Rita Dove’s poem Heroes is an intriguing work that can be interpreted many ways. One possible interpretation could be that the poem is a metaphor for opium addiction, such as heroin. It seems a bit of a stretch, but upon analysis of each line and thinking about the possible meanings, it makes sense. The most prominent part of this poem is the poppy; this is the flower the reader picks, the flower that causes all of this trouble. One of the most common species of poppy, the same species we get edible poppy seeds from, is a source of opium. The poem also immediately points out that the reader is in a “weedy field.” Weeds are seen as useless and hindrances to people. In this poem, the weeds in the field could symbolize the various drugs the reader has gone through in the past, all of which lost their pizazz due to tolerance and are now the equivalent of weeds. Heroin is often one of the major drugs people are led to when chasing their high, with its potency and strong effects. Therefore, it makes sense that the poppy, symbolizing heroin, would be the only promising flower in a field of weeds, the only promising drug in a field of weaker ones that have since lost their effect. When the reader picks the poppy, it starts to wilt, so the reader rushes to find water for it. Some species of poppy are considered to be weeds themselves, so the poppy in this poem is likely becoming just like the plants in the field it was in; shriveled up and useless, unable to get the person high anymore. They’re searching for water to rejuvenate and restore the poppy, to keep it from wilting and dying, to prevent it from losing its effect just like all the others. Then comes the woman that screams and yells at the reader. Because drug usage tends to draw people into bad crowds of people like them, this woman is in the same position as the reader. She’s dependent on the “poppy” already. People addicted to drugs are desperate to get their next hit just to survive; since the reader stole this poppy from the woman, they stole the drug she needed to get by in life. The poem then says the reader goes “through the motions” when apologizing. This wording implies that the reader has gone through this many times and is used to the “motions,” the steps they take and the words they say in order to get out of this kind of trouble. The words “written history” could be a metaphor for police investigation reports. It then says they’re histories she “won’t live to read.” One interpretation relevant to this topic is very literal. Addicts often suffer from early deaths, and since the woman is so dependent, hers is likely inevitable, so she won’t live to see what is written about her. Another is more figurative, where “live” can be interpreted simply as someone’s way of life. In other words, she wouldn’t care to read them; she’s so far gone in her addiction, she can’t take her mind off the drugs and can’t do anything else. After this, the reader panics and strikes the woman. This is not surprising, especially since it is common for people in these situations to resort to violence. The suddenness of the strike is likely due to the lack of capacity for the reader to think their actions through, which was already demonstrated by their impulsive picking of the poppy that started all this. This leads to the woman hitting her head on a stone and dying, an unintentional death also not unusual to these circumstances. Many people overdose or accidentally kill others in their drug-induced bouts of violence. The reader then grinds up the stone into gravel and puts it in the jar with the poppy to keep it in place. Addictions are built on misfortune and desperation, and continually hurt others in various ways. The gravel came to be through these circumstances, and is now a foundation for the poppy. The poem also states that the reader takes it in order to hide evidence. Killing someone only gets the reader in more trouble, and is part of this buildup of a negative foundation.
The word “fugitive” has obvious meaning. Being this involved with drugs is enough to get someone in trouble with the law, let alone killing someone. The village mentioned in the poem symbolizes word spreading within the community, then to the law, which is why the reader is fleeing. The final lines of the poem are some of the strongest. “O why did you pick that idiot flower? Because it was the last one, and you knew it was going to die.” The reader questions their decision to pick it in the beginning. The question is somewhat rhetorical, since from an outside perspective, it’s obvious that the flower was not worth all of this. Even the reader, the addict, was aware of this deep down. They knew the poppy would lose its effect on them, illustrated by the phrase “you knew it was going to die.” The reader was also aware that this was one of the last drugs they could turn to, the last resort they had, and that when the poppy inevitably lost its effect they would be left with nothing but a trail of troubles and possibly their own death. Lastly, changing the last two letters in "Heroes" gives you "Heroin." Don't do drugs, kids.
Interesting interpretations… when I read this myself initially I didn’t know at all what to think of it. You’re correct that this does seem to fit pretty well with the poem. However, Heroes to Heroin? Why would Rita Dove want to disguise the title like that? Also in relation to the part where the women hits her head on the stone, did she really die? It never actually states that she died, just that she hit her head. She could very well just be unconscious. Another thing is that this poem is in the category of “Mother Love” while this interpretation of a message about Heroin never talks about a link to this. I think these ideas are cool, but I really do think it’s a stretch...
Hi Anika, I also chose the poem Heros, but I focused a bit more on the situation in terms of Greek mythology. I totally agree with your bit about the opium, as it does play a huge part in this poem. I didnt really think of the opium as the reason the lady dies, and I think that is a really interesting point to bring up. This could be seen as more of a modern-day mother daughter relationship, in this case, mostly the mother. A question I would have for you is, poppy in Greek mythology was often seen as an offering to the dead. I was wondering, does this change any opinion or idea you have of the poem already?
Rita Dove’s poem “Primer” is about a girl who gets bullied in sixth grade. She is, of course, bullied about trivial matters, how she is thin and smart, as is the way with human beings, seeking out differences. The Gatlin kids are envious of her smarts and so they pick on her. The girl is chased home and obviously is fearful of them because she refrains from retorting against their hurtful comments out of fear of being beat up. But then the girls mom drives up, goes to the Gatlin kids and “shakes them down to size.” This could means a couple of things: possibly physically shaking the kids to stop their abuse of the girl or metaphorically reducing their ego. This could mean the mom talks to the Gatlin kids and causes them to realize that they aren't really as big and cool as they think. Interestingly, when the mom of the girl arrives the girl states: “my five foot zero mother.” This could signify that the girl is very aware of appearances and is very sensitive about it, she also shows this earlier with: “I knew my body was no big deal.” After the arrival of the mother, the girl refuses to get in the car with her and takes the long way home. This poem ends with: “I’d show them all: I would grow up.” The girl is quite sensitive of her image and how others see her. The growing up piece once again falls into the category of image while the showing them tells of her will to face the bullies on her own. I think this poem is named “Primer” because the girl is becoming primed for a big change in the future. It could be for the better of worse, but the girl is preparing to “show” the Gatlin kids whether that be by becoming a bully herself or simply being able to fight off the bullies.
You had many interesting interpretations. The idea of self image and insecurity reminded me a lot of our psychology class, where we read about experiments done in France and the US surveying and observing young men and women. The questionnaires were centered around gender identity and self image, and the results were quite interesting. In France both the men and women seemed to put much less importance in their body image and the way they looked, they were much more accepting of their appearance, compared to the women in the US, who put body image and appearance at the top of their list in terms of priority. These results say a lot about our country and the standards that are set, which relates to back to the poem stating why so many girls are getting bullied for their appearance, and why young women all over the place are constantly trying to find the “perfect” looks, which many of them will never find.
I definitely agree with you on the fact that the phrase, “I’d show them all: I would grow up.” is said towards the bullies. However, I’d like to argue that the statement was also directed towards another character: the speaker’s mom. When Dove writes, “ Nothing could get me into that car. I took the long way home”, the speaker refuses to get inside the car and takes the long way home. This expresses the speaker’s shame towards not only his powerlessness against bullies but also towards the fact that she has to rely on her mother for help. Thus, the last line is stated not only towards the bullies but also towards the mother to “show them all” that she will become stronger.
(My first one was mostly a joke that got out of hand and I also really like this other poem, so.)
The Narcissus Flower is very obviously about Persephone’s fall into the Underworld. It’s made apparent by the choice of flower, the description of falling into “the earth unzipped,” and the mention of becoming a queen. However, it can be related to issues women face today. The poem can be a metaphor for the dangers they face and how strong women must be in order to survive, especially when it comes to sexual harassment and, more extremely, violence. The first part of the poem talks about the narrator being a “frightened bird,” how many women are portrayed in situations such as these, and often how they themselves feel. The line “Nothing could chasten the plunge” is about the sad inevitability of these experiences. They’re so common and so ingrained in society, almost every woman experiences something like this at some point in life, perhaps without even realizing that it’s wrong and shouldn’t be happening. She may think that’s just how the world works, that’s just how people are, that it’s normal interaction. When women do realize they should not be complacent with these issues, they are also faced with the fact of how widespread it is and how they can’t escape. The best they can do is try to change it for the future. The phrase “This man adamant as a knife” is clearly a metaphor for the men in the equation. The perpetrators are known for pressuring women into doing things, not taking “no” for an answer and even resorting to violence to get them to submit. The poem then goes “I found myself at the center of a calm so pure, it was hate.” The calm is how much she’s accepted it and how unsurprised she is by such incidents. These help her realize that this culture something that needs to be fought against, which is the “hate” part of it. The lines “you can eat fear before fear eats you” is talking about this resolve to fight back, to take a preemptive strike and try to minimize the dangers before others are subjected to it. Fear is also one of the reasons women are victims of these incidents, especially in cases of coercion, since they are afraid of the consequences if they don’t go along with it; without this fear, or when trying to overcome it, they can become much braver and stand up for themselves. The final part of the poem says “you can live beyond dying and become a queen whom nothing surprises.” The jadedness mentioned before with the calm is apparent here, too, with the words “whom nothing surprises.” The mention of becoming a queen and living beyond death is a symbol of the power women can take for themselves, the power to change things for the better as long as they try, and sometimes, to give up their fears of consequences for the good of others after them.
Addendum: This issue is one that many parents worry about, most definitely mothers since they understand the dangers and have likely been through it themselves, or know someone who has. The knowledge and attitude women have about it can be passed down to their daughters, whether it's how to protect themselves or how to fight back, which ties into the theme of "Mother Love" other than the obvious Persephone/Demeter theme.
Rita Dove’s poem “Mother Love” has a very warm and comforting tone to it, as the reader it reminded me much of my mother and the love she has for me. Reading through it I felt almost as though my mother was right there next to me, consoling me like when I was a child. In the first stanza Dove writes, “Any woman knows the remedy for grief is being needed… bare the nipple or tuck in the sheet, heat milk and hum at bedside…” (Dove). This quote is quite relevant to mine and many other people’s lives, it seems as though in any rough spot you’re in, mother will always know the perfect remedy to help you, whether your problem is physical sickness or mental grief. Immediately when I read through this poem I was reminded of one of my favorite songs by Pink Floyd, “Mother”. In the song, lead singer Roger Waters writes, “Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing/She won't let you fly but she might let you sing/Mama's gonna keep baby cosy and warm.” The attitude of this song mirrors that of the poem, it fills the listener with the same feeling of love and comfort that Rita Dove’s poem gives you. However, both the story and the song could be taken in the opposite direction that it would seem from the surface of the text. There is also a more negative connotation in the text, of mothers and their ability to not only comfort a child but perhaps also coddle and over protect one. This happens very commonly for a lot of children who can relate that felt restricted by their mother, having many of their freedoms taken. It’s interesting to see which way the lyrics and text are interpreted by different people, most likely depending on their own personal experiences from their childhoods.
I definitely got this feeling from the poem, too. I also agree with what you say about the negative connotations, of the mother being overprotective and coddle them too much. The second part of the poem seems like a metaphor for this, when Dove says she "decided to save him" then proceeds to describe how she killed him, cooking him in a literal sense in the poem. It reminds me of a mercy killing, since the male child seemed unwanted, which could represent this overprotectiveness. Mothers can care so much for their children that they go way too far to keep them safe, away from any possible dangers in the world, and as morbid and horrible as it is, some people see death as one of these "escapes" from reality. It could also represent killing the child emotionally or mentally, or killing their returned love for the mother, due to how confined and sheltered they are and how little they end up knowing about the world and themselves. Kids in situations such as this often engage in rebellious and risky behavior just to spite their parents, or they feel they have to take these risks just to experience life without parents interfering.
Rita Dove’s poem Heros is about a man who picks a flower out of a field that belongs to a woman. The woman becomes furious, even though the man apologizes for his actions, and is eventually killed by the man. The “hero” runs away, knowing he has done bad things, and all for this poppy flower. He realizes in the end that he thought he could save the flower, because it was “going to die.” In this poem, there are significances throughout the poem. First, each stanza has three lines, so this increases the importance of the last line, which is only one line long. Poem is read in second person, so the narrator is addressing the “hero” and seems to be in present tense, as if the narrator is right there with him. Based on the poem as a whole, and the fact that it ties into Greek Mythology, we can infer that the main hero is Hades. Therefore, this means that the flower would represent Persephone, and the woman is Demeter. There are several plant imageries used in this poem. First, “the flower in the weedy field,” hints that this flower stands out because of its beauty. “Make it a poppy,” suggests that the flower is also a symbol of opium, a narcotic drug, which was used in offerings to the dead in Greek mythology; this only reinforces the idea that this is Hades. When the woman refers to the miserable garden, this is symbolic of her life, and how, even though her life has been ruined, this one flower (Persephone) is the light of her life, and the hero (Hades) cannot just take her away. Lastly, Hades calls the poppy an “idiot flower.” This is not meant to be insulting to Persephone, but rather a silent curse (I have picked you because I love you, but you bear me with curses). There was strange phrasing, “juicy spot in written history,” which could entail that Hades will commend Demeter for her contribution to him, and thus, will be rewarded. The color imagery of the poem, refers to the white boulder Demeter hit her head on as she was struck down. This white can be symbolic of the innocence of Demeter in this situation, and the innocence of this event, which got taken way out of proportion. A metaphor in this poem is, “your heart pounds into your throat,” suggesting that the hero has realized what he has done, and adrenaline is rushing. This could also be a side effect of the opium, which could translate into a side effect for falling in love with Persephone. Lastly, the death of the flower, is a metaphor for Persephone being smothered by her mother, and her death means that she is simply miserable. Hades believes, then, that he is rescuing Persephone from a contorted and held back adult life.
I agree with your interpretation of this poem and I too also noticed this poem's relation to the Greek Mythology story of Persephone. I also recognized many comparable traits between many of the characters as well.Your discussion of plant imagery was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. I totally agreed with the women’s reference to her miserable garden and how the poppy was one of her most important items. This plant imagery accentuated the connections between Persephone's story and this poem. Both Demeter and the women lost their most prized possessions, Persephone and the flower. I also, noticed a second person viewpoint being used throughout this poem and I found this quality very interesting. The second person viewpoint seemed to put the reader in the shoes of the person who picked the flower. The use of second person writing was very different compared to her other poems in this collection, but intriguing.
I really like your connection between "Heroes", and the greek mythological tale about Persephone and Demeter. I agree without the idea that they poem is drawing a parallel to the bond between a mother and daughter, but I don’t think it this case Dove is referencing the tale here. I feel that this is a more direct connection to the intrinsic bond a mother feels towards her daughter, as shown by the protagonist’s coddling and protective behavior towards the flower. Although Dove using the Persephone and Demeter in many of her poems, I fail to see the direct connection in this poem. You supported this point by citing that opium, a derivative product of poppy, was used in offerings to Hades, but I viewed this symbol as more of a connection to the modern day drug of heroin, which is highly addictive. Similar to the addictive properties of heroin, the connection a mother feels towards her daughter has the same sort of bond which is very tough to break once it is established.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “The Narcissus Flower”, Persephone is learning to become something after the trauma of being kidnapped. Dove writes of falling and dying, then living further. She begins the poem with, “I remember my foot in its frivolous slipper, a frightened bird”. This is the start of Persephone’s descent into the underworld. A frightened animal might bolt and make a person fall, but a bird would fly and make a person more helpless in this way, similar to how Persephone was taken to the underworld but couldn’t really fight it. Later, Dove writes, “. . . not the earth unzipped but the way I could see my own fingers and hear myself scream as the blossom incinerated”. In this portion, it is as if Persephone explains that she could see exactly what was happening, that she had no misunderstanding of Hades taking her, that there was no delayed pain about being taken. The blossom incinerating is both a symbol for Demeter’s rage burning and a symbol for Persephone’s trauma of being kidnapped. Dove uses the metaphor of Persephone screaming as the blossom incinerated to create a tone of pain and imbue the reader with a sense of discomfort. Dove writes of falling and Hades using Persephone, and writes, “... I found myself at the center of a calm so pure, it was hate”. The fact that Persephone is calm through being kidnapped and hearing herself screaming makes the reader uncomfortable because it’s not normal to most people for someone to be kidnapped and it is even more unusual for them to be calmly watching as it seems Persephone is. Throughout the poem, up to the point of a knife easing into a crevice, the reader questions Persephone for just idly standing by. That question of how Persephone does so is answered when Dove writes that Persephone was so furious she was calm, and when Dove writes that “the mystery is, you can eat fear before fear eats you...”. Persephone knew that she could do nothing, and was able to not panic because she understood her situation. The concept of not being able to help and having to move past is further reflected in the title of the poem “The Narcissus Flower”. Narcissus found his reflection so beautiful he could not look away and eventually died of self attraction, and flowers are beautiful and naturally have a relatively short lifespan. Persephone’s terror is like either because the reader cannot look away. To Persephone, who realizes she herself is helpless, the kidnapping is like a Narcissus flower because she cannot ignore the reality but to despair at the pain will not help. At the end of her poem, Dove writes that, “you can live beyond dying- and become a queen whom nothing surprises”. The use of dying is a double meaning in that Persephone lives in the underworld, the realm of the dead, and Persephone lives past the trauma of being kidnapped. Dove uses Persephone’s recovery to becoming a queen as a lesson to the reader that bad situations can destroy a person but one can also come out stronger. Dove emphasizes this point when she writes that “you can live beyond dying”. This creates a feeling of strength and ability within the reader because it puts the point simply as if it is achievable.
Dove teaches the importance being able to stay calm to the reader because it is important throughout life to understand that things like panicking don’t help. Although they are not always preventable, of course, it is important to be able to control one’s mind to an extent. Stress can’t be managed completely but letting it run rampant and control one’s actions can be prevented to an extent. The first time a person falls out of a kayak or raft into the cool water of a river is often startling or surprising in some way and opens one’s eyes to why people normally panic in such a situation. However, it also offers the opportunity to take control of a situation that cannot always be prevented, much like how Demeter was unable to prevent Hades from kidnapping in this telling of the classic myth.
~Apologizes ahead of time for length of idea and its boring quality from being drawn out excessively..
The poem “Demeter, Waiting” by Rita Dove illustrates the feelings of a mother towards her daughter. In this poem, a woman speaker is upset about the disappearance of someone that is important to her. Judging from the title of this poem, the story is an allusion based on the mythology of Persephone, with the speaker as Demeter, who is Persephone’s mother. In this myth, Persephone gets kidnapped by an underworld God named Hades. Demeter hears the screams of her daughter but unfortunately was too far to save her. Although she looked all around the world, Persephone was nowhere to be found. The disappearance of her daughter angered her to the point where she declared that she will not allow anything to grow until she sees her daughter. In the second stanza, Dove uses angry diction to express Demeter’s feeling. For example, when she writes, “I will wail and thrash until the whole goddamned golden panorama freezes over”, the inclusion of the word “goddamned” sets a tone of rage. This tone helps convey to the readers Demeter’s upsetness and enragement about her daughter’s disappearance, illustrating her intense love towards her daughter. Subsequently, the mother-daughter connection is further conveyed through Dove’s use of a run-on. For example, in the second stanza, Dove makes the phrase, “I will not bear in” included in two lines, in which “it” is moved to the next line. This is present for the whole second stanza, in which each line has a phrase that is ran over to the next line. These are called enjambments. When this poetic tool is used, readers cannot comfortably finish reading a line, because the phrase still continues to the next line. Dove uses enjambment for all 8 lines in the second stanza, so that the readers will have to remember the information obtained in each line in reading this stanza. Because the tone of anger is present throughout the whole second stanza, using enjambment to force the readers into putting all of the information together helps Dove into further conveying the mother’s feelings. In this poem, Rita Dove's incorporation of mythology and her use tone of enragement and enjambment illustrate a mother’s powerful feeling of love towards her daughter.
Rita Dove’s poem, “Breakfast of Champions”, shows Demeter’s emotions and lifestyle as Persephone is taken into the underworld. After being captured by Hades, Persephone is forced to live with Hades in the underworld every year for six months. During this time period Demeter is filled with a great amount of sadness because she misses and worries about her daughter. Demeter is very distraught and Rita Dove uses weather to symbolize and portray these emotions. Rita Dove sets the weather to be overcast which is often connoted with feelings of dullness and grief. The weather helps portray the emotions of demeter. In the beginning of the poem Demeter is extremely sad and is mourning over the absence of her daughter. Quickly she reminiscences about her previous time with her daughter during the seasons of spring and summer, “worked my way through petals and sunlight” (line 2). Petals and sunlight are both very big aspects of spring. They’re both objects that are connected with happy ideas or memories and in this case her time with Persephone. Demeter doesn’t know how to be happy without the presence of her daughter and is very distraught, “I’ll dive into a grateful martini tonight”(line 5). Rita Dove mentions the martini to show Demeter’s need to feel numb and down her feelings with alcohol. “Breakfast of Champions” is written in an Italian Sonnet style by Rita Dove . This shows Demeter’s feelings in the beginning of the poem and her attempts on recovery in the sestet. Later in the poem, Demeter attempts to move on from her prior feelings. Demeter is trying to start fresh and recover from her distress. The canadian geese honking and pulling out of the mist symbolizes her attempt to escape her sadness. In the poem newly improved feelings are shown when Rita Dove mentions a “sonic hospital graph announcing recovery” (line 11-12). The use of the word recovery is important in this line because Demeter is trying to move on. Rita Dove mentions recovery in relation to sonic hospital graphs because sonic graphs are connected to childbirth. Also in line twelve the poem states, “Arise, it’s a brand new morning!”. After reading this part of the poem my mind immediately thought of awakening and having a fresh new start. Although it’s evident that Demeter is trying to change throughout the poem it becomes clear how upset Demeter still is and how affected she is by the absence of Persephone. In the last line of the poem Demeter is adding stones to her chaff. She still feels upset about losing her daughter and feels it in the pit of her chest. The poem represents Demeter’s life and struggles while Persephone is kept in the underworld.
I like what you said about Dove's Italian Sonnet style, and the meaning you came up with behind the Canadian geese; they were interpretations I hadn't thought of in my analysis. Though something I noted in addition about the petals and sunlight, and Demeter's chaff, is how not only are Persephone and Demeter together in the spring, with the happy connotations surrounding flowers blooming, but Persephone is also the goddess of Springtime, and so the flowers will bloom in her mere presence when she is on earth. Therefore flowers and sunshine not only symbolize Demeter's memory of time spent with her daughter, but of the characteristics of her daughter herself. I also noted how with the mention of Demeter's chaff, and a chaff being a husk of grain and grasses, that this symbolized how Demeter not only felt a heavy weight from her daughter's absence, but that with Demeter being the goddess of corn, grain and harvest, the loss of Persephone makes the responsibility of the harvests she grants, too great a burden. This being overall why whenever Persephone leaves, Demeter abandons her duties and lets the earth turn cold and the crops die.
In Rita Dove’s poem, "Heroes", she uses the story to demonstrate the unavoidable love a mother feels for her daughter. In this poem, the protagonist stumbles upon a poppy flower in a field of weeds.They pluck the flower and go to a nearby house to ask for water, however when they get there, they discover the flower belong to an old woman who so dearly adored it. The protagonist furiously tries to apologize to the women, but finds no success. Feeling that they have no other option, they shove the woman into a white stone, which accidently kills her. The protagonist feels they are in a position where the only option is to flee, so they steal a glass jar with some water and use the broken pieces of the murder weapon to prop the flower up. They blame the flower for this terrible mishap, but in their hearts know that the flower was too important to be left behind.
After an initial reader, a subtle connection between the events of the story and the connection a mother feels toward her daughter is noticeable. A secondary reading solidifies this belief as Dove uses many plot devices the create parallels between these two different but related situation. First, the author uses the environment of the poppy to show that it is special and resilient by showing it in a field of weeds all by itself. This is not too far off from the biased view that mothers have towards their children, thinking that their child is strong and one of a kind. When The protagonist's profuse apologies are representative of how a parent often must take responsibility for the action of their children. However not all apologies are accepted as the protagonist pushes the old woman, in a fit of anger, indirectly killing her with a white stone. The white stone is rather ironic considering that this darkest of crimes was committed by a rock bearing the color of innocence. The use of the color white on the rock, is also another connection to a fighter, because children are often recognized as a symbol of innocence. Dove also used the rock pieces in the jar to symbolizes the direct connection between the crime committed and the child through their physical contact in the jar. This means that as long as the protagonist has the flower, they will be directly related to the murder. Near the end of them poem, frustration is expressed as the protagonist is annoyed that they have found themselves in this situation, and blame the flower. However, upon further introspection they find that they believe what they did was necessary because the flower needed them. This relationship on how a daughter is extremely reliant on their parents, and the parent must acknowledge this even when it creates unwanted situations. In all, Dove uses various plot devices to illustrate the similar relationships between the protagonist and the flower, and the connection between a mother and her daughter.
In Rita Dove’s sonnet “Exit”, she uses a variety of figurative language, repetition and color connotations to convey the heartbreak felt by Persephone, in going off to Hades and leaving her mother, Demeter. The phrase of how a reprieve has been granted is repeated, in order to emphasize how Persephone’s punishment, being her life lived with Hades, is postponed when she gets to go back to her mother six or so months out of the year. The line “provisionally”- a fretful word”, elicits the dread Persephone feels at inevitably returning to Hades, onto the reader. The hyperbole “this suitcase, the saddest object in the world” also brings on this emotion, as Persephone’s overwhelming miserable state is being is projected onto the objects around her. The colors of blush in the sky and pink in the windows, creates a tone through the connotations surrounding these colors that Persephone is happiest when free from the gray taxi, as a bird is outside of windows, in the pink sky. Persephone longs for a permanent freedom from Hades and the underworld, not only the break she gets every few months. The last stanza of this poem speaks of Persephone’s blush when her mother told her what it takes to be a woman, referring to how she’s now forced to give her “womanhood” to Hades for every corresponding winter. A statement regarding the relationship between mothers and daughters, is not specifically made here, as Persephone longs more to escape from Hades than she longs for her mother. This poem strays somewhat from the original Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter, in how it’s taking place in modern times outside the realm of the Greek gods, with an average grey taxi instead of Hades’ black carriage taking Persephone away.
In Rita Dove’s poem Canary, Dove uses metaphors and second person narration to express the pain and talent Billy Holiday possessed. The poem as a whole consists of four stanzas, with the first and third being in third person, while the second and fourth are in second person. This helps either a) tell a story/biography of Billie Holiday, or b) get a message/side note across. Throughout the poem, metaphors are being used, which enhance the storyline. Her “burned voice,” hints at a voice that is fiery and passionate, or it can refer to a voice altered by smoking. “Bracelet of song,” can also have different interpretations. One is that this bracelet of song represents a hobby that Holiday can remove whenever she wants. Music is who she is, but she can also escaped it and live a normal life. However, because we know of her drug problem, we can say that this bracelet is a chain to music, and is holding her back from leading a healthy and happy life. Sharpen love, while also an oxymoron, poses the idea that Holiday has become cold and strict. Love is interpreted of being soft, so by sharpening it, you are manipulating love. “Service of myth” speaks out about a stereotype that women have to look good on the outside, even when they are not fine on the inside. This ties to the previous metaphor that a woman does not want to look soft on the outside, so she must become cold and distant when it comes to dealing with pain. Lastly, “be a mystery,” while not necessarily a metaphor, does have another meaning. Because a woman such as Holiday is cold and distant, she must keep her secrets to herself, so that no one will know of her demons. This ties into the simile, “as many shadows as lights,” referring to how no matter how much happiness she claimed to have (at concerts or with family) she had just as many demons following her. Lastly, I want to discuss the point of using parentheticals. In this poem, Dove illuminates on Holiday’s drug problem. All of this is in reference to her use of heroin, such as “Now you’re cooking...magic spoon, magic needle.” This is more personal information, but it helps the reader determine the more inner life of Holiday. This shows more her use of heroin, than her life as a star. Lastly, it also says within the parentheses, “Take all day if you have to with your mirror…” The reference to the mirror is referring to what most heroin users take heroin off of. Overall, the use of the metaphors and parenthetical help establish a base of understanding and empathy for Billie Holiday and we both admire her success, but mourn her flaws.
I also think that the poem made the readers feel both empathy and pity towards Billie Holiday. However, I had a different interpretation as to how Rita Dove conveyed this feeling to the readers. For example, in the line, “had as many shadows as lights”, I didn’t think that Dove alluded to demons but wrote the phrase to convey that under Holiday’s joyful singing lied her sorrow. This interpretation is backed by the phrase, “the gardenia her signature under that ruined face”. Here, Dove is juxtaposing a gardenia with Holiday’s face. A gardenia is a pretty white flower that Holiday frequently puts on her head. Through this juxtaposition, Dove conveys to the readers that under the beautiful-looking gardenia lies Holiday’s physically worn out face from her use of drugs.
I liked the connection you made from the poem to your IOP, I believe that the change of point of views could help enhance the biography of Billie Holiday (in the more literal way of viewing it), but also help get a message across to the reader. It caught me off guard when I first read it, and I think that switching to 2nd person helps place importance on the idea of women and the struggles they undertake, especially in the period that Holiday lived in. I also liked your interpretation of the “bracelet of song” worn by Holiday, and the connection to her drug problem. It very well could be that the music and fame is what’s causing her to have these addictions, and as long as she wears that “bracelet”, she will always be bound to it.
I also agree with your interpretations of the poem in relation to Billie Holiday's use of drugs. I especially liked when you talked about Rita Dove’s use of parenthesis to help the reader see and witness her use of heroin. The second person narration allows the reader to come to an understanding of what Billie Holiday was going through and to be put into her footsteps. Also, In the beginning when you mentioned her “burned voice” I interpreted it as representing her use of drugs. In addition I personally believed that her “burned voice” could mean that she was worn out and damaged. Than in the next line it stated that her voice “had as many shadows as lights” (line 2). This line means that there was both good and the bad aspects of Billie Holiday. So I do agree that either one of your interpretations of the line “burned voice” could arguably be about her passion or use of drugs.
In her poem, “Tou Wan Speaks to Her Husband, Liu Sheng”, Rita Dove uses visual and olfactory imagery to scrupulously portray the tomb of Liu Sheng, which illustrates the feelings of love of his wife, Tou Wan. Firstly, when Dove writes in stanza one, “ I will build you a house”, the “I”, is alluding to Tou, and the house symbolizes the tomb that she is building for her husband. In the second stanza, Dove uses visual imagery to describe the “south room”, which is alluding to the south-side chamber in the tomb. When she writes,”you will need for the journey--- a chariot, a dozen horses”, journey is most likely referring to his life after his death. In addition, notice how Tou, the speaker, is placing chariots and horses in the chamber so that her husband will be ready for his “journey”. This act of nurture is also evident in the third stanza, where she places “a figurine household poised in servitude”, so that Sheng will have servants in his afterlife. The fact that she tries to take care of her husband even after his dead illustrates her expression of love. Next, Dove writes in the next stanza, “Here when the stench of your own diminishing drives you to air... here an incense burner”. Here, the author uses olfactory imagery to arouse the reader’s sense of smell, which effectively illustrates the stench of Sheng’s corpse. Knowing that Sheng’s corpse will produce bad smell, Tou in this stanza prepared an incense burner to relieve that odor. This act of care is further illustrated in the next 2 stanzas, in which Tou prepares a lamp in case “darkness oppresses” and got “two thousand jade wafers with gold thread” on Sheng’s body so that he can maintain his aristocratic appearance. Although her husband is dead, Tou prudently builds a tomb for him as if he will perpetually live there after his death. This care for her husband illustrates to the readers her intense love. In “Tou Wan Speaks to Her Husband, Liu Sheng”, Rita Dove uses olfactory and visual imagery to describe the tomb built by Tou Wan for her husband Liu Sheng, which is conveyed to the readers as her expression of love.
I really liked how you mentioned the imagery that played a part in showing Tou Wan's love for her husband. Something I noticed that led me to a slightly different conclusion was the use of parenthetical. Rita Dove used these to create a side note, but in doing so, she showed more of the negatives to Tou Wan and her husband's marriage. The first side note mentions how when Liu Sheng is disgusted of his own stench, he will try and surface for air. Tou Wan then mentions how there wont be any. This struck me as odd for something a wife that cared so deeply about her husband to say, as it doesn't give off a warm vibe, and instead creates a negative tone. It appears as if she is mocking him even in his death. Secondly, I noticed how the other side note mentions more of a personal marital problem between the two. Tou Wan mentions how she will place a statue of a palace girl he "most frequently coveted" into his tomb. I am not sure if she is referring to herself, but if she is not, then this means that her husband had at least this affair. In this side note, Tou Wan then tells her husband that she knows of this, and further more mocks him by saying she will give him a statue of the girl. I did, though, really like your examples you provided to prove that Tou Wan did care about her husband, and spent a great deal of time preparing his burial.
I also noticed the negative parts Caitlyn pointed out. The poem, to me, seems to illustrate both the positive and negative sides to marriage. While couples don't all experience the same hardships described in the poem, they all face some conflict at some point, and it may never be resolved. This adds a more realistic, relatable tone to the poem, especially since it deals with death, which has negative connotations yet is something everyone will experience. There is also the fact that Tou Wan and Liu Sheng were nobility, which implies that Tou Wan's building of the intricate tomb was more out of obligation than love. The way Dove uses the terms "my only conquerer" and "my constant emperor" have a feeling of bitterness and spite to them rather than affection. The word choice in these names illustrate Tou Wan's role as the submissive wife, since the terms come off as dominant and overbearing, further adding to the negative impression the reader gets about their relationship.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “Sonnet in Primary Colors”, Dove writes about the different artworks of Frida Kahlo. Dove, who makes it unmistakable by putting the word “sonnet” in the title, puts together a 14 line poem celebrating the different pieces done by Kahlo. The diction used by Dove is very important to this poem, as her word choice is what connects the poem to the title, a “Sonnet in Primary Colors”. Primary colors is what I’m going to be looking at through Dove’s language and diction. In the first line, Dove strays us from the idea of primary colors, by looking first at the “black wing” over a woman’s eyes, which I interpreted as the black unibrow on the women that appears in all of Kahlo’s paintings. I thought it was strange to call the title “Primary Colors” (which happen to be red, blue, and yellow), and then immediately start to talk about the color black. However, later in the poem Dove throws a load of colorful imagery at the reader, which helps support the title name. Most notable are the words “parrots”, “wildflower”, “butterflies”, and the two uses of “rose”. All those words listed belong to the description of different paintings by Kahlo, and are all things closely associated with color, especially the three primary colors. This colorful imagery paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of the paintings Frida Kahlo, without even needing a visual. What I found curious however is that once, I researched Kahlo and looked at many of her paintings, the primary colors are not what are emphasised at all. Primary colors usually give the notion of light and happiness, but in her paintings there is a very dark tone to them. In almost all her works she leans heavily on dull shades of brown and green and occasionally red, more natural colors. Her paintings don’t seem to connect to the poem until Dove starts to write about more dark things like “skulls”, and the “Beloved Dead”, whom happen to be Russians Lenin, Marx, and Stalin in this poem’s case.
You said that this poem talked of primary colors and actually made Frida and her paintings seem upbeat until the mention of the dead. However when I read this I actually found it to be quite sad and depressing throughout. I saw this when I read the “stern petticoats of the peasant[.]” With the word “stern” I felt that she was quite serious and the fact that she was described as a “peasant” I believe makes her life seem much more downbeat. Then it moves on to say “Each night she lay down in pain” implying a strenuous and stressful lifestyle. Then of course it comes into the “Beloved Dead” and the “skull.” However, the paintings are described as quite elegant and beautiful such as with “wildflowers entwining the plaster corset[.]” I therefore believe that Rita Dove thinks of Frida’s paintings as quite pretty while describing Frida and her life as depressing.
I think you made some excellent points talking about the connection between the colors in the poem and the colors in Frida Kahlo’s paintings. However, I think that Rita Dove’s use of a black when referring to her eyebrow, does a relation the the “Primary Colors” mentioned in the the title of the poem. The three primary colors are the basis for all other colors; their combinations able to create all the other colors. However, if all three primary colors are able to mix together, they form a dark brown that eventually will become black. This means that although her works often feature more natural tones, they still have more color than meets the eye. I think that this combination of colors reveals that black is perhaps the most colorful of shades, and is used to show that although her life was indeed sullen and abject, that she was able to communicate happiness through her artwork.Through this process we can see that the primary colors are indeed related to Kahlo’s distinct brow.
Loren, Good point on the idea that there is a little of both in this poem--there is the cheerful image that the colors evoke (good ideas on that, Jared!!), but there is some sadness as well... her life was definitely not a picnic. We'll talk about that more in class! Ms. Ballard
In Catherine of Siena, Dove portrays the Catherine’s determination towards her devotion to God and her desire to follow her own path. She was very rebellious when it came to what her family wanted her to do, but a very devout Catholic saint and was eventually named one of the six patron saints of Europe. The first two lines say, “You walked the length of Italy to find someone to talk to” (Dove). Catherine’s family did not want her to wander and be so separated from them, but Catherine did so anyway. Not only did she demonstrate her desire to be independent from them, she demonstrated her devotion by going on these journeys to spread her religious views and ideas. The phrase “length of Italy” portrays the determination she had towards both of these, since the reader can picture it as a very far distance, a very difficult path for her to follow. Then there’s the last two lines, “No one stumbled across your path. No one unpried your fists as you slept.” The first line is about how Catherine didn’t let anything or anyone get in her way, a trait she had her entire life. “Stumble” is usually used when the action is unintentional, which could symbolize how any obstacles in Catherine’s path could have been coincidence or simply bad luck, rather than someone actively trying to stop her. In a way, these obstacles would be more difficult to overcome, since there may be no specific cause or obvious way around it. This is another testament to Catherine’s determination towards her personal beliefs and goals. The second line mentions fists, an image that conveys resolve and bravery. It mentions that Catherine held her hands in fists in her sleep. Her resolve was always with her even when she was at her most vulnerable, and despite this vulnerability at times, no one could overcome her strength.
Rita Dove’s poem “Catherine of Siena” talks about prayer, more specifically unanswered prayer. 2nd person is used in this poem in order to make it more relatable and personal to the reader. Firstly it is established that you are looking for someone in Italy, but you can’t seem to find them! This is very important to you and so you “struck the boulder at the roadside[.]” This refers to the biblical miracle where moses struck a stone in the desert and water burst forth from it to provide water to his thirsting people, an excellent example of an astonishing miracle. So to say that you strike a stone may simply be metaphorical for you seeking out a miracle. But you don’t get one! You cry and “you prayed until tears streaked the sky.” No one comes! Your prayers are unanswered! You are in total despair and nothing can be done! And so this poem tells that sometimes you never get what you ask for, things don’t go the way you really hoped they would. You can’t expect this, as it is portrayed directly to the reader with 2nd person, sometimes bad things happen, tragedy strikes. Unfortunately, you can’t do anything about it. All we can do is be aware that this is the truth.
Ok, I literally had this page open before Anika's post and posted this only 6 minutes after Anika and when I posted this and the page refreshed I JUST saw her post.
In the poem “Sonnet in Primary Colors”, Rita Dove expresses the life of Frida Kahlo and the person she was from the perspective of an admirer. Frida Kahlo writes her poem in a third person narration and uses positive diction like, “lovely”, “petticoats”, “Wildflowers”, and many others . All of these words make the reader think of happy thoughts and positive connotations when describing the magnificent Frida Kahlo . The narrator describes Kahlo as, “erect among parrots” (lines 2-3). Parrots are very colorful, eye catching, beautiful creatures and in the narrator’s mind Frida Kahlo has similar attributes. A plaster corset is also mentioned in the poem because Frida Kahlo was in a terrible accident damaging many parts of her body and at a young age she was diagnosed with polio. Always having to wear a brace in the poem Rita Dove makes it entwined with wildflowers, a thing of beauty. In the second part of the poem, Frida Kahlo’s dark, anxiety filled life is shown through similes, negative connotations, and diction. Frida Kahlo’s life was very problematic and inconsistent. In the poem Rita Dove writes, “She lay down in pain and rose to her celluloid butterflies of her Beloved Dead” (Lines 8-9). Frida Kahlo could never be relaxed because her thoughts and ideas were constantly buzzing around in her head. Similar to when people get butterflies in their stomach’s Frida Kahlo would feel this way a lot. Also, In the next line it mentions her love for Lenin, Marx, and Stalin. They were all very important men in communism, a belief and concept that Kahlo strongly believed in. Communism as well as her relationship with Diego were topics that Frida Kahlo constantly made art based off of. Also, Rita Dove uses the simile, “the hundred dogs panting like children along the graveled walks of the garden” (lines 10-11) to emphasis the anxiety and excitement these ideas caused Frida Kahlo. A dog’s pant can mean that their stressed or that their really excited. The need for Kahlo to get her ideas and feelings across through her art was at times stressful, but something she enjoyed doing. Also, Frida Kahlo’s relationship with Diego Rivera was very unstable, but passionate. Their relationship had many problem, but very strong with emotions. In the last few lines the poem says “Diego’s love a skull in the circular window of the thumbprint searing her immutable brow” (lines 11-13). This mean that her relationship with Diego, something she often painted about, was constantly on her mind. The use of the world “searing” leads the reader to think of permanent state of their love on her mind. These topics overcame so much of her life. The need to paint about these important issues was always obstructing other aspects in her world. Rita Dove’s use of negative imagery helps convey the problems and her unstable life. Also, Dove’s use of diction towards the end of the poem has a negative pain and suffering effect on the reader. Words like, “skull”, “Dead”, and “pain”.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “Sonnet in Primary Color”, she informs the reader of the issues Frida Kahlo faced during her eventful and tumultuous lifetime in the 20th century. First, we see her talk about a plaster corset that had painted for herself. This was an event that actually happened as Kahlo had health issues that forced her to wear a plastic corset, since her spine couldn’t support her body. She took it upon herself to paint her coset. Next, Dove states that, “Each night she lay down in the pain and rose”. Here we can see evidence of the daily suffering Frida Kahlo that she was forced to endure because of her debilitating medical problems. She used her many bedridden hours from her numerous surgeries as a chances to work on her art as there was not much else she was able to do during this time. In addition to the great physical pain, she was also plagued by a stressful and complex lovelife. We also find that she faced romantic issues with her partner, Diego, whose love is depicted as a “skull in a circular window”. This imagery is representative of the damaging influential of their love and its cyclical nature. We know this is true because Kahlo deeply love her husband, although they both engaged in extramarital affairs and although they divorced once, they later got back together. Through all of the examples, Rita Dove is able to convey the difficulties that Frida Kahlo endured during her lifetime.
In her poem, “Lady Freedom Among US”, Rita Dove uses visual imagery, anaphora, everal allusions, and diction of graves to spread awareness of the statue, “Lady Freedom”. First of all, “Lady Freedom” mentioned in the title does not refer to the Statue of Liberty. It is a bronze statue that was constructed and put on top of a dome in the the capitol of Washington D.C. in 1863. In 1993, the statue was temporarily removed from the dome and was put on the ground for many citizens to see. However, not only did people not know what the statute was, many did not even realize that there was such a statue until it was put on the ground. In response, Rita Dove composed this poem to spread awareness of this honorable statue. In the first 3 lines of stanza 3, Dove starts the line with “with her” and adds to a phrase a description of a women. The anaphora here tells the readers that the description in each line is referring to the same person, and the visual imagery used to describe the women arouses the reader’s sense of sight, which illustrates the appearance of the women. Because the title helps determine that the women is alluding to the “Lady Freedom” statue itself, Dove is able to portray to the readers the appearance of the statue. Another example of the use of these stylistic choices is located in the 4th and 5th stanza. In the 4th stana, notice how the 2 lines both start with “don’t”. Dove here uses anaphora to tell the readers what not to do when visiting the capitol of Washington D.C.. The first line says to not miss out on viewing the statue while it is still placed on the ground, and the second line adds on to the preceding statement, telling the readers to not just treat the statue as a mere item to view as a tourist. These two statements allow Dove to tell the readers that “Lady Freedom” is not merely a bronze statue but has great significance to it. Subsequently, when Dove writes in the 2nd line of stanza 5, “She sho has brought mercy back into the streets”, she is alluding to the fact that because the statue was built during the Civil War, it is hailed as symbol of unification between the Union and the Confederacy. The use of allusion here allows the author to convey to the readers the significance of the statute she was referring to in stanza 4. Finally, in the last line of stanza 5, Dove writes, “ will not retire politely to the potter’s field”. Note that “potter’s field” is a burial place for strangers. Combined with this diction of the burial ground, this line conveys to the readers that the statue will not die out with people not knowing its existence but will forever watch over the United States of America. In “Lady Freedom Among US”, Rita Dove uses anaphora, visual imagery, diction of burial grounds, and allusion to convey to the readers what “Lady Freedom” is and the significance behind the statue
I agree that this poem is indeed meant to honor the “Lady Freedom” statue. I do not disagree with any of your points so I have to offer is more evidence to back them up. To support the idea that this statue is not a mere tourist attraction I call upon the first two stanzas of the poem that you didn’t mention. The first stanza tells the reader to not look away and ignore the statue, favoring your other plans instead. The second stanza tells the reader to not mutter things about your plans either. Both of the stanza are in essence telling you to not think about the rest of your life when you come across “Lady Freedom.” It’s telling you to stop and forget everything else so that you can fully appreciate the meaning of “Lady Freedom.” The last three stanzas also unmentioned talk about how important the statue is too. The first stanza talks about how the statue has endured the test of time. The second tells you that “Lady Freedom” won’t let you forget her. The last says that you cannot help but remember her for she is just like you. These statements prove that “Lady Freedom” is important because of how long its message has lasted, and says you must remember it for it is valuable to everyone.
There was a lot I had learned from this, I was totally unaware of this statue prior to reading your post, which clears up many of the connotations made by Dove. First reading through it I had thought the subject of the poem could have been about the statue of liberty, as she is a very famous female statue in the United States and the World, a symbol of freedom (it gives a lot of empowerment to women, which Dove is an advocate for). However after reading your post, my ideas have switched and I agree with all of your points made about Lady Freedom and her connection with the civil war, and by extent the civil rights movement. In the wake of all the violence and hate that arose in the 1950's and 60's, I think that Dove is trying to remind us of the peace once formed between the two battling sides, through the statue that was built in remembrance of that peace. Lots of people are unaware of the statue (including myself), which could explain how many people were ignorant of the fact that peace could be achieved, or a good solution.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “Rosa”, she writes about Rosa Parks and her effect on the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks was an important figure in the 1950s to the civil rights movement, her refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama sparked a wave of boycott movements, which was big step in advancing the rights of African-Americans. Often she is regarded as the “mother of the civil rights movement”, a big title for such a simple action, which is what Dove is celebrating. In the third stanza she writes, “doing nothing was the doing: the clean flame of her gaze carved by a camera flash” (Dove). She received so much publicity and attention, especially from cameras as noted in the poem, when all she had to do was nothing. Dove puts the words “clean flame” together, two words usually not connected, portraying how civil and calm her actions were, all while still being confident and ferocious in her decision. In many more instances Dove will utilize juxtaposition throughout the poem, for example in the first stanza when she writes about, “the time right inside a place so wrong it was ready” (Dove). Here she puts clear opposites right and wrong together one word apart, contrasting the right decision that was made with perfect timing, to the awful oppressive place she was living in. She made a good decision, in a bad place where she was still punished. What I thought to be interesting about the poem was the use of enjambment throughout, except for the last line of every stanza, where she used end stops. To me this gives the tone of closure in the poem, her thoughts seemed incomplete but would always be wrapped up nicely at the same time in every stanza. It makes the poem seem a lot more organized and sound, which could be connected to the composure Rosa Parks displaying on the bus in 1955.
I liked how you mentioned the use of juxtaposition and enjambment with Rita Dove's poem Rosa. It helps the reader visualize the time that Parks was going through, and how her "risky action" in an oppressive town, actually had a positive result, as it helped spark more out of the civil rights movement. I also agree with the enjambment use, and how it creates more of an interesting take. Because of the run-on, the reader finds themselves pausing while reading the poem, and in this, it forces the reader to take in every stanza. This gives more meaning to the poem. I also wanted to ask if you noticed that this is also a sonnet as well? Knowing this just helps me realize the significant importance of this civil rights leader. It also shows Rita Dove's admiration/respect for Rosa Parks.
I agree with you that this poem is dedicated to Rosa Parks and her impacts on the civil rights movement. In addition to the juxtaposition and the enjambment you talked about, another stylistic choice that can be used to support your claim is in the phrase, “ Doing nothing was the doing”. Dove here is using an oxymoron, in which she describes “doing nothing” as “doing” something. I interpreted the “doing nothing” as an allusion to Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus. Although this can be considered that Rosa Parks did not physically do anything , this act of doing “nothing” has actually protected the African Americans from segregation in transportation. By using this oxymoron, Rita Dove conveys to the readers that Rosa Parks act of merely refusing to give up her seat had a significant impact on the history of civil rights.
I also agree with your interpretation of the poem. Through this poem Rita Dove showed the importance and significance Rosa Park’s actions had on the civil rights movement. In the beginning of the poem it says, “inside a place so wrong it was ready” (line 2-3). I thought this line also supported the impact and power behind Rosa Park’s actions. When Rosa Park refused to move from the front of the bus it was wrong according to society, but necessary during that time period to show how segregation was unequal and not fair. Also, Rita Dove uses alliteration to emphasize and to add more emotion with the words, “clean”, “carved”, and “camera”. The sharp sound of the “c” helps show the power and passion Rosa Parks felt in that moment.
Rita Dove’s poem “The Situation Is Intolerable” is a poem about the American civil war. Confederate soldiers going into battle are feeling oppressed. It starts out talking about the word “Intolerable,” which is a civilized word. These people are questioning whether they are being treated in a civilized manner because of the awful conditions they have to go through, referred with “we ain’t got a pot to piss in” and obviously “our situation is intolerable[.]” It can be interpreted that these people are Confederate soldiers because of their “dovegray pleated trouser leg[.]” These men are forced to fight:“[a]ssay the terrain: all around us dark and the perimeter in flames” and it seems as though the field conditions are rather unpleasant and deadly. It is ironic that confederate men are forced to suffer when the confederacy itself brought so much suffering upon slaves and now confederate people are suffering. After all their complaints these men end their talk with “mercy on our souls.” This could be saying that they think that they are doing an evil deed and seek forgiveness, perhaps they have been forced to fight for the confederacy when they don’t believe in slavery.
I agree that it may be about Confederate soldiers. However, it seems to me as if they are indeed in agreement with the cause and support slavery, or at the very least, there is some confliction. After the line about the terrain, Dove says, "but the stars--tiny, missionary stars--on high, serence, studding the inky brow of heaven." The stars are implied to be their soldiers on the battlefield and are painted in a positive light with this comparison, implying that despite the conditions, they feel as if their actions, efforts, and sacrifices are worth it. It mentions heaven and missionaries, and the last lines in the first stanza say "onto the field of battle in the name of the Lord." They believe their work is the work of God to a certain degree. Lastly, the last stanza says "but what's worse is to sit here and do nothing." They are glad they are doing something and contributing to this cause, because it wouldn't be right to them to just stand by and let it happen without helping. "O mercy on our souls" could be a prayer for safety in the battlefield.
I found your idea that this poem is a reference to the Confederate soldiers of the civil war to be very interesting. Although I saw this poem as more of a Civil Rights Movement critique, I still think your idea works well. I believe this because the use of the word “intolerable” more closely relates to activists description of the conditions many African Americans faced. The poem itself heavily criticises the people who voiced the need for justice, but failed to truly hold African Americans as their equals. This is shown by the narrator’s questioning of their status as “civilized”. They also go on the talk about their home as a terrain with a “perimeter of fire”, which is referencing the dire-sounding descriptions of the conditions in which these people think African Americans live. Furthermore on line twelve of this poem, there is a mention of tiny, missionary star which is an allusion to the missionary-like behavior or these faulty social justice advocates.
Dove’s poem "Climbing In" comes across as very cryptic at first. She uses animalistic imagery to evoke an intimidating, anxious mood, and the poem itself is about buses and their significance in the Civil Rights movement. Buses were segregated, so Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders used them as forms of protest and political statements. The first stanza says, “Teeth. Metallic. Lie-gapped. Not a friendly shine” (Dove). This describes the bus itself from a black person’s point of view. The segregated nature of the buses made them very unfriendly and even scary, since African Americans knew that they would be judged and humiliated when riding them. These traits are the “teeth,” a natural weapon the oppressors had to trap and harm the oppressed. Segregation made it so they could never forget that they were deemed inferior, lesser humans. The punctuation in this first stanza is very abrupt, ending after one or two words to draw emphasis to each of the items in the list. The abruptness also adds to the unfriendly atmosphere, and reflects the thoughts of people trying to stay determined and calm in such a setting. The final stanza says “the bright lady tumbles head over tail down the clinking gullet” (Dove). “Head over tail” illustrates the woman as an animal, the prey in this situation, and “tumbling” represents her lack of control in this position. The poem compares the bus to a gullet, or esophagus, since the woman is being swallowed up by the bus to trap and devour her. The animal metaphors are meant to illustrate the relationship between white and colored people at the time, one predator and superior, one prey and inferior.
In Rita Dove’s poem Climbing in, Dove uses an overall metaphor to symbolize the trying times of civil rights unrest. The old lady represents the African Americans in society, and the wolf represents society. The wolf is disguised as an old lady, and the use of the metaphor, “not a friendly shine,” suggests that the disguise is to mask the outside of appearance. On the outside, society, or the wolf, is seen as friendly, warm and inviting. People of other societies, and white Americans themselves believe this to be true of this society. However, the African-Americans know that this is not true, and see behind the deceiving smile. The old lady doesn't want to climb into the wolf’s mouth, but as the story goes, she has to. This is a metaphor for how African Americans don't want to be oppressed in American society, but based on roughly four hundred years before, this has been the case. The story tells itself, which is why the old lady has to climb into the wolf’s mouth; she doesn't want to, but history is pressuring this into happening. There is also the use of this statement, “like the dime cutting my palm,” which hints at how outside beauty can be deceiving. The dime is shiny, so therefore pretty, and harmless. Yet, it causes pain for those who hold it. This is a metaphor within a metaphor, and is symbolic of how you should never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a story by its characters.
Indeed this poem does talk about civil unrest for African Americans in this society, but I believe that there is a more specific meaning to this poem, relating to a bus. As they are holding their dime they also are clutching a pole that I think is the pole you hold as you get on a bus. I think that “as the bright lady tumbles / head over tail / down the clinking gullet” refers to the dime being deposited as payment for the bus ride. I also think that the “Teeth. / Metallic” at the beginning of the poem is literally teeth of the bus driver. To keep him smiling at the race he sees as inferior one must pay him. It is not a true smile, as shown by “Not quite a grin.” This emphasizes that there is indeed contempt for African Americans in this oppressive society.
In Rita Dove’s ‘“The situation is intolerable”’, she examines the word “intolerable” and it’s use by condescending belief, who believing that their situation is so dire that they must help. The poem is told from the point of view of a narrator who questioning if their position is really as “intolerable” as these people believe. They ask, “Aren’t we civilized, too?” as a way to reinforce the idea that they aren’t that different from everyone else. In the second stanza, they discuss a “perimeter in flames”, an obvious reference to the seemingly hellish conditions that these pretentious people believe our narrator lives in. They offer respite however, as they go on to mention the tiny missionary stars, a sign of “much needed” help to come. In the final stanza, the narrator questions if it is really so bad that they live a less than ideal life. However, they then say that although the situation could be improved a little, that “what’s worse is to sit here and do nothing”, meaning that they must be the ones to make the changes, not blindly rely on those that don’t understand the true situation. I think this poem is a reference to the condescending viewpoint that some civil rights activists adopted during the civil rights movement. Dove is using the poem to criticize this viewpoint but showing that blind support for the cause is pointless if you still believe that the group of people you are defending is inferior to yourselves. More specifically, she uses the word “intolerable” to show how the viewpoint of these kinds of people is heavily skewed as a result.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “Claudette Colvin Goes to Work” the life and story of Claudette Colvin is told from her own point of view. Claudette Colvin was a young lady who was the first person ever to refuse the bus segregation. Although her protest was done before Rosa Parks due to her pregnancy without marriage she wasn’t the role model NAACP wanted. Colvin believed her constitutional rights were being violated, but was still arrested due to her actions. After her son was born Claudette Colvin moved to New york and became a nurse.
In this poem Claudette Colvin is on her way to her job as a nurse. Claudette Colvin strongly feels disgusted by the inequality between the two races of: white and African American. Throughout this poem Rita Dove uses a lot of negative diction to help set the mood of anger and disgust. Rita Dove uses words like “shadows”, “scourge”, “bleak”,“souring”, and “disappear”. All of these words continue to add up and create a hurt and anger filled tone. Rita Dove also utilizes repetition in line twenty four when examples are given of the manner white people describe and talk about African Americans, “So ugly, so fat, so dumb, so greasy-”. The repetition puts an emphasis of the nasty descriptive words being used and the thoughts are pounded into the reader’s head. Also, the use of first person narration from the point of view of Claudette Colvin allows the reader to understand her feelings and what she’s going through. After her bus protest Colvin got a reputation and was branded a troublemaker. Due to the first person narration the reader is able to understand her anger due to her tainted image caused by untrue information, “And I don’t curse or spit /or kick or scratch like they say I did than” (line 31-31). Also, earlier in the poem she states, “and I’m just the crazy girl off the bus” (line 27). Through these lines Rita Dove is showcasing the effects of the reputation and how it followed Claudette Colvin around throughout her life. In the end, although Claudette Colvin’s life was changed the moment after her protest, but she didn’t regret any of her actions. This is clear in line thirty four when she states “I do what needs to be done…” . The tone in this line sounds determined and assured. She knew that segregation was wrong and continued to believe this throughout her life.
Rita Dove’s poem “Parsley” is divided into a few sections. In section 1 she talks about the suffering of workers on a sugarcane farm, as well as the terrors of the Parsley Massacre. “Out of the swamp the cane appears / to haunt us, and we cut it down.” The refers to the fact that the work on the farm is very hard and every time sugarcane grows the workers must toil and cut it down. Then it talks of “El General” that looks for a word, the word is perejil, spanish for parsley. Every night the people “lie down screaming” because they “cannot speak an R—” and they had a day of treacherous work. These people live in fear because since they are Haitian they cannot pronounce perejil the way natives do, and when asked to say it this in turn would reveal that they are not native to the Dominican Republic and they would be killed. “For every drop of blood / there is a parrot imitating spring.” This is saying that for every death it is because someone can’t pronounce perejil correctly, as the word was compared to the parrot imitating spring near the beginning of the poem when El General was first mentioned. Overall, between bad working conditions and threat of death, conditions in the Dominican Republic were pretty bad at this time. This poem seeks to point out the horrors of this awful genocide.
I like how you tied in the idea of the parrot imitating spring to the workers. Because they were not truly from the Dominican republic, they were "imitating." I wouldn't have thought of this until you mentioned it, and I agree with your idea more now that you connected it to the workers. I also agree with how this poem is just an overall representation of the awful conditions of the massacre. It's more symbolic, and I believe it works better with the poem (representing the conditions vs. specific events.)
I really liked how you interpreted the “Out of the swamp the cane appears / to haunt us, and we cut it down.” as a way of conveying the suffering of the workers. This helped me understand why exactly the phrase “Out of the swamp the cane appears” was a refrain. Just like you said, no matter how many times the workers cut the sugar cane, it will eventually grow back, and the workers will have to cut it again. I think that Rita Dove used this refrain to point out this endless cycle of labor the workers have to do, which like you said illustrates the hardships of the workers.
In Rita Dove’s poem, Parsley, Dove uses repetition and literary terms such as metaphors, personification, and visual imagery to create terrifying language, which relates to the real life event that took place. Here I want to focus more on the first part of the poem, The Cane Fields,which is the part of the poem that introduces the people. There is the first metaphor that we see repeats itself: “There is a parrot imitating spring.”Here, the literal use of the parrot holds to be true; the parrot is real, and not a metaphor for something else, until you dive deeper into the story. The part of imitating spring has to do with how spring is symbolic of freshness and renewal, but the fact that the bird is “imitating” it, suggests the bird is only doing this for personal gain. This can be related to the act of extreme massacre that took place. Therefore, the parrot could be a physical representation of the genocide that took place. The imitation of spring part, means represents the dictator’s reasoning behind the genocide: freshness and removal of the bad. Secondly, there is the repetition of the phrase, “the cane appears,” which does have a literal meaning behind it as well. The Haitians, the main victims of the massacre, work in the sugarcane fields, so the cane appearing is a common observation of their work day. However, it also has another representation, and how the cane itself represents the downfall of their lives (we later learn that the General hated sweets, so in this, the reason of him choosing the sugar cane fields makes sense). When the cane appears, it is if to speak a warning, or call for help, as this is represented in how it is repeated constantly throughout this first part. From both of these, we gather conclusions that the bird imitating spring represents the genocide and the logic behind that, and the cane appearing represents the sugar cane workers in the fields who end up becoming the victim of the General. The General himself, being a dictator, garners the phrase, “He is all the world there is.” This shows the victims and their fear of the general, but also the overall view of his decisions, as he did what he did for only his benefit, and saw himself to decide the fate of others. His acts which are seen in the phrase, “we lie down screaming as rain punches through, and we come up green,” and the metaphor, “gnaw their teeth to arrowheads.” The first quote is symbolic of the death of the Haitian workers. They are underground because they have been buried after they'd been killed, and the rain punching through is the rain seeping into the dirt. When they are born green, it is referring to how they become a part of their surroundings, in particular, the sugar cane fields. The second quote refers to how they were killed. The teeth themselves don't necessarily have to do with being gnawed to arrowheads, but it shows that a hard object was sharpened to weapon status. Lastly, there is visual imagery, especially with the phrase, “teeth shining out of the swamp.” The teeth again, are not necessarily tied to this phrase, but it shows how the General stands out compared to the surroundings. The swamp, where the sugar canes are located, are also where the workers are. This is true then, that the General stands out, because while he is Mexican, the workers are Haitian.
I like your explanation of the parrot symbol. I also think the parrot is a parallel to the general, as well as the government as a whole; the fact that it's "imitating" spring makes the freshness and rebirth false, a facade. The general is doing the same thing with his idea of "cleansing" the country, since his method is really only causing more strife and destruction. Parrots also mindlessly repeat what they hear, like the government the general is running has no choice but to listen and follow his orders and/or only does it out of loyalty and obligation.
In part 1 (“The Cane Fields) of the poem “parsley”, Rita Dove makes the the novel The Farming of Bones relevant by using its events to illustrate the immorals of the political system of dictatorship. Firstly, in the first stanza, Dove writes in the first line, “a parrot imitating spring” and adds in line 2, “feathers parsley green”. In this sentence, the author is giving the readers the first hint that the parrot is associated with violence and brutality. A parsley is a green plant that can be used for many purposes, such as for food and medicine, but it has far more significance in the novel, The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat. In this story, many Haitians were killed by Dominican Republicans, with the sole reason being that they mispronounced the “r” sound in the word “Perejil”. This word directly translates into “Parsley”, and by using this word to describe the parrot, Dove is able to convey to the readers that the bird will accompany the violence described in this poem. Subsequently, the next stanzas introduces the character of this poem. In stanza 2, for example, when Dove writes, “he is all the world there is”, she uses a metaphor to compare the “El General” to the world itself, which indicates that he has unlimited authority/power. This reveals to the readers that the general is referring to Trujillo, because he is the only person who would qualify as having unlimited power, since he was the Dominican Republic Dictator who used his power to authorize the violence against the Haitians. In the next stanza, Dove is again alluding to a group of people in the The Farming of Bones. When Dove writes, “We cannot speak an R”, she is referring to the part in the novel where Amabelle states that she has trouble pronouncing the ‘r” in the word “Perejil”. Because she and her fellow Haitians all had trouble pronouncing that letter, Dove refers to this trait to reveal that the “we” is alluding to Haitians. Next, notice how the phrase, “parrot imitating spring” is repeated in the next few stanzas. This occurrence is called a refrain. Although the readers already know that the phrase is associated with violence, constantly reminding the readers allows Dove to put an emphasis on the fact that Haitians suffered from violence by Trujillo. Finally, by putting this emphasis on the readers, the author can then highlight the flaws of the dictatorship during this time period. Because the dictatorship gave the power to Trujillo to authorize the violence emphasized in the poem, Dove is able to illustrate the immorality of this political system. By alluding to the events that occurred in the novel The Farming of Bones, Rita Dove illustrates the evils of the political system under dictatorship.
Jared Sinclair (couldn't load my gmail on my phone)
I agree with your interpretation of the poem, it had the same effect on me as well when I was reading about Trujillo and his brutal treatment. Dove did a nice job of displaying just how nefarious Trujillo was, it takes a very short temper to beat someone over the mispronunciation of one word, “perejil”, especially when the ones attempting to say it are foreigners. That also tells us a lot about Trujillo, and how important the word parsley is to him. To him it's a symbol and reminder of his deceased mother, whom he clearly loved and cared for a lot, as it seems to have left a big hole in him and drives most of his actions. As much as that may make you sympathize for him however, what he did to his workers is unacceptable in any circumstance.
In “The Palace”, part 2 of Rita Dove’s poem, “Parsley”, she writes about the horrors of the working in the Dominican Republic as a Haitian under the brutal rule of the “General”, whom is the focus in this part of the poem. The poem is connected with an excerpt from the book, “The Farming of Bones”, written by a Edwidge Danticat. The passage we read focuses on the beatings and nasty environment that the workers had to live through, also under the general, or “generalissimo” as he was referred to in the book. In “Bones”, the generalissimo’s mind was described as “dark as death” (Danticat), which is a perfectly fitting description to set the dark and depressing tone in Dove’s poem. The imagery that Dove uses is very effective in giving the reader a good idea of the manner of the general, it left me intimidated just by reading the poem. Dove writes that the general “stomps to her room in the palace.. as he paces he wonders Who I can kill today” (Dove). Using the word “stomped” portrays the anger and frustration the general was feeling, and because there was no one else in the room that he could be trying to intimidate, it’s clearly from his heart. Dove makes it clear from the beginning that this anger stems from the death of his mother when he was a child, and how it has affected him into his adulthood. The word “perejil”, or parsley, becomes symbolic of death to the general, his mother died in the fall and he planted the canes at her grave. He now uses the plant often in his torture of the workers, stuffing parsley in their mouths while they are being beaten. Every time he sees parsley he is reminded of his mother, which is why he has so many “to be killed for a single, beautiful word” (Dove). It is made clear in the last line of the poem how fond the general is of parsley, and how it has inspired his psychotic killings and treatments of the Haitian workers.
I really liked your interesting idea of the connection of the word “perejil”, or parsley, to the frustrations and actions of El General. However, I don’t entirely agree with your idea that he use the parsley as simply a device of punishment when “disciplining” the Haitians workers of the parsley fields. I took these beatings as an allusion to the the Parsley Massacre in the Dominican Republic, where Dominican Republic troops under the command of General Rafael Trujillo ordered his troops to massacre any black Haitian who was unable to roll their r's when saying “perejil”. He was a strong proponent of anti-Haitianism and used this opportunity to slaughter almost 20,000 Haitians living on the Dominican Republic border. I believe that El General is really the former Dominican Republican leader Trujillo and that Rita Dove uses this poem as a vessel to communicate the horrors of this monstrous massacre.
In “Parsley,” Dove illustrates how the namesake of the poem was used to oppress and murder Haitians and the irony in its usage. The excerpt from The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat gives the reader background knowledge; Haitians were forced to say the Spanish word for parsley, “perejil,” since they could not pronounce it correctly. Both works indicate that the mispronunciation was due to the rolled R, a sound unfamiliar to Haitians. Dove says, “The general remembers tiny green sprigs men of his village wore in their capes to honor the birth of a son.” The general is the one ordering these killings. However, his memory of parsley is more of a positive one, one meant to honor birth and, therefore, life. The entire poem has a melancholy tone to it, describing the death of the general’s mother and how it jaded and embittered him. His decision to use what was once a symbol of life as an indicator of death represents this turn in his life and his harsh dictatorship. Then, Dove describes multiple times the rain in the cane fields. These fields are where the Haitians worked, and the rain falling onto them symbolizes cleansing. In the story excerpt, Danticat says, “We used parsley...to cleanse our insides as well as our outsides. Perhaps the Generalissimo in some larger order was trying to do the same for his country.” Usually, cleansing is portrayed in a positive light, especially with rain and its common theme of rebirth. Amabelle’s reminiscence on the use of parsley and memories associated with it also have a nostalgic, positive tone. Dove’s language in the poem is another example of how parsley, with good connotations in the past, was twisted into a symbol of fear and death.
In Rita Dove’s “Parsley”, she uses dark, emotional diction to represent the emotional state of El General after his mother's death and its effect on his actions, more specifically in part two of the poem. In “The Palace”, it is explained that the turn of the season has reminded el General of his mother’s passing. The use of words such as “love”, “death”, and “died” represent his somber yet emotion filled thoughts in the first stanza. As he wanders to his mother’s old room, he finds the “parrot in a brass ring”. The use “brass” to the describe the ring reminds readers of a cold and hard, yet shiny and visual appealing object. We see this trend continue as he goes on to talk about his memories of war. El General describes the scene with an image of his boots, which he describes as covered in “mud and urine”. Typically sanguinary imagery comes to mind when thinking about war, but he paints a more bodily picture that suggests that in real war, the fear of men outweighs the bravery in others. He also describes himself as “looking stupid” as he thinks back to this time of weakness. This infers that he now obviously has grown more commanding and fearless, although this is rather contradictory from the overall tone of sadness and emotionalness. However in the fifth stanza he returns to his original mood, as he describes his mother's simile, which he couches in barbaric diction, portraying her teeth as, “gnawed to arrowheads”. I think this is an indication of his hatred for the Haitians as he blames them in some part for his mother's death.
I agree with your interpretation and i enjoyed how you mentioned the different imagery Rita Dove used. I interpreted the use of brass when describing the cage as a way to show the wealth of the General, but now after reading your interpretation my views on the meaning behind the brass has changed. I like your interpretation because after reading the poem again I see how the word brass and it’s connotations can create the feeling of coldness and sadness. Rita Dove uses the second poem to show a different side to the general. This makes a lot of readers feel conflicted towards the General. After seeing his pain over his mother's death and the weakness he showed the reader is meant to feel slightly bad for the General as well. I think your interpretation of brass and is more fitting for the mood and idea behind the poem “The Palace”.
In Rita Dove’s poem “Parsley”, Rita Dove tells the story of the suffering and pain the Haitian workers experienced while in the Dominican Republic. The General often punished and hurt many Haitian workers who could not properly repeat the “r” in the word perejil. In the “Cane Fields” Rita Dove uses repetition within her poem as well as diction to tell the workers horrid stories. The line “Out of the swamp the cane appears” is repeated four times throughout the poem in the last line of most stanzas. Due to this repetition it emphasizes and adds effect to the torture they had to endure everyday. This line, “Out of the swamp the cane appears” (line 3), was interpreted as the punishment the soldiers and El General inflicted on the Haitian workers. Most connotations created with swamps are negative. Swamps are connected and imagined as very gross, consuming, and dark places. Rita Dove utilizes these negative connotations with swamps to get her meaning across of the horrible pain they took each day and the looming feeling it put on the workers. In the poem another line is repeated four times as well. This particular line states “Like a parrot imitating spring” (line1). The parrot symbolizes the Haitians and the life they lived or more accurately, the life they were tortured throughout. Haitians were always forced to repeat the word “perejil” by El General. The parrot is a good symbol because the words it uses are all learned from imitation and repetition of hearing the word. Imitating is defined as copying and recreating an exact version, something the Haitians were constantly forced to do. Spring also represents parsley because perejil was that awful word that was forced to be repeated. Parsley shares similar qualities to spring because they are both green and fresh. This comparison is quite ironic that parsley is represented by spring because spring is about new beginnings and growing, while in this case parsley is connected to punishment. The repetition of this line also enforces the idea that this happened often and endlessly.
In her poem, “Fox”, Rita Dove writes about a woman who loves herself in a time period where females were treated as inferior to men in order to convey the message that women should be more confident in themselves. Firstly, Dove starts each sentence off with the word “she”. The author is deliberately using this anaphora to convey to the readers that the poem is constantly revolving around the women. In addition, Dove then adds to the anaphora the refrain, “what she was”. Notice how the author is describing the women as a “what” instead of “who”. This simple difference illustrates that women in the time period of this poem were treated as objects rather than as equal humans. Dove then repeats the phrase multiple times in the poem to emphasize the inferior treatment of women. In contrast, Rita Dove characterizes the women in this poem as a someone who loves herself for who she is. In the first sentence, for example, Rita Dove writes, “She knew what she was and so was capable of anything anyone could imagine” (Dove, lines 1-6). As stated above, the sentence starts off with a “she” but is characterized as a “what” to convey that women were not treated equally. Despite that fact, however, the women believes that she is “capable of anything anyone could imagine”. Dove here uses an indefinite pronoun in order to exaggerate the qualities of what the women is capable of doing, which conveys the the high self-confidence she bears. This characterization of an optimistic women in an unequal society conveys to the readers the necessity of women in staying confident even in unfortunate situations. Subsequently, Rita Dove again conveys this message to the readers in the last sentence of the poem by writing “She loved nothing more than what she had, which was enough for her, which was more than any man could handle” (13-20). Just like in the first sentence, the author again starts the sentence off with “she” and uses an indefinite pronoun and the refrain “what she had” to convey her sense of appreciation of her life, even though she is treated unequally. However, Dove adds to the line that this life of hers is “way more than any man could handle”, which connects to the title of this poem, “Fox”. A fox lives independently and strongly, and by naming this poem “Fox”, Dove is able to illustrate the woman's strong sense of living that can overcome the male superiority. In “Fox”, Rita Dove characterizes a woman who stays optimistic in a world where females were considered inferior to men in order to convey the message that no matter how unfair society is, women should be proud and confident of themselves.
I agree with your interpretations of the poem, you can tell that this poem was very important for women and to Rita Dove during her era, as girls were not treated equally at all and it caused many to lose confidence in themselves. I noticed the repetition of the word “she” as well when I first read the poem, and it conveyed the same idea to me as it did you. Starting each sentence with “She” never lets the reader forget the focus of the poem, to give women strength and independence. I liked your interpretation on the title of the poem, that was something that I missed on my first read through. Foxes do not need much assistance and generally roam individually but strongly. By calling a girl a fox in this poem it’s a positive thing, however often times there is another message that is more derogatory and degrading. It can be connected with calling women “chicks” and any other animal that solely focuses on their appearance, and no deeper.
I liked how you mentioned the use of "she" for each stanza, as it does help signify the idea of female importance in this poem. Not only is she confident in herself, but she is confident in all women. This time of inferiority doesn't seem to affect her, and that is what makes this poem so inspiring. I also agree with Jared on the basis of your interpretation of the title. I never noticed the title's significance until now, but how you mentioned it helped me a lot with connecting the title to the poem. Since, a fox does live independently, and doesn't need someone to rely on, this helps strengthen the women and their image. It may appear as an aspiring peace for individual confidence, but also for women as a whole.
In Rita Dove’s poem “Quick”, Dove uses animal and natural imagery to recall about an encounter with some unknown baby animal that has been separated with his mother. This is one of the first poems I’ve seen by Rita Dove that uses dialogue, in two instances when the people in the passing car first saw the baby animal, and when they wonder about where the mother is. The dialogue is put into italics, making it stand out from the rest of the poem. The people in the car first see this animal in a “culvert”, or tunnel underneath a road, describing him as gray with “vacant” eyes. Gray conveys a blank and depressing tone, with no or little emotion. Vacant, meaning empty or unused, connects well with the color gray, and that he was showing no emotion even by being without his mother, displayed by the color of his fur symbolically. Both the mother and son are described as gray, which I think fits nicely with the theme of the poem, that animal instinct shows no love and no emotion. After the ones in the car found the mom on top of the hill, she quickly disappears before they can even distinguish her as red or gray. The different colors used to describe the animals portray different emotions that the animals could be experiencing, red being love, and gray being emptiness. The fact that the people in the car couldn’t tell whether the animal was red or gray leaves it up for debate whether or not she was actually feeling a feeling of love or remorse for her child, or nothing at all. She finishes the poem by wondering how any living thing can abandon something they gave birth to so easily, showing “no grief nor thought of love” (Dove). I suppose it’s just their animal instinct, found not often in humans. It is possible however, that if she was red in color, then she could have felt saddened by abandoning her offspring, she just had to do it because that was her “pure purpose” (Dove), to reproduce and then die.
I agree with your interpretation that this poem is about the speaker’s encounter with a fox. However, I also think that the length of time the speaker saw the fox has a lot to do with this poem. From the title, Quick”, the readers already has a clue that the encounter went by in a flash, and Dove enforces that view in line 1. When the author writes, “Wink of fuzz”, she is using visual imagery and a metaphor to portray the image of a fox by comparing it to a fuzz. But notice how the author also writes “Wink” to the appearance of the fox. A wink is an instant movement, and by adding this word to the metaphor/imagery that portrays the appearance of the animal, Dove is able to convey that the fox was only seen for an instant.
Dove’s use of oxymoron, juxtaposition, and enjambment in “American Smooth” to discuss the importance of practice in achieving perfection, which is a message one can apply to many aspects of life. The enjambment and therefore format of the poem draws it out, making it longer with shorter lines. The repetition of practice is conveyed with this format, and the short lines symbolize the structure of the dance. A phrase that catches the reader’s eye almost immediately is “perfect agony,” a clear oxymoron. Repeating something until you fix your mistakes and become better can be a very agonizing task, repetitive and often discouraging. However, “perfection” conveys the feeling of finally succeeding and meeting a goal after practicing over and over. Next are the lines “something romantic but requiring restraint.” At first, these seem juxtaposed, since “romantic” is usually associated with freedom and losing oneself, followed by the phrase “requiring restraint.” However, this is a good metaphor for ballroom dancing, due to its combination of romanticism, freedom, and structure, as well as practice in general. If it’s something someone loves, it’s easy to lose themselves in doing it, but one must always keep in mind the rules and what they’re working towards. The poem closes with “that swift and serene magnificence, before the earth remembered who we were and brought us down.” This gives the reader the feeling Dove has, of the joy of dancing and finally getting it right, but the next line stops it short. The ending conveys the message that nothing lasts forever, which may be negative to some, but it can also be interpreted as “there’s always room for improvement.” While the poem specifically is about ballroom dancing, its message can be applied to all sorts of activities and tasks in life.
I agree. I also noticed a few more things relating to the practice. It says: “ecstatic mimicry being the sine qua non of American Smooth.” This refers to two essential things when learning, that you must be ecstatic, you must love what you are doing. Additionally you must mimic, as watching what others do and trying to copy their actions can be a great way to learn something for yourself. Another related part is when it says that narrator was distracted by the act of perfecting that they did not notice that they had done it. They had finally reached their goal. This I think refers to after all the practice one puts in they are often amazed by how far they have come. This is because many people are not aware of the power of true dedication.
In Rita Dove’s poem “Fox Trot Fridays”, she represents a couples feeling and relationship through their dancing of the foxtrot. The couple gets together once every week and they dance together, but this poem represents their growing relationships. Due to the connotations of this dance Rita Dove utilizes the structure of the poem,certain types of repetition, and diction to convey the two people’s relationship. The foxtrot is a very smooth and romantic dance. In the poem Rita Dove structures the poem to recreate the same emotions of the dance within her poem. Enjambment is used frequently throughout most of the stanzas creating a smooth and flowing sound to the reader. The run on of sentences allows the poem’s rhythm to glide and appear effortless. Also, Rita Dove creates her rhythm using alliteration and anaphora. Another example of repetition is the “s” sound in line eight, “slow, satin, smile” is soft and simple adding to the rhythm of the poem. Anaphora is used to help create the melody and the care in the tone, “one day at a time:/ One man and one woman” (lines 10-12). Rita Dove uses similes periodically in her poems and in this case she uses, “Smooth as Nat King Cole”, (lines 6 - 7). Dove compares the famous artist and his easygoing smile as well as his soothing voice to represent the easy relationship they have. The couple's love is easy because once a week they get together and have fun. Their love for one another is simple, but makes both of them happy. This is also the reason Rita Dove titles her poem, “Fox Trot Fridays”. Fridays are often connoted with many positive ideas. Fridays are the best days of the week, everyone enjoys themselves on Fridays and are worry free because they have the whole weekend. At the start of the poem the narrator talks about the joy this one day brings to them, “there’s a day each week to tuck in/ the grief, lift your pearls, and stride brush stride” (lines 2-4). The pearls being lifted in this part represent a smile. The saying “pearly-whites” are a reference to teeth and in this scene it is fitting for there to be smiles on this particular day of the week. The simplicity behind the poem helps represent the foxtrot and the couple's relationship because although beautiful, the foxtrot is a simple dance move. The couple's relationship is easy and non-problematic, “rib to rib/ with no heartbreak in sight-- just the sweep of Paradise” (lines 13-15) Paradise has many positive connotations and with no heartbreak in sight there can only be good things to come for the couple.The use of diction by Rita Dove is short and uncomplicated. She uses words that represent happiness, but maintain a plain and honest theme throughout her poem.
Well, you pretty much summed it up! There isn’t much else to say. All I can think of are perhaps a couple more themes expressed. “[E]asy as taking one day at a time” could refer the the way that the narrator gets through the rest of their week, one day at a time. This could also be advice for others, so they can get to and enjoy their own “Fox Trot Fridays.” Lastly there is are the last lines of the poem: “just the sweep of Paradise / and the space of a song / to count all the wonders in it.” It is interesting that Paradise here is capitalized, this could be for many reasons, potentially for emphasis on how wonderful these fridays are. Lastly it says they have only as long as a song to count the wonders, this could be to show that these fridays are short but sweet and therefore must be enjoyed and appreciated as much as possible. Counting wonders could be referring to being thankful, which is often a good way to appreciate and get more enjoyment out of things.
Rita Dove’s poem Fox gives off quite a positive message. In essence, it encourages self confidence. The girl is aware of herself and knows what she can do, she knows she can do anything that she fully puts her mind to. She loved what she was, this signifies good self esteem. Pride in oneself (so long as it’s not excessive) eliminates the possibility of one underestimating himself or herself and subconsciously becoming self limited. The girl is also loves nothing more than what she has, she does not want, she is not greedy. She is grateful for what she has, which in turn leads to more happiness. A couple times there are references to this girl’s interaction with men, and I think this explains the meaning of the title of the poem, Fox. The girl thinks of herself as “foxy” sometimes defined as “attractive” because of this girls overall pride and confidence in herself.
In Rita Dove's poem, "Ta Ta Cha Cha," Dove uses bird imagery and dance terms to symbolize flight and freedom of this woman's situation. In the first line, she mentions "five doves scatter before a wingtip's distracted tread." These birds symbolize her fingers and toes, and the wings represent her limbs. It starts off with her counting one, two-but then she stops and says no, as if she has done something wrong; this something can be assumed to be a dance. She is first learning it, and as can be seen, is messing up. This supports the use of dance terms. In terms of bird imagery, these wings and birds appear shy and timid, as if they are not familiar with their surroundings. This is also shown in the poem in the literal term. She says that she is in Venice, and that she American. She feels out of place, and so to get out her feelings, she uses dance as an escape. The only problem is, is that she hasn't quite mastered it, just like she hasn't quite felt at home here. "Lost from a wing, drifts one pale, italicized answer." This quote also uses bird imagery, as it suggests that an "answer" or a "feather" has fallen from her wings. These wings help protect her, and so, in times of need, this answer is presented to her. She continues to dance, as it says, "As the bold shoe picks up the conversation (one two) with its mate..."The dance is linked to the answer, and she knows that if she keeps dancing, she will find comfort with her new surroundings. Lastly, she says, "teach me this dance that you make." She is referring to someone who is not there, and this is the use of second person narrative that we haven't seen yet. It could be inferred that this is her husband, and that while she is happy for him and the success that he has made with his career (the dance) she still struggles, with the dance and her career.
I like what you said about the answer symbolized as a "feather." Going off of this, I believe it sends the message that damage can be necessary, since the bird is losing a feather. Hardships must be experienced sometimes in order to find an answer to a problem and bring in new insight, as well as build strength and character. If the wings protect her, it could also mean that one must step out of their boundaries or comfort zone in order to progress in life.
I really liked your analysis of the poem and when you mentioned the use of dance terms and bird imagery reflecting the flight and freedom of the women I thought of the maxims that we discussed in class. One of them was “flight is freedom” and I thought this poem really showcased this maxim. The narrator feels lost and out of place, but like you mentioned her escape is through dance. She believes that through her dance she will be able to settle down more and fit in. By dancing she is becoming more liberated and free. As you mentioned in your post, the bird feather that falls down from her wing is a sign. I believe it’s an answer, but also a representation of the freedom she will soon feel and a sign that she’ll encounter liberating change in the future.
I really like your idea on how this poem is about her hobby of dancing, more specifically referring to a partner dance. I agree that this poem is about dancing with someone (probably her husband), but I saw a couple things in this poem differently. First, I think that the “wingtips” in the second line of the poem are not an example of bird imagery, but also refers to the wingtip-type shoes that her partner may be wearing. Also, I’m in agreement with your idea that line six is talking about her foreigner-like ignorance to the art of dance, but I believe that on top of that, she is marveled by the beauty of something she knows so little able. This is analogous to American tourists in Italy, as Venice has a longer running european history, which attract American visitors who lack this history in their own country of America.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “Fox”, the narrator hopefully describes a very independent, yet lonely woman. Dove uses devices such as sparse punctuation, liberated diction, and lonely language to achieve this tone in the eyes of the reader. For most of the poem, there is little to no punctuation. This has the effect of make the poem appear less constrained, and creates a tone of freedom from the norms and individuality. This tone of freedom is furthermore reinforced through Dove’s liberal use of independent diction. For example, the protagonist of the poem is described as “capable of anything”,which gives the reader the effect of feeling that the she is unconstricted and a free woman. However, the poem changes pace from a feeling of unabated freedom, to a more lonely tone once the second stanza begins. The reader can observe that the protagonist seems to be trying to justify their loneliness to themselves. This is evident when the narrator says, “She loved nothing more than what she had, which was enough for her.” We can see that see the loneliness through the lines describing her love for only what she had, and her attempt at self-justification when she continues on the says that “what she had was more than enough for her”. Finally, in the last line of the poem, she describes that the culmination of these acceptances was too much for any “man” to handle. These lines describes how she believes her independence alienates her from having a romantic partner.
Rita Dove’s poem The House Slave relates the troubles of a slave. The horn is blown to wake the slaves before the sun has even risen. Their mistress “sleeps like an ivory toothpick” even when the slaves are up and about. She is described as ivory because of her unnaturally light skin color and called a toothpick because of the extreme thinness of her body. The slave’s Master is called “Massa” due to the accent that the slaves have when pronouncing the word. He dreams of vulgar things, unruly pleasures that the slaves will never see. Next the poem speaks of the slaves being herded along and the ones at the back of the line are whipped into submission. The narrator’s sister is among them, obviously distressed about her current situation. Many families were separated when they were enslaved, and luckily these two are at least at the same place, though they may never actually be able to see each-other in person. Then the slaves are sent out into the fields, this is described as “they spill like bees among the fat flowers” because there are so many of them and they have to disperse everywhere to work. The narrator then proceeds to weep, reinforcing the idea of the despair and suffering all the slaves are going through.
I agree with your interpretation that Dove in the poem, “The House Slave” conveys the misery and fear slaves had experienced. However, there are some things that you didn’t mention but can enhance your analysis about this poem. For example, in line 12 of stanza 4, Dove writes, “shivering in the early heat” (12). The author here tells the readers that the speaker is shivering. However, she also mentions that the weather is fairly humid. The fact that the speaker shivers in a hot temperature illustrates the extent to which he is scared, which can tie back to your point that this poem relates to the troubles of a slave.
In her poem, “The Abduction”, Rita Dove writes about an African American in order to illustrate the evils of society in the 19th century. In the first stanza, the author reveals a lot about the setting and the characters. For example, the stanza tells the readers that the speaker is Solomon Northup, who was a free African American. This fact adds significance to the other descriptions mentioned, such as the “free papers” Northrup carried in his pocket. He needs this sheet of paper, because the setting is in Washington D.C., which was back then a slave state. Thus, he carried the free paper to prove his status as a free African American. The last line of the poem reveals the characters named Brown and Hamilton, who were actually men who drugged Northrup and held him captive to sell him as a slave. The fact that Northrup considers them as “friends” indicates that he had not expected in any way that the two were going to harm him. Next, in the second stanza, the author starts off with the question, “Why should I have doubted them?” She then follows the question with visual imagery to portray the three men working harmoniously in producing music. Dove portrays this image in order to convey to the readers that the speaker actually did not have any reason to suspect the two. Northrup went into the South because he was offered by the two men in performing a gig together. On top of this, “The wages” the two men offered “were good”. Combined with the fact that African Americans at the time had an extremely hard time finding decent jobs, the Dove is not only able to convey that Northrup unknowingly accepting the fake offer is completely reasonable, but she is also able to illustrate the immorals of the two men, who used the desperate situation of free blacks to lure Northrup into slavery for their own benefits. The evils of the two men are further conveyed in the last stanzas, in which it describes the moment Northrup falls under slavery. In this line, the author describes the speaker being “in darkness” and “in chains”. Dove here uses “darkness” to reveal the tone of despair and uses a metaphor to compare the acts of being physically chained to that of being “chained” to slavery. Because this line conveys the misery Northrup feels as a result of being enslaved, the Dove is able to further delineate the immoral acts of Brown and Hamilton. In “The Abduction”, Rita Dove recounts the story of an African American being tricked into slavery by two men for their own benefits in order to illustrate the immorals of the 1800’s.
I really liked how you summarized up the poem Abduction, it was pretty stgraightforward, but it was nice that you brought forward some key parts. I especially liked how you used the idea of a metaphor for how the chains represent the chains of slavery. A thing wanted to mention was that Abduction, who is written with regards of Solomon Northrup, was also made into a movie. Obviously, the movie is not the same as real life, but in the movie, Solomon became violently sick after drinking/eatiing what his circus "friends" had given him. This is hinted at when he mentions, "the sky swiveled, clicked into place." It hints that he becomes dizzy, and then he has trouble with sleep. I was just wondering if you also noticed this as well.
In Rita Dove’s poem, Belinda’s Petition, Dove uses incorrect use of capitalization, as well as other literary terms to show the significance of slavery and its impact on this particular individual. Starting off with the use of capitalization, I believe that this is on purpose. I believe that it is hinting at Belinda’s lack of grammar education because she was a slave. This, and the fact that it is in first person, helps the reader understand the message being given by Belinda. With the literary terms, we first see the use of synecdoche, “Senate and House of Representatives.” She is referring to the people within this part of the government, and it also gives a feel of an overwhelming majority. She has to address them as one body because they all have common ideas and act on them in a group. Next, are the metaphors, where Dove uses the quote, “severed the Binds of tyranny,” to indicate how Belinda either was able/or hopes to be free of Slavery. The other metaphor,” received existence,” represents her new found freedom from slavery, and she is able to achieve rights (though limited). The use of the simile, “faces like the moon,” are referring to white men, though it poses two different questions; are the men there to save her, or are they the ones who have prevented her freedom?
Your questions were very interesting, they were tough to answer. After reading and rereading through the poem, I’ve come to the conclusion that the men are the ones that are saving her, not the ones enslaving her. In the poem Dove writes that the men have “faces like the moon”, which leads me to believe that she’s speaking of white men, whom in this period are usually known for being oppressive slave owners that take advantage of African American women. However, in this instance, she is talking about the men from the North that are “riding” towards her steadily, saving her from the holds of slave owners in the south. She says at the end these men have been riding towards her for twelve years, which is the exact length of her slavery. While she was skeptical during the period where she was enslaved, she would’ve never imagined that the men in the north were doing their best to save her.
I also agree with your interpretation of Rita Dove’s incorrect use of punctuation that was used quite commonly throughout her poem. I think it helped show the lack of education among slaves and the negative impact slavery had on African Americans. Most slaves during this time period were deprived of having any education. I also believe that the words Rita Dove choose to capitalize were meant to be emphasized. Rita Dove wanted these words to stand out because they were of more importance to Belinda and helped support her beliefs more. For example, words like, “Time”, “Life”, “Slave”, “Ignorant”, and many others seemed to create a bigger effect and show more power.
In “The Abduction”, by Rita Dove, we are brought inside the head of a slave in the United States. The poem starts off nicely, there is images of him with his new found friends who are most likely slaves as well, along with Solomon Northrup, the author of the popular book “Twelve Years a Slave”. He specifies in the poem that he has “free papers in my pocket”, as well as a “violin under arm”, all testaments to his proclaimed freedom. The next stanza he paints us a more in depth picture, describing a pleasing scene where he is playing his fiddle on the side of the road, his friend, Hamilton, is dancing on a tightrope, and Brown is collecting money for their act in a hat. This at surface-level may seem like a peaceful and happy setting, but in reality it is all just a mirage. Underlying all the lighthearted images, there is a much more depressing tone, and Dove had been giving hints and foreshadowing during the entire first half of the poem, before it is revealed at the end. In the first stanza she describes the houses around them as “black with crepe”, immediately giving you an unsettling feeling through the dark color imagery, before our narrator even speaks. The poem is also structured slightly strange, the lines in the stanzas go from 5 lines to 1 line, starting from the top to the bottom. This almost prepares the reader for the what is revealed at the end, the reader is first introduced with large and detailed filled stanzas that are enjoyable to read and contain lots of detail. As the reader progresses throughout the poem, the stanzas hold less and get darker and more depressing, until he/she reaches the final line, where our narrator’s dream of his ideal world crumbles, and he wakes up. When he wakes up he is back bound by chains and in complete darkness, living the nightmare no human should ever have to live.
The stanza length definitely stood out to me, too, and I like what you said about it. I also thought that it was a metaphor for abduction itself, as if Northrup is fading out from what would seem like a disappearance from freedom. It could also be because he's on a path to losing his freedom throughout the poem, so he doesn't have as much time to say what he needs to and therefore must condense his words.
"The House Slave" seems to have a double meaning when it talks about the morning. On a literal level, it’s about slaves waking up and starting their work day before the sun even rises. However, it can also serve as a metaphor for how early in their lives slaves are forced into it. The first stanza mentions this wake-up call, and the first slaves that are mentions are the children “being bundled into aprons” (Dove). Children are the first ones the reader pictures in this scene, giving emphasis to them. The children are being readied for the day, whether working themselves or too young and being carried into the fields by their mothers. The latter is an example of the hidden meaning in this poem; even before they can fend for themselves, the children are out in the field, up close and personal with the work. To the ones born to these slave mothers, it’s all they grow up with, all they know. They, too, will be subjected to this “life,” possibly separated from their family and sold off as soon as they’re able to work. This deprives them of any childhood they could have had, separating them from their humanity and painting them as the objects and property slave owners want them to be seen as. The last stanza says, “I weep. It is not yet daylight” (Dove). The very last line points out how the sun has not risen, again using this placement to emphasize the line and therefore the meaning. The narrator is talking about how, despite it being so early, both in the day and in life, they are already subjected to such despair and abuse due to being a slave.
I really liked the ideas you discussed in your post. I especially enjoy your idea that the discussion of morning in the poem is not only a reference to the time of day, but also the young age at which black children are forced into slavery in America during this time period. I also found a few line near the end of the poem to have profound effect of me as the reader. ON the first line of the last stanza, Dove describes the fields as “folding into whiteness” which is an obvious allusion to the cotton fields of the southern United States on which the slaves often labored. Furthermore, on the next line, she says that they “spill like bees” which at first seems like an apt comparison because bees are animals which travel from plant to plant in order to harvest something. However, this is more impactful as this line compares the slaves in the field to animals, which is dehumanizing them to the furthest extent.
In Rita Dove’s poem, “The House Slave” Rita Dove tells the story of two sisters and the horrible conditions they endured as slaves. Rita dove’s poem is structured as a triplet for each stanza creating an organized layout. One sister is forced to work on the fields while the other sister, the narrator, is a house slave. The narrator feels awful for the conditions her sister and many other slaves face. The narrator lays in bed restless, unable to go to bed due to their dreadful working conditions, “I lie on my cot, shivering in the early heat, ” (line 12). She is haunted by the abuse and attacks inflicted by the slave owners on her sister, but lays helpless. Rita Dove also uses similes throughout this poem to show the unfair treatment of the slaves, “while their mistress sleeps like an ivory toothpick” (lines 6). The mistress is compared to an ivory toothpick because of her light skin and the hierarchy of white people during this time period. Ivory is a very in demand, rich material and these characteristics are similar to white women. Also, the comparison with the toothpick is made because she is more fragile and would never have to go through the same suffering that African American women endured as slaves. Further into the poem Rita Dove uses visual imagery, “and as the fields unfold to whiteness” (line 13). The fields are unfolding to whiteness because it is harvest time for cotton. When Rita Dove describes the fields becoming white it accentuates how endless the field slave workers work is. There is so much cotton that it consumes the fields making the fields look white. Another simile is used when describing the field slave workers, “and they spilled like bees among the fat flowers” (line 14). Similar to bees they have to work fast and diligently. Also, the use of the word “spilled” conveys the idea that there is a grand amount of bees.They are packed together, similar to the concept of how many slaves would work on the same farm at once and their packed living conditions. In the last line of the poem the narrator states, “I weep. It is not yet daylight” (line 15). The narrator feels like the days are longer because witnessing and living through slavery is excruciatingly painful. Minutes and hours tick by slowly for all of the slaves and their work feels never ending. Rita Dove’s poem shows the harm slavery caused and it capitalizes on the horrible environment the slaves had to survive.
In Rita Dove’s “Belinda’s Petition”, she uses improper capitalization to create a tone of venerance, before Belinda’s request is made and also to draw attention to certain words. In the first stanza of the poem, the narrator states an address to the members of the United States Bicameral legislature. She refers to the country as “new born”, indicating the time period to be near the days of independence from their English rulers. The narrator also incorrectly capitalizes the word “Country” in the second line. This literary choice not only puts more emphasis on the word when it is being read by the reader, but creates a tone of veneration towards the idea of this institution. We see this same effect being used at the very end of the the first stanza, when Dove capitalizes certain words on the phrase, “Fathers of this Nation”. This continues this tone of veneration and respect as Belinda prepares her audience for the request she is about to make.She goes on to ask for Congress to consider freeing the slaves, citing her primary justification for their need for freedom as. “pure Air being the sole advantage of which I can boast my present Condition.” These lines are saying that the slaves should be freed because they breathe air just like any white man or woman. Dove capitalizes “Binds of Tyranny” to help the reader put a greater emphasis on this phrase, which compares the gaining of independence of America from England to be analogous to freeing the slaves from their “bindings”.
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ReplyDeleteFirst off, Mrs. Ballard, I am very sorry.
Rita Dove’s poem Heroes is an intriguing work that can be interpreted many ways. One possible interpretation could be that the poem is a metaphor for opium addiction, such as heroin. It seems a bit of a stretch, but upon analysis of each line and thinking about the possible meanings, it makes sense. The most prominent part of this poem is the poppy; this is the flower the reader picks, the flower that causes all of this trouble. One of the most common species of poppy, the same species we get edible poppy seeds from, is a source of opium. The poem also immediately points out that the reader is in a “weedy field.” Weeds are seen as useless and hindrances to people. In this poem, the weeds in the field could symbolize the various drugs the reader has gone through in the past, all of which lost their pizazz due to tolerance and are now the equivalent of weeds. Heroin is often one of the major drugs people are led to when chasing their high, with its potency and strong effects. Therefore, it makes sense that the poppy, symbolizing heroin, would be the only promising flower in a field of weeds, the only promising drug in a field of weaker ones that have since lost their effect. When the reader picks the poppy, it starts to wilt, so the reader rushes to find water for it. Some species of poppy are considered to be weeds themselves, so the poppy in this poem is likely becoming just like the plants in the field it was in; shriveled up and useless, unable to get the person high anymore. They’re searching for water to rejuvenate and restore the poppy, to keep it from wilting and dying, to prevent it from losing its effect just like all the others.
Then comes the woman that screams and yells at the reader. Because drug usage tends to draw people into bad crowds of people like them, this woman is in the same position as the reader. She’s dependent on the “poppy” already. People addicted to drugs are desperate to get their next hit just to survive; since the reader stole this poppy from the woman, they stole the drug she needed to get by in life. The poem then says the reader goes “through the motions” when apologizing. This wording implies that the reader has gone through this many times and is used to the “motions,” the steps they take and the words they say in order to get out of this kind of trouble. The words “written history” could be a metaphor for police investigation reports. It then says they’re histories she “won’t live to read.” One interpretation relevant to this topic is very literal. Addicts often suffer from early deaths, and since the woman is so dependent, hers is likely inevitable, so she won’t live to see what is written about her. Another is more figurative, where “live” can be interpreted simply as someone’s way of life. In other words, she wouldn’t care to read them; she’s so far gone in her addiction, she can’t take her mind off the drugs and can’t do anything else.
After this, the reader panics and strikes the woman. This is not surprising, especially since it is common for people in these situations to resort to violence. The suddenness of the strike is likely due to the lack of capacity for the reader to think their actions through, which was already demonstrated by their impulsive picking of the poppy that started all this. This leads to the woman hitting her head on a stone and dying, an unintentional death also not unusual to these circumstances. Many people overdose or accidentally kill others in their drug-induced bouts of violence. The reader then grinds up the stone into gravel and puts it in the jar with the poppy to keep it in place. Addictions are built on misfortune and desperation, and continually hurt others in various ways. The gravel came to be through these circumstances, and is now a foundation for the poppy. The poem also states that the reader takes it in order to hide evidence. Killing someone only gets the reader in more trouble, and is part of this buildup of a negative foundation.
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DeleteThe word “fugitive” has obvious meaning. Being this involved with drugs is enough to get someone in trouble with the law, let alone killing someone. The village mentioned in the poem symbolizes word spreading within the community, then to the law, which is why the reader is fleeing. The final lines of the poem are some of the strongest. “O why did you pick that idiot flower? Because it was the last one, and you knew it was going to die.” The reader questions their decision to pick it in the beginning. The question is somewhat rhetorical, since from an outside perspective, it’s obvious that the flower was not worth all of this. Even the reader, the addict, was aware of this deep down. They knew the poppy would lose its effect on them, illustrated by the phrase “you knew it was going to die.” The reader was also aware that this was one of the last drugs they could turn to, the last resort they had, and that when the poppy inevitably lost its effect they would be left with nothing but a trail of troubles and possibly their own death.
Lastly, changing the last two letters in "Heroes" gives you "Heroin."
Don't do drugs, kids.
Interesting interpretations… when I read this myself initially I didn’t know at all what to think of it. You’re correct that this does seem to fit pretty well with the poem. However, Heroes to Heroin? Why would Rita Dove want to disguise the title like that? Also in relation to the part where the women hits her head on the stone, did she really die? It never actually states that she died, just that she hit her head. She could very well just be unconscious. Another thing is that this poem is in the category of “Mother Love” while this interpretation of a message about Heroin never talks about a link to this. I think these ideas are cool, but I really do think it’s a stretch...
DeleteHi Anika,
DeleteI also chose the poem Heros, but I focused a bit more on the situation in terms of Greek mythology. I totally agree with your bit about the opium, as it does play a huge part in this poem. I didnt really think of the opium as the reason the lady dies, and I think that is a really interesting point to bring up. This could be seen as more of a modern-day mother daughter relationship, in this case, mostly the mother. A question I would have for you is, poppy in Greek mythology was often seen as an offering to the dead. I was wondering, does this change any opinion or idea you have of the poem already?
Rita Dove’s poem “Primer” is about a girl who gets bullied in sixth grade. She is, of course, bullied about trivial matters, how she is thin and smart, as is the way with human beings, seeking out differences. The Gatlin kids are envious of her smarts and so they pick on her. The girl is chased home and obviously is fearful of them because she refrains from retorting against their hurtful comments out of fear of being beat up. But then the girls mom drives up, goes to the Gatlin kids and “shakes them down to size.” This could means a couple of things: possibly physically shaking the kids to stop their abuse of the girl or metaphorically reducing their ego. This could mean the mom talks to the Gatlin kids and causes them to realize that they aren't really as big and cool as they think. Interestingly, when the mom of the girl arrives the girl states: “my five foot zero mother.” This could signify that the girl is very aware of appearances and is very sensitive about it, she also shows this earlier with: “I knew my body was no big deal.” After the arrival of the mother, the girl refuses to get in the car with her and takes the long way home. This poem ends with: “I’d show them all: I would grow up.” The girl is quite sensitive of her image and how others see her. The growing up piece once again falls into the category of image while the showing them tells of her will to face the bullies on her own. I think this poem is named “Primer” because the girl is becoming primed for a big change in the future. It could be for the better of worse, but the girl is preparing to “show” the Gatlin kids whether that be by becoming a bully herself or simply being able to fight off the bullies.
ReplyDeleteYou had many interesting interpretations. The idea of self image and insecurity reminded me a lot of our psychology class, where we read about experiments done in France and the US surveying and observing young men and women. The questionnaires were centered around gender identity and self image, and the results were quite interesting. In France both the men and women seemed to put much less importance in their body image and the way they looked, they were much more accepting of their appearance, compared to the women in the US, who put body image and appearance at the top of their list in terms of priority. These results say a lot about our country and the standards that are set, which relates to back to the poem stating why so many girls are getting bullied for their appearance, and why young women all over the place are constantly trying to find the “perfect” looks, which many of them will never find.
DeleteI definitely agree with you on the fact that the phrase, “I’d show them all: I would grow up.” is said towards the bullies. However, I’d like to argue that the statement was also directed towards another character: the speaker’s mom. When Dove writes, “ Nothing could get me into that car. I took the long way home”, the speaker refuses to get inside the car and takes the long way home. This expresses the speaker’s shame towards not only his powerlessness against bullies but also towards the fact that she has to rely on her mother for help. Thus, the last line is stated not only towards the bullies but also towards the mother to “show them all” that she will become stronger.
Delete(My first one was mostly a joke that got out of hand and I also really like this other poem, so.)
ReplyDeleteThe Narcissus Flower is very obviously about Persephone’s fall into the Underworld. It’s made apparent by the choice of flower, the description of falling into “the earth unzipped,” and the mention of becoming a queen. However, it can be related to issues women face today. The poem can be a metaphor for the dangers they face and how strong women must be in order to survive, especially when it comes to sexual harassment and, more extremely, violence. The first part of the poem talks about the narrator being a “frightened bird,” how many women are portrayed in situations such as these, and often how they themselves feel. The line “Nothing could chasten the plunge” is about the sad inevitability of these experiences. They’re so common and so ingrained in society, almost every woman experiences something like this at some point in life, perhaps without even realizing that it’s wrong and shouldn’t be happening. She may think that’s just how the world works, that’s just how people are, that it’s normal interaction. When women do realize they should not be complacent with these issues, they are also faced with the fact of how widespread it is and how they can’t escape. The best they can do is try to change it for the future. The phrase “This man adamant as a knife” is clearly a metaphor for the men in the equation. The perpetrators are known for pressuring women into doing things, not taking “no” for an answer and even resorting to violence to get them to submit. The poem then goes “I found myself at the center of a calm so pure, it was hate.” The calm is how much she’s accepted it and how unsurprised she is by such incidents. These help her realize that this culture something that needs to be fought against, which is the “hate” part of it. The lines “you can eat fear before fear eats you” is talking about this resolve to fight back, to take a preemptive strike and try to minimize the dangers before others are subjected to it. Fear is also one of the reasons women are victims of these incidents, especially in cases of coercion, since they are afraid of the consequences if they don’t go along with it; without this fear, or when trying to overcome it, they can become much braver and stand up for themselves. The final part of the poem says “you can live beyond dying and become a queen whom nothing surprises.” The jadedness mentioned before with the calm is apparent here, too, with the words “whom nothing surprises.” The mention of becoming a queen and living beyond death is a symbol of the power women can take for themselves, the power to change things for the better as long as they try, and sometimes, to give up their fears of consequences for the good of others after them.
Addendum: This issue is one that many parents worry about, most definitely mothers since they understand the dangers and have likely been through it themselves, or know someone who has. The knowledge and attitude women have about it can be passed down to their daughters, whether it's how to protect themselves or how to fight back, which ties into the theme of "Mother Love" other than the obvious Persephone/Demeter theme.
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ReplyDeleteRita Dove’s poem “Mother Love” has a very warm and comforting tone to it, as the reader it reminded me much of my mother and the love she has for me. Reading through it I felt almost as though my mother was right there next to me, consoling me like when I was a child. In the first stanza Dove writes, “Any woman knows the remedy for grief is being needed… bare the nipple or tuck in the sheet, heat milk and hum at bedside…” (Dove). This quote is quite relevant to mine and many other people’s lives, it seems as though in any rough spot you’re in, mother will always know the perfect remedy to help you, whether your problem is physical sickness or mental grief. Immediately when I read through this poem I was reminded of one of my favorite songs by Pink Floyd, “Mother”. In the song, lead singer Roger Waters writes, “Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing/She won't let you fly but she might let you sing/Mama's gonna keep baby cosy and warm.” The attitude of this song mirrors that of the poem, it fills the listener with the same feeling of love and comfort that Rita Dove’s poem gives you. However, both the story and the song could be taken in the opposite direction that it would seem from the surface of the text. There is also a more negative connotation in the text, of mothers and their ability to not only comfort a child but perhaps also coddle and over protect one. This happens very commonly for a lot of children who can relate that felt restricted by their mother, having many of their freedoms taken. It’s interesting to see which way the lyrics and text are interpreted by different people, most likely depending on their own personal experiences from their childhoods.
ReplyDeleteI definitely got this feeling from the poem, too. I also agree with what you say about the negative connotations, of the mother being overprotective and coddle them too much. The second part of the poem seems like a metaphor for this, when Dove says she "decided to save him" then proceeds to describe how she killed him, cooking him in a literal sense in the poem. It reminds me of a mercy killing, since the male child seemed unwanted, which could represent this overprotectiveness. Mothers can care so much for their children that they go way too far to keep them safe, away from any possible dangers in the world, and as morbid and horrible as it is, some people see death as one of these "escapes" from reality. It could also represent killing the child emotionally or mentally, or killing their returned love for the mother, due to how confined and sheltered they are and how little they end up knowing about the world and themselves. Kids in situations such as this often engage in rebellious and risky behavior just to spite their parents, or they feel they have to take these risks just to experience life without parents interfering.
DeleteRita Dove’s poem Heros is about a man who picks a flower out of a field that belongs to a woman. The woman becomes furious, even though the man apologizes for his actions, and is eventually killed by the man. The “hero” runs away, knowing he has done bad things, and all for this poppy flower. He realizes in the end that he thought he could save the flower, because it was “going to die.” In this poem, there are significances throughout the poem. First, each stanza has three lines, so this increases the importance of the last line, which is only one line long. Poem is read in second person, so the narrator is addressing the “hero” and seems to be in present tense, as if the narrator is right there with him. Based on the poem as a whole, and the fact that it ties into Greek Mythology, we can infer that the main hero is Hades. Therefore, this means that the flower would represent Persephone, and the woman is Demeter. There are several plant imageries used in this poem. First, “the flower in the weedy field,” hints that this flower stands out because of its beauty. “Make it a poppy,” suggests that the flower is also a symbol of opium, a narcotic drug, which was used in offerings to the dead in Greek mythology; this only reinforces the idea that this is Hades. When the woman refers to the miserable garden, this is symbolic of her life, and how, even though her life has been ruined, this one flower (Persephone) is the light of her life, and the hero (Hades) cannot just take her away. Lastly, Hades calls the poppy an “idiot flower.” This is not meant to be insulting to Persephone, but rather a silent curse (I have picked you because I love you, but you bear me with curses). There was strange phrasing, “juicy spot in written history,” which could entail that Hades will commend Demeter for her contribution to him, and thus, will be rewarded. The color imagery of the poem, refers to the white boulder Demeter hit her head on as she was struck down. This white can be symbolic of the innocence of Demeter in this situation, and the innocence of this event, which got taken way out of proportion. A metaphor in this poem is, “your heart pounds into your throat,” suggesting that the hero has realized what he has done, and adrenaline is rushing. This could also be a side effect of the opium, which could translate into a side effect for falling in love with Persephone. Lastly, the death of the flower, is a metaphor for Persephone being smothered by her mother, and her death means that she is simply miserable. Hades believes, then, that he is rescuing Persephone from a contorted and held back adult life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of this poem and I too also noticed this poem's relation to the Greek Mythology story of Persephone. I also recognized many comparable traits between many of the characters as well.Your discussion of plant imagery was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. I totally agreed with the women’s reference to her miserable garden and how the poppy was one of her most important items. This plant imagery accentuated the connections between Persephone's story and this poem. Both Demeter and the women lost their most prized possessions, Persephone and the flower. I also, noticed a second person viewpoint being used throughout this poem and I found this quality very interesting. The second person viewpoint seemed to put the reader in the shoes of the person who picked the flower. The use of second person writing was very different compared to her other poems in this collection, but intriguing.
DeleteI really like your connection between "Heroes", and the greek mythological tale about Persephone and Demeter. I agree without the idea that they poem is drawing a parallel to the bond between a mother and daughter, but I don’t think it this case Dove is referencing the tale here. I feel that this is a more direct connection to the intrinsic bond a mother feels towards her daughter, as shown by the protagonist’s coddling and protective behavior towards the flower. Although Dove using the Persephone and Demeter in many of her poems, I fail to see the direct connection in this poem. You supported this point by citing that opium, a derivative product of poppy, was used in offerings to Hades, but I viewed this symbol as more of a connection to the modern day drug of heroin, which is highly addictive. Similar to the addictive properties of heroin, the connection a mother feels towards her daughter has the same sort of bond which is very tough to break once it is established.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “The Narcissus Flower”, Persephone is learning to become something after the trauma of being kidnapped. Dove writes of falling and dying, then living further. She begins the poem with, “I remember my foot in its frivolous slipper, a frightened bird”. This is the start of Persephone’s descent into the underworld. A frightened animal might bolt and make a person fall, but a bird would fly and make a person more helpless in this way, similar to how Persephone was taken to the underworld but couldn’t really fight it. Later, Dove writes, “. . . not the earth unzipped but the way I could see my own fingers and hear myself scream as the blossom incinerated”. In this portion, it is as if Persephone explains that she could see exactly what was happening, that she had no misunderstanding of Hades taking her, that there was no delayed pain about being taken. The blossom incinerating is both a symbol for Demeter’s rage burning and a symbol for Persephone’s trauma of being kidnapped. Dove uses the metaphor of Persephone screaming as the blossom incinerated to create a tone of pain and imbue the reader with a sense of discomfort. Dove writes of falling and Hades using Persephone, and writes, “... I found myself at the center of a calm so pure, it was hate”. The fact that Persephone is calm through being kidnapped and hearing herself screaming makes the reader uncomfortable because it’s not normal to most people for someone to be kidnapped and it is even more unusual for them to be calmly watching as it seems Persephone is. Throughout the poem, up to the point of a knife easing into a crevice, the reader questions Persephone for just idly standing by. That question of how Persephone does so is answered when Dove writes that Persephone was so furious she was calm, and when Dove writes that “the mystery is, you can eat fear before fear eats you...”. Persephone knew that she could do nothing, and was able to not panic because she understood her situation. The concept of not being able to help and having to move past is further reflected in the title of the poem “The Narcissus Flower”. Narcissus found his reflection so beautiful he could not look away and eventually died of self attraction, and flowers are beautiful and naturally have a relatively short lifespan. Persephone’s terror is like either because the reader cannot look away. To Persephone, who realizes she herself is helpless, the kidnapping is like a Narcissus flower because she cannot ignore the reality but to despair at the pain will not help. At the end of her poem, Dove writes that, “you can live beyond dying- and become a queen whom nothing surprises”. The use of dying is a double meaning in that Persephone lives in the underworld, the realm of the dead, and Persephone lives past the trauma of being kidnapped. Dove uses Persephone’s recovery to becoming a queen as a lesson to the reader that bad situations can destroy a person but one can also come out stronger. Dove emphasizes this point when she writes that “you can live beyond dying”. This creates a feeling of strength and ability within the reader because it puts the point simply as if it is achievable.
ReplyDeleteDove teaches the importance being able to stay calm to the reader because it is important throughout life to understand that things like panicking don’t help. Although they are not always preventable, of course, it is important to be able to control one’s mind to an extent. Stress can’t be managed completely but letting it run rampant and control one’s actions can be prevented to an extent. The first time a person falls out of a kayak or raft into the cool water of a river is often startling or surprising in some way and opens one’s eyes to why people normally panic in such a situation. However, it also offers the opportunity to take control of a situation that cannot always be prevented, much like how Demeter was unable to prevent Hades from kidnapping in this telling of the classic myth.
~Apologizes ahead of time for length of idea and its boring quality from being drawn out excessively..
The poem “Demeter, Waiting” by Rita Dove illustrates the feelings of a mother towards her daughter. In this poem, a woman speaker is upset about the disappearance of someone that is important to her. Judging from the title of this poem, the story is an allusion based on the mythology of Persephone, with the speaker as Demeter, who is Persephone’s mother. In this myth, Persephone gets kidnapped by an underworld God named Hades. Demeter hears the screams of her daughter but unfortunately was too far to save her. Although she looked all around the world, Persephone was nowhere to be found. The disappearance of her daughter angered her to the point where she declared that she will not allow anything to grow until she sees her daughter. In the second stanza, Dove uses angry diction to express Demeter’s feeling. For example, when she writes, “I will wail and thrash until the whole goddamned golden panorama freezes over”, the inclusion of the word “goddamned” sets a tone of rage. This tone helps convey to the readers Demeter’s upsetness and enragement about her daughter’s disappearance, illustrating her intense love towards her daughter. Subsequently, the mother-daughter connection is further conveyed through Dove’s use of a run-on. For example, in the second stanza, Dove makes the phrase, “I will not bear in” included in two lines, in which “it” is moved to the next line. This is present for the whole second stanza, in which each line has a phrase that is ran over to the next line. These are called enjambments. When this poetic tool is used, readers cannot comfortably finish reading a line, because the phrase still continues to the next line. Dove uses enjambment for all 8 lines in the second stanza, so that the readers will have to remember the information obtained in each line in reading this stanza. Because the tone of anger is present throughout the whole second stanza, using enjambment to force the readers into putting all of the information together helps Dove into further conveying the mother’s feelings. In this poem, Rita Dove's incorporation of mythology and her use tone of enragement and enjambment illustrate a mother’s powerful feeling of love towards her daughter.
ReplyDeleteRita Dove’s poem, “Breakfast of Champions”, shows Demeter’s emotions and lifestyle as Persephone is taken into the underworld. After being captured by Hades, Persephone is forced to live with Hades in the underworld every year for six months. During this time period Demeter is filled with a great amount of sadness because she misses and worries about her daughter. Demeter is very distraught and Rita Dove uses weather to symbolize and portray these emotions. Rita Dove sets the weather to be overcast which is often connoted with feelings of dullness and grief. The weather helps portray the emotions of demeter. In the beginning of the poem Demeter is extremely sad and is mourning over the absence of her daughter. Quickly she reminiscences about her previous time with her daughter during the seasons of spring and summer, “worked my way through petals and sunlight” (line 2). Petals and sunlight are both very big aspects of spring. They’re both objects that are connected with happy ideas or memories and in this case her time with Persephone. Demeter doesn’t know how to be happy without the presence of her daughter and is very distraught, “I’ll dive into a grateful martini tonight”(line 5). Rita Dove mentions the martini to show Demeter’s need to feel numb and down her feelings with alcohol. “Breakfast of Champions” is written in an Italian Sonnet style by Rita Dove . This shows Demeter’s feelings in the beginning of the poem and her attempts on recovery in the sestet. Later in the poem, Demeter attempts to move on from her prior feelings. Demeter is trying to start fresh and recover from her distress. The canadian geese honking and pulling out of the mist symbolizes her attempt to escape her sadness. In the poem newly improved feelings are shown when Rita Dove mentions a “sonic hospital graph announcing recovery” (line 11-12). The use of the word recovery is important in this line because Demeter is trying to move on. Rita Dove mentions recovery in relation to sonic hospital graphs because sonic graphs are connected to childbirth. Also in line twelve the poem states, “Arise, it’s a brand new morning!”. After reading this part of the poem my mind immediately thought of awakening and having a fresh new start. Although it’s evident that Demeter is trying to change throughout the poem it becomes clear how upset Demeter still is and how affected she is by the absence of Persephone. In the last line of the poem Demeter is adding stones to her chaff. She still feels upset about losing her daughter and feels it in the pit of her chest. The poem represents Demeter’s life and struggles while Persephone is kept in the underworld.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about Dove's Italian Sonnet style, and the meaning you came up with behind the Canadian geese; they were interpretations I hadn't thought of in my analysis. Though something I noted in addition about the petals and sunlight, and Demeter's chaff, is how not only are Persephone and Demeter together in the spring, with the happy connotations surrounding flowers blooming, but Persephone is also the goddess of Springtime, and so the flowers will bloom in her mere presence when she is on earth. Therefore flowers and sunshine not only symbolize Demeter's memory of time spent with her daughter, but of the characteristics of her daughter herself. I also noted how with the mention of Demeter's chaff, and a chaff being a husk of grain and grasses, that this symbolized how Demeter not only felt a heavy weight from her daughter's absence, but that with Demeter being the goddess of corn, grain and harvest, the loss of Persephone makes the responsibility of the harvests she grants, too great a burden. This being overall why whenever Persephone leaves, Demeter abandons her duties and lets the earth turn cold and the crops die.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, "Heroes", she uses the story to demonstrate the unavoidable love a mother feels for her daughter. In this poem, the protagonist stumbles upon a poppy flower in a field of weeds.They pluck the flower and go to a nearby house to ask for water, however when they get there, they discover the flower belong to an old woman who so dearly adored it. The protagonist furiously tries to apologize to the women, but finds no success. Feeling that they have no other option, they shove the woman into a white stone, which accidently kills her. The protagonist feels they are in a position where the only option is to flee, so they steal a glass jar with some water and use the broken pieces of the murder weapon to prop the flower up. They blame the flower for this terrible mishap, but in their hearts know that the flower was too important to be left behind.
ReplyDeleteAfter an initial reader, a subtle connection between the events of the story and the connection a mother feels toward her daughter is noticeable. A secondary reading solidifies this belief as Dove uses many plot devices the create parallels between these two different but related situation. First, the author uses the environment of the poppy to show that it is special and resilient by showing it in a field of weeds all by itself. This is not too far off from the biased view that mothers have towards their children, thinking that their child is strong and one of a kind. When The protagonist's profuse apologies are representative of how a parent often must take responsibility for the action of their children. However not all apologies are accepted as the protagonist pushes the old woman, in a fit of anger, indirectly killing her with a white stone. The white stone is rather ironic considering that this darkest of crimes was committed by a rock bearing the color of innocence. The use of the color white on the rock, is also another connection to a fighter, because children are often recognized as a symbol of innocence. Dove also used the rock pieces in the jar to symbolizes the direct connection between the crime committed and the child through their physical contact in the jar. This means that as long as the protagonist has the flower, they will be directly related to the murder. Near the end of them poem, frustration is expressed as the protagonist is annoyed that they have found themselves in this situation, and blame the flower. However, upon further introspection they find that they believe what they did was necessary because the flower needed them. This relationship on how a daughter is extremely reliant on their parents, and the parent must acknowledge this even when it creates unwanted situations. In all, Dove uses various plot devices to illustrate the similar relationships between the protagonist and the flower, and the connection between a mother and her daughter.
In Rita Dove’s sonnet “Exit”, she uses a variety of figurative language, repetition and color connotations to convey the heartbreak felt by Persephone, in going off to Hades and leaving her mother, Demeter. The phrase of how a reprieve has been granted is repeated, in order to emphasize how Persephone’s punishment, being her life lived with Hades, is postponed when she gets to go back to her mother six or so months out of the year. The line “provisionally”- a fretful word”, elicits the dread Persephone feels at inevitably returning to Hades, onto the reader. The hyperbole “this suitcase, the saddest object in the world” also brings on this emotion, as Persephone’s overwhelming miserable state is being is projected onto the objects around her. The colors of blush in the sky and pink in the windows, creates a tone through the connotations surrounding these colors that Persephone is happiest when free from the gray taxi, as a bird is outside of windows, in the pink sky. Persephone longs for a permanent freedom from Hades and the underworld, not only the break she gets every few months. The last stanza of this poem speaks of Persephone’s blush when her mother told her what it takes to be a woman, referring to how she’s now forced to give her “womanhood” to Hades for every corresponding winter. A statement regarding the relationship between mothers and daughters, is not specifically made here, as Persephone longs more to escape from Hades than she longs for her mother. This poem strays somewhat from the original Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter, in how it’s taking place in modern times outside the realm of the Greek gods, with an average grey taxi instead of Hades’ black carriage taking Persephone away.
ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem Canary, Dove uses metaphors and second person narration to express the pain and talent Billy Holiday possessed. The poem as a whole consists of four stanzas, with the first and third being in third person, while the second and fourth are in second person. This helps either a) tell a story/biography of Billie Holiday, or b) get a message/side note across. Throughout the poem, metaphors are being used, which enhance the storyline. Her “burned voice,” hints at a voice that is fiery and passionate, or it can refer to a voice altered by smoking. “Bracelet of song,” can also have different interpretations. One is that this bracelet of song represents a hobby that Holiday can remove whenever she wants. Music is who she is, but she can also escaped it and live a normal life. However, because we know of her drug problem, we can say that this bracelet is a chain to music, and is holding her back from leading a healthy and happy life. Sharpen love, while also an oxymoron, poses the idea that Holiday has become cold and strict. Love is interpreted of being soft, so by sharpening it, you are manipulating love. “Service of myth” speaks out about a stereotype that women have to look good on the outside, even when they are not fine on the inside. This ties to the previous metaphor that a woman does not want to look soft on the outside, so she must become cold and distant when it comes to dealing with pain. Lastly, “be a mystery,” while not necessarily a metaphor, does have another meaning. Because a woman such as Holiday is cold and distant, she must keep her secrets to herself, so that no one will know of her demons. This ties into the simile, “as many shadows as lights,” referring to how no matter how much happiness she claimed to have (at concerts or with family) she had just as many demons following her. Lastly, I want to discuss the point of using parentheticals. In this poem, Dove illuminates on Holiday’s drug problem. All of this is in reference to her use of heroin, such as “Now you’re cooking...magic spoon, magic needle.” This is more personal information, but it helps the reader determine the more inner life of Holiday. This shows more her use of heroin, than her life as a star. Lastly, it also says within the parentheses, “Take all day if you have to with your mirror…” The reference to the mirror is referring to what most heroin users take heroin off of. Overall, the use of the metaphors and parenthetical help establish a base of understanding and empathy for Billie Holiday and we both admire her success, but mourn her flaws.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the poem made the readers feel both empathy and pity towards Billie Holiday. However, I had a different interpretation as to how Rita Dove conveyed this feeling to the readers. For example, in the line, “had as many shadows as lights”, I didn’t think that Dove alluded to demons but wrote the phrase to convey that under Holiday’s joyful singing lied her sorrow. This interpretation is backed by the phrase, “the gardenia her signature under that ruined face”. Here, Dove is juxtaposing a gardenia with Holiday’s face. A gardenia is a pretty white flower that Holiday frequently puts on her head. Through this juxtaposition, Dove conveys to the readers that under the beautiful-looking gardenia lies Holiday’s physically worn out face from her use of drugs.
DeleteI liked the connection you made from the poem to your IOP, I believe that the change of point of views could help enhance the biography of Billie Holiday (in the more literal way of viewing it), but also help get a message across to the reader. It caught me off guard when I first read it, and I think that switching to 2nd person helps place importance on the idea of women and the struggles they undertake, especially in the period that Holiday lived in. I also liked your interpretation of the “bracelet of song” worn by Holiday, and the connection to her drug problem. It very well could be that the music and fame is what’s causing her to have these addictions, and as long as she wears that “bracelet”, she will always be bound to it.
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DeleteI also agree with your interpretations of the poem in relation to Billie Holiday's use of drugs. I especially liked when you talked about Rita Dove’s use of parenthesis to help the reader see and witness her use of heroin. The second person narration allows the reader to come to an understanding of what Billie Holiday was going through and to be put into her footsteps. Also, In the beginning when you mentioned her “burned voice” I interpreted it as representing her use of drugs. In addition I personally believed that her “burned voice” could mean that she was worn out and damaged. Than in the next line it stated that her voice “had as many shadows as lights” (line 2). This line means that there was both good and the bad aspects of Billie Holiday. So I do agree that either one of your interpretations of the line “burned voice” could arguably be about her passion or use of drugs.
In her poem, “Tou Wan Speaks to Her Husband, Liu Sheng”, Rita Dove uses visual and olfactory imagery to scrupulously portray the tomb of Liu Sheng, which illustrates the feelings of love of his wife, Tou Wan. Firstly, when Dove writes in stanza one, “ I will build you a house”, the “I”, is alluding to Tou, and the house symbolizes the tomb that she is building for her husband. In the second stanza, Dove uses visual imagery to describe the “south room”, which is alluding to the south-side chamber in the tomb. When she writes,”you will need for the journey--- a chariot, a dozen horses”, journey is most likely referring to his life after his death. In addition, notice how Tou, the speaker, is placing chariots and horses in the chamber so that her husband will be ready for his “journey”. This act of nurture is also evident in the third stanza, where she places “a figurine household poised in servitude”, so that Sheng will have servants in his afterlife. The fact that she tries to take care of her husband even after his dead illustrates her expression of love. Next, Dove writes in the next stanza, “Here when the stench of your own diminishing drives you to air... here an incense burner”. Here, the author uses olfactory imagery to arouse the reader’s sense of smell, which effectively illustrates the stench of Sheng’s corpse. Knowing that Sheng’s corpse will produce bad smell, Tou in this stanza prepared an incense burner to relieve that odor. This act of care is further illustrated in the next 2 stanzas, in which Tou prepares a lamp in case “darkness oppresses” and got “two thousand jade wafers with gold thread” on Sheng’s body so that he can maintain his aristocratic appearance. Although her husband is dead, Tou prudently builds a tomb for him as if he will perpetually live there after his death. This care for her husband illustrates to the readers her intense love. In “Tou Wan Speaks to Her Husband, Liu Sheng”, Rita Dove uses olfactory and visual imagery to describe the tomb built by Tou Wan for her husband Liu Sheng, which is conveyed to the readers as her expression of love.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you mentioned the imagery that played a part in showing Tou Wan's love for her husband. Something I noticed that led me to a slightly different conclusion was the use of parenthetical. Rita Dove used these to create a side note, but in doing so, she showed more of the negatives to Tou Wan and her husband's marriage. The first side note mentions how when Liu Sheng is disgusted of his own stench, he will try and surface for air. Tou Wan then mentions how there wont be any. This struck me as odd for something a wife that cared so deeply about her husband to say, as it doesn't give off a warm vibe, and instead creates a negative tone. It appears as if she is mocking him even in his death. Secondly, I noticed how the other side note mentions more of a personal marital problem between the two. Tou Wan mentions how she will place a statue of a palace girl he "most frequently coveted" into his tomb. I am not sure if she is referring to herself, but if she is not, then this means that her husband had at least this affair. In this side note, Tou Wan then tells her husband that she knows of this, and further more mocks him by saying she will give him a statue of the girl. I did, though, really like your examples you provided to prove that Tou Wan did care about her husband, and spent a great deal of time preparing his burial.
DeleteI also noticed the negative parts Caitlyn pointed out. The poem, to me, seems to illustrate both the positive and negative sides to marriage. While couples don't all experience the same hardships described in the poem, they all face some conflict at some point, and it may never be resolved. This adds a more realistic, relatable tone to the poem, especially since it deals with death, which has negative connotations yet is something everyone will experience. There is also the fact that Tou Wan and Liu Sheng were nobility, which implies that Tou Wan's building of the intricate tomb was more out of obligation than love. The way Dove uses the terms "my only conquerer" and "my constant emperor" have a feeling of bitterness and spite to them rather than affection. The word choice in these names illustrate Tou Wan's role as the submissive wife, since the terms come off as dominant and overbearing, further adding to the negative impression the reader gets about their relationship.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “Sonnet in Primary Colors”, Dove writes about the different artworks of Frida Kahlo. Dove, who makes it unmistakable by putting the word “sonnet” in the title, puts together a 14 line poem celebrating the different pieces done by Kahlo. The diction used by Dove is very important to this poem, as her word choice is what connects the poem to the title, a “Sonnet in Primary Colors”. Primary colors is what I’m going to be looking at through Dove’s language and diction. In the first line, Dove strays us from the idea of primary colors, by looking first at the “black wing” over a woman’s eyes, which I interpreted as the black unibrow on the women that appears in all of Kahlo’s paintings. I thought it was strange to call the title “Primary Colors” (which happen to be red, blue, and yellow), and then immediately start to talk about the color black. However, later in the poem Dove throws a load of colorful imagery at the reader, which helps support the title name. Most notable are the words “parrots”, “wildflower”, “butterflies”, and the two uses of “rose”. All those words listed belong to the description of different paintings by Kahlo, and are all things closely associated with color, especially the three primary colors. This colorful imagery paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of the paintings Frida Kahlo, without even needing a visual. What I found curious however is that once, I researched Kahlo and looked at many of her paintings, the primary colors are not what are emphasised at all. Primary colors usually give the notion of light and happiness, but in her paintings there is a very dark tone to them. In almost all her works she leans heavily on dull shades of brown and green and occasionally red, more natural colors. Her paintings don’t seem to connect to the poem until Dove starts to write about more dark things like “skulls”, and the “Beloved Dead”, whom happen to be Russians Lenin, Marx, and Stalin in this poem’s case.
ReplyDeleteYou said that this poem talked of primary colors and actually made Frida and her paintings seem upbeat until the mention of the dead. However when I read this I actually found it to be quite sad and depressing throughout. I saw this when I read the “stern petticoats of the peasant[.]” With the word “stern” I felt that she was quite serious and the fact that she was described as a “peasant” I believe makes her life seem much more downbeat. Then it moves on to say “Each night she lay down in pain” implying a strenuous and stressful lifestyle. Then of course it comes into the “Beloved Dead” and the “skull.” However, the paintings are described as quite elegant and beautiful such as with “wildflowers entwining the plaster corset[.]” I therefore believe that Rita Dove thinks of Frida’s paintings as quite pretty while describing Frida and her life as depressing.
DeleteI think you made some excellent points talking about the connection between the colors in the poem and the colors in Frida Kahlo’s paintings. However, I think that Rita Dove’s use of a black when referring to her eyebrow, does a relation the the “Primary Colors” mentioned in the the title
Deleteof the poem. The three primary colors are the basis for all other colors; their combinations able to create all the other colors. However, if all three primary colors are able to mix together, they form a dark brown that eventually will become black. This means that although her works often feature more natural tones, they still have more color than meets the eye. I think that this combination of colors reveals that black is perhaps the most colorful of shades, and is used to show that although her life was indeed sullen and abject, that she was able to communicate happiness through her artwork.Through this process we can see that the primary colors are indeed related to Kahlo’s distinct brow.
Loren,
ReplyDeleteGood point on the idea that there is a little of both in this poem--there is the cheerful image that the colors evoke (good ideas on that, Jared!!), but there is some sadness as well... her life was definitely not a picnic. We'll talk about that more in class!
Ms. Ballard
In Catherine of Siena, Dove portrays the Catherine’s determination towards her devotion to God and her desire to follow her own path. She was very rebellious when it came to what her family wanted her to do, but a very devout Catholic saint and was eventually named one of the six patron saints of Europe. The first two lines say, “You walked the length of Italy to find someone to talk to” (Dove). Catherine’s family did not want her to wander and be so separated from them, but Catherine did so anyway. Not only did she demonstrate her desire to be independent from them, she demonstrated her devotion by going on these journeys to spread her religious views and ideas. The phrase “length of Italy” portrays the determination she had towards both of these, since the reader can picture it as a very far distance, a very difficult path for her to follow. Then there’s the last two lines, “No one stumbled across your path. No one unpried your fists as you slept.” The first line is about how Catherine didn’t let anything or anyone get in her way, a trait she had her entire life. “Stumble” is usually used when the action is unintentional, which could symbolize how any obstacles in Catherine’s path could have been coincidence or simply bad luck, rather than someone actively trying to stop her. In a way, these obstacles would be more difficult to overcome, since there may be no specific cause or obvious way around it. This is another testament to Catherine’s determination towards her personal beliefs and goals. The second line mentions fists, an image that conveys resolve and bravery. It mentions that Catherine held her hands in fists in her sleep. Her resolve was always with her even when she was at her most vulnerable, and despite this vulnerability at times, no one could overcome her strength.
ReplyDeleteRita Dove’s poem “Catherine of Siena” talks about prayer, more specifically unanswered prayer. 2nd person is used in this poem in order to make it more relatable and personal to the reader. Firstly it is established that you are looking for someone in Italy, but you can’t seem to find them! This is very important to you and so you “struck the boulder at the roadside[.]” This refers to the biblical miracle where moses struck a stone in the desert and water burst forth from it to provide water to his thirsting people, an excellent example of an astonishing miracle. So to say that you strike a stone may simply be metaphorical for you seeking out a miracle. But you don’t get one! You cry and “you prayed until tears streaked the sky.” No one comes! Your prayers are unanswered! You are in total despair and nothing can be done! And so this poem tells that sometimes you never get what you ask for, things don’t go the way you really hoped they would. You can’t expect this, as it is portrayed directly to the reader with 2nd person, sometimes bad things happen, tragedy strikes. Unfortunately, you can’t do anything about it. All we can do is be aware that this is the truth.
ReplyDeleteOk, I literally had this page open before Anika's post and posted this only 6 minutes after Anika and when I posted this and the page refreshed I JUST saw her post.
DeleteIt's fine! It can be about the same poem, just not the same topic/idea.
DeleteIn the poem “Sonnet in Primary Colors”, Rita Dove expresses the life of Frida Kahlo and the person she was from the perspective of an admirer. Frida Kahlo writes her poem in a third person narration and uses positive diction like, “lovely”, “petticoats”, “Wildflowers”, and many others . All of these words make the reader think of happy thoughts and positive connotations when describing the magnificent Frida Kahlo . The narrator describes Kahlo as, “erect among parrots” (lines 2-3). Parrots are very colorful, eye catching, beautiful creatures and in the narrator’s mind Frida Kahlo has similar attributes. A plaster corset is also mentioned in the poem because Frida Kahlo was in a terrible accident damaging many parts of her body and at a young age she was diagnosed with polio. Always having to wear a brace in the poem Rita Dove makes it entwined with wildflowers, a thing of beauty. In the second part of the poem, Frida Kahlo’s dark, anxiety filled life is shown through similes, negative connotations, and diction. Frida Kahlo’s life was very problematic and inconsistent. In the poem Rita Dove writes, “She lay down in pain and rose to her celluloid butterflies of her Beloved Dead” (Lines 8-9). Frida Kahlo could never be relaxed because her thoughts and ideas were constantly buzzing around in her head. Similar to when people get butterflies in their stomach’s Frida Kahlo would feel this way a lot. Also, In the next line it mentions her love for Lenin, Marx, and Stalin. They were all very important men in communism, a belief and concept that Kahlo strongly believed in. Communism as well as her relationship with Diego were topics that Frida Kahlo constantly made art based off of. Also, Rita Dove uses the simile, “the hundred dogs panting like children along the graveled walks of the garden” (lines 10-11) to emphasis the anxiety and excitement these ideas caused Frida Kahlo. A dog’s pant can mean that their stressed or that their really excited. The need for Kahlo to get her ideas and feelings across through her art was at times stressful, but something she enjoyed doing. Also, Frida Kahlo’s relationship with Diego Rivera was very unstable, but passionate. Their relationship had many problem, but very strong with emotions. In the last few lines the poem says “Diego’s love a skull in the circular window of the thumbprint searing her immutable brow” (lines 11-13). This mean that her relationship with Diego, something she often painted about, was constantly on her mind. The use of the world “searing” leads the reader to think of permanent state of their love on her mind. These topics overcame so much of her life. The need to paint about these important issues was always obstructing other aspects in her world. Rita Dove’s use of negative imagery helps convey the problems and her unstable life. Also, Dove’s use of diction towards the end of the poem has a negative pain and suffering effect on the reader. Words like, “skull”, “Dead”, and “pain”.
ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “Sonnet in Primary Color”, she informs the reader of the issues Frida Kahlo faced during her eventful and tumultuous lifetime in the 20th century. First, we see her talk about a plaster corset that had painted for herself. This was an event that actually happened as Kahlo had health issues that forced her to wear a plastic corset, since her spine couldn’t support her body. She took it upon herself to paint her coset. Next, Dove states that, “Each night she lay down in the pain and rose”. Here we can see evidence of the daily suffering Frida Kahlo that she was forced to endure because of her debilitating medical problems. She used her many bedridden hours from her numerous surgeries as a chances to work on her art as there was not much else she was able to do during this time. In addition to the great physical pain, she was also plagued by a stressful and complex lovelife. We also find that she faced romantic issues with her partner, Diego, whose love is depicted as a “skull in a circular window”. This imagery is representative of the damaging influential of their love and its cyclical nature. We know this is true because Kahlo deeply love her husband, although they both engaged in extramarital affairs and although they divorced once, they later got back together. Through all of the examples, Rita Dove is able to convey the difficulties that Frida Kahlo endured during her lifetime.
ReplyDeleteIn her poem, “Lady Freedom Among US”, Rita Dove uses visual imagery, anaphora, everal allusions, and diction of graves to spread awareness of the statue, “Lady Freedom”. First of all, “Lady Freedom” mentioned in the title does not refer to the Statue of Liberty. It is a bronze statue that was constructed and put on top of a dome in the the capitol of Washington D.C. in 1863. In 1993, the statue was temporarily removed from the dome and was put on the ground for many citizens to see. However, not only did people not know what the statute was, many did not even realize that there was such a statue until it was put on the ground. In response, Rita Dove composed this poem to spread awareness of this honorable statue. In the first 3 lines of stanza 3, Dove starts the line with “with her” and adds to a phrase a description of a women. The anaphora here tells the readers that the description in each line is referring to the same person, and the visual imagery used to describe the women arouses the reader’s sense of sight, which illustrates the appearance of the women. Because the title helps determine that the women is alluding to the “Lady Freedom” statue itself, Dove is able to portray to the readers the appearance of the statue. Another example of the use of these stylistic choices is located in the 4th and 5th stanza. In the 4th stana, notice how the 2 lines both start with “don’t”. Dove here uses anaphora to tell the readers what not to do when visiting the capitol of Washington D.C.. The first line says to not miss out on viewing the statue while it is still placed on the ground, and the second line adds on to the preceding statement, telling the readers to not just treat the statue as a mere item to view as a tourist. These two statements allow Dove to tell the readers that “Lady Freedom” is not merely a bronze statue but has great significance to it. Subsequently, when Dove writes in the 2nd line of stanza 5, “She sho has brought mercy back into the streets”, she is alluding to the fact that because the statue was built during the Civil War, it is hailed as symbol of unification between the Union and the Confederacy. The use of allusion here allows the author to convey to the readers the significance of the statute she was referring to in stanza 4. Finally, in the last line of stanza 5, Dove writes, “ will not retire politely to the potter’s field”. Note that “potter’s field” is a burial place for strangers. Combined with this diction of the burial ground, this line conveys to the readers that the statue will not die out with people not knowing its existence but will forever watch over the United States of America. In “Lady Freedom Among US”, Rita Dove uses anaphora, visual imagery, diction of burial grounds, and allusion to convey to the readers what “Lady Freedom” is and the significance behind the statue
ReplyDeleteI agree that this poem is indeed meant to honor the “Lady Freedom” statue. I do not disagree with any of your points so I have to offer is more evidence to back them up. To support the idea that this statue is not a mere tourist attraction I call upon the first two stanzas of the poem that you didn’t mention. The first stanza tells the reader to not look away and ignore the statue, favoring your other plans instead. The second stanza tells the reader to not mutter things about your plans either. Both of the stanza are in essence telling you to not think about the rest of your life when you come across “Lady Freedom.” It’s telling you to stop and forget everything else so that you can fully appreciate the meaning of “Lady Freedom.” The last three stanzas also unmentioned talk about how important the statue is too. The first stanza talks about how the statue has endured the test of time. The second tells you that “Lady Freedom” won’t let you forget her. The last says that you cannot help but remember her for she is just like you. These statements prove that “Lady Freedom” is important because of how long its message has lasted, and says you must remember it for it is valuable to everyone.
DeleteThere was a lot I had learned from this, I was totally unaware of this statue prior to reading your post, which clears up many of the connotations made by Dove. First reading through it I had thought the subject of the poem could have been about the statue of liberty, as she is a very famous female statue in the United States and the World, a symbol of freedom (it gives a lot of empowerment to women, which Dove is an advocate for). However after reading your post, my ideas have switched and I agree with all of your points made about Lady Freedom and her connection with the civil war, and by extent the civil rights movement. In the wake of all the violence and hate that arose in the 1950's and 60's, I think that Dove is trying to remind us of the peace once formed between the two battling sides, through the statue that was built in remembrance of that peace. Lots of people are unaware of the statue (including myself), which could explain how many people were ignorant of the fact that peace could be achieved, or a good solution.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “Rosa”, she writes about Rosa Parks and her effect on the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks was an important figure in the 1950s to the civil rights movement, her refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama sparked a wave of boycott movements, which was big step in advancing the rights of African-Americans. Often she is regarded as the “mother of the civil rights movement”, a big title for such a simple action, which is what Dove is celebrating. In the third stanza she writes, “doing nothing was the doing: the clean flame of her gaze carved by a camera flash” (Dove). She received so much publicity and attention, especially from cameras as noted in the poem, when all she had to do was nothing. Dove puts the words “clean flame” together, two words usually not connected, portraying how civil and calm her actions were, all while still being confident and ferocious in her decision. In many more instances Dove will utilize juxtaposition throughout the poem, for example in the first stanza when she writes about, “the time right inside a place so wrong it was ready” (Dove). Here she puts clear opposites right and wrong together one word apart, contrasting the right decision that was made with perfect timing, to the awful oppressive place she was living in. She made a good decision, in a bad place where she was still punished. What I thought to be interesting about the poem was the use of enjambment throughout, except for the last line of every stanza, where she used end stops. To me this gives the tone of closure in the poem, her thoughts seemed incomplete but would always be wrapped up nicely at the same time in every stanza. It makes the poem seem a lot more organized and sound, which could be connected to the composure Rosa Parks displaying on the bus in 1955.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you mentioned the use of juxtaposition and enjambment with Rita Dove's poem Rosa. It helps the reader visualize the time that Parks was going through, and how her "risky action" in an oppressive town, actually had a positive result, as it helped spark more out of the civil rights movement. I also agree with the enjambment use, and how it creates more of an interesting take. Because of the run-on, the reader finds themselves pausing while reading the poem, and in this, it forces the reader to take in every stanza. This gives more meaning to the poem. I also wanted to ask if you noticed that this is also a sonnet as well? Knowing this just helps me realize the significant importance of this civil rights leader. It also shows Rita Dove's admiration/respect for Rosa Parks.
DeleteI agree with you that this poem is dedicated to Rosa Parks and her impacts on the civil rights movement. In addition to the juxtaposition and the enjambment you talked about, another stylistic choice that can be used to support your claim is in the phrase, “ Doing nothing was the doing”. Dove here is using an oxymoron, in which she describes “doing nothing” as “doing” something. I interpreted the “doing nothing” as an allusion to Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus. Although this can be considered that Rosa Parks did not physically do anything , this act of doing “nothing” has actually protected the African Americans from segregation in transportation. By using this oxymoron, Rita Dove conveys to the readers that Rosa Parks act of merely refusing to give up her seat had a significant impact on the history of civil rights.
DeleteI also agree with your interpretation of the poem. Through this poem Rita Dove showed the importance and significance Rosa Park’s actions had on the civil rights movement. In the beginning of the poem it says, “inside a place so wrong it was ready” (line 2-3). I thought this line also supported the impact and power behind Rosa Park’s actions. When Rosa Park refused to move from the front of the bus it was wrong according to society, but necessary during that time period to show how segregation was unequal and not fair. Also, Rita Dove uses alliteration to emphasize and to add more emotion with the words, “clean”, “carved”, and “camera”. The sharp sound of the “c” helps show the power and passion Rosa Parks felt in that moment.
DeleteRita Dove’s poem “The Situation Is Intolerable” is a poem about the American civil war. Confederate soldiers going into battle are feeling oppressed. It starts out talking about the word “Intolerable,” which is a civilized word. These people are questioning whether they are being treated in a civilized manner because of the awful conditions they have to go through, referred with “we ain’t got a pot to piss in” and obviously “our situation is intolerable[.]” It can be interpreted that these people are Confederate soldiers because of their “dovegray pleated trouser leg[.]” These men are forced to fight:“[a]ssay the terrain: all around us dark and the perimeter in flames” and it seems as though the field conditions are rather unpleasant and deadly. It is ironic that confederate men are forced to suffer when the confederacy itself brought so much suffering upon slaves and now confederate people are suffering. After all their complaints these men end their talk with “mercy on our souls.” This could be saying that they think that they are doing an evil deed and seek forgiveness, perhaps they have been forced to fight for the confederacy when they don’t believe in slavery.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it may be about Confederate soldiers. However, it seems to me as if they are indeed in agreement with the cause and support slavery, or at the very least, there is some confliction. After the line about the terrain, Dove says, "but the stars--tiny, missionary stars--on high, serence, studding the inky brow of heaven." The stars are implied to be their soldiers on the battlefield and are painted in a positive light with this comparison, implying that despite the conditions, they feel as if their actions, efforts, and sacrifices are worth it. It mentions heaven and missionaries, and the last lines in the first stanza say "onto the field of battle in the name of the Lord." They believe their work is the work of God to a certain degree. Lastly, the last stanza says "but what's worse is to sit here and do nothing." They are glad they are doing something and contributing to this cause, because it wouldn't be right to them to just stand by and let it happen without helping. "O mercy on our souls" could be a prayer for safety in the battlefield.
DeleteI found your idea that this poem is a reference to the Confederate soldiers of the civil war to be very interesting. Although I saw this poem as more of a Civil Rights Movement critique, I still think your idea works well. I believe this because the use of the word “intolerable” more closely relates to activists description of the conditions many African Americans faced. The poem itself heavily criticises the people who voiced the need for justice, but failed to truly hold African Americans as their equals. This is shown by the narrator’s questioning of their status as “civilized”. They also go on the talk about their home as a terrain with a “perimeter of fire”, which is referencing the dire-sounding descriptions of the conditions in which these people think African Americans live. Furthermore on line twelve of this poem, there is a mention of tiny, missionary star which is an allusion to the missionary-like behavior or these faulty social justice advocates.
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ReplyDeleteDove’s poem "Climbing In" comes across as very cryptic at first. She uses animalistic imagery to evoke an intimidating, anxious mood, and the poem itself is about buses and their significance in the Civil Rights movement. Buses were segregated, so Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders used them as forms of protest and political statements. The first stanza says, “Teeth. Metallic. Lie-gapped. Not a friendly shine” (Dove). This describes the bus itself from a black person’s point of view. The segregated nature of the buses made them very unfriendly and even scary, since African Americans knew that they would be judged and humiliated when riding them. These traits are the “teeth,” a natural weapon the oppressors had to trap and harm the oppressed. Segregation made it so they could never forget that they were deemed inferior, lesser humans. The punctuation in this first stanza is very abrupt, ending after one or two words to draw emphasis to each of the items in the list. The abruptness also adds to the unfriendly atmosphere, and reflects the thoughts of people trying to stay determined and calm in such a setting. The final stanza says “the bright lady tumbles head over tail down the clinking gullet” (Dove). “Head over tail” illustrates the woman as an animal, the prey in this situation, and “tumbling” represents her lack of control in this position. The poem compares the bus to a gullet, or esophagus, since the woman is being swallowed up by the bus to trap and devour her. The animal metaphors are meant to illustrate the relationship between white and colored people at the time, one predator and superior, one prey and inferior.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, I am so sorry I just checked ten minutes ago, and you hadn't posted. Sorry I keep posting the same poem as you!
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem Climbing in, Dove uses an overall metaphor to symbolize the trying times of civil rights unrest. The old lady represents the African Americans in society, and the wolf represents society. The wolf is disguised as an old lady, and the use of the metaphor, “not a friendly shine,” suggests that the disguise is to mask the outside of appearance. On the outside, society, or the wolf, is seen as friendly, warm and inviting. People of other societies, and white Americans themselves believe this to be true of this society. However, the African-Americans know that this is not true, and see behind the deceiving smile. The old lady doesn't want to climb into the wolf’s mouth, but as the story goes, she has to. This is a metaphor for how African Americans don't want to be oppressed in American society, but based on roughly four hundred years before, this has been the case. The story tells itself, which is why the old lady has to climb into the wolf’s mouth; she doesn't want to, but history is pressuring this into happening. There is also the use of this statement, “like the dime cutting my palm,” which hints at how outside beauty can be deceiving. The dime is shiny, so therefore pretty, and harmless. Yet, it causes pain for those who hold it. This is a metaphor within a metaphor, and is symbolic of how you should never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a story by its characters.
ReplyDeleteIndeed this poem does talk about civil unrest for African Americans in this society, but I believe that there is a more specific meaning to this poem, relating to a bus. As they are holding their dime they also are clutching a pole that I think is the pole you hold as you get on a bus. I think that “as the bright lady tumbles / head over tail / down the clinking gullet” refers to the dime being deposited as payment for the bus ride. I also think that the “Teeth. / Metallic” at the beginning of the poem is literally teeth of the bus driver. To keep him smiling at the race he sees as inferior one must pay him. It is not a true smile, as shown by “Not quite a grin.” This emphasizes that there is indeed contempt for African Americans in this oppressive society.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s ‘“The situation is intolerable”’, she examines the word “intolerable” and it’s use by condescending belief, who believing that their situation is so dire that they must help. The poem is told from the point of view of a narrator who questioning if their position is really as “intolerable” as these people believe. They ask, “Aren’t we civilized, too?” as a way to reinforce the idea that they aren’t that different from everyone else. In the second stanza, they discuss a “perimeter in flames”, an obvious reference to the seemingly hellish conditions that these pretentious people believe our narrator lives in. They offer respite however, as they go on to mention the tiny missionary stars, a sign of “much needed” help to come. In the final stanza, the narrator questions if it is really so bad that they live a less than ideal life. However, they then say that although the situation could be improved a little, that “what’s worse is to sit here and do nothing”, meaning that they must be the ones to make the changes, not blindly rely on those that don’t understand the true situation. I think this poem is a reference to the condescending viewpoint that some civil rights activists adopted during the civil rights movement. Dove is using the poem to criticize this viewpoint but showing that blind support for the cause is pointless if you still believe that the group of people you are defending is inferior to yourselves. More specifically, she uses the word “intolerable” to show how the viewpoint of these kinds of people is heavily skewed as a result.
ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “Claudette Colvin Goes to Work” the life and story of Claudette Colvin is told from her own point of view. Claudette Colvin was a young lady who was the first person ever to refuse the bus segregation. Although her protest was done before Rosa Parks due to her pregnancy without marriage she wasn’t the role model NAACP wanted. Colvin believed her constitutional rights were being violated, but was still arrested due to her actions. After her son was born Claudette Colvin moved to New york and became a nurse.
ReplyDeleteIn this poem Claudette Colvin is on her way to her job as a nurse. Claudette Colvin strongly feels disgusted by the inequality between the two races of: white and African American. Throughout this poem Rita Dove uses a lot of negative diction to help set the mood of anger and disgust. Rita Dove uses words like “shadows”, “scourge”, “bleak”,“souring”, and “disappear”. All of these words continue to add up and create a hurt and anger filled tone. Rita Dove also utilizes repetition in line twenty four when examples are given of the manner white people describe and talk about African Americans, “So ugly, so fat, so dumb, so greasy-”. The repetition puts an emphasis of the nasty descriptive words being used and the thoughts are pounded into the reader’s head. Also, the use of first person narration from the point of view of Claudette Colvin allows the reader to understand her feelings and what she’s going through. After her bus protest Colvin got a reputation and was branded a troublemaker. Due to the first person narration the reader is able to understand her anger due to her tainted image caused by untrue information, “And I don’t curse or spit /or kick or scratch like they say I did than” (line 31-31). Also, earlier in the poem she states, “and I’m just the crazy girl off the bus” (line 27). Through these lines Rita Dove is showcasing the effects of the reputation and how it followed Claudette Colvin around throughout her life. In the end, although Claudette Colvin’s life was changed the moment after her protest, but she didn’t regret any of her actions. This is clear in line thirty four when she states “I do what needs to be done…” . The tone in this line sounds determined and assured. She knew that segregation was wrong and continued to believe this throughout her life.
Rita Dove’s poem “Parsley” is divided into a few sections. In section 1 she talks about the suffering of workers on a sugarcane farm, as well as the terrors of the Parsley Massacre. “Out of the swamp the cane appears / to haunt us, and we cut it down.” The refers to the fact that the work on the farm is very hard and every time sugarcane grows the workers must toil and cut it down. Then it talks of “El General” that looks for a word, the word is perejil, spanish for parsley. Every night the people “lie down screaming” because they “cannot speak an R—” and they had a day of treacherous work. These people live in fear because since they are Haitian they cannot pronounce perejil the way natives do, and when asked to say it this in turn would reveal that they are not native to the Dominican Republic and they would be killed. “For every drop of blood / there is a parrot imitating spring.” This is saying that for every death it is because someone can’t pronounce perejil correctly, as the word was compared to the parrot imitating spring near the beginning of the poem when El General was first mentioned. Overall, between bad working conditions and threat of death, conditions in the Dominican Republic were pretty bad at this time. This poem seeks to point out the horrors of this awful genocide.
ReplyDeleteI like how you tied in the idea of the parrot imitating spring to the workers. Because they were not truly from the Dominican republic, they were "imitating." I wouldn't have thought of this until you mentioned it, and I agree with your idea more now that you connected it to the workers. I also agree with how this poem is just an overall representation of the awful conditions of the massacre. It's more symbolic, and I believe it works better with the poem (representing the conditions vs. specific events.)
DeleteI really liked how you interpreted the “Out of the swamp the cane appears / to haunt us, and we cut it down.” as a way of conveying the suffering of the workers. This helped me understand why exactly the phrase “Out of the swamp the cane appears” was a refrain. Just like you said, no matter how many times the workers cut the sugar cane, it will eventually grow back, and the workers will have to cut it again. I think that Rita Dove used this refrain to point out this endless cycle of labor the workers have to do, which like you said illustrates the hardships of the workers.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, Parsley, Dove uses repetition and literary terms such as metaphors, personification, and visual imagery to create terrifying language, which relates to the real life event that took place. Here I want to focus more on the first part of the poem, The Cane Fields,which is the part of the poem that introduces the people. There is the first metaphor that we see repeats itself: “There is a parrot imitating spring.”Here, the literal use of the parrot holds to be true; the parrot is real, and not a metaphor for something else, until you dive deeper into the story. The part of imitating spring has to do with how spring is symbolic of freshness and renewal, but the fact that the bird is “imitating” it, suggests the bird is only doing this for personal gain. This can be related to the act of extreme massacre that took place. Therefore, the parrot could be a physical representation of the genocide that took place. The imitation of spring part, means represents the dictator’s reasoning behind the genocide: freshness and removal of the bad. Secondly, there is the repetition of the phrase, “the cane appears,” which does have a literal meaning behind it as well. The Haitians, the main victims of the massacre, work in the sugarcane fields, so the cane appearing is a common observation of their work day. However, it also has another representation, and how the cane itself represents the downfall of their lives (we later learn that the General hated sweets, so in this, the reason of him choosing the sugar cane fields makes sense). When the cane appears, it is if to speak a warning, or call for help, as this is represented in how it is repeated constantly throughout this first part. From both of these, we gather conclusions that the bird imitating spring represents the genocide and the logic behind that, and the cane appearing represents the sugar cane workers in the fields who end up becoming the victim of the General. The General himself, being a dictator, garners the phrase, “He is all the world there is.” This shows the victims and their fear of the general, but also the overall view of his decisions, as he did what he did for only his benefit, and saw himself to decide the fate of others. His acts which are seen in the phrase, “we lie down screaming as rain punches through, and we come up green,” and the metaphor, “gnaw their teeth to arrowheads.” The first quote is symbolic of the death of the Haitian workers. They are underground because they have been buried after they'd been killed, and the rain punching through is the rain seeping into the dirt. When they are born green, it is referring to how they become a part of their surroundings, in particular, the sugar cane fields. The second quote refers to how they were killed. The teeth themselves don't necessarily have to do with being gnawed to arrowheads, but it shows that a hard object was sharpened to weapon status. Lastly, there is visual imagery, especially with the phrase, “teeth shining out of the swamp.” The teeth again, are not necessarily tied to this phrase, but it shows how the General stands out compared to the surroundings. The swamp, where the sugar canes are located, are also where the workers are. This is true then, that the General stands out, because while he is Mexican, the workers are Haitian.
ReplyDeleteI like your explanation of the parrot symbol. I also think the parrot is a parallel to the general, as well as the government as a whole; the fact that it's "imitating" spring makes the freshness and rebirth false, a facade. The general is doing the same thing with his idea of "cleansing" the country, since his method is really only causing more strife and destruction. Parrots also mindlessly repeat what they hear, like the government the general is running has no choice but to listen and follow his orders and/or only does it out of loyalty and obligation.
DeleteIn part 1 (“The Cane Fields) of the poem “parsley”, Rita Dove makes the the novel The Farming of Bones relevant by using its events to illustrate the immorals of the political system of dictatorship. Firstly, in the first stanza, Dove writes in the first line, “a parrot imitating spring” and adds in line 2, “feathers parsley green”. In this sentence, the author is giving the readers the first hint that the parrot is associated with violence and brutality. A parsley is a green plant that can be used for many purposes, such as for food and medicine, but it has far more significance in the novel, The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat. In this story, many Haitians were killed by Dominican Republicans, with the sole reason being that they mispronounced the “r” sound in the word “Perejil”. This word directly translates into “Parsley”, and by using this word to describe the parrot, Dove is able to convey to the readers that the bird will accompany the violence described in this poem. Subsequently, the next stanzas introduces the character of this poem. In stanza 2, for example, when Dove writes, “he is all the world there is”, she uses a metaphor to compare the “El General” to the world itself, which indicates that he has unlimited authority/power. This reveals to the readers that the general is referring to Trujillo, because he is the only person who would qualify as having unlimited power, since he was the Dominican Republic Dictator who used his power to authorize the violence against the Haitians. In the next stanza, Dove is again alluding to a group of people in the The Farming of Bones. When Dove writes, “We cannot speak an R”, she is referring to the part in the novel where Amabelle states that she has trouble pronouncing the ‘r” in the word “Perejil”. Because she and her fellow Haitians all had trouble pronouncing that letter, Dove refers to this trait to reveal that the “we” is alluding to Haitians. Next, notice how the phrase, “parrot imitating spring” is repeated in the next few stanzas. This occurrence is called a refrain. Although the readers already know that the phrase is associated with violence, constantly reminding the readers allows Dove to put an emphasis on the fact that Haitians suffered from violence by Trujillo. Finally, by putting this emphasis on the readers, the author can then highlight the flaws of the dictatorship during this time period. Because the dictatorship gave the power to Trujillo to authorize the violence emphasized in the poem, Dove is able to illustrate the immorality of this political system. By alluding to the events that occurred in the novel The Farming of Bones, Rita Dove illustrates the evils of the political system under dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteJared Sinclair (couldn't load my gmail on my phone)
DeleteI agree with your interpretation of the poem, it had the same effect on me as well when I was reading about Trujillo and his brutal treatment. Dove did a nice job of displaying just how nefarious Trujillo was, it takes a very short temper to beat someone over the mispronunciation of one word, “perejil”, especially when the ones attempting to say it are foreigners. That also tells us a lot about Trujillo, and how important the word parsley is to him. To him it's a symbol and reminder of his deceased mother, whom he clearly loved and cared for a lot, as it seems to have left a big hole in him and drives most of his actions. As much as that may make you sympathize for him however, what he did to his workers is unacceptable in any circumstance.
In “The Palace”, part 2 of Rita Dove’s poem, “Parsley”, she writes about the horrors of the working in the Dominican Republic as a Haitian under the brutal rule of the “General”, whom is the focus in this part of the poem. The poem is connected with an excerpt from the book, “The Farming of Bones”, written by a Edwidge Danticat. The passage we read focuses on the beatings and nasty environment that the workers had to live through, also under the general, or “generalissimo” as he was referred to in the book. In “Bones”, the generalissimo’s mind was described as “dark as death” (Danticat), which is a perfectly fitting description to set the dark and depressing tone in Dove’s poem. The imagery that Dove uses is very effective in giving the reader a good idea of the manner of the general, it left me intimidated just by reading the poem. Dove writes that the general “stomps to her room in the palace.. as he paces he wonders Who I can kill today” (Dove). Using the word “stomped” portrays the anger and frustration the general was feeling, and because there was no one else in the room that he could be trying to intimidate, it’s clearly from his heart. Dove makes it clear from the beginning that this anger stems from the death of his mother when he was a child, and how it has affected him into his adulthood. The word “perejil”, or parsley, becomes symbolic of death to the general, his mother died in the fall and he planted the canes at her grave. He now uses the plant often in his torture of the workers, stuffing parsley in their mouths while they are being beaten. Every time he sees parsley he is reminded of his mother, which is why he has so many “to be killed for a single, beautiful word” (Dove). It is made clear in the last line of the poem how fond the general is of parsley, and how it has inspired his psychotic killings and treatments of the Haitian workers.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your interesting idea of the connection of the word “perejil”, or parsley, to the frustrations and actions of El General. However, I don’t entirely agree with your idea that he use the parsley as simply a device of punishment when “disciplining” the Haitians workers of the parsley fields. I took these beatings as an allusion to the the Parsley Massacre in the Dominican Republic, where Dominican Republic troops under the command of General Rafael Trujillo ordered his troops to massacre any black Haitian who was unable to roll their r's when saying “perejil”. He was a strong proponent of anti-Haitianism and used this opportunity to slaughter almost 20,000 Haitians living on the Dominican Republic border. I believe that El General is really the former Dominican Republican leader Trujillo and that Rita Dove uses this poem as a vessel to communicate the horrors of this monstrous massacre.
DeleteIn “Parsley,” Dove illustrates how the namesake of the poem was used to oppress and murder Haitians and the irony in its usage. The excerpt from The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat gives the reader background knowledge; Haitians were forced to say the Spanish word for parsley, “perejil,” since they could not pronounce it correctly. Both works indicate that the mispronunciation was due to the rolled R, a sound unfamiliar to Haitians. Dove says, “The general remembers tiny green sprigs men of his village wore in their capes to honor the birth of a son.” The general is the one ordering these killings. However, his memory of parsley is more of a positive one, one meant to honor birth and, therefore, life. The entire poem has a melancholy tone to it, describing the death of the general’s mother and how it jaded and embittered him. His decision to use what was once a symbol of life as an indicator of death represents this turn in his life and his harsh dictatorship. Then, Dove describes multiple times the rain in the cane fields. These fields are where the Haitians worked, and the rain falling onto them symbolizes cleansing. In the story excerpt, Danticat says, “We used parsley...to cleanse our insides as well as our outsides. Perhaps the Generalissimo in some larger order was trying to do the same for his country.” Usually, cleansing is portrayed in a positive light, especially with rain and its common theme of rebirth. Amabelle’s reminiscence on the use of parsley and memories associated with it also have a nostalgic, positive tone. Dove’s language in the poem is another example of how parsley, with good connotations in the past, was twisted into a symbol of fear and death.
ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove’s “Parsley”, she uses dark, emotional diction to represent the emotional state of El General after his mother's death and its effect on his actions, more specifically in part two of the poem. In “The Palace”, it is explained that the turn of the season has reminded el General of his mother’s passing. The use of words such as “love”, “death”, and “died” represent his somber yet emotion filled thoughts in the first stanza. As he wanders to his mother’s old room, he finds the “parrot in a brass ring”. The use “brass” to the describe the ring reminds readers of a cold and hard, yet shiny and visual appealing object. We see this trend continue as he goes on to talk about his memories of war. El General describes the scene with an image of his boots, which he describes as covered in “mud and urine”. Typically sanguinary imagery comes to mind when thinking about war, but he paints a more bodily picture that suggests that in real war, the fear of men outweighs the bravery in others. He also describes himself as “looking stupid” as he thinks back to this time of weakness. This infers that he now obviously has grown more commanding and fearless, although this is rather contradictory from the overall tone of sadness and emotionalness. However in the fifth stanza he returns to his original mood, as he describes his mother's simile, which he couches in barbaric diction, portraying her teeth as, “gnawed to arrowheads”. I think this is an indication of his hatred for the Haitians as he blames them in some part for his mother's death.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation and i enjoyed how you mentioned the different imagery Rita Dove used. I interpreted the use of brass when describing the cage as a way to show the wealth of the General, but now after reading your interpretation my views on the meaning behind the brass has changed. I like your interpretation because after reading the poem again I see how the word brass and it’s connotations can create the feeling of coldness and sadness. Rita Dove uses the second poem to show a different side to the general. This makes a lot of readers feel conflicted towards the General. After seeing his pain over his mother's death and the weakness he showed the reader is meant to feel slightly bad for the General as well. I think your interpretation of brass and is more fitting for the mood and idea behind the poem “The Palace”.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem “Parsley”, Rita Dove tells the story of the suffering and pain the Haitian workers experienced while in the Dominican Republic. The General often punished and hurt many Haitian workers who could not properly repeat the “r” in the word perejil. In the “Cane Fields” Rita Dove uses repetition within her poem as well as diction to tell the workers horrid stories. The line “Out of the swamp the cane appears” is repeated four times throughout the poem in the last line of most stanzas. Due to this repetition it emphasizes and adds effect to the torture they had to endure everyday. This line, “Out of the swamp the cane appears” (line 3), was interpreted as the punishment the soldiers and El General inflicted on the Haitian workers. Most connotations created with swamps are negative. Swamps are connected and imagined as very gross, consuming, and dark places. Rita Dove utilizes these negative connotations with swamps to get her meaning across of the horrible pain they took each day and the looming feeling it put on the workers. In the poem another line is repeated four times as well. This particular line states “Like a parrot imitating spring” (line1). The parrot symbolizes the Haitians and the life they lived or more accurately, the life they were tortured throughout. Haitians were always forced to repeat the word “perejil” by El General. The parrot is a good symbol because the words it uses are all learned from imitation and repetition of hearing the word. Imitating is defined as copying and recreating an exact version, something the Haitians were constantly forced to do. Spring also represents parsley because perejil was that awful word that was forced to be repeated. Parsley shares similar qualities to spring because they are both green and fresh. This comparison is quite ironic that parsley is represented by spring because spring is about new beginnings and growing, while in this case parsley is connected to punishment. The repetition of this line also enforces the idea that this happened often and endlessly.
ReplyDeleteIn her poem, “Fox”, Rita Dove writes about a woman who loves herself in a time period where females were treated as inferior to men in order to convey the message that women should be more confident in themselves. Firstly, Dove starts each sentence off with the word “she”. The author is deliberately using this anaphora to convey to the readers that the poem is constantly revolving around the women. In addition, Dove then adds to the anaphora the refrain, “what she was”. Notice how the author is describing the women as a “what” instead of “who”. This simple difference illustrates that women in the time period of this poem were treated as objects rather than as equal humans. Dove then repeats the phrase multiple times in the poem to emphasize the inferior treatment of women. In contrast, Rita Dove characterizes the women in this poem as a someone who loves herself for who she is. In the first sentence, for example, Rita Dove writes, “She knew what she was and so was capable of anything anyone could imagine” (Dove, lines 1-6). As stated above, the sentence starts off with a “she” but is characterized as a “what” to convey that women were not treated equally. Despite that fact, however, the women believes that she is “capable of anything anyone could imagine”. Dove here uses an indefinite pronoun in order to exaggerate the qualities of what the women is capable of doing, which conveys the the high self-confidence she bears. This characterization of an optimistic women in an unequal society conveys to the readers the necessity of women in staying confident even in unfortunate situations. Subsequently, Rita Dove again conveys this message to the readers in the last sentence of the poem by writing “She loved nothing more than what she had, which was enough for her, which was more than any man could handle” (13-20). Just like in the first sentence, the author again starts the sentence off with “she” and uses an indefinite pronoun and the refrain “what she had” to convey her sense of appreciation of her life, even though she is treated unequally. However, Dove adds to the line that this life of hers is “way more than any man could handle”, which connects to the title of this poem, “Fox”. A fox lives independently and strongly, and by naming this poem “Fox”, Dove is able to illustrate the woman's strong sense of living that can overcome the male superiority. In “Fox”, Rita Dove characterizes a woman who stays optimistic in a world where females were considered inferior to men in order to convey the message that no matter how unfair society is, women should be proud and confident of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretations of the poem, you can tell that this poem was very important for women and to Rita Dove during her era, as girls were not treated equally at all and it caused many to lose confidence in themselves. I noticed the repetition of the word “she” as well when I first read the poem, and it conveyed the same idea to me as it did you. Starting each sentence with “She” never lets the reader forget the focus of the poem, to give women strength and independence. I liked your interpretation on the title of the poem, that was something that I missed on my first read through. Foxes do not need much assistance and generally roam individually but strongly. By calling a girl a fox in this poem it’s a positive thing, however often times there is another message that is more derogatory and degrading. It can be connected with calling women “chicks” and any other animal that solely focuses on their appearance, and no deeper.
DeleteI liked how you mentioned the use of "she" for each stanza, as it does help signify the idea of female importance in this poem. Not only is she confident in herself, but she is confident in all women. This time of inferiority doesn't seem to affect her, and that is what makes this poem so inspiring. I also agree with Jared on the basis of your interpretation of the title. I never noticed the title's significance until now, but how you mentioned it helped me a lot with connecting the title to the poem. Since, a fox does live independently, and doesn't need someone to rely on, this helps strengthen the women and their image. It may appear as an aspiring peace for individual confidence, but also for women as a whole.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem “Quick”, Dove uses animal and natural imagery to recall about an encounter with some unknown baby animal that has been separated with his mother. This is one of the first poems I’ve seen by Rita Dove that uses dialogue, in two instances when the people in the passing car first saw the baby animal, and when they wonder about where the mother is. The dialogue is put into italics, making it stand out from the rest of the poem. The people in the car first see this animal in a “culvert”, or tunnel underneath a road, describing him as gray with “vacant” eyes. Gray conveys a blank and depressing tone, with no or little emotion. Vacant, meaning empty or unused, connects well with the color gray, and that he was showing no emotion even by being without his mother, displayed by the color of his fur symbolically. Both the mother and son are described as gray, which I think fits nicely with the theme of the poem, that animal instinct shows no love and no emotion. After the ones in the car found the mom on top of the hill, she quickly disappears before they can even distinguish her as red or gray. The different colors used to describe the animals portray different emotions that the animals could be experiencing, red being love, and gray being emptiness. The fact that the people in the car couldn’t tell whether the animal was red or gray leaves it up for debate whether or not she was actually feeling a feeling of love or remorse for her child, or nothing at all. She finishes the poem by wondering how any living thing can abandon something they gave birth to so easily, showing “no grief nor thought of love” (Dove). I suppose it’s just their animal instinct, found not often in humans. It is possible however, that if she was red in color, then she could have felt saddened by abandoning her offspring, she just had to do it because that was her “pure purpose” (Dove), to reproduce and then die.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation that this poem is about the speaker’s encounter with a fox. However, I also think that the length of time the speaker saw the fox has a lot to do with this poem. From the title, Quick”, the readers already has a clue that the encounter went by in a flash, and Dove enforces that view in line 1. When the author writes, “Wink of fuzz”, she is using visual imagery and a metaphor to portray the image of a fox by comparing it to a fuzz. But notice how the author also writes “Wink” to the appearance of the fox. A wink is an instant movement, and by adding this word to the metaphor/imagery that portrays the appearance of the animal, Dove is able to convey that the fox was only seen for an instant.
DeleteDove’s use of oxymoron, juxtaposition, and enjambment in “American Smooth” to discuss the importance of practice in achieving perfection, which is a message one can apply to many aspects of life. The enjambment and therefore format of the poem draws it out, making it longer with shorter lines. The repetition of practice is conveyed with this format, and the short lines symbolize the structure of the dance. A phrase that catches the reader’s eye almost immediately is “perfect agony,” a clear oxymoron. Repeating something until you fix your mistakes and become better can be a very agonizing task, repetitive and often discouraging. However, “perfection” conveys the feeling of finally succeeding and meeting a goal after practicing over and over. Next are the lines “something romantic but requiring restraint.” At first, these seem juxtaposed, since “romantic” is usually associated with freedom and losing oneself, followed by the phrase “requiring restraint.” However, this is a good metaphor for ballroom dancing, due to its combination of romanticism, freedom, and structure, as well as practice in general. If it’s something someone loves, it’s easy to lose themselves in doing it, but one must always keep in mind the rules and what they’re working towards. The poem closes with “that swift and serene magnificence, before the earth remembered who we were and brought us down.” This gives the reader the feeling Dove has, of the joy of dancing and finally getting it right, but the next line stops it short. The ending conveys the message that nothing lasts forever, which may be negative to some, but it can also be interpreted as “there’s always room for improvement.” While the poem specifically is about ballroom dancing, its message can be applied to all sorts of activities and tasks in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I also noticed a few more things relating to the practice. It says: “ecstatic mimicry being the sine qua non of American Smooth.” This refers to two essential things when learning, that you must be ecstatic, you must love what you are doing. Additionally you must mimic, as watching what others do and trying to copy their actions can be a great way to learn something for yourself. Another related part is when it says that narrator was distracted by the act of perfecting that they did not notice that they had done it. They had finally reached their goal. This I think refers to after all the practice one puts in they are often amazed by how far they have come. This is because many people are not aware of the power of true dedication.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem “Fox Trot Fridays”, she represents a couples feeling and relationship through their dancing of the foxtrot. The couple gets together once every week and they dance together, but this poem represents their growing relationships. Due to the connotations of this dance Rita Dove utilizes the structure of the poem,certain types of repetition, and diction to convey the two people’s relationship. The foxtrot is a very smooth and romantic dance. In the poem Rita Dove structures the poem to recreate the same emotions of the dance within her poem. Enjambment is used frequently throughout most of the stanzas creating a smooth and flowing sound to the reader. The run on of sentences allows the poem’s rhythm to glide and appear effortless. Also, Rita Dove creates her rhythm using alliteration and anaphora. Another example of repetition is the “s” sound in line eight, “slow, satin, smile” is soft and simple adding to the rhythm of the poem. Anaphora is used to help create the melody and the care in the tone, “one day at a time:/ One man and one woman” (lines 10-12). Rita Dove uses similes periodically in her poems and in this case she uses, “Smooth as Nat King Cole”, (lines 6 - 7). Dove compares the famous artist and his easygoing smile as well as his soothing voice to represent the easy relationship they have. The couple's love is easy because once a week they get together and have fun. Their love for one another is simple, but makes both of them happy. This is also the reason Rita Dove titles her poem, “Fox Trot Fridays”. Fridays are often connoted with many positive ideas. Fridays are the best days of the week, everyone enjoys themselves on Fridays and are worry free because they have the whole weekend. At the start of the poem the narrator talks about the joy this one day brings to them, “there’s a day each week to tuck in/ the grief, lift your pearls, and stride brush stride” (lines 2-4). The pearls being lifted in this part represent a smile. The saying “pearly-whites” are a reference to teeth and in this scene it is fitting for there to be smiles on this particular day of the week. The simplicity behind the poem helps represent the foxtrot and the couple's relationship because although beautiful, the foxtrot is a simple dance move. The couple's relationship is easy and non-problematic, “rib to rib/ with no heartbreak in sight-- just the sweep of Paradise” (lines 13-15) Paradise has many positive connotations and with no heartbreak in sight there can only be good things to come for the couple.The use of diction by Rita Dove is short and uncomplicated. She uses words that represent happiness, but maintain a plain and honest theme throughout her poem.
ReplyDeleteWell, you pretty much summed it up! There isn’t much else to say. All I can think of are perhaps a couple more themes expressed. “[E]asy as taking one day at a time” could refer the the way that the narrator gets through the rest of their week, one day at a time. This could also be advice for others, so they can get to and enjoy their own “Fox Trot Fridays.” Lastly there is are the last lines of the poem: “just the sweep of Paradise / and the space of a song / to count all the wonders in it.” It is interesting that Paradise here is capitalized, this could be for many reasons, potentially for emphasis on how wonderful these fridays are. Lastly it says they have only as long as a song to count the wonders, this could be to show that these fridays are short but sweet and therefore must be enjoyed and appreciated as much as possible. Counting wonders could be referring to being thankful, which is often a good way to appreciate and get more enjoyment out of things.
DeleteRita Dove’s poem Fox gives off quite a positive message. In essence, it encourages self confidence. The girl is aware of herself and knows what she can do, she knows she can do anything that she fully puts her mind to. She loved what she was, this signifies good self esteem. Pride in oneself (so long as it’s not excessive) eliminates the possibility of one underestimating himself or herself and subconsciously becoming self limited. The girl is also loves nothing more than what she has, she does not want, she is not greedy. She is grateful for what she has, which in turn leads to more happiness. A couple times there are references to this girl’s interaction with men, and I think this explains the meaning of the title of the poem, Fox. The girl thinks of herself as “foxy” sometimes defined as “attractive” because of this girls overall pride and confidence in herself.
ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove's poem, "Ta Ta Cha Cha," Dove uses bird imagery and dance terms to symbolize flight and freedom of this woman's situation. In the first line, she mentions "five doves scatter before a wingtip's distracted tread." These birds symbolize her fingers and toes, and the wings represent her limbs. It starts off with her counting one, two-but then she stops and says no, as if she has done something wrong; this something can be assumed to be a dance. She is first learning it, and as can be seen, is messing up. This supports the use of dance terms. In terms of bird imagery, these wings and birds appear shy and timid, as if they are not familiar with their surroundings. This is also shown in the poem in the literal term. She says that she is in Venice, and that she American. She feels out of place, and so to get out her feelings, she uses dance as an escape. The only problem is, is that she hasn't quite mastered it, just like she hasn't quite felt at home here. "Lost from a wing, drifts one pale, italicized answer." This quote also uses bird imagery, as it suggests that an "answer" or a "feather" has fallen from her wings. These wings help protect her, and so, in times of need, this answer is presented to her. She continues to dance, as it says, "As the bold shoe picks up the conversation (one two) with its mate..."The dance is linked to the answer, and she knows that if she keeps dancing, she will find comfort with her new surroundings. Lastly, she says, "teach me this dance that you make." She is referring to someone who is not there, and this is the use of second person narrative that we haven't seen yet. It could be inferred that this is her husband, and that while she is happy for him and the success that he has made with his career (the dance) she still struggles, with the dance and her career.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about the answer symbolized as a "feather." Going off of this, I believe it sends the message that damage can be necessary, since the bird is losing a feather. Hardships must be experienced sometimes in order to find an answer to a problem and bring in new insight, as well as build strength and character. If the wings protect her, it could also mean that one must step out of their boundaries or comfort zone in order to progress in life.
DeleteI really liked your analysis of the poem and when you mentioned the use of dance terms and bird imagery reflecting the flight and freedom of the women I thought of the maxims that we discussed in class. One of them was “flight is freedom” and I thought this poem really showcased this maxim. The narrator feels lost and out of place, but like you mentioned her escape is through dance. She believes that through her dance she will be able to settle down more and fit in. By dancing she is becoming more liberated and free. As you mentioned in your post, the bird feather that falls down from her wing is a sign. I believe it’s an answer, but also a representation of the freedom she will soon feel and a sign that she’ll encounter liberating change in the future.
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DeleteI really like your idea on how this poem is about her hobby of dancing, more specifically referring to a partner dance. I agree that this poem is about dancing with someone (probably her husband), but I saw a couple things in this poem differently. First, I think that the “wingtips” in the second line of the poem are not an example of bird imagery, but also refers to the wingtip-type shoes that her partner may be wearing. Also, I’m in agreement with your idea that line six is talking about her foreigner-like ignorance to the art of dance, but I believe that on top of that, she is marveled by the beauty of something she knows so little able. This is analogous to American tourists in Italy, as Venice has a longer running european history, which attract American visitors who lack this history in their own country of America.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “Fox”, the narrator hopefully describes a very independent, yet lonely woman. Dove uses devices such as sparse punctuation, liberated diction, and lonely language to achieve this tone in the eyes of the reader. For most of the poem, there is little to no punctuation. This has the effect of make the poem appear less constrained, and creates a tone of freedom from the norms and individuality. This tone of freedom is furthermore reinforced through Dove’s liberal use of independent diction. For example, the protagonist of the poem is described as “capable of anything”,which gives the reader the effect of feeling that the she is unconstricted and a free woman. However, the poem changes pace from a feeling of unabated freedom, to a more lonely tone once the second stanza begins. The reader can observe that the protagonist seems to be trying to justify their loneliness to themselves. This is evident when the narrator says, “She loved nothing more than what she had, which was enough for her.” We can see that see the loneliness through the lines describing her love for only what she had, and her attempt at self-justification when she continues on the says that “what she had was more than enough for her”. Finally, in the last line of the poem, she describes that the culmination of these acceptances was too much for any “man” to handle. These lines describes how she believes her independence alienates her from having a romantic partner.
ReplyDeleteRita Dove’s poem The House Slave relates the troubles of a slave. The horn is blown to wake the slaves before the sun has even risen. Their mistress “sleeps like an ivory toothpick” even when the slaves are up and about. She is described as ivory because of her unnaturally light skin color and called a toothpick because of the extreme thinness of her body. The slave’s Master is called “Massa” due to the accent that the slaves have when pronouncing the word. He dreams of vulgar things, unruly pleasures that the slaves will never see. Next the poem speaks of the slaves being herded along and the ones at the back of the line are whipped into submission. The narrator’s sister is among them, obviously distressed about her current situation. Many families were separated when they were enslaved, and luckily these two are at least at the same place, though they may never actually be able to see each-other in person. Then the slaves are sent out into the fields, this is described as “they spill like bees among the fat flowers” because there are so many of them and they have to disperse everywhere to work. The narrator then proceeds to weep, reinforcing the idea of the despair and suffering all the slaves are going through.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation that Dove in the poem, “The House Slave” conveys the misery and fear slaves had experienced. However, there are some things that you didn’t mention but can enhance your analysis about this poem. For example, in line 12 of stanza 4, Dove writes, “shivering in the early heat” (12). The author here tells the readers that the speaker is shivering. However, she also mentions that the weather is fairly humid. The fact that the speaker shivers in a hot temperature illustrates the extent to which he is scared, which can tie back to your point that this poem relates to the troubles of a slave.
DeleteIn her poem, “The Abduction”, Rita Dove writes about an African American in order to illustrate the evils of society in the 19th century. In the first stanza, the author reveals a lot about the setting and the characters. For example, the stanza tells the readers that the speaker is Solomon Northup, who was a free African American. This fact adds significance to the other descriptions mentioned, such as the “free papers” Northrup carried in his pocket. He needs this sheet of paper, because the setting is in Washington D.C., which was back then a slave state. Thus, he carried the free paper to prove his status as a free African American. The last line of the poem reveals the characters named Brown and Hamilton, who were actually men who drugged Northrup and held him captive to sell him as a slave. The fact that Northrup considers them as “friends” indicates that he had not expected in any way that the two were going to harm him. Next, in the second stanza, the author starts off with the question, “Why should I have doubted them?” She then follows the question with visual imagery to portray the three men working harmoniously in producing music. Dove portrays this image in order to convey to the readers that the speaker actually did not have any reason to suspect the two. Northrup went into the South because he was offered by the two men in performing a gig together. On top of this, “The wages” the two men offered “were good”. Combined with the fact that African Americans at the time had an extremely hard time finding decent jobs, the Dove is not only able to convey that Northrup unknowingly accepting the fake offer is completely reasonable, but she is also able to illustrate the immorals of the two men, who used the desperate situation of free blacks to lure Northrup into slavery for their own benefits. The evils of the two men are further conveyed in the last stanzas, in which it describes the moment Northrup falls under slavery. In this line, the author describes the speaker being “in darkness” and “in chains”. Dove here uses “darkness” to reveal the tone of despair and uses a metaphor to compare the acts of being physically chained to that of being “chained” to slavery. Because this line conveys the misery Northrup feels as a result of being enslaved, the Dove is able to further delineate the immoral acts of Brown and Hamilton. In “The Abduction”, Rita Dove recounts the story of an African American being tricked into slavery by two men for their own benefits in order to illustrate the immorals of the 1800’s.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you summarized up the poem Abduction, it was pretty stgraightforward, but it was nice that you brought forward some key parts. I especially liked how you used the idea of a metaphor for how the chains represent the chains of slavery. A thing wanted to mention was that Abduction, who is written with regards of Solomon Northrup, was also made into a movie. Obviously, the movie is not the same as real life, but in the movie, Solomon became violently sick after drinking/eatiing what his circus "friends" had given him. This is hinted at when he mentions, "the sky swiveled, clicked into place." It hints that he becomes dizzy, and then he has trouble with sleep. I was just wondering if you also noticed this as well.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, Belinda’s Petition, Dove uses incorrect use of capitalization, as well as other literary terms to show the significance of slavery and its impact on this particular individual. Starting off with the use of capitalization, I believe that this is on purpose. I believe that it is hinting at Belinda’s lack of grammar education because she was a slave. This, and the fact that it is in first person, helps the reader understand the message being given by Belinda. With the literary terms, we first see the use of synecdoche, “Senate and House of Representatives.” She is referring to the people within this part of the government, and it also gives a feel of an overwhelming majority. She has to address them as one body because they all have common ideas and act on them in a group. Next, are the metaphors, where Dove uses the quote, “severed the Binds of tyranny,” to indicate how Belinda either was able/or hopes to be free of Slavery. The other metaphor,” received existence,” represents her new found freedom from slavery, and she is able to achieve rights (though limited). The use of the simile, “faces like the moon,” are referring to white men, though it poses two different questions; are the men there to save her, or are they the ones who have prevented her freedom?
ReplyDeleteYour questions were very interesting, they were tough to answer. After reading and rereading through the poem, I’ve come to the conclusion that the men are the ones that are saving her, not the ones enslaving her. In the poem Dove writes that the men have “faces like the moon”, which leads me to believe that she’s speaking of white men, whom in this period are usually known for being oppressive slave owners that take advantage of African American women. However, in this instance, she is talking about the men from the North that are “riding” towards her steadily, saving her from the holds of slave owners in the south. She says at the end these men have been riding towards her for twelve years, which is the exact length of her slavery. While she was skeptical during the period where she was enslaved, she would’ve never imagined that the men in the north were doing their best to save her.
DeleteI also agree with your interpretation of Rita Dove’s incorrect use of punctuation that was used quite commonly throughout her poem. I think it helped show the lack of education among slaves and the negative impact slavery had on African Americans. Most slaves during this time period were deprived of having any education. I also believe that the words Rita Dove choose to capitalize were meant to be emphasized. Rita Dove wanted these words to stand out because they were of more importance to Belinda and helped support her beliefs more. For example, words like, “Time”, “Life”, “Slave”, “Ignorant”, and many others seemed to create a bigger effect and show more power.
DeleteIn “The Abduction”, by Rita Dove, we are brought inside the head of a slave in the United States. The poem starts off nicely, there is images of him with his new found friends who are most likely slaves as well, along with Solomon Northrup, the author of the popular book “Twelve Years a Slave”. He specifies in the poem that he has “free papers in my pocket”, as well as a “violin under arm”, all testaments to his proclaimed freedom. The next stanza he paints us a more in depth picture, describing a pleasing scene where he is playing his fiddle on the side of the road, his friend, Hamilton, is dancing on a tightrope, and Brown is collecting money for their act in a hat. This at surface-level may seem like a peaceful and happy setting, but in reality it is all just a mirage. Underlying all the lighthearted images, there is a much more depressing tone, and Dove had been giving hints and foreshadowing during the entire first half of the poem, before it is revealed at the end. In the first stanza she describes the houses around them as “black with crepe”, immediately giving you an unsettling feeling through the dark color imagery, before our narrator even speaks. The poem is also structured slightly strange, the lines in the stanzas go from 5 lines to 1 line, starting from the top to the bottom. This almost prepares the reader for the what is revealed at the end, the reader is first introduced with large and detailed filled stanzas that are enjoyable to read and contain lots of detail. As the reader progresses throughout the poem, the stanzas hold less and get darker and more depressing, until he/she reaches the final line, where our narrator’s dream of his ideal world crumbles, and he wakes up. When he wakes up he is back bound by chains and in complete darkness, living the nightmare no human should ever have to live.
ReplyDeleteThe stanza length definitely stood out to me, too, and I like what you said about it. I also thought that it was a metaphor for abduction itself, as if Northrup is fading out from what would seem like a disappearance from freedom. It could also be because he's on a path to losing his freedom throughout the poem, so he doesn't have as much time to say what he needs to and therefore must condense his words.
Delete"The House Slave" seems to have a double meaning when it talks about the morning. On a literal level, it’s about slaves waking up and starting their work day before the sun even rises. However, it can also serve as a metaphor for how early in their lives slaves are forced into it. The first stanza mentions this wake-up call, and the first slaves that are mentions are the children “being bundled into aprons” (Dove). Children are the first ones the reader pictures in this scene, giving emphasis to them. The children are being readied for the day, whether working themselves or too young and being carried into the fields by their mothers. The latter is an example of the hidden meaning in this poem; even before they can fend for themselves, the children are out in the field, up close and personal with the work. To the ones born to these slave mothers, it’s all they grow up with, all they know. They, too, will be subjected to this “life,” possibly separated from their family and sold off as soon as they’re able to work. This deprives them of any childhood they could have had, separating them from their humanity and painting them as the objects and property slave owners want them to be seen as. The last stanza says, “I weep. It is not yet daylight” (Dove). The very last line points out how the sun has not risen, again using this placement to emphasize the line and therefore the meaning. The narrator is talking about how, despite it being so early, both in the day and in life, they are already subjected to such despair and abuse due to being a slave.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the ideas you discussed in your post. I especially enjoy your idea that the discussion of morning in the poem is not only a reference to the time of day, but also the young age at which black children are forced into slavery in America during this time period. I also found a few line near the end of the poem to have profound effect of me as the reader. ON the first line of the last stanza, Dove describes the fields as “folding into whiteness” which is an obvious allusion to the cotton fields of the southern United States on which the slaves often labored. Furthermore, on the next line, she says that they “spill like bees” which at first seems like an apt comparison because bees are animals which travel from plant to plant in order to harvest something. However, this is more impactful as this line compares the slaves in the field to animals, which is dehumanizing them to the furthest extent.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s poem, “The House Slave” Rita Dove tells the story of two sisters and the horrible conditions they endured as slaves. Rita dove’s poem is structured as a triplet for each stanza creating an organized layout. One sister is forced to work on the fields while the other sister, the narrator, is a house slave. The narrator feels awful for the conditions her sister and many other slaves face. The narrator lays in bed restless, unable to go to bed due to their dreadful working conditions, “I lie on my cot, shivering in the early heat, ” (line 12). She is haunted by the abuse and attacks inflicted by the slave owners on her sister, but lays helpless. Rita Dove also uses similes throughout this poem to show the unfair treatment of the slaves, “while their mistress sleeps like an ivory toothpick” (lines 6). The mistress is compared to an ivory toothpick because of her light skin and the hierarchy of white people during this time period. Ivory is a very in demand, rich material and these characteristics are similar to white women. Also, the comparison with the toothpick is made because she is more fragile and would never have to go through the same suffering that African American women endured as slaves. Further into the poem Rita Dove uses visual imagery, “and as the fields unfold to whiteness” (line 13). The fields are unfolding to whiteness because it is harvest time for cotton. When Rita Dove describes the fields becoming white it accentuates how endless the field slave workers work is. There is so much cotton that it consumes the fields making the fields look white. Another simile is used when describing the field slave workers, “and they spilled like bees among the fat flowers” (line 14). Similar to bees they have to work fast and diligently. Also, the use of the word “spilled” conveys the idea that there is a grand amount of bees.They are packed together, similar to the concept of how many slaves would work on the same farm at once and their packed living conditions. In the last line of the poem the narrator states, “I weep. It is not yet daylight” (line 15). The narrator feels like the days are longer because witnessing and living through slavery is excruciatingly painful. Minutes and hours tick by slowly for all of the slaves and their work feels never ending. Rita Dove’s poem shows the harm slavery caused and it capitalizes on the horrible environment the slaves had to survive.
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ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove’s “Belinda’s Petition”, she uses improper capitalization to create a tone of venerance, before Belinda’s request is made and also to draw attention to certain words. In the first stanza of the poem, the narrator states an address to the members of the United States Bicameral legislature. She refers to the country as “new born”, indicating the time period to be near the days of independence from their English rulers. The narrator also incorrectly capitalizes the word “Country” in the second line. This literary choice not only puts more emphasis on the word when it is being read by the reader, but creates a tone of veneration towards the idea of this institution. We see this same effect being used at the very end of the the first stanza, when Dove capitalizes certain words on the phrase, “Fathers of this Nation”. This continues this tone of veneration and respect as Belinda prepares her audience for the request she is about to make.She goes on to ask for Congress to consider freeing the slaves, citing her primary justification for their need for freedom as. “pure Air being the sole advantage of which I can boast my present Condition.” These lines are saying that the slaves should be freed because they breathe air just like any white man or woman. Dove capitalizes “Binds of Tyranny” to help the reader put a greater emphasis on this phrase, which compares the gaining of independence of America from England to be analogous to freeing the slaves from their “bindings”.
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