"I see myself on deck, convinced/ his ship's gone down, while he's convinced/ I'll see him standing on the dock/ and waving, shouting, Welcome back."
It was quite obvious that the speaker is not ready for his father to die even though he wrote a premature elegy. His father is ready to die, however, and it seems that he is even looking forward to death. The son is preparing himself by writing the elegy, getting ready to answer that phone call when the time comes. The son and the father have very different outlooks on death which accounts for their levels of preparedness. The father is much more optimistic than his son, and he sees death as a beginning. On the contrary, the son is pessimistic and sees death as an end. While he prepares himself for the inevitable, the speaker mourns the eventual loss of his father. The poem does not have an overall optimistic or pessimistic tone; both sides, hopeful and dejected, are represented. The speaker is making an effort to understand his father's view, but the speaker does not think he is right. This can be considered an elegy because the son is already mourning for his father and for his father's eventual death.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Edward
"The curse of hell from me shall ye bear, / Mother, Mother, / The curse of hell from me shall ye bear, / Such counsels you gave to me, O."
When I began to read Edward's confessions, I did not realize that the first two were not true. I thought he had killed the hawk, the steed, and his father, but I realized my mistake when I read the question about his false answers. Most of the questions made me reread the poem, and I began to analyze their dialogue more. I did not get the impression that the mother knew about Edward's crime, but she did know what questions to ask. Perhaps she motivated him to kill his father which is why Edward curses her for her counsels. Edward himself is not an outstanding character. He is from a noble family because he must deal with the towers and the hall. He does not really care about his family since he is willing to leave his wife and children to beg and kill his father. I also got the impression that he does not like his mother, especially when he curses her. Edward's mother seems manipulative and cares only for herself.
When I began to read Edward's confessions, I did not realize that the first two were not true. I thought he had killed the hawk, the steed, and his father, but I realized my mistake when I read the question about his false answers. Most of the questions made me reread the poem, and I began to analyze their dialogue more. I did not get the impression that the mother knew about Edward's crime, but she did know what questions to ask. Perhaps she motivated him to kill his father which is why Edward curses her for her counsels. Edward himself is not an outstanding character. He is from a noble family because he must deal with the towers and the hall. He does not really care about his family since he is willing to leave his wife and children to beg and kill his father. I also got the impression that he does not like his mother, especially when he curses her. Edward's mother seems manipulative and cares only for herself.
Lonely Hearts
"Please write (with photo) to Box 152. / Who knows where it may lead once we've begun? / Can someone make my simple wish come true? / Do you live in North London? Is it you?"
I immediately thought that this poem was a series of personal want ads placed in the paper, and I became more convinced of that as I kept reading. I think the variety of people placing the ads is important; all different kinds of people in different situations were represented. One was gay, another bisexual, straight, Jewish, vegetarian, or a Libran. These people all asked for someone to make their simple wish come true. Those placing the ads asked for different kinds of people to respond, and each person had a different situation in life. However, the wish was essentially the same; they all wanted companionship and new experiences. The type of companionship may have differed, but that is because the people have different styles and lives. The array of people searching for the same thing showed that despite people's differences, we basically all want the same things. Perhaps I am reading too much into the poem, but I payed attention to the types of people placing the ads. I also kept seeing North London throughout the poem, but that probably relates to where the author is from.
I immediately thought that this poem was a series of personal want ads placed in the paper, and I became more convinced of that as I kept reading. I think the variety of people placing the ads is important; all different kinds of people in different situations were represented. One was gay, another bisexual, straight, Jewish, vegetarian, or a Libran. These people all asked for someone to make their simple wish come true. Those placing the ads asked for different kinds of people to respond, and each person had a different situation in life. However, the wish was essentially the same; they all wanted companionship and new experiences. The type of companionship may have differed, but that is because the people have different styles and lives. The array of people searching for the same thing showed that despite people's differences, we basically all want the same things. Perhaps I am reading too much into the poem, but I payed attention to the types of people placing the ads. I also kept seeing North London throughout the poem, but that probably relates to where the author is from.
Death, be not proud
"Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; / For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow/ Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me."
This poem was an interesting apostrophe to death, personifying death as the speaker addresses it. The speaker seemed confident, telling death that it cannot kill him. The way the speaker belittled death gave the impression that he was mocking death or bragging to death, saying that it is not mighty or dreadful. Death has always been perceived as this powerful force that steals lives from people, never to be avoided or overpowered. The speaker tells death that this is not so, and the poem is ironic because of this. Death is called "poor death," and that phrase is ironic because death is never thought of as weak or "poor." The speaker even calls death a slave "to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." With those words, the speaker takes death's power by saying that others control dying. I got the impression that this poem has religious connotations because of the phrase "one short sleep passed, we wake eternally, / And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die." The eternal life refers to heaven, and the speaker says that death is only a short sleep. We will have eternal life in heaven because death has been defeated.
This poem was an interesting apostrophe to death, personifying death as the speaker addresses it. The speaker seemed confident, telling death that it cannot kill him. The way the speaker belittled death gave the impression that he was mocking death or bragging to death, saying that it is not mighty or dreadful. Death has always been perceived as this powerful force that steals lives from people, never to be avoided or overpowered. The speaker tells death that this is not so, and the poem is ironic because of this. Death is called "poor death," and that phrase is ironic because death is never thought of as weak or "poor." The speaker even calls death a slave "to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." With those words, the speaker takes death's power by saying that others control dying. I got the impression that this poem has religious connotations because of the phrase "one short sleep passed, we wake eternally, / And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die." The eternal life refers to heaven, and the speaker says that death is only a short sleep. We will have eternal life in heaven because death has been defeated.
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
"Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight/ Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
This whole poem was paradoxical, suggesting contrary images that added to the meaning of the poem. Descriptions like "blind sight," " curse, bless," and "dark is right" all present conflicting emotions. The speaker tells the men to not go gently into the night by raging against the dying of the light. These men used to be happy and content in life no must fight death, and their emotions changed to sadness and mourning. The phrases "do not go gentle into that good night" and "dying of the light" both symbolize death. The speaker addresses various groups of men, telling them to not accept their impending death. The wise men seem to be the most accepting of death because they know dark is right. The good men seem reluctant to leave their lives behind, crying for what they could have accomplished. The wild men learned to appreciate life too late, so they grieve its passing. The grave men seeing with "blinding sight" seem to have an understanding of death, like they can see it better than others. Maybe the speaker was trying to tell the men that this was not their time to die; that they must fight for their lives and not go gently into the night.
This whole poem was paradoxical, suggesting contrary images that added to the meaning of the poem. Descriptions like "blind sight," " curse, bless," and "dark is right" all present conflicting emotions. The speaker tells the men to not go gently into the night by raging against the dying of the light. These men used to be happy and content in life no must fight death, and their emotions changed to sadness and mourning. The phrases "do not go gentle into that good night" and "dying of the light" both symbolize death. The speaker addresses various groups of men, telling them to not accept their impending death. The wise men seem to be the most accepting of death because they know dark is right. The good men seem reluctant to leave their lives behind, crying for what they could have accomplished. The wild men learned to appreciate life too late, so they grieve its passing. The grave men seeing with "blinding sight" seem to have an understanding of death, like they can see it better than others. Maybe the speaker was trying to tell the men that this was not their time to die; that they must fight for their lives and not go gently into the night.
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