA POUND IL MIGLIOR FABBRO
This dedication is interesting because "Il milglior fabbro" is a line from Dante's "Purgatorio" meant to be a tribute for another poet, Arnaut Daniel, meaning "the better craftsmen of the mother tongue". Eliot's dedication of "The Waste Land" to Pound is a parallel to Dante's for Daniel as a sign of respect for important literary figures of the time
Eleven and eighteen. Foolish is foolish is.
Perhaps this is a comment on some of the people she was coming into contact with, an eleven and eighteen year old and she remarks on their childish behaviors?
Suppose a selection were reverse. Cousin to sadden
Perhaps this is a suggestion that someone should put themselves in Stein's shoes? To see things from her point of view and better understand where she is coming from? Maybe Stein wants someone to understand her sadness?
They enter the new world naked, cold
While reading the poem, I did not feel that Williams was talking about the everyday person but instead the marginalized mentally ill or handicapped people in society that were shipped away. That there is a hope for people who were left behind out of sight and out of mind, "rooted they grip down and begin to awaken"
Now the grass, tomorrow the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf
These lines tell me that there is hope for today and for tomorrow if you can find a victory no matter how small. Today it might be a baby step but tomorrow it could be a leap towards your goal or progress
But by this familiarity
Perhaps this is an opportunity for redemption? Accepting people for who they are and what they have to offer and not for what they are not is a healthy way to start a relationship. The child did not ask for this life and his place in life does not diminish his intelligence or skills to offer the world
constantly tormenting them
Note the language of oppression and dehumanization, "constantly" "tormenting" and the use of "them". Categorizing people into "us" and "them" makes it easier to dehumanize and make an enemy of. It was consistent oppression that kept generations of people in slavery
Somehow it seems to destroy us
The form of the poem was a bit confusing to keep up with. There was a pattern but it was also inconsistent. It was an interesting read because it changed the way I read the poem and language, which was probably an intention of Williams.
as if the earth under our feet were an excrement of some sky
This stanza and the few before set a tone of oppression towards women and more specifically Indigenous American women, "dash of Indian blood"
To Elsie
Perhaps this is a parallel to Beethoven's "Für Elise"? Although this poem does not seem like much of a love letter, it could be in some manner
mountain folk from Kentucky or the ribbed north end of Jersey
Is this what Williams thinks makes up America? Interesting perspective on the country from Williams's perspective because it seems to be critical of the people who he believes are the true products and represent what America is at the time
Use no superfluous word, no adjective which does not reveal something
This "rule" is interesting because speaking with such a tone suggests finality and a concreteness that some people may not agree with or have a hard time understanding. The tone did confuse me because it adds a layer of potential irony/criticism/sarcasm to the piece
but agreeing upon these three positions we thought we had as much right to a group name,
This agreement is important because it shows how people of different intellectual viewpoints can come together and reach an agreement
predilection
What does predilection mean? It is a noun meaning to think favorably of a particular subject
recapitulation
What does recapitulation mean? It is a noun meaning a brief review of summary; summarize
vers libre
What does "vers libre" mean? It means free verse in French
All will be easier when the mind To meet the brutal age has grown An iron cortex of its own
Is Millay suggesting that some internal walls are healthy to maintain balance in relationships?
does the rose regret The day she did her armour on?
A delphinium is a delicate and intricate flower compared to a rose but both are beautiful and popular flowers among people typically. It is an interesting and somewhat confusing comparison?
Unthorned into the tending hand Releases. . . yet that hour will come. . . And must
What is this a release of? The growth of something perhaps since the poem refers to the delphinium flower
delphinium
This is a common flower with many species variants. I wonder what the significance of this flower is to Millay.
Here lies, and none to mourn him but the sea
Burial at sea was about as anonymous a burial as it could get. While the boat was on a course to a destination (presumably), dumping a body into the sea/ocean leaves the body at the mercy of the currents and potential sea animal food. This is a metaphorical way to erase someone's identity
Yet many a man is making friends with death Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
Is this a reference to suicide perhaps? "making friends with death... for lack of love..." Millay seems to criticize love for being the reason people are ending their lives. Love is something that fulfills people and when they are hurt, scorned, etc.. it can lead them to care less for their own life and perhaps this poem reflects on that
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath, Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone
These lines set a tone of independence and a sense of self. Millay is talking about bodily functions in a way that highlights the way that the individual can take care of itself without love and still carry on
Provide, provide!
Provide what exactly? Perhaps any means necessary to maintain the friendship? The tone of this last stanza is somewhat perplexing because he is directly saying you should buy your friends if it means you have company; but to what extent? Is this a comment on the vapidness and disillusionment of relationships?
Die early and avoid the fate. Or if predestined to die late, Make up your mind to die in state
This is a dark view on life and the proceeding to death.. It is difficult for me to discern if Frost is being serious with his cynicism, the tone is consistent throughout the poem but it may be sarcasm?
Abishag
Who is Abishag? She is the woman chosen to help King David towards the end of his life to keep Jim comfort. Interesting reference because I personally believe historically women were more often exploited and not revered like this passage might be suggesting.
If design govern in a thing so small
It is interesting to think about the design of a single object/animal like a spider, moth, or flower because each are created for their own purpose yet without the other, there would be no singular thing. The individual design plays into the larger design but it is difficult to discern which design came first, the individual or collective?
Like the ingredients of a witches’ broth
A witches broth is an interesting metaphor because while a witches broth is not real because magic is not real, it is created by design and serves a real purpose to the witch
He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake
When reading this it reminded me of how people keep moving to keep working. The horse is used to performing his function as a worker and when the narrator wants to stop and take in the scene to connect with nature, the horse "must think it queer" and similarly his fellow people would find it weird to stop and take in the scenery
To watch his woods fill up with snow
It is interesting to think of woods and nature as occupied and belonging to someone. The earth existed generations before you and will continue without you (assuming global warming or the Cheeto does not kill us all) yet we as humans like to "stake" our claim to the land we are on
And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler
This is an interesting notion because it could be suggesting that Frost would want to experience more than one lifetime or life experience. Sometimes people feel as if they are from another time or do not fit into their society and want to experience another life outside of their own
undergrowth;
There is a rhyming scheme in the poem, ABAAB, with the last word in each line
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down.
This is the second time this phrase "Something there is that doesn't love a wall" is repeated, the poem opens with those lines. It seems that Frost could be referring to himself or the narrator's feelings that walls are obstacles which are barriers that need to be taken down
No one has seen them made or heard them made, But at spring mending-time we find them there
I related this to a "spring cleaning" of some sort, in a meta way. We as people gather things and feelings throughout the year and periodically we cleanse and purge ourselves of these things, these lines reminded me of that
Mending Wall
The title is interesting because it makes you think about what is being mended. Is it the neighborly relationship, is it human kindness, is it friendship? It could be all of those things perhaps. Frost analyzes his adjacent neighboring wall in an abstract way so he can think beyond the wall's physical properties in relation to his neighbor
Spoon River
I wonder why Masters chose Spoon River to be central to his literature
For I could never make you see That no one knows what is good Who knows not what is evil; And no one knows what is true Who knows not what is false.
This is part of the wisdom Masters wanted to impart to people. History is bound to repeat itself if we are not taught our history and that includes the bad and gruesome parts
Was sold at auction on the public square
This line reminded me of how slaves were sold at auction blocks. Beings that are full of wisdom, advice, and life, were sold as property and I felt that Masters could be making a parallel between the two ideas
Faint iambics that the full breeze wakens– But the pine tree makes a symphony thereof.
These lines made me think of a grand breeze going through a forrest of trees making lot of noises that sound like ticking but not necessarily in a uniform way which is interesting because of the emphasis on iambics and meters
And what is love but a rose that fades?
This is an interesting take on the idea of love. Flowers bloom periodically and go through changes depending on the seasons. The peak beauty of a flower is temporary and is a fleeting moment that you need to pay attention to in order to catch and appreciate.
The last word wavered, and the song was done. He raised again the jug regretfully And shook his head, and was again alone
The poem seems to be suggesting that the narrator could be outside of the boundaries of time. The idea that the narrator "was again alone" is something that is repeated throughout the poem
For auld lang syne
What does "auld lang syne" mean? The phrase is a noun meaning "times long past"
Below him, in the town among the trees, Where friends of other days had honored him
Is he suggesting that those days are long gone? How long? A lifetime? A year? Another life?
The road was his with not a native near
This line is interesting because it begs the question, when and where is the narrator walking around in the town for the street to be completely empty and so that one could talk aloud with no one to hear it?
the men were just as good, And just as human as they ever were.
This is an interesting suggestion that the men who have moved on have transcended the human form, "just as good, just as human". Who are these men that Robinson is meeting and interacting with? Is he considering himself to be in this exclusive group?
Poets and kings are but the clerks of Time, Tiering the same dull webs of discontent, Clipping the same sad alnage of the years
Perhaps Robinson is suggesting that the intellects of the time, poets and kings, are ahead of their time and are stuck in the fabric of time. Perhaps the poets and kings cannot express or make reality of their ideologies because they are caught and stuck in the fabric of time
find them there When I came back again
I wonder where Robinson is referring to? Where did he go, a dreamland perhaps or a world he is hoping to see? Also who is this "them" he is talking about, it does not seem to be every man but a brotherhood of intellects maybe since he later refers to poets and kings
conjectures
an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information source:https://www.oxfordreference.com/search?q=conjectures&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true
tête-à-tête
plural tête-à-têtes, French tête-à-tête. -a private conversation or interview, usually between two people. source:https://www.oxfordreference.com/search?q=tête-à-tête
comfortable house.
A country house is different from a house in the city and Austen's settings typically revolve in the countrysidesource::http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/manorhouses.htm (http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/castles/pics/avebury.jpg)
And what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than half a day’s journey
During this time period, transportation around England was mainly on foot or horse drawn carriages on dirt roads. Bigger cities had turnpikes but it was mostly dirt roads source:http://www.johnhearfield.com/History/Roads.htm
comfortable income
Being a clergyman could be respectable at this time because their salary depended on where they were placed to live source:https://byuprideandprejudice.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/the-anglican-clergy-in-jane-austens-novels/