Of the poems we've studied over the past few weeks (consult the presentation list if necessary), which (other than yours) did you find the most memorable and/or meaningful? Why?
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Having been a blogger since my early childhood, I have decided to incorporate this useful tool into my teaching. Instructions: At the end of each month, I will award you 2 points for each meaningful post, with a maximum score of 12/10. Be sure to read what others have written - no credit for repetition.
21 comments:
The poem that I found most memorable was "Dover Beach" and probably only because Lauren was the presenter. Regardless, I think it was most memorable because I thought that it was funny how the poet vacationed on Dover Beach, and then that the poem was in a way talking to his wife. I love little oddball facts like this that creates personality of a poet other than what they write on paper. This was also meaningful to me because how the pebbles represent the corrupt religion. This particularly caught my interest because I have gone to church almost every weekend of my life, but yet I still see so many flaws with the beliefs. I think that religion is important, but I think you have to take it for what it is worth. A priest who only preaches, but doesn't live the way he tells you to, doesn't have any right to tell you whether or not your a bad person. Religion is so corrupt and it has only gotten worse since this poem was written. When every weekend the priest ask you to donate more money its like, really, don't you have enough? It is all a scam!
HAHAHA kristen that's priceless.
The poem that i thought was most memorable was "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson. It is a very simple poem and the main idea was very relatable. Everyone wants to be Richard Cory because he's rich and important. He's down to earth and very nice yet he has the power to make others feel nervous around him. Everyone is so jealous that Richard Cory can afford all of the things that they cannot. They pretty much wish they could be him. Everyone has known a person like Richard Cory in their life. Yet it's a complete shock to everyone when he goes home one day and kills himself. This poem is memorable because it shows that you never truly know a person. On the outside somebody else's life may look great, but things are always different behind closed doors. Of all of the poems we read i felt that this one had a very strong message. This poem teaches the reader that things can be deceiving. I believe that is a very important thing for people to learn and remember in their everyday life.
In my opinion "Dulce Et Decorum Est" expresses one of the most valuable messages: dying for one's country is bittersweet.
It's important for young adults to enlist themselves in services like the United States army, marines, coast guard, etc for the right reasons. I would not suggest that someone become involved with these organizations simply to die "a noble death." In displaying the realities of war throughout "Dulce Et Decorum Est," the author communicates that battle does anything but make a man seem masculine and infallible. In fact, Owen proposes that war "dehumanizes" people; he describes the soldiers as lacking the crucial senses of touch/feeling, sight, and hearing. The vivid imagery of the narrator's companions "guttering, choking, and drowning" as well as the mention of the devil leave the reader with a sick portrayal of unjustified self-sacrifice. The poem clearly speaks to naive "children ardent for some desperate glory..."
wow kristen that was harsh haha.
But I agree with Nicole. Richard Cory delivers a great message reguarding the timeless lesson on "don't judge a book by its cover". It applies so much to soceity because it occurs everyday. On any given day people assume the life of others when really they have no idea what is truly going on. Even when people don't think they are judging or assuming they really are. This poem stuck with me the most because of the shocking ending, it really puts truth to the entire poem. Throughout the poem you just think that everyone is admiring Richard Cory and the way that he presents himself, however, the ending puts the poem into perspective. You are able to see the reality of Richard Cory's life, what the other men were unable to see.
"Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas! Its so awesome that I memorized the page number! I love the rhythm and symbolism that permeates through this poem. He shows very dynamic and interesting diction (he says "all the moon long" and "all the sun long" instead of all day or all night long). The most alluring aspect of this poem is how the every metaphor-filled line flows into another in one massive, hectic narrative. Even if all of the green and gold symbols are ignored and a person just reads the poem, it will show how profound the passage of time is just at the speed in which the poem's words progress. It would be a great poem to read out loud, especially if the reader sounds heartbroken. Emma Bovary would fall in love with poem; it seems to elicit a notable emotional response if read in its entirety.
I can't believe you took down my post! That's ridiculous. But I have an answer now. This is going to sound awfully Sebby-stalkerish...but I think that the poem Mike presented was the most memorable to me. Although I did like Richard Cory, I think that To an Athlete Dying Young was so truthful that I was actually interested in hearing what Mike had to say about it. It's so true...we always act as if death is so much more unjust and painful when someone is young and in their prime. But in some ways I feel like it is a good thing. To be able to die at the top of your game gives you a sort of immortality. Nobody saw you fail...and in everyone's mind you WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BEST had you lived (even if you probably wouldn't have been). The tragedy of someone with so much potential dying makes that person known for longer. They don't have to reflect on their lives like in my poem where the guy wishes he could change things. They never have to watch themselves fail or await death as a drooling baby. They are just gone. This message, along with Mike's...interesting presentation, made this poem stand out in my mind. It's just a shame that the only poem I remember, other than mine, will NOT BE ON THE TEST...and MINE WONT BE EITHER. Pretty much that may be the reason why i fail :) hahaha
okay definitely the astronomer one, i have no recollection whatsoever of the name but nicole presented it. i just thought it was great because it talked about education and reminded me of Rousseau's Emile and how people should learn what they want in a manner that they will actually learn it. of coarse i loved the poem because it reminded me of something i learned in lombardi's class. The learned astronomer represents the conventional boring teacher who supposedly knows a lot about the topic but teaches about stars inside a classroom. kind of makes me freak out about college when i have to take math classes or science classes, and all i feel like doing is leaving and actually learning that sort of stuff in a more hands on manner. i think i rambled, oh well.
The most memorable poem for me was "Piano." First, it makes a really deep connection with me because I've been playing for piano for all of my life. When I play a song on the piano, it's more than just hearing or playing sound. Every song I write, play, or hear has a deeper emotional meaning. It's very similar to how the sound of the piano in the poem stirs the memory of the speaker. Many of the songs I have composed, played, or listened to likewise bring back memories of earlier times. For most of my favorite songs, there are either events or certain feelings that are tied to them. Thus, when I hear that song being played, like the speaker of the poem, I sense bitter-sweet emotions. A great deal of the time, I'm glad I'm hearing that song that reminds of something that happened a while ago, yet I'm sad that I have to feel this sense of emptiness now because something is gone or not the same.
I have always liked Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.” I think this is why it was the most memorable poem to me. I’m glad that we had the chance to actually talk about it in depth. We have read it before in other English classes but we never went into detail. I love how I can picture what is going on in each line. “To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.” I can just picture a man just sitting out in the quiet woods enjoying the view. I walking in the snow late at night, so I can visualize what the man is seeing and why it is so important to him to stop and enjoy the view.
I'd have to go with "Piano" too. I found it the most memorable, because the idea behind the poem was relatively simple, and not hidden by tons of symbolic language. Most people can identify with what the man in the poem was experiencing. There's always that cherished memory that people reflect on, and wish that they could go back to. Eventually, all people experience this, even if its in the last few moments of their life. The bitterness that the man feels when thinking of the memory is also easy to understand. He wishes he could go back to the innocence that makes up childhood. Who wouldn't want to go back, after experiencing the perks of growing up. This aspect of the poem related to me really well. I have plenty of memories that I wish I could return to, and that I look back on with bitter-sweet feelings. I also enjoyed it because of its descriptive language, and the author's use of contrasting word choice. My favorite line was: "in the boom of the tingling strings. " I could almost hear the piano in the background, because it created such a perfect image.
I'm stuck between "Musee des Beaux Arts" and "To an Athlete Dying Young". The second was memorable to me because obviously I am (well was) an athlete and it is interesting to consider the impact you make on society and the glory you achieve. For example, I may win a race and be remembered for the day; maybe even for the week if the race was against our rivals. But it depends, was it a landside victory, was it a come-from-behind victory, or was it neck-in-neck???? Certainly no matter what the scale, a simple high school win wouldn’t put my name down in the history books unless maybe I was to break a record at state opens, which I have never even made it to.....Would it really take dying to be remembered and live on in glory?? And is glory worth the cost??? These questions posed by this poem made it an interesting one for me.
Also I liked Amanda’s poem because of the thoughts it provokes on how important we are to the world. We walk around thinking our life is so important but this poem suggests that in reality everyone is too wrapped up in themselves to really notice big events and/or suffering in other people's lives, much less go out of there way to help. Though this concept is thought provoking, I don’t believe it is true in all cases.
I would have to say Fern Hill was the most memorable for me besides Piano of course. it was the most memorable because first of all Kristin complained about having to do it for about half the class period. haha anyway i think it was very interesting because it was so long and it had so much story to it. it had a lot of color symbolism which is always interesting. i also thought Richard Corey was a classic, especially since it used that strang point of view to talk about Corey. I also found it memorable basically because Corey killed himself in the end which i wasnt expecting.
I know multiple people have said it already, but "Piano" was my favorite. I thought that it was personally touching because of the nostalgia that was in it. Right now many of us are going through our "remember when's" as we prepare to leave people we have known for years. Granted "Piano" has nothing to do with leaving high school, it still made me think that maybe one day in the future i'll be just going about my day and some insignificant thing will invoke a memory of something I am experiencing now. I also liked Piano because it had underlying themes like masculinity vs. emotion that weren't outwardly present, but it also had a beautiful lyrical quality and meaning that wasn't cluttered with pompous phrases to make the author look good.
For me, "Richard Cory" was most memorable. I think this poem stood out in so many people's minds because it is something anyone can relate to. Many of the poems about war, death, etc. are unrelatable to the lives of teenagers. Jealousy and greed are experiences more familiar to us. We all have met a person in our lives who seems to have everything, be the best at everything, etc. In fact, our society surrounds us with images of the rich and famous who live the type of life people dream about. However, many times these people, especially celebrities, are unhappy with their lives. The poem sends the message that it's not the exterior, material things that matter, rather, there is a deeper meaning to life which brings happiness.
I really liked Musée Des Beaux Arts. Call me biased--Musée was mine--and I never really understood it until I sat down and actually had to analyze it. The poem is about tragedy and suffering and it reflects that all people must go through some course of that in their lives but that others will ignore it as if it were not happening or accept that somewhere, someone is suffering. A little bleak I suppose... but I never really got to talk about my take on it. This poem was meaningful to me from the beginning when I learned it was about because it is very realistic about human nature--we want to make excuses to avoid falling into others' suffering. And of course I know now firsthand how people react to suffering. I don't really understand people, actually. I don't understand how you can watch someone suffer and fall and not do anything about it. Yes of course everyone must overcome some tragedy but with the hope that others will be there to support them. And yet when the time comes, everyone will dismiss an act as if it weren't going on. Perhaps it's because it's far-off...like starvation and disease in poorer areas of the world. Perhaps it's a little closer, such as a homeless man in the street. I mean, the poem did not just address that people act heartlessly, but it makes the reader wonder: why? Why can't someone take a few moments out of their day to say "I'm sorry" to someone who needs it? I don't care if it's an awkward situation or not...the effort to help someone and to address the fact that someone is suffering is what matters.
Thanks for aligning me with stalkers stewy. I'll be sure to add that to my college resumes. haha
But the poem I liked was "Richard Cory". It had a great message that everyone can relate too. This really proves that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. And it's nice to see this sense of realism that money doesn't bring happiness always. We always see how great it is to have money, and we see how happy the people are who have it. But to see a poem that displays be happy for what you have really makes an impact. People always say "I wish...", no one ever really appreciates what they have. This is a good poem that demoonstrates to its audience that you should embrace your life for what it is, don't try to cover anything up, and simply be all you can be, not somebody else (I know that is cliche, but that's the message I got).
haha sebby
i would have to say the poem that was the most memerable for me was the astrominare one. this one was the most memerable for me because it was the one i connected to the most. i can completely understand the concept of loveing something so much but becoming completely disalusioned by the facts and science of it.
My favorite poem was the Richard Cory one. I can somewhat relate to it's message of "just because you are rich doesn't mean you are happier." Compared to the standards my family lives with in Poland, I am considered to live "upper class rich" by them. They think we are happier here because we have instant access to new technologies, and live more securely money-wise. However, it's not true that we are happier here. when holidays come, my mom, dad, and i are alone in America, separated by thousands of miles from everyone else. I believe they are happier because each family member there is constantly surrounded by other loving, supportive family members. Just as the message of the poem states, having more materialistic possessions doesn't make one happier.
My most memorable poem was "To an Athlete Dying Young." I liked it because it showed me a totally different view of death. Instead of viewing it as a depressing and mournful time, the poet described it as an espace from everything.
Also it interesting how the poet makes it seem that dying at an early age is good thing. Usually people envision death of young peeps as sad because they never got the chance to live their life to the fullest, and experience all the marvolous things it has to bring. It's very ironic, and interesting to read about his view of life since its the opposite of what were used to.
I found Richard Cory to be the most memorable. I'm not usually a fan of simplicity in poems, and typically my favorite poems involve complex use of metaphors and figurative language. However, the meaning of Richard Cory is so impacting that the complex language is not needed. The poem sets its reader up for failure. It starts off seemingly happy and simple. But in the blunt and abrupt final lines, we learn that even though the poem may seem simple, its meaning is complex. I have always been attracted to "darker" poets: Millay, Plath, Poe. Richard Cory is unlike their poems, but it is also the same, and that is why it stood out for me.
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