Week Seven Blog

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

Comments on “The Secretary Chant” by Marge Piercy

My initial response to the poem was that this one had a very creative use of imagery. I enjoyed the poem because I work in an office and I can relate to the author’s writing. I would describe the speaker’s persona as comedic sarcasm. Words like “my breasts are wells of mimeograph ink” portray the tone of a person who feels they are merely a machine instead of a human being. The poems setting is inside an office because she says “File me under W because I wonce was a woman”. The role of figurative language in the poem is to paint for the audience a picture of a woman who is feels like she is a bulky machine instead of a woman. The theme of the poem is that the woman no longer feels like a human, but now she is treated like and feels just like a piece of furniture in the office where she works.

Comments on “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden

I simply loved this poem. It made me think of my father and how hard he worked. We had a woodstove when I was little and my father always kept the house hot as well, it was hot. In order for it to be so hot, he had to get up really early, like dark thirty, and cram it full of wood. He never complained. He worked as a mechanic and his hands were rough, blistered and bruised almost all the time. I really love my dad. In the poem “Those Winter Sundays”, the father got up in the “blue black cold” just like my dad; only I called that dark thirty. In the last sentence, “love’s austere and lonely offices”, spoke volumes to me about the role of a parent. The role is full of love, it is plain and simple and at times, it can be so lonely and thankless. However, it is the most important role anyone can ever have.

Comments on “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop

This poem sounded like a poem that Hemingway could have written because it portrayed the fish as a manly fish that had fought bravely and successfully so many times. The manly fish had five strings of honor or a “five-haired beard of wisdom”. The speaker is the person who caught the fish. His persona is that of a fisherman and his attitude toward his subject is respect. The fisherman respects the bravery of the fish so much that he lets the fish go. The setting is aboard a boat. The poem is about how the little fish overcame adversity and lived to fight another day. The fish was much more brave and much more of a fighter than the fisherman. The poet showed her values when the fisherman understood he was in the game for the sport of it and to kill such a brave fighter would be a shame.

Comments on “Some Words for Fall” by James Applewhite

In this poem, I see a portrait of eastern North Carolina in the fall about twenty years ago. Still today, there are tobacco barns packed full, but they are on the decline. The line “Pete and Joe paid out, maybe two weeks ago” means that they were paid the most money they would see until next season about two weeks ago. This timing places the poem in the late fall. I loved the illustration of the signs on the barn “silvered and alive”. The theme of the poem is the sensory illustration of what life was like in eastern North Carolina in the fall. The poet’s values are shown as a value of hard work, good barbeque, and a strong sense of pride in the community. “The language they speak is things to eat” means the language of the community revolves around food. Every sign, every aroma, every dollar earned that the author writes about makes up the “torn banner of a heroic name”.

Comments on “Something I Know About Her” by Gerald Barrax

This poem makes me think the author is talking about his mother and she is a black lady because he says she uses “jive words”. I loved this poem. I loved the fact that she “touches when she talks”. This fact means that she is sensitive and kind. The personification he used when he said she “smoothed out syntax with her fingertips” was beautiful. When the subject must “lay on her band to hear her echo” makes me think that she was elderly, kind and attentive; all are enduring qualities. The line “to feel the words you don’t speak” is just what a mother would do. She is reading her son’s face just to make sure he is not hiding anything too painful. I loved the line “if she touches you, listen” this means that if you are special enough to get her attention, soak it up. She is a very wise woman with worthwhile advice. ‘To surprise her at it” means not to interrupt her while she is talking because she is fully engaged in conversation both verbally and through her body language. The reader is advised to keep her engaged so that her words have meaning and are not just “jive words”. If the reader listens to this woman, she can offer true pearls of wisdom. The “Something I Know About Her” is that she is wise.

Comments on l(a by E.E. Cummings

In this poem, when all the letters are put together, they spell out “a leaf falls one 1”. I think that the poet put it together this way because the letters fall down the page like a leaf falls down from a tree, one by one.

Comments on The Help by Kathyn Stockett

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

Comments on The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My initial response to the book was that it was very entertaining as it allowed me to peek inside the lives of women during the civil rights movement. My favorite character was Skeeter because she was brave, independent and determined to do the right thing no matter what the consequences. The author explained her weaknesses such as her outward appearance and her strengths like the way she dealt with adversity through her personal relationships with her mother and with Stuart.

I feel that Hilly was a deeply flawed person, but one that was conscious of her flaws. I think that she maintained her persona just to keep up appearances and that she was never brave enough to shed all of the excuses she made for her racist behavior. I believe that she knew she did not have that strength inside her because strength like that would bring reproach upon her household and she was a person who absolutely needed approval from others to believe she was a good person. I think that she knew she could be a good mother and she was free to do so because being a good mother was socially acceptable. She sought to control of others as a way to offer affirmation to the ridiculous racist behaviors that she was portraying. She needed everyone to approve of what she was doing because she knew in her heart it was wrong. She was in conflict between the socially correct thing to do and the humanly correct thing to do. Because her husband was climbing the political ladder, she opted to go for the socially and politically correct thing to do and she paid the consequences. I believe that a person can be a good mother and at the same time be a deeply flawed person because both are roles we play as adults. Hilly’s social life was in a conflict, but her life as a mother was easier.

I really don’t think I feel much sympathy for Skeeter’s mother. I think her deep flaws are like Hilly’s because they deal with a person in conflict between the social and humane aspects of their decision making. However, the fact of the matter is that she dug to the core of humanity and ripped out the seeds with what she did to Constantine. I think her cold choice shed light on why she has such a difficult relationship with her own daughter. She had no empathy towards Constantine as a mother. Her decision was like that of someone who was taking out the trash and not someone who was dealing with a human being in a difficult situation.

I think that eighty percent of a person’s character is shaped by the times in which they live. However, it is that other twenty percent that throws around the most weight. We all must deal with “the way things are”. It is when we see injustice in our world that we can use our left over twenty percent to sway others. I think everyone knows when they are a part of something like racism. Some choose to quiet their other twenty percent to save face and go with “the way things are”. Skeeter was a character that used her extra twenty percent to really make a difference. She was aware that it was only twenty percent and it was hard the whole time she was writing the book, but in the end, her twenty percent was all she needed to really make a difference.

Watching Skeeter’s willingness to overlook Stuart’s faults so that she can get married was like watching a train wreck. The collision began when her mother and father visited Stuart’s home. She had her mother eternally on her back and she thought that somehow her mother would get off if she got married. I knew she would be wrong about that. Stuart was clearly not ready to get married either. I thought that if they got married that her spirit would be crushed just like those of her friends. Her willingness to accept Stuart’s faults came from her lifetime of practice looking over her mother’s faults. It did bother me that Skeeter was willing to overlook his faults because his faults made him a very self centered person who I’m not convinced could really be the loving husband she deserved.

Minny was incredibly justified in her distrust of white people. She just was one of those people who had the gift of verbalizing her emotions no matter what the consequences would be. I think Minny had a distrust of people in general but because white people had been especially horrible to her, she was extremely distrusting of them. She ultimately grew in her heart enough to trust Skeeter, Miss Celia and her husband.

If Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, Mae Mobley would not have grown up to be a racist because Aibileen was a stronger role model than Elizabeth. I strongly believe that racism is something that is taught and something that a person knows is wrong but only pursued because their society wants them to pursue it.

The most ridiculous beauty regimen that I ever underwent that could be comparable to the hairshellac system by Skeeter was a really tight perm on microscopic rollers. The beautician said it would have body and the curl would be long lasting. She was right. My hair was huge, but it was okay, it was the 80’s.

The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom when she describes the interior of Aibileen’s home. Her kitchen was orderly and quiet. Her home was always quiet. The author contrasts this with Minny’s kitchen, whew! Her aura of wisdom comes from how controlled, quite and deliberate Aibileen spoke to Mae Mobley. She educated Mae Mobley on how she could be a better person that the adults around her. I think her quiet grace was most magnified in the way she handled the news about Constantine to Skeeter.

I think there are still vestiges of racism in relationships where people of color work for people who are white. I have heard of stories where people think that somehow the black person wants to get even or get a little of what the white person has and they take on the beliefs like that of Abner Snopes in Barn Burning. I have heard more stories of people of the same race doing the same thing just because the employer has money. I heard just the other day someone say that they hide valuables just before their housekeeper comes but this person who is of the same race also babysits for them. Maybe the paradox is more about class than race nowadays.

I truly enjoyed the revenge that Minny executed. I totally understand why Minny did what she did. In her own way, this was the only thing that she could do to ensure she got Miss Hilly back. I think the way she used the pie to keep Miss Hilly from admitting the story was about Jackson was brilliant. I don’t think I could do the same thing because I would be afraid that she would die from eating it and then I would be in prison for murder.

This book was so enjoyable that after I put it down, I found myself thinking about the characters and what they must be doing next. I wanted to see Mae Mobley grow up and I wanted to hear more funny stories about Miss Celia. I was so glad that Skeeter did not marry Stuart, but I hoped that later on they would come back together to work on doing what was right for the citizens of Jackson. He had political ties that could be used for good and she had an open creative mind and the trust of many of the good citizens of the town. I was so happy that Aibileen has a future with the paper. The book ended with a fresh start and bright sunlight. It reminded me that one is never too old for a fresh start.

Comments on The Language They Speak Is Things to Eat Poetry Selections

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

February 16, 2011

Comments on “Walking Out” by Betty Adcock

My initial reaction to this poem is that I had a great appreciation for the lesson it taught. Life is short, valuable and full of surprises. The speaker in this selection is third person omniscient. I would describe the speaker as a casual observer because the subject was only known as “he” and there was little attached emotion to the subject on the part of the speaker. The speaker’s tone is an attitude that life is frail and in a moment it can all be taken away, so one must count blessings and live each day as if it were the last. The poem’s setting is near a body of water in the early fall. This poem follows the structure and form of a ballad more than a sonnet because it is a narrative and not a “little song”. The effect on the reader is the reader observes a story with symbolism and meaning which conveys an important message about embracing every moment of our frail lives. An example of personification is in the last line, “his bones remember trying for bottom”(5). Another personification is him “touching greenfingered sand”(5). This is a personification for the grass that was sticking out of the sand like green fingers. “The coin he took from the pocket of terror” is another personification since terror has no pockets (4). An example of a metaphor is in the first paragraph when he “was turned out of the caulked world”(4). This means that he flipped out of the boat. The boat was his caulked world. The reader learns in the next line that he did not know how to swim, so this caulked world was what kept him safe. “Every place raises walls around him” is a metaphor for the fact that he was discriminated against because he was dark skinned. The role of figurative language in this poem helped the reader gain insight into the poem and to visualize the events more clearly. Also, the figurative language helped the reader gain a more personal relationship to the subject. He was seventy years old, could not swim and had been shunned his whole life but yet the brief events of this day completely changed his walk on this earth. The poem’s title relates to its overall meaning because this man now has a new walk in life. He walks with humbleness because his life was nearly snatched from him as his bones tried for the bottom. He feels so thankful and blessed that the day even seems brighter. He feels like he is so in touch with Heaven that he feels it is close enough to touch. He is a new man as he is walking out.

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

Comments on “Parting” by A.R. Ammons

February 16, 2011

My initial response to the poem is that it was a sad tale about a husband and wife who spent many years together must now say goodbye. Only now, she only knows who he is in fleeting moments of mental clarity. The speaker is third party omniscient. The speaker’s persona is that of a casual observer. The speaker’s attitude toward his subject is that of a straight forward speaking stranger. Especially the line “a stroke or two slapped her face” makes the speaker seem like that of a casual observer with no emotional attachment to the subject. The setting is in a nursing home because of paragraph five, “a slightly less hopeful setting”(30). A personification is in the last paragraph “the room stiffened”(30). The title “Parting” related to the overall meaning because the wife was very frail and near death. Her husband who had cared for her until he himself needed care desired only to say goodbye to her. The line “good bye or hello” meant that it had been so long since he had spoken with her that he needed to say goodbye but wanted to say hello. The “misfire in the perilous fire” is the broken passion in their relationship.

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

February 15, 2011

Comments on “Wide Open, These Gates” by Kathryn Stripling Byer

My initial response to this poem is that this young person felt that they had a childhood that was mostly good but they wanted to escape. The author said their childhood was “crabbed”(81). The poem is in first person. The person says “one of these days I’ll be gone” (81). A personification is when in the last paragraph “the gnats sing”(81). The author says that their father bid on a pig by accidentally scratching his nose. The next line is that the grandfather could grow corn up “ tall as his hat brim”(81). The author contrasts the father and the grandfather. Another contrast is that the grandfather had a bad temper but the grandmother’s cooking calmed him down. The author contrasted the grandfather’s talking nonsense to her own “nonsense coos like a dove”(81). The last paragraph, the author says goodbye to things that brought her fond memories. Her words of goodbye were the gates swinging wide open that she would walk through after one more summer.

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

February 16, 2011

Comments on “The Memory” by Maya Angelou

My initial response to this poem was that it was about a person who had wasted their life because they were forced into slavery. Their entire life was about a few things and all of them involved very hard work. The theme is that the work of this person’s entire life had not profited them anything but “dead-tired nights of yearning”(44). This person had dreams that could never come true. These dreams were still locked up inside of them as their days are now spent dying. The speaker is first person. The title of the poem suits the message of a memory of a dream. All those nights spent “yearning” were nights spent dreaming of what their life could be if they were free. “Shame the blanket of my night” means that it is a shame that their body is getting old and now all they have left of their life is a memory of a life simply yearned for and not lived. The setting is probably in the south because of the cotton, sugar cane and slavery. The diction is like that of an African American.

ENG 113

Instructor Risch

Donna Stevens

February 16, 2011

Comments on “Thaw” by Kathryn Stripling Byer

My initial response to this poem is that it is a narrative from the first person point of view which tells about the agony of wintertime in the horse and buggy days. I would describe this persona as a person from the 1800s possibly a farmer. A simile is that her “hair is dull as a rope in the barn” (90). In paragraph four, another simile is “Today the riad’s shedding its ice like a snakeskin”(90). This person longs for spring so much that they “scour” or look hard in the almanac for the first signs of spring and are pretty sure it is coming but maybe it is a lie. A metaphor is in the last paragraph when the author says “the sight of me frozen in glass every morning”(90). That means she looks in the mirror and her cold, hard reflection stares back at her. In the last paragraph the author uses a personification when she states “ the moon waited for stones I will throw in the water”(90). The title is appropriate because the person cannot wait for the land and most of all herself to thaw.