Analysis:
In the poem "Delta," the author uses imagery depicting a shattered and ruined scene, along with a defiant and triumphant tone to convey that the speaker has overcome the faults of their past and is ready to continue moving forward. The poem by Adrienne Rich opens with the lines, "If you have taken this rubble for my past raking through it for fragments you could sell." The author paints the picture of broken down debris sitting at the bottom of a river delta. The speaker correlates their past with this destroyed material to show that they are of no meaning to them and as the "fragments" sit at the bottom of the inferred river delta, these mistakes are to be forgotten. The speaker mentions a potential adversary sifting through the sedimentary rubble in search of something of value. Because the rubble represents the mistakes of the speakers past, it is likely the person looking through the fragments do not plan on helping the speaker move on from their mistakes, but rather use it against them.
In response to the person rummaging through the pieces of the speakers past, the speaker says to that person, "know that I long ago moved on deeper into the heart of the matter." Here, the author uses apathetic diction to lead to the idea that the speaker does not mind the investigation of their past. This apathetic diction contributes to the triumphant tone. The apathetic speaker seems to just brush off the this invasion of privacy because they know they have triumphed over their past fouls. While the tone of the second stanza remains triumphant, a shift can be seen from a neutral stance to an aggressive approach. "If you think you can grasp me, think again," this line shows that the speaker goes on the attack against the one who insists on bringing up their past. The line infers that the speaker knows that one cannot get an accurate judgement of their character and being based solely on their past mistakes. When the speaker says "my story flows in more than one direction," the loose and natural diction developed by the choice to use the word flow contributes to a tone of moving forward. The speaker does not wish to dwell on the rubble of their past and plans to flow forward down the other tributaries of life.
Reflection:
To me, the central message of this poem, to move on from your mistakes, is an extremely valuable lesson. Like the speaker in the poem, I believe that in order to be happy and move on in life, you cannot dwell on past mistakes and regrets. This also may be the case when overlooking the mistakes of other around you. In my personal experience, it has been important for me to not focus on my mistakes but rather make decisions that could benefit me instead.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Poetry Assignment: "good times" Lucille Clifton pg 349
Analysis:
In the poem "good times" by Lucille Clifton, the author uses repetition and a childlike, innocent tone to convey the central message of always to focus on the good times in life. The author of this poem made common use of the repetition technique when writing "good times." The title is repeated throughout, emphasizing the importance that good times have on the speaker. Lines seven and eight, along with 15 and 16, consist of nothing other than "good times; good times." This isolates the theme and idea possessed by the speaker that one should always focus on the good times. The repeating lines "good times" seem to be occurring because of the shift from the potential bad times that have seemed to have ended at the beginning of the poem. "My Daddy has paid the rent and the insurance man is gone and the lights is back on," points to the end of troubling times and entrance to the good times emphasized by repetition. The final line of the poem uses one last repetition to drill in the idea " oh children think about the good times." This can either be a statement claiming that children only think about the good times, a concept that can be envied by adults, or a command telling children to think about the good times in order to forget about their troubles.
Lucille Clifton uses poor grammar and uneducated diction to develop a childlike feel and the tone of innocence that often accompanies a child. The author makes use of "My Daddy" and "My Mama" to illustrate that the speaker is of a younger age that still is dependent on their parents. Statements like "the lights is back on" point towards the poor grammar used by children. Lines 9-14 may best portray a tone of innocence, "My Mama has made bread and Grampaw has come and everybody is drunk and dancing in the kitchen and singing in the kitchen oh these is good times." In these lines not only the child speaker is innocent but their whole family is. The family is "drunk and dancing in the kitchen and singing in the kitchen." The state of being drunk in this poem likely represents a state of bliss and obliviousness. The family is too busy caught up in their good times to see that the time they have is limited and is will likely be threatened soon. However, like the speaker points at, the central meaning of the poem is to always focus on the good times. With all of the family holding a childlike attitude of innocence and obliviousness, they can forget about all of their troubles and focus on the good times.
Reflection:
I believe that the message of this poem, to focus on the good times in life, is an extremely important one. If a person carries this theme with them, it can aid them in getting through even the toughest of times. My personal experience of the poem has lead to me being convinced that the best way to get through troubling times or forget about a rough period of time, is to only think of the good times and the moments within them.
In the poem "good times" by Lucille Clifton, the author uses repetition and a childlike, innocent tone to convey the central message of always to focus on the good times in life. The author of this poem made common use of the repetition technique when writing "good times." The title is repeated throughout, emphasizing the importance that good times have on the speaker. Lines seven and eight, along with 15 and 16, consist of nothing other than "good times; good times." This isolates the theme and idea possessed by the speaker that one should always focus on the good times. The repeating lines "good times" seem to be occurring because of the shift from the potential bad times that have seemed to have ended at the beginning of the poem. "My Daddy has paid the rent and the insurance man is gone and the lights is back on," points to the end of troubling times and entrance to the good times emphasized by repetition. The final line of the poem uses one last repetition to drill in the idea " oh children think about the good times." This can either be a statement claiming that children only think about the good times, a concept that can be envied by adults, or a command telling children to think about the good times in order to forget about their troubles.
Lucille Clifton uses poor grammar and uneducated diction to develop a childlike feel and the tone of innocence that often accompanies a child. The author makes use of "My Daddy" and "My Mama" to illustrate that the speaker is of a younger age that still is dependent on their parents. Statements like "the lights is back on" point towards the poor grammar used by children. Lines 9-14 may best portray a tone of innocence, "My Mama has made bread and Grampaw has come and everybody is drunk and dancing in the kitchen and singing in the kitchen oh these is good times." In these lines not only the child speaker is innocent but their whole family is. The family is "drunk and dancing in the kitchen and singing in the kitchen." The state of being drunk in this poem likely represents a state of bliss and obliviousness. The family is too busy caught up in their good times to see that the time they have is limited and is will likely be threatened soon. However, like the speaker points at, the central meaning of the poem is to always focus on the good times. With all of the family holding a childlike attitude of innocence and obliviousness, they can forget about all of their troubles and focus on the good times.
Reflection:
I believe that the message of this poem, to focus on the good times in life, is an extremely important one. If a person carries this theme with them, it can aid them in getting through even the toughest of times. My personal experience of the poem has lead to me being convinced that the best way to get through troubling times or forget about a rough period of time, is to only think of the good times and the moments within them.
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