Last Blog Portfolio of the year!

The end of the year is here and this is my last blog portfolio for this school year. The links below will lead you to all the blogs assigned this quarter, and its basically poetry! Poetry is really really interesting, and I hope you find my blogs interesting and insightful as well (And I got to write a poem!) Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment. :)


1. Coverage:
Think culture first!

The Harlem Dancer

Unconscious (Poem)

If this was my poetry exam, I would...

Wanda Why Aren't You Dead

Carpet-weavers, Morocco (Practice Commentary)

Muliebrity



2. Depth:
If this was my poetry exam, I would...
This is a practice commentary we did in class, but that we could expand after reading an essay by Camille Puglia. It's a commentary on "Old Pond" by Gary Synder, a poem that describes the vulnerability of man amongst the immensity of nature. The evolution of my commentary is evident: it went from being simple bullet points that focused merely on observation, to a great deal of observation. 


3. Discussion:
Think culture first!
This is a response to Baraka's essay "Expressive Language". My blog post discussed how culture affected the written word, especially in the arts and social sciences. Wesley and Nina commented and asked several questions, which made me realize that Baraka's essay went beyond that. 


4. Interaction:
Wanda Why Aren't You Dead
This is a practice commentary on the poem "Wanda Why Aren't You Dead" by Wanda Coleman. It analyzes three features of the poem: speaker, diction and sound, in order to understand the theme of the poem. Reading Adrienne and Pooja's commentaries I could develop a little more my ideas on sound and form, which I think come together in this poem. I added them to my post in green.


5. Xenoblogging:
http://whamiltonthegreat.blogspot.com/2011/05/expressive-language-is-expressive-as.html
This category will redirect you to Wesley's blog post "Expressive Language is Expressive and this is Redundant". I commented on his blog after reading his and Julie's responses to Baraka's essay. I tried to make Wesley develop a little his ideas, as well as linking him to Julie's blog, because they both mentioned the same idea of "stereotypes" but interpreted differently. 


6. Wildcard:
Carpet-weavers, Morocco (Practice Commentary)

Muliebrity
This category will lead you to two blogs I wrote. The first one is a practice commentary on "Carpet-weavers, Morocco" by Carol Rumens, which I thought was a great opportunity to practice for the final exam. The second one is the poem "Muliebrity" by Sujata Bhatt. What I really like about both posts is that they both talk about child labor in third world countries, and as a reader I can gain perspective of it. I personally really like "Muliebrity" because I feel so connected to it after living for almost a year in India. 

Muliebrity

The poem Muliebrity by Indian poetess Sujata Bhatt describes the speaker's admiration towards a girl in her homeland, India, whose job is to gather cow dung along the main road. The poet expresses her admiration towards the girl as well as all those features of her country through imagery. Among the smells, sights and sounds of India, the girl shines and smiles because she is proud of herself. I just thought this poem was a nice way of showing how hard life in India is, especially for women. After living here for a year, I have been able to see all those things Sujata Bhatt describes in her poem, and I feel the same admiration towards all Indian women. Enjoy!

Muliebrity

Sujata Bhatt

I have thought so much about the girl

who gathered cow-dung in a wide, round basket

along the main road passing by our house

and the Radhavallabh temple in Maninagar.

I have thought so much about the way she                                             5

moved her hands and her waist

and the smell of cow-dung and road-dust and wet canna lilies,

the smell of monkey breath and freshly washed clothes

and the dust from crows’ wings which smells different –

and again the smell of cow-dung as the girl scoops                             10

it up, all these smells surrounding me separately

and simultaneously – I have thought so much

but have been unwilling to use her for a metaphor,

for a nice image – but most of all unwilling

to forget her or to explain to anyone the greatness                                15

and the power glistening through her cheekbones

each time she found a particularly promising

mound of dung –

Sources:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080518/jk4.jpg

http://jocelyn53.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/cow-dung-cc-elishams-200.jpg?w=200&h=132

http://194.3.120.243/english/study/IGCSE/Literature/Poetry/Songs%20of%20Ourselves/muliebrity.htm

It is time to practice for the final exam!

Carpet-weavers, Morocco

Carol Rumens

The children are at the loom of another world.

Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright.

Their assorted heights would make a melodious chime.

They watch their flickering knots like television.

As the garden of Islam grows, the bench will be raised.

Then they will lace the dark-rose veins of the tree-tops.

The carpet will travel in the merchant’s truck.

It will be spread by the servants of the mosque.

Deep and soft, it will give when heaped with prayer.

The children are hard at work in the school of days.

From their fingers the colours of all-that-will-be fly

and freeze into the frame of all-that-was.

Commentary:

“Carpet-weavers, Morocco” by Carol Rumens is a poem that vividly describes the looming of a carpet, a work done by children. In this poem, the carpet isn’t just a commercial product, but also a religious symbol; it is used for praying and connects daily life, commerce and religion, in the Islamic culture. The poem presents the idea of social injustice and child labor in third world countries through the use of metaphors, similes, and visual imagery.

First of all, in the first stanza, Rumens uses visual imagery and metaphors in order to show that the children are a unified group. Rumens describes how “Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright” (Line 2). The use of the words “oiled and black” conveys the idea that they are very clean and tidy. The adjective “bright” enhances their appearance, and portrays the idea that they are properly dressed to work rather than messy. Moreover, Rumens is able to create a very effective image of the children weaving by using a metaphor: “Their assorted heights would make a melodious chime” (Line 4). The use of the words “assorted heights” conveys the idea that the children are of different stature and ages. It also shows that they are united and joined together by work by comparing them to a “melodious chime”, because by working all together they will create a melodious music, in other words a beautiful carpet.

The theme is introduced in the first stanza of the poem and emphasized throughout. The poem opens describing that “the children are at the loom of another world”. The opening line has a double meaning; it first suggests that the children are weaving “another world”, an Islamic paradise. However, it also conveys the idea that they are facing the challenges imposed by developing countries, “another world” but still have the perspective of a third world country. Furthermore, in the second stanza, the poet describes how the children weave and “watch their flickering knots like television”. The use of the words “flickering knots” portrays how quick and skilled the children are with their hands. They are so able with their hands and crafts because they have probably been doing it all their lives and it is how they contribute to their family’s income. This is a controversial simile because Rumens compares them to children who are able to indulge in the pleasures of technology, such as the television, in more developed countries. However, these children probably do not have a television. Nevertheless, this is the only way the poet can share her experience with the reader. Both lines suggest the theme of social injustice and child labor because the children are forced to work to help their families, since they lived in a less developed world. Moreover, they cannot go to school but “are hard at work in the school of days” (Line 10). For these children, it is their life experiences that shape and educate them rather than school. They do not have education since their families depend on their full time work.

Finally, the poet also uses imagery and metaphors to describe the carpet the children are working on. The design in the carpet represents the Islamic paradise. The children weave and “as the garden of Islam grows, the bench will be raised. Then they will lace the dark-rose veins of the tree tops” (Line 5-6). The use of the word “veins” to describe the designs portrays the artistic abilities of the children, since they are able to weave such delicate and fine patterns. Therefore, the carpet is a religious item, which will then be “spread by the servants of the mosque” and will be “heaped with prayer”.

Carol Rumens uses imagery throughout the poem in order to show how the carpet woven by these children is a way of connecting the Islamic culture together; the carpet is not only a commercial product but also a religious symbol. Nevertheless, no matter how beautiful the carpet turns out to be and how important it is to the culture, the poet emphasizes that it is a creation of uneducated children, whose future still seems bleak because they are forced to work. 

"Wanda Why Aren't You Dead" by Wanda Coleman

(Adrienne and Pooja's commentaries allowed me to develop my ideas about how sound and form portray Wanda's suffering. I've added this in green!)


“Wanda Why Aren’t You Dead” by Wanda Coleman describes the psychological struggle of a black woman and mother that is unhappy and tormented with who she is. She uses diction to create the image of Wanda and the things she does not like of her life, as well as sound and the speaker to portray how Wanda is oppressed by society.

First of all, the speaker is used as a way of showing that Wanda is battling against herself. Each line starts with the name “wanda”, followed by an interrogative adverb such as “why”, “when” and “how”. By asking questions to herself, it seems that the poem is a conversation between two different Wanda’s: an innocent wanda, to whom the questions are addressed, and an oppressive Wanda, that criticizes herself harshly, and wants her to fulfill all the requirements asked by society. There is also no capitalization of either “wanda” or the pronoun “i”. This shows Wanda’s self-hatred and how she thinks of herself as insignificant and useless. Furthermore, there are no question marks in any of the question. This supports the idea that the speaker is Wanda herself, because the speaker already knows the answer to the questions.

Wanda Coleman uses diction to create the image of Wanda. Most of the words imply a negative connotation and are aspects that Wanda wants to change of herself, as well as her socio-economic status. Firstly, the language portrays all the negative things of her personality and appearance. Her name is described as a “whore’s name”, creating a derogatory tone, as well as implying that she does not follow society, by not liking black men. It is because of this that they refer to her as a promiscuous woman. Moreover, Wanda is told to “lose weight” and “move out of this hell hole”. The use of the word “hell hole” emphasizes how Wanda is not content about her life: how she looks or where she lives. Secondly, diction also shows her low socio economic status. The vernacular is very characteristic to a black “ghetto” woman, emphasizing her social status. For example, the last line of the poem “why ain’t you dead”, lacks punctuation, has improper grammar and the use of the word “ain’t” shows Wanda’s lack of education

Finally, Coleman also uses sound and form, in order to show Wanda’s inner battle. The lack of punctuation and the continuous questions make the poem have a very fast rhythm. This creates a climax towards the end where Wanda is just trying to fight to the continuous attack of criticisms, constantly revolving in both the reader's and Wanda's mind. This shows that as a black woman, Wanda has been treated like this her entire life, and probably will still be, since she has become used to this treatment; "she earns no respect and is incessantly abused and slandered". (Adrienne's blog) This is also emphasized by the repetition of “wanda” in every line, because it focuses the the poem on Wanda and her flaws. The poem becomes very repetitive, creating an "annoying tone, as if he is purposely trying to pester her" (Pooja's blog)

Wanda Coleman’s poem “Wanda Why Aren’t You Dead” describes the mental battle of a woman that is oppressed by society and wants to change her appearance and personality in order to be accepted by society. The last line of the poem “why ain’t you dead” finally suggests that probably suicide is one of the options the character is considering. Coleman deals with a problem faced by many women that are constantly oppressed by society and their families, and the problems they suffer because of this.


Pooja's Blog

Adrienne's Blog

If this was my poetry exam, I would....

The first thing I would do in a poetry exam is read the poem not only once, but a several times, highlighting and annotating on the side anything that catches my attention; try to look for any literary elements like metaphors, alliteration, etc, as well as the structure and form of the poem. After doing that with this poem, I came up with the following observations and interpretations:

1. Effect of diction and how it creates imagery. This is a very descriptive poem, and almost every noun is preceded by an adjective. This creates a lot of visual imagery (image clusters). I think that the most effective quotations are:

"Blue mountain white snow gleam"

"Pine bulk and slender needle-sprays" (Here there is also alliteration!)

"A naked bug with a white body and brown hair"

Overall, there is a lack of verbs, while there is an excess of adjectives.

2. Structure and sound

a) The uncompleted sentences in the first four-five lines create a fast rhythm, that slows down as the “sentences spread apart” towards the end of the stanza.

b) Alliteration and mimesis:

 - Little hemlock half in shade

 - "Ragged rocky skyline”. The r sound imitates the skyline. Hard to say fast, somehow reminds me of mountains.

 - "Biggest little lake”

3) The way the sentences are arranged in each stanza takes the shape of a basin.

If this was my poetry exam after reading Camille Paglia's commentary, I would....

Camille Paglia's commentary on "Old Pond" by Gary Synder made me realize that my previous response to the poem merely discussed the observations and patterns I saw. It really lacked further insight and interpretation of the elements I had found (but I would probably blame this on my "still developing" writing skills). After reading the paper I can say that my observations were good and that some of the ideas I had behind them as well. 

One of the observations Paglia and I have in common, is the effect caused by the imagery, specially in the first four lines of the poem. However, whilst I only focused on diction, Paglia discussed the lack of punctuation. Together punctuation and adjectives lets the words in the opening lines "float dreamily free, re-creating the poet's overwhelmed first impression". The description of the landscape uses in my opinion very simple and straightforward words. Synder uses color to describe the "blue mountains" and "white snow". Paglia comments on the effect of this, by how it hits "the eye before the mind can organize them logically". The reader is therefore filled with this color and imagery, the visualization of a blue sky and mountain covered in snow, dominating the scenery. The line "pine bulk and slender needle-sprays" conveys the green of the landscape, covered with pine trees conveying the "heft and delicacy of the massed trees". Paglia's interpretation on this line is somehow out of my reach. The fact that this is a metaphor sounds strange to me, and leaves me wondering what is its effect on the theme of the poem. Nevertheless, I agree on how she compared the first lines with a Haiku. 

Another similar observation is on the fourth line: "Ragged rocky skyline”. Paglia focuses on the imagery created by the words. The adjective "ragged" compares the blue sky with a torn cloth, with an irregular surface created by the rocky mountains. Paglia suggests that in the poem mountains are not portrayed as strong and permanent as we would usually think of them, but somehow very gentle, showing once again the limited vision of humans. For this quote I also interpreted the alliteration of the "r" sound. In my opinion, the repetition of this sound, makes it difficult to say this line quickly, therefore suggesting the same idea for the skyline, since it is broken by the mountains. 

In the second part of the poem, Snyder states that he has taken us to Five Lakes Basin. At this point I really lacked interpretation, therefore Paglia's paper helped me a lot to understand the poem and the big idea behind it. The most important aspect of this stanza is the description of the "naked bug with a white body and brown hair". It is strange how Snyder has decided to use the word bug, because the reader thinks it is a literal description and that indeed he is talking about an insect. However, Paglia suggests that the bug is a metaphor for humans. This interpretation shows how "nature sees man as nothing but a naked bug"; vulnerable to the immensity of the Earth. The bug/human is ordinary, has "no name, possessions, social status, or even discernible gender". The color white suggests human's innocence, weakness and vulnerability to nature. Line 10 "after all day scrambling on the peaks" suggests the adventurous and childish side of humans; their desire of discovering new things, of seeing and doing things they have never done, the adrenaline of escaping into the wilderness. 

Camille Paglia also comments on the last line of the poem. The word "splash" is mimesis, creating a "joky finale", suggesting that man is clearing his mind of "trivialities and false ideas", and somehow letting nature take over him and dominate him. The exclamation mark at the end of this word is a sign of enthusiasm and relief. As she describes towards the end of the commentary, the poem describes the "subordination to, rather than conquest of, nature". It illustrates man's "quest for meaning as a process of divestment"; leaving behind us everything that is unnecessary and an emotional baggage, and try to return to our self. 

I really enjoyed reading Paglia's commentary on "Old Pond". She offers a lot of insight into things one would have considered obvious, but that indeed form important elements in this poem. She also provides some extra background information, which although will not be available to us during our exam serves as a way of understanding the poem right now. The structure of her commentary is simple but very helpful. She interprets the poem in order, making it easy to see the development of the ideas, and how it leads to the central meaning of the poem.I think this way of analyzing this poem is probably more effective because it allows her ideas progress in order. It is always fun to read this type of essays because it provides me fresh ideas and ideas of things I sometimes simply ignore.

Gary Snyder "Old Pond"

Blue mountain white snow gleam

Through pine bulk and slender needle-sprays;

      little hemlock half in shade,

      ragged rocky skyline,

      single clear flat nuthatch call:

      down from the treetrunks

      up through time.

At Five Lakes Basin's

Biggest little lake

      after all day scrambling on the peaks,

      a naked bug

      with a white body and brown hair

      dives in the water

Splash!