Zephyr

It whirls and twirls around and 'round it goes
It weaves and dodges, over, 'neath and through
And where it stops, well no one really knows
But if it stops it tells a story true

Of lands afar and knights of bravest deed
Of midnight rides and damsels in distress
And other tales of people and their need
Who's rescues are effective, more or less

Beyond these tales, but closer to the home
There are stories of generosity
Of selfless love no matter whats to come
Of star-crossed pairs, a curiosity

Surpassing all stories, as if a dream
Are images of land and mountain range
Of jungle, river, forest; they all seem
To be unreal, to be mystic and strange

It flits and plays along until the end
The breeze, the storm, Zephyr, the gale, the wind.

Writing by Jan Dean

This poem is unique in form and idea. The first stanza has no capitalization of punctuation. It starts coherently enough, but as the lines continue, the spelling gets progressively worse. The writing reflects a person is shock. I had some trouble understanding what it was about the first time I read it because of the spellings. After I read it again, I was able to see part of the image the author was describing. The way it was written also made me think about a child. It looks like it could have been written or seen through a child's eyes. The last stanza seems like someone, probably a teacher, commenting on the first stanza. It talks about good grammar and spelling and length. Dean is really making the argument that good writing doesn't depend on structure, even if the teacher can't see that.

Many Red Devils by Stephen Crane

I loved this poem. As I read it, I could see the red imps dodging a seemingly large eraser. Then the poem turned a little bit darker when Crane talked about writing with the muck. This imagery is a bit more gruesome as it forces the reader to imagine all the devils that had to be smashed to create the muck. I think Crane intends the poem to mean different thongs for everyone. All poems are interpreted differently by others, but this one is more that way because of the meanings of the devils. They can be struggle, sin, trials, anything. Whatever they represent to each person, it will be very personal. Things that reflect on people negatively are usually kept secret or at least downplayed. Because of this, the poem connects with nearly everyone. Another part of this poem that I really like is the way it makes the reader think. It has many layers to it as is common in several of Crane's poems. I enjoyed this poem a lot.

I like how in class we are able to remember distinct author styles. It gives me some hope for the test :)

For A Lady I Know by Countee Cullen

This poem, while short, is full of bitterness. Cullen was an African-American born at the beginning of the 20th century. Cullen's life experiences are encompassed in this poem. It is about a woman, presumably white, that thinks that, even in heaven, she will be served by "black cherubs". This shows the impossibility of the idea of equality for blacks and whites in the 20's and 30's.  If a woman thought it so natural to be served by blacks that heaven would be that way, the fight for equality would be hopeless. The poem is very simple consisting of two couplets and an ABAB rhyme scheme. It flows well and is almost forgotten as soon as it's read. It is so short that it has to be read several times in order to grasp the full meaning. The images of heaven and cherubs throw the reader off a little. Both are usually associated with good and positive messages, but on closer inspection, this poem is not about an uplifting subject.