Hazel Tells LaVerne

"well i screams ya little green pervert"

Sincerely, I just don't get the poem.  It is about black cleaning lady encountering a frog in the toilet.  This frog wants to make her a princess, but evidently she is ok with being a cleaning lady.  I think that was the part of the humor, because she could have easily kissed the frog and became a princess, provided that talking frogs don't lie.  But instead, she decisively flushes the talking frog down the toilet.  The least she could do is stay and chat with the frog, after having denying him a kiss.  Anyway, I noticed the lack of punctuation in this poem, reminding me of "next to of course god."  This poem, though, is much easier to understand.  The syntax isn't jumbled and the poem flows smoothly.

Getting Out

"That year we hardly slept, waking like inmates"

The tone, I noticed, is nostalgic.  "That year" indicates the event in the past.  So what is the event?  It is a divorce. I thought it was apt to say that they were like "inmates."  Some marriages dissolve into misery quickly.  I think maybe there is still a little bit of love left in the rough divorce.  They cried when they parted, and this even bewildered the lawyer who had probably been through divorce cases multiple times.  Also, the nature of the poem reveals love.  The speaker is remembering this woman, so evidently she is still significant to him.  The plastic mind doesn't remember things that are insignificant and unpleasant.

The Apparition

"And thee, feigned vestal, in worse arms shall see"

I noticed an angry tone in this poem.  The speaker is addressing some woman who I perceive to be a past lover.  He says "feigned vestal" to say that she lied about being a virgin.  Perhaps this disgraces him, or even more angering, perhaps she cheated on him.  I believe the woman cheated on him because it is learned in the poem that she is laying with another man.  On top of this, the speaker says "I had rather thous shouldst painfully repent." The speaker desires vengeance, which wouldn't be a desire evoked when finding out a lover isn't a virgin.  I wonder why the speaker doesn't also direct his anger to the man the woman is with?

Crossing the Bar

"And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea"

While reading the questions, I ascertained that this poem is about death.  The metaphor used for death is embarking on a trip to sea.  The speaker wishes for a mild death.  He wants "no moaning of the bar" when he dies.  I took that to mean that he wants no mourning when he passes.  This is also reinforced when the speaker says "may there be no sadness of farewell."

I noticed the progression of the time in the story.  It starts off at sunset. then proceeds into twilight.  This change of time seemed apt in relation to the change the speaker will undergo.  The speaker will embark of the journey of death, the end of life.  He is near the moment of death, just as twilight is near night time.

My mistress' eyes

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun"

I thought this poem was interesting, because I think it addresses the issue of love cliches.  Commonplace in poetry is drawing comparisons about love using things like the sun or snow.  The speaker contrasts all of this by saying his mistress is nothing like this.  This, in a way, gives the realistic tone impression of an lifeless, dull lover, but in the last lines the speaker still proclaims his love to be rare.  So, the love isn't meaningless and the mistress is worthy of admiration.  The speaker says the mistress is as lovely as those "belied with false compare," or those blasted with cliche love similes and metaphors. The tone, along with realism, could be criticism of love sayings.

Batter my heart, three-personed God

"Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new."

The speaker feels unworthy in the eyes of God.  He wants his faith to be invigorated and for God to be harsher and more punishing towards him.  In the overstatement above, the speaker desires basically a complete transformation from his current unworthy state to a worthiness in God's eyes.  I thought it was ironic the extent to his feelings of incompetence in the line in which he calls God his enemy.  He obviously loves God, or he wouldn't show so much dedication of a want for a stronger faith.  But, it is radical to call him your enemy. 

I am a little curious to the background of the author.  I was wondering if John Donne was going through a struggle of faith when he wrote the poem.  Was the struggle resolved? I can't say.

APO 96225

"'Please don't write such depressing letters.  "You're upsetting your mother." 

The poem touches on war, and is meant to criticize it a bit.  The sad situation of worrying parents writing to their son is revealed.  Their anxiety for their son pushes them to want to know the truth about his life in the war.  They push and push for answers and then finally get one, which is grim to say they least.  The son reveals that he has killed.  Then, the father says to not write such awful things because the mother cant handle it.  There is situational irony in that one would expect the mother to be able handle what she so tirelessly asked for, the truth about the son's situation.  When it is revealed, she doesn't like it and doesn't want to hear it.  I personally thought the mother was kind of irritating.  What did she expect to hear?  She wanted the truth.  I think she knows enough about war to foresee that her son may have killed someone.

Ozymandias

"'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'"

This Ozymandias guy seems like a tyrant, a former one to be specific.  He is said to have a "sneer of cold command," pointing to the tyranny of his order, and that he mocked "them" with his hand, "them" meaning his subjects.  I find it a little funny the Situational Irony in the poem.  On a pedestal, Ozymandias proclaims his glory and might.  Now, this once mighty and feared tyrant lay dead, killed by the sands of time.  It is ironic that the pedestal still proclaims his glory, though he is no more than a visage.   I think the theme of the poem is a scorn for tyranny.  The poem illustrates the once powerful tyrant Ozymandias as being nothing anymore, but a visage.  The speaker is emphasizing the tyrant's weakness and vulnerability, though many tyrants in old times proclaimed to be gods.

Barbie Doll (Action figures)

"Then in the magic of puberty..."

The first thing that stuck out to me is the ironic tone of the poem.  The speaker suggests that puberty is magical, but it is common knowledge that puberty is a rough patch in adolescence.  The irony is fortified when we learn of the girls "fat nose" and "thick legs," and how persevering the girl is in apologizing for these eye sores by being well-mannered and good-natured.  The simile that reinforces this is that she "wore out like a fan belt."  This brings me to the overstatement in "she cut off her nose and her legs."  The girl, out of shame, tries very much to make up for an ugly appearance, which she has no control over.  She was a hearty, nice-mannered girl that wore herself out by being good-natured.  In a way, she "cut off her nose and her legs" by taking many steps to divert any attention away from her appearance and by trying to emphasize the better qualities of herself.  I think the author means to criticize this behavior of anxiety caused by appearances, and the guilt people feel for the aspect of their character that they cannot control.  "To every woman a happy ending" is ironic to emphasize the tragedy in this girl wearing herself out to make up for an unpleasant appearance.  

Much Madness is divinest Sense

"Much Madness is divinest Sense...Much Sense-the starkest Madness..."

I noticed the paradox in "Much Madness is divinest Sense," meaning insanity is good, and "Much Sense-the starkest Madness-," meaning sanity is bad.  It took me a minute to figure out what this meant.  In the poem, the majority is referred to, and the speaker says "Assent-and you are sane-Demur,you're straightway dangerous."  The author is referring to the fallacy that the majority is correct simply because they represent what most people believe.  The paradox is primarily used characterize the speaker's criticizing attitude towards the majority and their concept of sanity.  The speaker reverses the norm by telling us not to trust in the majority, for they do not know what is always sane.  Sometimes, they could have it completely wrong, and what they perceive as sane may be terribly insane.  There for it is sometimes necessary to "Demur," although the majority will probably brand you a lunatic.

The Joy of Cooking

"I have prepared my sister's tongue,..."

The speaker uses metonymy in the poem to characterize the speaker's regards to siblings, in the case irate.  The tongue represents the sister, pointing out the fact that she is probably very bold, verbose, and annoyingly chatty.  The act of cutting off the tongue and cooking it reveals anger and scorn.  The heart, which represents the brother, is said to be cold, indicating that this guy is probably a nasty fellow.  Again, the speaker expresses anger via the metaphor of cooking the heart.  I share similar sentiments.  While I do love dearly my siblings, we are prone to conflict.  There are qualities of each sibling that I don't like.  For example, my brother who is 21 is a bit rude and lacks common courtesy.  My little brother exaggerates to my mother the intensity of a conflict, usually attaching blame to my side.  I do not like these things.  I, though, probably won't cook any of their body parts.  I really only know how to use the microwave.  

Dream Deferred

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

To take a break from metaphor, I'll speak on similes.  The question posed in the beginning of the poem is then followed by a serious of similes, suggesting an answer to what happens to our forgotten dreams.  Is the dream to shrivel and die like a raisin in the sun?  Or is the dream to puss over like a nasty sore?  Perhaps it will give off the aroma like that of rotten flesh, or even crust over like a syrupy sweet.  These similes refer to the negative possibilities associated with deferred dreams.  Then in the last line the author questions "Or does it explode?"  The italics obviously place some significance on the words, so best is to analyze the words.  I thought this reversal of the possibilities was interesting.  All the similes refer to the dream dying.  Then, interesting enough, a metaphor comes along and gives a new possibility.  Could this dying dream perhaps explode into reality?  Maybe the motivation to fulfill dreams stems from the fact that the dreams aren't fulfilled. 

Toadzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Why should I let the toad work Squat on my life?"

Yet again, I find a metaphor.  In this case, the speaker is expounding on his feelings regarding "toad work."  Toad work is basically forced work, or work undertaken which is not for the purpose of fulfilling the talents or passions of the worker.  A toad is an apt metaphor because it just squats all day.  It is also relatively ugly.  These adjectives describe the speaker's life.  His life is "ugly," unpleasant, and he "squats." The narrator's life is squatting; that is, it is in a perpetual and dull state.  So is the life of a toad, which lives "out of proportion." The proportion not balanced in this case refers to the balance of the work and fun.  The speaker reveals that he is feeling depressed about being out of proportion, stating that the speaker works miserably "Just for paying a few bills!"

I taste a liquor never brewed

"Not all the Vats upon the Rhine Yield such an Alcohol!"

The speaker seems to be in ecstasy, and so enthusiastic about drinking.  Well, the speaker isn't actually drinking.  This is revealed quite plainly in the title and  in the first line.  So, then the alcohol that he never actually brewed is a metaphor for, to be cliche, being high on life.  The speaker does not seem inebriated off any real substance, but does seem to be happy to be alive.  Another metaphor I noticed is in the last stanza, "leaning against the-Sun-."  The speaker cannot conceivably be leaning against the sun, as he would be incinerated in a fraction of a second.  The sun to me is the source of light.  Light equates to brightness.  Brightness is always associated with optimism and feelings of joy.  So, the speaker, so close to the sun, is evidently enjoying himself, and not caring one bit about anything else ("I shall but drink the more!").

Brght Star figurative language

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art-..."

The main component of figurative language utilized in this poem is metaphor.  The Bright Star is a metaphor for isolation.  Words like "lone" and "aloft in the night" create an atmosphere of being alone.  The star also is a metaphor for eternity.  It is said to have "eternal lids" and to be a "sleepless Eremite." This characterization of the star is contrasted with the speaker.  While the speaker does mention being "Awake forever in a sweet unrest," the speaker also mentions being "swoon to death."  This last quotation reveals that the speaker is open to the possibility of death.  The speaker is also contrasted in the fact that the speaker shares a love with a women.  The speaker delights in the presence of his beloved, while the star is "aloft" in isolation for an eternity.

The Panther

"It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world."

This poem was the only one to actually make me feel sentiments of sorrow and anger.  This mighty panther is a prisoner, confined inhumanely to a very condensed area.  Animals have the capacity to feel.  In the poem the panther feels hopeless, feeling like there is "no world." Around the world, there are numerous animals being exploited for selfish reasons, and thrown into small cages to live a miserable life.  An example of this is cruelty is dog fighting.  The masters starve the dog, have them fight to the death, and if they survive, they will most likely return to a small cage to live in a squalid condition.  A mix of sorrow and anger erupts in me, as I am angered at the abusers and sorrowful to have such abusers exist in my world.  Something has to be done.  The world suc...I mean stinks.

Those Winter Sundays

"Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold..."

The mood of the poem is quite depressing, as it is about a man regretting being ungrateful to his father as a child.  I think the author chose Winter because it is the season associated with depression.  In winter, we are locked up in our house, like prisoners, without the spring/summer time beauty to refresh us.  There is even this thing called seasonal depression, and many cases are of depression in the winter months.  Winter clearly coincides with the depressing, regretful mood.  Also, the colors blue and black are effective colors of the spectrum when expressing sorrow.  We have the happy, lively colors, red, yellow, and orange, and the more slummed over colors, black and dark blue.  It just wouldn't be applicable to mourn on a bright, sunny day, with vibrant plant life sprung up.

The Widow's Lament in Springtime

"Where the new grass flames as it has flamed often before but not with the cold fire that closes round me this year"

In the quote above, a paradox is seen in "cold fire."  It is hard to understand how fire can be cold, so I'd like to try to explain clearly.  Before the words "cold fire," grass is said to flame.  Flame can be used as a verb, meaning to burn brightly.  The grass isn't literally on fire, but it radiates its impressive beauty.  By association with this use of the word flame, I believe "cold fire" is used to describe the mood the widow gives off.  She radiates mourn and gloom intensely just as the beautiful plant life of the spring radiates is splendor.  This provides for an effective juxtaposition in the poem.  The spring live represents magnificent, cheerful beauty while the women is characteristic of lifeless brooding.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain a second time

"And when they all were seated, A Service..."

I would like to expound on the motivation in choosing the metaphor of a funeral to describe a permanent lapse in sanity.  The first, most obvious reason is that a funeral is an easy way to visually represent the passing of something.  I think there is more to it, though.  In a funeral, the loved ones gather around to grieve and to accept together the death of someone.  Usually, when someone dies, their loved ones are initially in a state of disbelief.  The mind can't contemplate something so significant happening in such a small amount of time.  I think the speaker had been, prior to this funeral of the head, experiencing a growing mental turmoil, showing that some sanity had already diminished.  The funeral, though, represents the ultimate absorption of the fact that sanity has been completely breached.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

 "Kept treading-treading-till it seemed That Sense was breaking through-..."


An important sense evoked in this poem is touch.  Touch is evoked by use of the words "treading," "Drum," and "beating."  The author utilizes the sense of touch to re-create the sense of immense mental  pressure that is felt in the speaker descending into insanity.  I thought it was interesting to see mental, abstract pressures being embodied in a physical form by the feet and drum in a dark funeral. Pressure and touch are ultimately used to characterize the precise moment in which the speaker enters mental insanity.  The speaker's "Plan in reason" gave way do to the merciless pressure being exerted.  This means that the mental turmoil within the speaker was under so much strain that it snapped, and the ability to function normally is lost.

Perrine Blog

"These two criteria, I ask you to notice, are not different from those we bring to the judgment of a new scientific hypothesis."

     I like the analogy that he draws to the scientific hypothesis, as it emphasizes the importance of not arbitrarily assigning meaning to a poem.  I have to admit that I am not partial to poetry, as it is difficult for me to decipher the meaning of a poem.  I guess this article provided some relief in that it claims that poetry is not an ambiguous mess of varying interpretations.  Perrine calls this idea of equally valid interpretations heresy.  While maybe that is a harsh word, I do agree.  I think a writer writes for one specific meaning.  It also appears sort of lazy to me to quickly judge meaning with out critically considering the contents of a poem. 
    I find his methods helpful.  They seem to make sense.  Still though, picking the simplest, most plausible explanation after examining the facts can still be open for interpretation.  What one sees as the best explanation may only seem so because they are limited to only their point of view.  I think it requires discussion to weed out less accurate interpretations and to locate the best possible explanation. Unrelated, I like when Perrine said that the best interpretations rely on the fewest assumptions not grounded in the poem.  I never have pondered that method.  I don't usually tally up the assumptions I am making when I read poetry, which is not very often.