January 27, 2011 – “The Snow Man” – Wallace Stevens

Text:

“The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “The Snow Man,” I thought that the poem was mainly a scenery poem in which a miserable winter scene is described and the narrator says that one needs to have a certain taste in order to enjoy the weather. Also, it seems like the narrator is trying to write that mankind does not belong in the harsh winter of nature.

Paraphrase:

Someone who lives in winter should have winter-like qualities. The cold is part of winter. The January sun is far away. In order to not be depressed by the stillness of winter, one must be like nature. The only sound heard is that of the land, full of wind blowing through the barren snow-covered land. He who listens in the snow is nothing.

SWIFTT:

Wallace Stevens uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “The Snow Man.”

Syntax/Word choice:

Steven’s poem is one run-on sentence with five stanzas of three lines each. There are only two semicolons and one period. There is no rhyme scheme in “The Snow Man.” All diction describes the harsh nature of winter.

Imagery:

“The Snow Man” is filled with winter and landscaping visual imagery. There is snow, ice, and frost everywhere: “the frost and the boughs / Of the pine-trees crusted with snow.” There are three different types of trees in the poem, juniper, spruce, and pine. All of these trees are covered in a blanket of snow or “shagged with ice.” There is also auditory imagery, the sound of wind gusting and the “sound of the land” all demonstrating the bitter and relentless cold of winter.

Figurative language:

There is no usage of simile in “The Snow Man.” Throughout Stevens’ poem, there is one major metaphor: a comparison between a snowman, snow, and man. Man is warm and intellectual, while snow is cold and something that man cannot change or control. The paradox in this is that a snowman is winter embodied; it is unemotional and sees only actuality. The only way a person could avoid thinking of misery in a desolate nature is to be like the snowman; to not show emotions and be nothing himself. Winter is given human characteristics through the personification of the snowman. The cold is bitter, miserable, and sterile, and a person who lives in the winter would have to be of a similar type.

Tone:

The tone of the narrator is detached. Winter is shown to be a force that man cannot reckon with, and the narrator does not seem to want to try to defy the balance that nature has created.

Theme:

The theme of “The Snow Man” is that in order for man to survive in the unrelenting winter of nature, he would have to become like the cold of winter: unemotional, see only actuality, able to see that the actuality implies nothing beyond. While nature is used to winter, man couldn’t survive and be in harmony with it.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend Wallace Stevens’ “The Snow Man.” While I originally believed that the narrator was trying to say that winter was a season that few enjoyed, discluding himself, I now think that the narrator is trying to explain to his readers that the cold of winter will not adapt to mankind, mankind needs to adapt to winter. The only way a person can avoid depression in nature’s winter is to not show emotions and become nothing himself, like snow. Otherwise, being stuck in such conditions would not be a pleasant experience for man who is used to changing his surrounds to suit his wants and needs.

January 20, 2011 – “To an Athlete Dying Young” – A. E. Housman

Text:

“To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields were glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “To an Athlete Dying Young,” I thought that the poem was depressing. However, as I read it a couple more times, I began to realize that a young athlete was being immortalized. An amazing athlete died at a young age and, instead of being out beaten, he will be remembered by his successes. The award wasn’t given to anyone else before his death. Though he died at such a young age (18-21 years old), he will retain his fame in death and be honored and revered.

Paraphrase:

When you won the race, we carried you on our shoulders though the market. The town cheered you on as we brought you home. (change in scene) Today you are in a casket as they bring you to your final resting place, a cemetery. Good thinking, to die while your victory remains fresh. Your victory will now be remembered instead of being short-lived. Even in death, nobody can beat you. Your fame will last forever and you will be well known for your achievement.    

SWIFTT:

William Butler Yeats uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “To an Athlete Dying Young.”

Syntax/Word choice:

Yeats’ poem has seven stanzas of 4 lines each with a rhyme theme of aabbccdd. There is assonance, a repetition of the vowel sound “o.” Also, Yeats uses alliteration in every stanza, such as “fleet foot” and “road all runners.”

Imagery:

Throughout “To an Athlete Dying Young,” there is the repeating imagery of victory and death. The victory in that the athlete “won your town the race” and he was a “smart lad to slip…” away from life and maintain his fame. There is the imagery of death with descriptions of the athlete’s cemetery: “townsman of a stiller town.” Also, Yeats uses many words that have to do with burial, the image of a young athlete dying but being remembered and revered.

Figurative language:

There is no simile in Yeats’ poem; however there is metaphor throughout the play. That metaphor relates to getting things done before death. While the athlete won the athletic race, he lost the race with life and died young. The whole poem is a paradox. Two examples of paradox in Yeats’ poem are as follows: finding fame in death and “silence sounds.” Also, “To an Athlete Dying Young” is an extended apostrophe. This is because the poem seems to be addressing the dead athlete. There is also allusion in Yeats’ poem. People flock to Teiresias the blind seer, who is dead, to seek information and their prophecies: “Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead.”

Tone:

There are three ways that I interpreted the tone of “To an Athlete Dying Young.” First, the tone could be depressed because the town’s hero, a skilled athlete, died young. Second, respect towards the athlete could be the narrator’s tone because the athlete died but retained his victory and fame. Third, there is irony through the play because the athlete died, and his death allowed him to be more famous than had he lived and his record been beaten.

Theme:

The theme of “To an Athlete Dying Young” is the transience in life: life doesn’t last long, neither does youth nor fame. As time goes on, these things will change. Life is a race to achieve goals and make dreams come true before death. If one dies with achievements, they will be remembered and honored. However, in being remembered, you lost everything because you died – you lost your life.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend A. E. Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young.” My original opinions on the poem are close to what my current impression of the poem is. An athlete won a race and was carried through a marketplace in honor. Then the scene changes and he is dead. He is being buried in a cemetery, where his fame lingers. Although he is dead, his accomplishments in life will be remembered. The young athlete is thought to be “smart” for dying, for he leaves behind an “unchallenged cup-” the award has not been won by anyone after his race. The word “race” in this poem has more than one meaning. Race could mean running, trying to get things done within a given time frame, or trying to get things done before death. Life is a race, there is so much to do in so little time. Things in life are not constant; life itself is not constant. One day a person could be a hero for winning a race, the next he could be in a grave, cold and dead. However, if someone dies early in life, their accomplishments will be remembered before their lives decay.

January 19, 2011 - “The Wild Swans at Coole” - William Butler Yeats

Text:

“The Wild Swans at Coole” by William Butler Yeats

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

Initial Impression:

When I first read “The Wild Swans at Coole,” I felt at peace. The description of magnificent animals taking the breath away from a young man, to me, gives a strong sense of awe and passion. The flight of the birds and their swimming paths are synchronized, and the swans do not bicker or fight. I thought that “The Wild Swans at Coole” was written after a young man witnessed an event that stuck his heart as beautiful and something that people lack: nonjudgmental compassion towards others.

Paraphrase:

The trees look beautiful in the fall. Paths going through the woods are dry. In October around dusk, still water looks like the sky. On this full body of water and among the rocks are fifty-nine swans. I have come here to watch the swans for nineteen years. Before I could finish counting how many swans there were, they suddenly took flight and scattered away. I feel awed from watching this beautiful sight. I feel changed since the day I saw these swans take flight, their wings beating above me. Still playful, the swans swam in the pond, side by side, or fly in the air. The swans are happy. I wonder where they will travel to, whether from passion or conquest. But for now they are still swimming on the water, mysterious and beautiful. I wonder where they will build their nests. I wonder where they are when I awake some other day to find they are gone.

SWIFTT:

William Butler Yeats uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “The Wild Swans at Coole.”

Syntax/Word choice:

This is a lyric poem in ballad format because the narrator expresses his feelings. Yeats’ poem has 5 stanzas of 6 lines each. “The Wild Swans at Coole” does not have a traditional pattern of poetry. It has a rhymed couplet which is shown in: “delight men’s eyes when I awake someday/ to find they have flown away?” The odd numbered lines have 4 stressed syllables, while the even numbered lines have 3 stressed syllables. The rhyme scheme for the poem is abcbdd. Also, the order of the words is changed: “nine and fifty swans” instead of 59 swans. There is also diction which implies that the narrator is growing towards the end of his life and has not fulfilled his hopes and dreams: “the swan’s hearts have not grown old.”

Imagery:

“The Wild Swans at Coole” is expressed through elemental imagery. Three of the four main elements of nature are utilized, both physical and spiritual: earth, water and air. Earth is demonstrated by physical means in which “woodland paths are dry.” Water is conveyed spiritually by “brimming water” and “…the water mirrors the sky.” Air is also conveyed spiritually through flight imagery: “wheeling in great broken rings.”

Figurative language:

There is no usage of simile or metaphor in this poem. However, Yeats uses rhetorical question toward the end of his poem. The narrator is not satisfied with the way his life is going and questions if he will die unsuccessful and without accomplishing any of his goals. There is also personification in Yeats’ description of the swans, which are beautiful and seemingly in love. The swans are able to fly away; they have freedom where the man is stuck in the same, monotonous life.

Tone:

William Yeats writes “The Wild Swans at Coole” with a depressed, pessimistic attitude. His character, the narrator, is not satisfied with where his life has been going and the swans’ freedom brings an ache to his heart.

Theme:

The theme of “The Wild Swans at Coole” is that people need to make the most of their lives. Don’t waste your life away and then, later in your life, regret past decisions. What’s done is done. Move on, live the day. Instead of moping around about what could have been, make your dreams come true, fulfill your passions!

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend William Butler Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole.” There is the autumn, which shows the man getting close to the end of his life. He has not accomplished his goals “under the October of twilight” and is still unmarried at the age of 51. “The Wild Swans at Coole” contrasts the lonely man to the mysterious swans. The man goes to see the swans every year, but this year he goes depressed and with a heavy heart, knowing his life goals are but dreams of the past. The swans in the poem are free; they have no restraints and can fly away to their freedom whenever they please. The man is stuck in the same, monotonous life that he has created for himself, and yearns for the freedom and simplicity that the swans’ lives include. The swans, while at the pong physically, represent the something more fanciful and spiritual than a beautiful creature. They represent the freedom that man cannot acquire because we are humans. “The Wild Swans at Coole” is about fulfilling one’s dreams before it is too late, before they become mere dreams.

January 18, 2011 - "Telephone Poles" - John Updike

Text:

“Telephone Poles” by John Updike

They have been with us a long time.
They will outlast the elms.
Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage sieving the trees
In his search for game,
Run through them. They blend along small-town streets
Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.
Our eyes, washed clean of belief,
Lift incredulous to their fearsome crowns of bolts, trusses,

struts, nuts, insulators, and such
Barnacles as compose
These weathered encrustations of electrical debris¬
Each a Gorgon’s head, which, seized right,
Could stun us to stone.

Yet they are ours. We made them.
See here, where the cleats of linemen
Have roughened a second bark
Onto the bald trunk. And these spikes
Have been driven sideways at intervals handy for human legs.
The Nature of our construction is in every way
A better fit than the Nature it displaces
What other tree can you climb where the birds’ twitter,
Unscrambled, is English? True, their thin shade is negligible,
But then again there is not that tragic autumnal
Casting-off of leaves to outface annually.
These giants are more constant than evergreens
By being never green.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “Telephone Poles,” I thought that the poem was praising mankind’s ability to make a telephone pole, something made from a tree that is decidedly better than a tree. Telephone poles were trees, but have been outfitted by humans to fit their wants and needs. But, at the same time, instead of seeing the beauty in nature, humans take what nature gives us and manufacture the materials for our own needs.

Paraphrase:

Telephone poles have existed for a long time and will probably last longer than an actual tree. Humans strain our eyes to see between trees for game to hunt. The poles are a part of every-day society.  They have nuts and bolts all along them, and look quite strange. However, they are our creation for our usage. People worked to get the outer bark on telephone poles they way it is. Spikes have been driven into the poles so that people can climb up them. Our construction is better than nature’s for our purposes. Where else can you climb a tree where instead of birds chirping there are human voices going through wires? True, telephone poles don’t provide much shade, but they don’t shed leaves every fall either. Telephone poles are more constant than any other tree because they are no longer trees – mankind made them better.

SWIFTT:

John Updike uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “Telephone Poles.”

Syntax/Word choice:

In Updike’s “Telephone Poles,” there are two stanzas of thirteen lines each. Also, there is no obvious rhyme scheme. John Updike’s diction promotes animism and Christianity in that trees are constantly referenced and the poles have “spikes… have driven sideways…” so that humans could easily climb them.

Imagery:

The imagery in “Telephone Poles” conveys the truth of how mankind is gravitating towards technology and away from natural means. “They blend along small-town streets/ Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.”

Figurative language:

“Telephone Poles” has allusions to animism and religion. Animism is the idea that everything has a spirit inside of it; that is what makes things unique. When humans take trees and mold them to our wants and needs, we are breaking the bond with nature by forcing an object to be made to suit our own selfish purposes. Also, the “spikes” could be an allusion to Christ being crucified on the cross, a loss for humanity.

Tone:

The tone in “Telephone Poles” is disappointment in mankind’s nature as well as pride in our creations. While these two points of view seemingly contrast one another, they both go hand in hand: “They will outlast the elms…/ yet they are ours. We made them.”

Theme:

The theme of “Telephone Poles” is the disconnection with nature that humans have created. While we succeed in making great technological advances, we push away the very Nature that we once lived in.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to grasp the point John Updike’s “Telephone Poles.” Humans make technological advances that make our lives easier. We make telephones for communication and cars for transformation. Because we have the knowledge and skills to make these things, we disregard what nature has to offer. The things we make are made from things found in nature. Telephone poles are made from trees. We think that the things we make are better than what nature provides us, even if that is not the case. By becoming so caught up in technological advances, we grow further from nature.

January 14, 2011 - "Oven Bird" - Robert Frost

Text:

“Oven Bird” by Robert Frost

There is a singer everyone has heard,
Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,
Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.
He says that leaves are old and that for flowers
Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.
He says the early petal-fall is past
When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers
On sunny days a moment overcast;
And comes that other fall we name the fall.
He says the highway dust is over all.
The bird would cease and be as other birds
But that he knows in singing not to sing.
The question that he frames in all but words
Is what to make of a diminished thing.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “Oven Bird,” how I interpreted the title of the poem and how I perceived the poem was completely different. I thought that the title would refer to food, “Oven Bird.” However, the text leads me to believe that there is a bird with a beautiful voice that sings about the differences in seasons, a circle of life. Then toward the end of “Oven Bird,” I began to wonder what exactly this poem truly meant.

Paraphrase:

There is a bird that sings loudly. It is a summer bird that lives in the forest, a teacher bird. The birds’ voice sounds from within trees. The song of the bird explains that leaves are old and flowers bloom best in the spring.  Autumn comes by when leaves fall and the sky is sometimes cloudy. The highway is covered in dust, which in turn covers nature. This bird doesn’t act like other birds because it sings about those who cannot sing. The bird questions what it should make of a diminished thing, of loss.

SWIFTT:

Robert Frost uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “Oven Bird.”

Syntax/Word choice:

“Oven Bird” is a Petrarchan sonnet, including two couplets, one in the beginning and one towards the middle. The rhyme scheme is as follows: AABCBDCDEEFGHG. Also, the wording is used to reference the changing of seasons, from spring to summer to fall. Frost uses assonance to play with sound imagery, “O” and “I” vowel sounds. There is also a pun, a play on words: “and then comes that other fall that we name fall.”

Imagery:

Robert frost uses imagery to show the different seasons and their attributes: “When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers/On sunny days a moment overcast… He says the highway dust is over all.” This portion of the poem shows the passing of time through the changing of the seasons. In “Oven Bird,” nature and humanity is described using the changing of the seasons. Spring represents life and new beginning. Summer represents a dryness and aging. Autumn is death approaching. Winter is death’s appearance and hibernation.

Figurative language:

There is no usage of simile or metaphor. However, the bird having the ability to sing about its surroundings could be viewed as personification. “There is a singer everyone has heard, /Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird…” There is also a rhetorical question in which the narrator asks, “what to make of a diminished thing?”

Tone:

The tone that Frost sets using the bird is solemn, foreboding, and questioning. The bird leaves the readers with no insightful answer, just a pondering question: “The question that he frames in all but words/ Is what to make of a diminished thing.”

Theme:

The theme in “Oven Bird” is the circle of life through the seasons and the loss that the changing of seasons brings. When fall comes, the bird stops singing and becomes like other birds, silent as if it doesn’t have a question burning inside.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to better understand Robert Frost’s “Oven Bird.” When I first read Frost’s poem, I can honestly say that I did not understand what was trying to be said. However, after careful analysis through a paraphrase and the technique known as SWIFTT, I have been able to interpret what I think “Oven Bird” means. “Oven Bird” is a poem about the circle of life, the change from season to season. Where spring brings life and happiness, summer brings dryness and lazyness, and fall brings death and diminishment. The dryness of midsummer brings dust from roads into the woods where the bird lives, gathering on the organisms within the woods, making them less beautiful than they were in the spring. The bird ceases its singing in the fall; it becomes like other birds and silently ponders a question. There is no special insight from the bird before it becomes silent, just the question, what is one to think about loss after such extravagance? The question refers to the contrast of the beauty shown in spring and the death and loss shown in the fall. The loss can show the diminishment of life and hopes, of human life. Life is short and we should not dwell on the past. Seize the day!

January 13, 2011 – “War is Kind” – Stephen Crane

Text:

“War is kind” by Stephen Crane

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind,
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them.
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom--
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind!

Initial Impression:

When I first read “War is Kind,” all I could think was that the author, Stephen Crane, must have a twisted sense of reality. He is basically telling a mom, a daughter, and a lover that they should not cry for lost loved ones, that war is a good thing.  

Paraphrase:

Don’t cry maiden. Your boyfriend may be dead but he died valiantly. War is good. Don’t cry, kid. Your dad may be dead but he died an honorable death fighting for his country. War is a good thing. Due to war and the army, these men have been turned into killing machines. They live to slaughter the enemy. They kill in thousands. Don’t cry, mother. Your son may be dead but he is buried with the pride of serving his country. War is good.

SWIFTT:

Stephen Crane uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “War is Kind.”

Syntax/Word choice:

“War is Kind” is a free verse poem with 5 stanzas with 26 lines in all. Crane uses repetition of the phrase, “war is kind” in order to explain his purpose in writing “War is Kind.” There are also three women throughout the lines of the poem. In the last stanza, there is alliteration: “heart hung humble…” The poem also has a simile in the last stanza: “humble as a button,” where young men’s innocence is taken away by the gruesomeness of war.

Imagery:

Also, Crane uses war-time imagery, “Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment…” to show the gruesomeness of war. The “eagle with crest of red and gold” is a symbol of America in the war. The young men fight for this symbol and for the freedom of America, but the men think that they have no choice in the war.

Figurative language:

There is no usage of simile or metaphor. However, there is an allusion to both Lucifer and Ares, the god of the underworld and the god of battle: “Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom-- A field where a thousand corpses lie.” There is irony in which war is seemingly glorified, however Crane goes on to explain that war is a pointless battle in which men are killed for something they feel forced into.

Tone:

The tone of this song is bitter and sarcastic. Men go into the military thinking it is their obligation; their deaths are predetermined.

Theme:

The theme of “War is Kind” is glorification of death at war and outrage about Crane’s world. War is NOT kind. Man is at the mercy of fate and does not have a choice in the matter.  

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend Stephen Crane’s “War is Kind.” I interpret the poem as Crane expressing his outrage towards the pointless death of young men in war. Crane’s philosophy about war seems to be that death is glorified, and that the military throws away young men’s lives and tears families apart. There is also a hint of naturalism in which god isn’t present and does not care about the destruction of mankind. The poem seems to glorify war, but in an ironic, sarcastic manner so that Crane’s true feeling about war are revealed.

January 12, 2011 – “Theme for English B” - Langston Hughes

Text:

“Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes

The instructor said,

Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you---
Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it's that simple?
I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.
I went to school there, then Durham, then here
to this college on the hill above Harlem.
I am the only colored student in my class.
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator
up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

It's not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me---we two---you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York too.) Me---who?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records---Bessie, bop, or Bach.
I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like
the same things other folks like who are other races.
So will my page be colored that I write?
Being me, it will not be white.
But it will be
a part of you, instructor.
You are white---
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That's American.
Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that's true!
As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me---
although you're older---and white---
and somewhat more free.

This is my page for English B.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, I got the impression that the narrator is an African American who is used to racism and harsh treatment. This person goes to a college in Harlem, New York and is taking an English course at the time that he writes his poem, as instructed by his instructor. It seems that the point of this poem is for the narrator to express his emotions about being black in a white man’s society and trying to find one’s self.

Paraphrase:

The teacher told us to write a paper for homework, and that whatever we write needs to come from the heart so that it rings true.

I wonder if fulfilling something could be so easy. I am 22 year old black person who was born in Winston-Salem. I went to school in Winston-Salem, Durham, and then here at this college on a hill above Harlem. I am the only black person in my class. If I go down the steps of the college, into Harlem, through park, and cross St. Nicholas Eighth Avenue, I come to the Y. I live at the Harlem Branch Y, where I go upstairs to my room, sit, and write this paper:

It’s difficult to know the truth about oneself when you are 22. But I guess I am what I see and hear. I see and hear Harlem, you, me, and New York. But, who am I? I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life (paradox since he doesn’t know who he is per se). I want either a pipe or records for Christmas. I suppose my being black doesn’t make me like different things than other races. So will you be able to tell me apart from others by what I write? I am not white – will my writing reflect it? You and I are both American, teacher, so this paper can relate to you as well. Sometimes you probably do not want to be associated with my race, as I don’t want to be associated with yours sometimes. But we are both Americans - that we cannot deny. I learn English from you and you learn from me the troubles of America’s society, even thought you are older, white, and have more freedom.

This is my paper for English B.

SWIFTT:

Langston Hughes uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “Theme for English B.” The poem is set in Harlem, New York, where the narrator attends college.

Syntax/Word choice:

The poem has three stanzas in which the narrator obtains his English assignment, introduces himself and his daily routine, then compares his teacher to himself and concludes his paper. Langston Hughes uses rhetorical question, rhyme, and alliteration. He also uses repetition of words to emphasize important phrases.

Imagery:

The imagery in “Theme for English B” relates to his college, where “The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem through a park…” There is also the repeating imagery comparing different ethnicities: “although you're older---and white--”

Figurative language:

There is no simile, metaphor, or personification. However, Langston Hughes uses a double negative in line 25: “I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like…”

Tone:

His tone is contrite and trite, leading into the theme of the poem.

Theme:

The theme of “Theme for English B” is the fear of acceptance. The narrator is worried that if he expresses himself as he is, he doesn’t think that the teacher will appreciate what he has to say. The teacher and the student are both American, yet there is a difference in their color, which, at this time, makes a major difference.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B.” Originally, I did not notice that the narrator was worried about acceptance and being understood. Then, by analyzing the poem and paraphrasing it, I have come to understand how Hughes felt about the split in races when he wrote this poem. He felt that since he was black, he would not be judged the same; that he was somehow essentially different from white people simply because of his skin color. He wanted to be accepted for who he was and not frowned upon due to his skin tone.

January 11, 2011 – “Wuthering Heights” – Sylvia Plath

Text:

“Wuthering Heights” by Sylvia Plath

The horizons ring me like faggots,

Tilted and disparate, and always unstable.

Touched by a match, they might warm me,

And their fine lines singe

The air to orange

Before the distances they pin evaporate,

Weighing the pale sky with a solider color.

But they only dissolve and dissolve

Like a series of promises, as I step forward.

There is no life higher than the grasstops

Or the hearts of sheep, and the wind

Pours by like destiny, bending

Everything in one direction.

I can feel it trying

To funnel my heat away.

If I pay the roots of the heather

Too close attention, they will invite me

To whiten my bones among them.

The sheep know where they are,

Browsing in their dirty wool-clouds,

Gray as the weather.

The black slots of their pupils take me in.

It is like being mailed into space,

A thin, silly message.

They stand about in grandmotherly disguise,

All wig curls and yellow teeth

And hard, marbly baas.

I come to wheel ruts, and water

Limpid as the solitudes

That flee through my fingers.

Hollow doorsteps go from grass to grass;

Lintel and sill have unhinged themselves.

Of people and the air only

Remembers a few odd syllables.

It rehearses them moaningly:

Black stone, black stone.

The sky leans on me, me, the one upright

Among all horizontals.

The grass is beating its head distractedly.

It is too delicate

For a life in such company;

Darkness terrifies it.

Now, in valleys narrow

And black as purses, the house lights

Gleam like small change.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “Wuthering Heights,” I can honestly say that I had no idea what Sylvia Plath was trying to say by her poem. This is what I got from “Wuthering Heights:”

It seems like there is a person, alone in a prairie, dreading the rising of the sun. This person seems alone not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Said person seems to have morbid thoughts about her death, how this person would die if he or she fell asleep amongst the flowers. Then, when it turns dark, she is terrified and alone, so alone.

Paraphrase:

The sunrise surrounds me. The environment is so hostile that I could burn up from the heat. Sticks surround me and heat me up. The sky turns orange from the smoke of my fire. The sky is not bright and beautiful, but murky.

The only life around me is sheep and smaller creatures and plants. The wind is blowing in one direction. The wind takes away the brunt of the heat, but it too is hostile. I would rather die than be stuck in the country.

The sheep feel at home in the wilderness with their dirty coats, they blend in with this gray atmosphere of the nature around me. Their eyes captivate me and hold my attention. When I look into their eyes, I forget myself and find an escape from the roughness of nature. The sheep that stand around me remind me of a grandmother: curly hair like wigs and yellow teeth. The environment around me is unwelcoming.

I find some evidence of humanity, wheel tracks and polluted water. I see some houses in the distance, separate from one another; they are falling apart. 

I am the only thing standing up with many short things around me. I am too delicate in the wilderness. I am completely at odds with the environment around me. In the distance, I see a few houses, their lights shining gives me little comfort.  Those houses won’t affect my immediate environment.

SWIFTT:

Sylvia Plath uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “Wuthering Heights.”

Syntax/Word choice:

The title of the poem was determined because the moors in England are similar to that in Wuthering Heights. There are five stanzas with nine lines each. Plath uses diction that describes nature in an overbearing way.

Imagery:

In the first line, “the horizons ring me like faggots,” the imagery of heat from a campfire is the one thing that the narrator has control of in the wildness of nature.

Figurative language:

There is figurative language in “Wuthering Heights.” “It is being mailed into space” is an example of simile in which humans in general find an escape through some mundane thing.

Tone:

The tone of “Wuthering Heights” is that of loneliness, desperation, and sadness. When Sylvia Plath says “they will invite me to whiten my bones among them,” the narrator shows her anguish at being stuck in the wilderness.

Theme:

Finally, the overlying theme in “Wuthering Heights” is loneliness and desolation.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend Sylvia Plath’s “Wuthering Heights.” Originally, I was not able to make heads or tails of the poem, but now I can interpret its meaning. “Wuthering Heights” is told by a narrator who is at odds with nature in general. She feels that being in nature is not what she is used to; she feels consumed by it. To the narrator, it feels like nature is inviting her to her death. She would rather die than be stuck in nature.