Halloween!!

Mrs. White,

I am going to skip this weekend because of Halloween.

Sincerely,
Becky

The Human Condition -- Poetry Response #9

"The Human Condition" by Thom Gunn is a very odd poem. Gunn uses the fog to represent life. It is the distraction and struggles in life. He say that lights "press beams painfully / In a yard of fog around." I think this Gunn is saying that light, which usually represents good or a goal to reach, makes the distractions and struggles painfully obvious. When I read this, I thought of how sometimes goals seem unattainable and how trying to reach these goals can make a person feel overwhelmed. Take my college applications; I really want to go to Stanford or MIT but sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed by all of the work I have to do. It seems like I will never finish. I saw this as the light (college) showing the struggles (all the application work) in a painful way. I also think it is interesting that Gunn says "I am condemned to be / An individual." Usually people want to be individual, people don't want to conform. Gunn, however, seems to think that being individual is an inescapable thing and that it is a bad thing. When Gunn refers to "individual", I think he means "alone". I think the fog makes Gunn feel solitary. Fog blocks eyesight, and I think that Gunn can't really see anyone else, especially when the lights shine on the fog. Sometimes life gets so hectic and overwhelming that we forget that we have others to rely on. I think feeling alone occurs when nothing seems to be going according to plan. The lights and the fog represent this feeling.

A Study of Reading Habits -- Poetry Response #8

A Study of Reading Habits by Philip Larkin is surprising. There are three stanzas, all depicting a different stage of life. The first is when he is a boy. He shows himself as a smaller boy who probably tried to stay out of every one's way, but escaped into his books where he was the hero. He could beat up anyone that picked on him in the books. The second stanza depicts the next stage of his life. At this point, he thinks it's more fun to be evil than good. The characters he related to were more violent and bloodthirsty. Finally, the third stanza shows probably middle age. This is my favorite stanza because the end of it is a surprise. This stanza talks about not reading much because the speaker is depressed by books; when he reads, he identifies with the minor characters with no backbone or courage. Then he says "Get stewed: Books are a load of crap." This is the surprise. It is almost startling. I didn't see it coming the first time I read the poem. It is almost as if the speaker goes from to depressed to angry in a second. I enjoyed how Larkin was able to capture different mind sets.

I, Too, Sing America -- Poetry Response #7

"I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes is a simple poem. The idea of it is fairly easy to see; it is about the treatment of African American people in the U.S. Hughes is saying that African American people are part of America too, even if many people don't want to recognize it. Hughes portrays himself as a slave by mentioning being sent to the kitchen when company comes, but he also portrays himself as a part of the family by calling himself a brother and implying that he eats with the family normally.  This shows the in between status of African Americans at the time. The second half of the poem is hopeful. Hughes talks about finally eating with the company. This poem was written in 1925, so I think that Hughes is talking about the Harlem Renaissance. This time period was a time of advancement for many African Americans, and I think that this poem embodies the hopes of African Americans at the time.

The Hollow Men part V -- Poetry Response #6

In general, "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot is a very interesting and slightly chilling poem. My favorite part is the last part. Eliot uses a variation of a nursery rhyme to start the section. The image I get is of someone standing is some barren place. There is no one else around, but there is this song playing, probably from some child's abandoned toy. It sings, “Here we go round the prickly pear / Prickly pear prickly pear / Here we go round the prickly pear / At five o’clock in the morning.” It seems like the nursery rhyme, something that usually represents innocence and happiness, is mocking whoever is listening to it, reminding them of what used to be. The way that Eliot writes the whole last section reminds me of a song. I can almost hear a minor tune in a guitar, maybe a little drum set, something a punk band might play. The words all carry the same idea; they all lead to the Shadow. I think the shadow refers to the fact that underneath everything is nothing, that we have created our own reality that is just an illusion. He adds the phrase “For Thine is the Kingdom” between the chunks referring to shadow. He places them between the chunks, just like the shadows. The phrase is part of the Lord’s Prayer which represents Christianity. I think he’s saying that religion is one of the realities we create.