In the poem “Canary”, Rita Dove uses musical diction and symbolism to reveal how Billie Holiday coped with her difficult life. As a child, Holiday was abandoned by both her father and mother leaving her to be mistreated by her relatives. The darker parts of Holiday’s life are revealed as Dove writes, “(Now you’re cooking, drummer to bass” (Dove 5). Rita Dove not only incorporates how music affected Holiday, but how her drug addiction impacted her life. Along with music, Heroin was one of the main drugs abused by Holiday as it . It often can be cooked using a spoon and injected with a needle. She writes, “magic spoon, magic needle” (6). The anaphora “magic” emphasizes the importance of the spoon and needle in the process of taking this particular drug. Dove later writes, “Take all day if you have to / with your mirror and your bracelet of a song” (7-8). “Take all day” implies that her addiction was heavily affecting her life resulting in becoming enveloped the stage of total dependency. Her “bracelet of a song” can represent how her music gave her a sense of pride and protection. Bracelets are worn around the wrist and normally are presentable to others. The music, along with drugs, acted as an escape for Holiday as singing helped withdrawal the pain she endured. Unlike her drug use, her performances were in public and seen by many (similar to how a bracelet can be presentably worn on the wrist). The bracelet also may refer to the circumstances that surrounded and tied her down. Women of color were not given the same equal rights due to segregation in the United States. Billie Holiday had no control over where and when she would perform or what she could and couldn’t do due to the segregated laws. As her quality of life went down, a lack of emotional stability resulted in both heavy drinking and hard drug use. The rough childhood Holiday experienced left her addicted to drugs and grieving for an outlet to her pain. Billie Holiday’s personal struggles are shown through Dove’s use of musical diction and symbolism.
We both think that Rita Dove uses symbolism to explain Billie Holiday's ways of coping with the struggles she faced throughout her life. However, I also think Rita Dove's use of negative connotations displays how Billie Holiday coped with these difficulties. Dove writes "a mournful candelabra against a sleek piano" (Dove 3). The use of the word mournful shows the dark side of Billie Holiday’s life, and how she coped with her life thinking it was mournful, and feeling sad about her life. Another example of Dove’s use of negative connotations is when Dove writes “the gardenia her signature under that ruined face” (Dove 4). Here the phrase ruined face is the negative connotation that displays the effects Billie Holiday has suffered due to the struggles and hardships she has endured during her life. Having a ruined face means Billie Holiday has not successfully been able to cope and keep up with her difficult life. She has turned to drugs as a way to feel better, which have played a big part in ruining her face. I find that both symbolism and negative connotations were used successfully by Rita Dove to show how Billie Holiday coped with her life.
Rita Dove writes Catherine of Siena about a saint who lived from 1347 to 1380. She uses allusions to Catherine of Siena’s life to show her choice of following the traditions of religion. “Under the star-washed dome of heaven, warm and dark” Dove creates a feeling of safety and comfort, but also entrapment (Dove 5-6). Her use of positive diction makes the word dome stand out as different. This contrast is what creates the feeling of being trapped. This is an allusion to her life and living during a dangerous time period of revolutions in Rome. “You walked the length of Italy to find someone to talk to” portrays how she went great lengths to teach and help others and also the obstacles of her life (1-2). This is also an allusion to receiving a lot of persecution from others, even the other priests and sisters who were suppose to support her. “No one stumbled across. No one unpried your fists as you slept” references how charitable she was towards others yet no one reciprocated this love and charity for her (11-12). “You struck the boulder at the roadside since fate has doors everywhere” means she everywhere she went she continued to perform good deeds because christians believe God is always watching. The line mentioning how often she prayed shows the contrast of how much passion she had for others and how much pain she received, but continued to persevere through it all. Allusions to Catherine of Siena’s life show how despite what she went through she continued to follow traditions of her religion.
I agree very much with your idea that allusions help to show why Catherine of Sienna chose to become a scholar and to live the way that she did. Another example of Dove's use of allusion was in the final line: "No one unpried your fists as you slept"(12). This may be in reference to the fact that Catherine of Sienna was able to accomplish so much despite being a woman. Also on the prior line when she says "No one stumbled across your path." (11) she is making reference to the fact that Catherine of Siena did not merely stumble into sainthood; she achieved it through hard work and perseverance.
Rita Dove uses allusions, as well as symbolism in her poem “Catherine of Alexandria” to describe the life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. In the beginning of the poem, Dove writes “no wonder sainthood/ came as a voice” (Dove 3-4). This is an allusion referencing to when Saint Catherine had visions and heard voices, which persuaded her to convert to Christianity. Dove is explaining how sainthood was brought to Saint Catherine through voices she heard through a vision, which were of Our Lady and the Holy Child. Both an allusion and symbol are used when Dove writes “His spiraling/ pain. Each morning/ the nightshirt bunched/ above your waist---/ a kept promise,/ a ring of milk” (Dove 11-16). The kept promise Dove mentions is a reference to Saint Catherine’s promise with Jesus to stay a virgin. The lines preceding this reference are about Saint Catherine’s struggles with staying a virgin, and resisting sexual temptations. Along with this, the mentioning of a ring of milk symbolizes a purity ring. A purity ring is a ring worn by women who want to show that they are sexually pure and abstinent. This ring of milk translates to a purity ring because milk is white, which is considered the purest color. In addition, Rita Dove writes “and what went on/ each night was fit/ for nobody’s ears/ but Jesus’. His breath of a lily” (Dove 6-9). This comes before the mentioning of the purity ring, and has a similar meaning. The secretive side of Saint Catherine is shown through this, along with her promise to confide in Jesus. The lily is a symbol in this line, and it symbolizes purity, promise, and innocence. These traits are used to describe Jesus’ voice, which Saint Catherine will hear when confiding in him. His voice reminds her to stay pure and keep her promise with him. The use of allusions and symbolism in the poem “Catherine of Alexandria” help display the events of Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s life.
You bring up some very good points in your interpretation. “What went on/ each night was fit/ for nobody’s ears/ but Jesus’” this could be talking about the covenants taken by the saints (Dove 6-8). This would relate to her vowing to remain a virgin. There is also a lot of biblical dication that helps know the poem is about a saint. Also, with what you were saying about the ring of milk, her covenants and vows are connected to this purity ring. The frequent biblical references help in understanding the poem and Catherine of Alexandria. “Deprived of learning and/ the chance to travel,/ no wonder sainthood/ came as a voice” shows that women living in that time period did not have the same opportunities as men (1-4). If they did not get married then the only thing they really could do was devote their lives to their religious practices. In this case, Catherine is one of those women. Also it mentions in the bible how people who have been spiritually awakened have been called to be awakened by a voice or a person in a dream. She has a similar experience it when Dove says “sainthood/ came as a voice” (3-4). The contradiction of “His/ breath of a lily./ His spiraling pain” is similar to the contradiction of all the good promises she made and how she stood up for christianity, but ended up being tortured and executed because of this (9-12).
We both have a similar interpretation on how Rita Dove uses the ring of milk to symbolize the struggles Catherine of Alexandria endures. Adding onto your analysis I believe Rita Dove’s use of anaphora and allusion evokes another meaning to the poem. Dove incorporates anaphora by using the word “His” (which refers to Jesus) in stanza 3. The repeated use of the word shows how the promise Saint Catherine of Alexandria made with Jesus affects both of their lives. Dove then writes, “each night was fit/ for nobody’s ears” (7-8). Unlike your interpretation, I thought this allusion may have referred to the Emperor Maximus rejecting Saint Catherine’s religion (as he violently persecuted Christians). This may have led to her to question her religion resulting in further temptation. In the following stanza, Dove writes, Jesus’ “breath of a lily./ His spiraling pain.” (10). I thought this symbolizes Jesus’ influence on Saint Catherine of Alexandria and how his spiraling pain was caused by her temptations. Dove writes, “Each morning/ the nightshirt bunched/ above your waist—“(Dove 11-14). The bunched night shirt symbolizes her temptation to breaking her sexual purity.
Dove blog 1 (I know it's late but) In the poem "Sonnet in Primary Colors", by Rita Dove, employed is the use of visual imagery to generate metaphorical depictions of meaningful events that sculpted Frida Kahlo's life. Describing Kahlo who "painted herself a present" (Dove line 4), Dove writes "wildflowers entwining the plaster corset/ her spine resides in the romance of mirrors." (5-6), as a metaphor for a traumatic bus accident Kahlo experienced as child. Wildflowers commonly grow on mountains, enduring grueling winter conditions that teach them when to bloom, beautifying otherwise dead spaces with luscious aromatic flowers. The bus accident a major influence on her, that grueling winter is what is often the influence on paintings, her pain being outputted in her art (the wildflower). The accident is further alluded to by "the plaster corset/ her spine resides in", making allusions to hospital treatment, possible physical therapy, that is described as a "corset". Painful events in Kahlo's life have shaped her and given her art form, just as a corset does. The "romance of mirrors" is a descriptor of the love, fulfillment, and pure enjoyment that comes as a result of creating something to satisfy and tame a perturbation. -Nicholas Rex
I agree with your interpretation on “Sonnet in Primary Colors”. Visual imagery was very dominant devices as it was used in almost every line of the poem. I also think allusions played a significant role in the overall message of the poem. I thought this poem was contrasting beauty and pain, and how her pain was expressed through her paintings. Dove writes, “Each night she lay down in pain and rose” (Dove 7). Although she was beaten down in the past, Rita Dove was able to persevere through this pain.
In her poem “David Walker,” Rita Dove uses harsh sounds and allusions to reveal the inhumanity of the horrific institution of slavery while also instilling a sense of hope in the slaves’ lives. Dove writes, “Free to travel, he still couldn’t be shown how lucky he was” (Dove 1). Born in North Carolina, David Walker was a free black, civil rights activist, and abolitionist. Walker encouraged slaves of the South to rebel against their masters. Although he was not a slave himself, he witnessed firsthand degradations and injustices of slavery. In response to this, Walker got involved in the first African American newspaper “Freedoms Journal” and later the publication of his pamphlet “Appeal” in September of 1829. The importance of the newspaper and pamphlets is reflected in Dove’s writings, “pamphlets were stuffed/ into trouser pockets. Pamphlets transported/ in the coat linings of itinerant seaman jackets/… in the Carolinas, pamphlets ripped out… (9-13). The goal of his pamphlet was to instill pride in its African American readers and to give them hope that they would one day be free. However, as a result of the publication of “Appeal,” more slave laws were enacted, such as the outlawing of reading and writing for slaves. In the following lines Dove writes, “We are the most wretched, degraded and abject set of beings that ever lived since the world began” (16-17). The harsh sounds: w, d, and b are used multiple times throughout the lines to emphasize the degradation and inhumane manner in which the slaves were treated. At this time, African Americans were seen as inferior to Whites and were not given equal chances or opportunities to advance in their society.
Your ideas were very interesting. Building off of your analysis, another way to interpret the line “Free to travel, he still couldn’t be shown how lucky/ he was” is since David Walker was free he was more prone to noticing the slavery around him (Dove 1-2). He could see that he was lucky, but the sight and thoughts of those who were not as lucky as he was, overpowered thoughts of himself. Like you were saying, Dove stresses the importance of Walker’s pamphlets in the second stanza. Her use of quotes from Walker’s pamphlet to prove her point of its importance to history. In the line “‘Men of colour, who are also of sense.’/ Outrage. Incredulity. Uproar in state legislatures” Dove uses a variety of negative diction to portray the reaction of all people who did not support this claim (14-15). Throughout this poem Dove installs hope in the readers that the situation will change, just like how Walker uses his pamphlets to install hope in the African Americans of his time period and the message that African Americans and Americans are equal to those against his ideals.
In Rita Dove’s “The Abduction” she uses the vantage point of first person and allusions to the story “12 Years a Slave” to portray the monstrosities of slavery in the life of Solomon Northrup. “I among them, Solomon Northrup/ from Saratoga Springs, free papers in my pocket, violin/ under arm, my new friends Brown and Hamilton by my side” references when the con men, Merrill Brown and Abram Northrup, kidnapped him and sold him into slavery (Dove 3-5). In these lines, it clarifies that Northrup was a free African American man in 1841 when she says he has free papers. This was a very important to be a free African American because most were slaves during this time. The next line “Why should I have doubted them? The wages were good” shows he showed no real concern for why these two men were taking him to Washington DC because it was difficult to make ends meet being a different race during this time period (6). If they were free, they would take any job available to make enough money to get by. When Dove next writes “Then the wine, like a pink lake, tipped./ I was lifted-the sky swivelled, clicked into place” she uses a simile and kinesthetic imagery to create an image of Northrup being drugged (11-12). The wine spilling references to the typically movie scene of slipping the drugs into a person’s drink and after they take a sip, the glass falls and they collapse. The kinesthetic imagery shows the readers what Northrup sees, the sky spinning, in his drugged state as he is being taken away. “I woke and found myself alone, in darkness and in chains” can be considered from a literal and metaphorical point of view (15). Waking in darkness and in chains could be a metaphor for what his life was like for the 12 years he was forced into slavery. The chains and darkness represent being trapped and seeing no current solution to ever becoming a free man again. It could also represent how the slaves were physically treated. The placement of Solomon in chains could portray the abuse, malnourishment, and being overworked that the slaves were forced to endure. Throughout this poem Dove uses the first person point of view and allusions to Solomon Northrup’s life to portray the horrid treatment African Americans received during the time period around the civil war and even after that.
I agree with your interpretation on how the poem relates the situation of Solomon Northrup, who may be attributed to the entire slave population to some degree: That they had something stolen from them (freedom, dignity, name, life, family, purity). I would also like to add how the structure of “The Abduction” contributed to this theme of loss. The first stanza contains five lines, and each succeeding stanza after has one less line, until the last stanza, which end stops after one final line (all stanzas end with end stop), “I woke and found myself alone, in darkness and in chains.” (Dove 15). This poem structure contributes by the reducing confidence in tone simultaneously with the reduction of words, this sudden space fills with doubt and adds suspense, as well as creates an atmosphere of lacking, of ebbing freedom, of loss and chronic deprivation.
Dove Blog 2 Nicholas Rex For nearly two and a half centuries Africans were torn from their homeland. From their African homes, to the Middle Passage, to plantations, to inhumane actions and violations of civil rights all in regards to their color, Africans have been desecrated. Rita Dove articulates this emotion of an afflicted people in her poem, “Belinda’s Petition”, through use of decisive diction and disciplined sarcasm. In stanza one, all the capitalized words, such as “Senate”, “Country”, and “Slave” (Dove 1-4), are all capitalized to create a sense of humility in her address for equitable rights. Also in the first stanza, an alliteration of soft sounds is used with “plead and place my pitiable Life” (6) to soften her approach and lessen her appearance. These humble, subjugated vibes quickly morph through the stanzas, the last stanza being scattered with sarcastic undertones. Belinda addresses accusations of her being “Ignorant” with confidence and a bold but not imposing stature. She addresses it frankly, “How might/ I have known of Men with Faces like the Moon, / who would ride toward me steadily for Twelve Years?” (18-20), providing straightforward evidence as to why she would be perceived as ignorant, “All my Childhood/ I expected nothing” (15-16). By saying that she did not expect the slave traders (“Men with Faces like the Moon”) to capture her is an optimistic statement: It shows innocence, and her good natured assumptions about the white men, though their deeds were evil. But the fact that she is black, and a woman, and a slave, and articulate and able to express her thoughts and desires, defeats any accusation of ignorance. Through sympathy arousing diction and undertones of confidence and sarcasm, Dove impresses the woes and the angered aches of an exploited people.
And just of note: The date in the top right reads “Boston, February 1782”, and Belinda addresses the “honorable Senate and House of Representatives of this Country” (1-2), however, the ratification of the Constitution and the simultaneous creation of the divided House was not completed until 1787. Perhaps this was a display of: 1) A black, slave, woman, that was current on her political knowledge and news- which goes against major stereotypes, and/or 2) This foreshadowing (of a divided House) is a display of pure intellect by a (again) black slave woman predicting the prophesied government- a government that has been replicated across the world as the standard for democracy and political organization.
My idea is similar to yours. I also noticed the randomly capitalized words throughout this poem and looked for a meaning and pattern in them. You made a very good point that these words were emphasized to create a sense of humility in her address for equitable rights. My thoughts were that these capitalized words all had something in common. I found that all these words were basics to human existence, as well as Belinda’s existence as a slave. The words like country, time, life, childhood, and years are all basics to the existence of all humans. I feel like Belinda is trying to emphasize these words in order to show what is basic to humans, and wants to add freedom to this. Her main goal is to attain freedom for her and the rest of the slaves, and by emphasizing these basics and rights of humans, she is inferring freedom is just another one of these. Other words like ignorant, tyranny, and accusation are words that show the basics of slave existence. Slaves have the tendency to be accused for things they haven’t done, making it a basic. Also, they live in a sort-of tyranny, another basic to their existence as slaves. In conclusion, I find our ideas similar, and think you had a really good point bringing up how these words emphasize humility.
Your interpretation of Rita Dove’s “Belinda’s Petition”, is very similar to observations I made. I also noticed the capitalization of particular words throughout the poem. I believed she selected these words to emphasize characteristics associated with Whites during this time period and the advantages they had over the African Americans. Belinda, who was kidnapped and taken to Massachusetts, petitioned for her freedom in 1783. I thought the petition conveyed the inhumanities of the horrendous institution of slavery as well as the mental and physical confinements the slaves experienced. The other literary device I noticed in this poem was her use of simile. Dove writes “I have known of Men with Faces like the Moon, “(Dove 19). I thought the moon also could be a symbol for White men during this time period and their views towards the slaves. Moons have multiple phases in their cycle. The “faces” may be referring to the different stages of the slave’s lives and how their owners treated them.
In Rita Dove's "The House Slave" smilies and personification are used to convey the disparity between slave's lives and their owner's lives and the severity of the slave's everyday struggles. Dove writes, "... while their mistress sleeps like an ivory toothpick..."(6). In this instance Dove uses a simile , comparing the mistress to an ivory toothpick. Writing that she is like an ivory toothpick implies that she is frail like a toothpick yet expensive or worth lots of money like ivory was. This contrasts greatly with what slaves of the 18th and 19th centuries would have been like or though of as; hard working, strong, and valued as some of the cheapest human lives. On the first two lines Dove writes "The first horn lifts its arm over the dew lit grass/ and in the slave quarters ..." The horn is given human like characteristics, like being able to lift its are, in order to show that rather than some abstract and nameless force waking up the slaves, it was more human like and in fact it was real humans making the slaves get up to do the work. She later goes on to write " At the second horn,/ the whip curls across the backs of the laggards- "(8-9). The fact that the more lazy or less hard working slaves are being whipped for waking up a seemingly negligible amount of time after the first horn implies that the owners of this house are very strict with their slaves. Dove uses figures of speech in order to help convey the disparity between slaves and their masters as well as the harsh conditions under which the slaves had to live.
In the poem “The House Slave,” Rita Dove uses visual and auditory imagery to portray the hardships slaves faced, and the poor way they were treated. Dove writes, “At the second horn,/ the whip curls across the backs of the laggards---” (Dove 8-9). The visual imagery creates the image of a slave being whipped across their back. This was a common act by many slave owners, normally a punishment. This harsh and violent act is one of the hardships endured by slaves. In this case, the whippings were a punishment to the laggards, which were the slaves who worked slowly, and fell behind others. Their slow progress caused an unfair beating, which shows how little the slave owners cared for their slaves. There is auditory imagery in these two lines as well. The second horn must be a method of communicating to the slaves that they are needed, or have something to do, like a bell. Having a horn brings up the point that slaves had no freedoms at all, and had to do whatever their owner said, whenever they needed it done. Another example of the use of auditory imagery is when Dove writes “sometimes my sister’s voice, unmistaken, among them./ ‘Oh! pray,’ she cries. ‘Oh! pray!’” (Dove 10-11). Here the auditory imagery emphasizes the hardships through the cries of the persona’s sister. The cries show how the slaves struggled throughout their lives of being slaves. These lines come directly after the earlier mentioned lines of the whippings of laggards. Due to this I inferred this sister must have been one to be whipped. Her cries for someone to pray really show the immense pain she’s in, and how awfully treated she was, along with the other slaves. Rita Dove’s use of visual and auditory imagery displayed the hardships and horrid lives slaves once lived.
In “The Situation is Intolerable” Rita Dove uses visual imagery, various metaphors, and the comparison of white and African American people to illustrate the injustice and inequality the African American population was forced to endure. She uses first person point of view to put the reader in their situation to experience this inequality and better understand. She starts out by saying “Intolerable: that civilized word./ Aren’t we civilized too?” which raises the comparison of the conduct of African Americans and white people (Dove 1-2). Through her use of visual imagery in the first stanza she show that the two races were similar in action as well as other aspects, yet the difference in skin color determined that one race was above the other. The first stanza and half of the second one has an overall mood of confusion and a sense of being wronged. The second half of the second stanza presents a more hopeful mood through the use of symbolism and visual imagery. “But the star-/ tiny, missionary stars-/ on high, serene, studding/ the inky brown of heaven” uses the symbolism of stars to show the hope that someday their situation will change. The third stanza reverts back to this mood of injustice. The use of visual imagery portrays that no matter what their situation is, it should not whether or not they everyone is equal. “Our situation is intolerable, but what’s worse/ is to sit here and do nothing” this is used to inspire African Americans to take action and fight against this intolerable situation.
While I do believe that Dove's use of comparisons between the two races in this poem help to show how intolerable the situation was I had a different interpretation of the first tow lines, and the rest of the first stanza. Dove writes "Shoes shined,/ each starched cuff unyielding,/ each dovegray pleated trouser leg/ a righteous sword advancing/ onto the field of battle ". I believe that that these lines describe what the African American's thought to be civil, which differed from what the whites thought to be civil. The white people considered the African Americans' way of being "uncivilized" because it did not conform to their notion of the meaning of the word. This description is what Dove uses to show that any notion of "civilized" can be correct, but persecuting or treating someone or a group of people differently because of their idea of civil differs from one's own makes no sense, because the definition of "civil" by a group of people is arbitrary in the first place.
In the poem “Climbing In”, Rita Dove uses symbolism to convey the theme of racial inequality. Dove portrays characters commonly associated with the children’s fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” as the social standings of races in the United States. When Dove writes, “as I clutch the silver pole/ to step up, up” (Dove 6-7) the lack of change in social standings is introduced. The word “clutch” signifies how unequal the American Society had made itself. In stanza 3, Dove writes, “(sweat gilding the dear lady’s/ cheek)—these are big teeth, / teeth of the wolf” (Dove 8-10). The word “teeth” represents the power Whites wielded over the African American race during this time period. The wolf, symbolic of the White men, enforced these racial barriers. The concluding stanza concludes with the consumption of the “grandmother” by the “wolf” who has taken her place. Dove writes, “as the bright lady tumbles/ head over tail/ down the clinking gullet.”(14-16). This can be interpreted as African American rights being stripped from them as they were not deemed as equals in society. The “clinking gullet” is symbolic of the fall of the rights of African Americans as there was no way of escaping the racial barriers in place. The wolf quickly swallowing the person demonstrates how the White men took advantage of the Black community.
I think your interpretation of “Climbing In” involves a lot of interesting ideas. I agree that it does use the “Little Red Riding Hood” as a symbol for the racial inequality as well as how the African Americans were treated. “Not a friendly shine” could refer to the harm that would come to them because of being supposedly inferior to white people (Dove 3). She mentions the teeth again in stanza 3. The teeth represent the power held by the white people and the overall theme of the wolf represents how white people felt about African Americans. The last stanza represents how some of the whites showed a lot of hostility towards the African Americans as well as portraying their rights being stripped from them. I agree with your observation of how comparing the wolf taking advantage of red riding hood and her grandmother to how the white people took advantage of the African Americans.
In "Lady Freedom Among Us" Rita Dove's use of metaphors and analogies allows for her to more easily convey her belief that all people have an innate sense of freedom inside of them. When she writes "don't think you can ever forget her/ don't even try/she's not going to budge" rather than referring to some fictional person (she) the "she" represents the sense of freedom that resides inside of all people. In saying that "she's not going to budge" Dove means that no matter how hard a person tries to forget their patriotism or their sense of freedom they will not be able to. Another characteristic described by Dove in this poem of "lady freedom" is that she can often be neglected or abused. On line 12 she writes "she has fitted her hair under a hand me down cap" which is an example of how this "lady liberty" has been treated as a second class citizen. A final example of Dove's use of metaphors is on line 20 and 21, she writes "she who has brought mercy back into the streets/ and will not retire politely to the potter's field ". "Bringing mercy back into the streets" could be seen as literally what it is, bringing mercy into the street, but also could be seen as an innate desire to bring equality and justice to all people. Also retiring to the potter's field could be a reference to simply giving up and quitting before having achieved anything. Dove uses allusion and metaphor in order to help to better convey her message that all people have an intrinsic sense of patriotism and freedom and should not and can not let it shrivel up inside of them.
The other literary device that I saw in this passage was anaphora. It affected the mood and tone by emphasizing what should not be done as we search for the true meaning of freedom. Rita Dove repeatedly uses the word “don’t” in front of 6 of the lines of this poem. The “don’t” is followed by an action each time. These actions include lowering your eyes, crossing to the other side of the square, trying to forget Lady Freedom, and more. What all of these actions have in common is that they are actions of someone not fighting for what they believe in. These are the actions of someone shy and timid, the actions of someone who is scared to fight back and stand up for themselves. When Dove ads don’t in front of these actions the mood of the poem begins to show how strongly she believes in fighting for your rights. In addition, I think Dove is trying to get across what so many people mistakenly do when looking for freedom. People don’t see that these actions are not creating the change they are looking for, and what Dove is saying is you can’t do these things if you want freedom.
The poem “QE2. Transatlantic Crossing. Third Day.” refers to the transatlantic slave trade, which was the largest slave trade in history. Millions of Africans were taken from their homes, and shipped on this massive ship to be sold as slaves in America. The ship’s name was Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2. Despite this deportation of slaves being a negative action, Rita Dove uses positive diction in order to lighten the event, and cause a feeling of comfort and pleasure in the reader, as well as imagery to portray the sad lives of the slaves who have been taken. Dove writes “I can hear the chime of the elevator,/ the hush of trod carpet. Beyond the alcove, escorted widows/ perfect a slow rumba. Couples linger by the cocktail piano,/ enmeshed in their own delight as others stroll past,” (Dove 6-9). Throughout these lines Rita Dove’s imagery and positive diction makes the boat seem luxurious, and full of enjoyment. The effect on the reader is a comforting setting that seems enjoyable. This definitely was not the case for the slaves on the boat. The slaves not only suffered physically, but they also suffered as they watched the white people on the boat having fun, and living luxurious lives. Dove uses kinesthetic imagery when she writes, “I can only imagine/ what it’s like to climb the steel stairs and sit down, to feel/ the weight of yourself sink into the moment of going home” (Dove 16-18). The actions climb, sit, and feel show the longing this person has to be able to ride the bus, all in order to go home. She knows she is not going home, and knows her ride will end with her in an unfamiliar place, around unfamiliar faces. This brings a sad and empathetic feeling to the reader when finding this person will not be returning home, despite their longing to be at home.
Dove blog 3 Nicholas Rex In “Rosa”, by Rita Dove, a minimalistic and contrasting form of writing is used to reflect the most common pattern of the time. As a whole, there is only one word longer than two syllables. Repeated at the beginning of each stanza is an identical pattern, a four syllable line (eight syllables in stanza three)with stress on the third syllable (and the sixth), “How she sat there, . . . That trim name with . . . Doing nothing was the doing: . . . How she stood up” (Dove 1, 4, 7, 10). There are pairs of contrasting words used throughout the poem to create a paradoxical sense of the time. The existence of such oppression and limitation of rights to a people living in the freest, most modernly humane nation on the face of the Earth. In stanza one, “the time right inside a place/ so wrong it was ready” (2-3) mentioning and stressing “right” and “wrong” is to show the dilemma of the modern day: Determining another's rights, is it ethical? (Should rights be defined at all or is it all relative to region?) A very confident tone is used when describing Rosa Parks, “How she stood up/ when they bent down to retrieve/ her purse.” (10-13), and her beginnings of the Montgomery bus boycotts, which was in large part an origin for Civil Rights movements as an entirety. The “they” refers to the white population, serving the black population, which is flipping the roles of the past 300 years, another use of contrasting terms. Overall, I received very subtle, backbiting, near bitter, choppy, pokey, silent, passive vibes. This much reflects Rosa Parks’ action, not a boisterous action alone, but when given the context of the day, a very bold and profound action indeed.
Rita Dove’s tragic poem “Parsley” is drawn from the devastating Parsley Massacre of 1937. Under the brutal regime of Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, over 20,000 Haitians were massacred. Trujillo wanted to prevent migration of Haitian laborers who were searching for work on sugar plantations. In order to identify who was and wasn’t Haitian, he demanded the border guards of the Dominican Republic to test people by having them pronounce the word “perejil” (or “parsley” in English). Workers able to correctly say the word were able to continue on with their lives while individuals unable to pronounce the word were brutally murdered. Rita Dove portrays this appalling event through the use of allusion and season symbolism to create a depressing tone while also illustrating the cruelties and crimes committed during the ruling of Dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Parsley acts as a symbol for the mass genocide and the cause of its occurrence. Dove divides the poem into two sections. One being “1.The Sugar Fields” giving the Haitian workers perspective and “2. The Palace” told from Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s point of view. In the section “The Cane Fields”, Dove uses season symbolism as she writes, “There is a parrot imitating spring/ in the palace, its feathers parsley green” (Dove 1-2).Spring is associated with birth, growth, and new beginnings. The first lines of the poem suggest Trujillo is planning on re-inventing the Dominican Republic. The “parrot” is a foreign bird Dove includes to refer to the Haitian workers and their affect on the recreation of the Dominican Republic. However, the positive symbolism of spring is contradicted as Dove writes, “Like a parrot imitating spring,/ we lie down screaming as rain punches through/ and we come up green” (6-8). Rain falls and results in the growing of different plants. As the rain continues to fall, the cycle of death remains persistent. The rain is personified as it “punches” the Haitians supporting the fact that Haitians were enslaved and confined on the cane fields. The dark diction and negative imagery creates a gloomy and darker tone. Dove’s use of symbolism and allusion throughout “1.The Cane Fields” in “Parsley” to reveal the challenges Haitians were faced with under the dictatorship of Trujillo.
I found your analysis very interesting and I thought that it resinated very much with my ideas about the poem. I found you're connection between the death of his mother and the new Dominican Government that he wanted to the Springtime most interesting and very "outside the box"! Also another part of your analysis that I liked was the symbolism of the parrot. On my first few read throughs I did not exactly pick up on the contradicted moods that Dove was creating. Overall I liked what you had to say and how you related this poem to its historical context.
In the poem “Parsley” Rita Dove makes allusions to the Haitian massacre in 1937 and repetition to portray the genocide over a single word. Perejil is the spanish word for parsley. It is used as a symbol of death forced on the Haitian people because they were killed if they were not able to pronounce the “R” in perejil. In the first stanza Dove mentions spring. Spring is associated with life, birth, and thriving. “There is a parrot imitating spring/ in the palace, its feathers parsley green” irony is used here by her use of the beauty of the parrot and parsley (Dove 1-2). This is not the only place the parrot is mentioned. The parrot is a repeated symbol of violence “For every drop of blood/ there is a parrot imitating spring” (17-18). This furthers the irony of the parrot symbol because of the typical association made in the poem to beauty and the association to violence and death. In the second section of the poem, the Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo is being portrayed. “He ordered pastries/ brought up for the bird” in this line, it shows he treats his pet parrot better than the Haitian workers because his parrot can pronounce the “R” (40-41). He decides the bird is more valuable because of its ability to correctly pronounce perejil. The bird being held in a cage symbolizes how the Haitian workers were unable to escape the genocide. Some people consider it cruel to keep birds in a cage. Why else would they have wings? This thought is also used to show that the Haitian people should be free and equal because they are humans just like the people of the Dominican Republic. Also, parsley, if ingested by a bird, is very fatal. This adds to the connection between the parsley and parrot symbols because both the parsley plant and the parrot are lush and beautiful to seen. If the parrot were to eat parsley it is likely the bird would die or have serious health issues. This adds to the depiction of the contrast of beauty and death. Rita Dove chooses these symbols to represent how something so beautiful and simple can represent violence and genocide. Through the use of symbolism, allusion, and repetition Dove is able to convey and portray how horrific the Haitian Parsley Massacre was.
I had a very similar interpretation to your ideas. However, I did not think about the symbol of the parsley connecting to the symbol of the parrot prior to reading your post. Another very dominant device Dove uses in this poem is refrain. The line "Parrot imitating spring" is repeated at the end of stanza 2,4, and 6 in "1.The Cane Fields". Dove also writes, "out of the swamp the cane appears" to conclude stanzas 1,3,5, and 6. The only time both of these lines are repeated in the same stanza is at the end of the sixth.
In Rita Dove's "Parsley" allusions are used to convey the theme that while many people will be dissatisfied with the fact they will eventually lose their loved ones, they will never be able to bring them back, no matter what extreme measures they take. The poem's title, "Parsley", is often referred to throughout the poem in various instances. It is seen by "El General" as a very important word. Dove writes: " El General has found his word: perejil./ Who says it, lives. He laughs, teeth shining / out of the swamp. The cane appears" (Dove 13-15). Perejil is the Spanish word for parsley. In Dove saying that he "had found his word" she is making reference to the massacre of the Haitian people in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. "The General" in this poem is referencing Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, who, in order to decide wether the Haitians were to die or not, had them say the word "Perejil". If they pronounced it with a rolled R he let them live, if not he had them executed. Later Dove again makes reference to this fact and writes "The word the general's chosen is parsley./It is fall when thoughts turn to love and death". With the General's grieving he is angry and feels that he needs to do something; which ends up being massacring nearly 13,000 people. Dove continuously makes allusions to the fact that Trujillo's mother had died in order to emphasize the fact that she is dead and will not be coming back no matter what Trujillo does. Dove's allusions to the parsley massacre and the life of Trujillo help to convey the theme that death is permanent and that taking extreme actions because of it is illogical.
You analysis is very interesting. I had not thought about the theme of people being dissatisfied with the loss of their loved ones, whom they cannot bring back. Another example from the text that would support your analysis would be when Dove writes, "Ever since the morning/ his mother collapsed in the kitchen/ while baking skull-shaped candies/ for the Day of the Dead, the general/ has hated sweets" (Dove 36-40). These lines from the poem "Parsley" exhibit the theme you mentioned because the general's hatred for sweets was based on the association of sweets and the death of his mother. I think this hatred of sweets also relates to his hated of the Haitians, and how he would do anything to feel better about the death of his mother.
The poem “Parsley,” by Rita Dove, is an allusion to the Parsley Massacre of 1937. The Parsley Massacre was a mass killing of Haitians by Dominicans, carried out by the Dominican president Rafael Trujillo. This tragic event in history is described throughout this poem by the contrasting use of positive and negative diction. Dove writes, “As he paces he wonders/ Who can I kill today. And for a moment/ the little knot of screams/ is still.” (Dove 30-33).The use of negative diction here explains the Dominican’s urge to kill the Haitians. The word kill creates a negative feeling inside the reader, because death is not a happy, positive thing. In contrast, Dove writes, “He will/ order many, this time, to be killed/ for a single, beautiful word.” (Dove 70-72). Here Dove uses both negative and positive diction. The negative diction again is the word killed. In this context the Dominican is talking about how the general will be killing numerous Haitians all due to a word. The positive diction comes out when Dove writes “beautiful word.” This is very contrasting because this beautiful word is what causes the death of all the Haitians killed during this massacre. This beautiful word is parsley, or in spanish, perejil. The Dominicans want to kill all those who cannot pronounce the “R” in perejil or parsley, which is known the be the haitians. The excerpt from The Farming of Bones, by Edwidge Danticat, explains the events of the massacre through the story of 3 Haitians trying to escape. This passage uses negative diction as well, to illustrate the horrors of this event. Danticat writes, “Yves fell head first, coughing and choking” (Danticat 18). The negative diction here is fell, coughing and choking. These words exhibit the struggles these workers faced when they had parsley forced down their throats. Both “Parsley” as well as The Farming of Bones use negative and positive diction to display the extreme horror this massacre brought many.
Your interpretation of both "The Farming of Bones" and "Parsley" and how they connect is very interesting. Both authors intended to show how horrible this genocide was through their use of negative diction, like you explained. Dove's diction represents a negative and positive contrast. Parsley and parrots are very beautiful, but the was Dove writes about them makes them take on a darker association. This same thing is portrayed in the excerpt from “The Farming of Bones” how the soldiers force them to eat the parsley until they are sick.The beauty and simplicity of the parsley takes on a negative, complex symbol in the Haitian massacre. Another connection I found between the poem and the excerpt is Dove writes about how they cannot say perejil correctly, so they are killed. In the excerpt the main character refuses to say perejil for fear she will mispronounce it which would get her killed. This connects the two further because of they are both allusions to the reason for the genocide. Your analysis connects the two works very well and in a way I had not really considered.
In "Parsley" by Rita Dove, refrain and anaphora are used to be representative of the psychological effects of a dictatorship and traumatic events. The poem is an allusion to the genocide committed in the Dominican Republic, headed by General Rafael Turillo, killing thousands of Haitians on their accents (the inability to pronounce "R"). With the repetition of "a parrot imitating spring", and "out of the swamp the cane appears", it's given a feeling much like a cradled baby: Rocked back and forth, repeatedly returned to the same or similar position. I thought the line "a parrot imitating spring" was repeated to show not only the psychological effects of Turillo's dictatorship on the people of the DR, but to show the mental state and possible reasoning for his genocidal actions. A parrot that imitates spring would be a parrot pretending to be as spring is, lively, anew, fresh, happy. Because of the tragic loss of his mother, perhaps this trouble writhing within Turillo's soul is the cause for inaffection and cruelty, a desensitivty from pretending. The line "out of the swamp the cane appears" can be symbolic of the low class cane field workers, in which the working conditions are horrid. A swamp connotates musty, disease and danger stricken environment that is hard of growth. Out of this swamp, cane is being grown, this line is repeated to remind again and again of the oppression of Turillo's dictatorship and its toll on the people who suffer from it.
In the poem “Heroes”, Rita Dove uses season/flower symbolism and allusion to illustrate the effects of putting yourself before the well being of others. “Heroes” is specifically written about the relationship between mother Demeter and her daughter Persephone. Dove writes, “A flower in a weedy field: / make it a poppy. You pick it. / It begins to wilt” (Dove 1-3). Being a flower, the roots are tied down, but not as strong as those of a weed. The weed, symbolic of the strength of Demeter’s love for Persephone is tested after her daughter is abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. The fact that the poppy was “wilting” suggests a change in seasons. The poppy in particular is important because in Greek mythology poppies were very sacred to Demeter who would concoct an infusion of poppies to sleep after the absence of her daughter Persephone. The theme of sleep is carried to stanza 3 as Dove, “screaming: you’ve plucked the last poppy in her miserable garden,/ the one that gave her strength every morning” (7-9). Persephone was taken by Hades to the “miserable garden” of hell (or underworld). After eating the pomegranate given to her by Hades, she was bonded to staying with him for one third of each year. Persephone was only able to reunite with her mother from spring until fall. The period she spent in the underworld corresponding to the season winter. During the four months of Persephone’s absence, the Goddess of harvest laid a curse on the world that resulted in desolate land and the spoils of crops. Dove then writes, “the villagers stirring as your hear/ pounds into your throat. O why/ did you pick that idiot flower? (23-25). The absence of Persephone not only affected her mother, but the whole world as winter brought cold weather and unsuitable conditions for farming. The personification “idiot flower” adds to this as it represents the frustration individuals faced as a result of winter and the choosing of Persephone to become the wife of Hades. The poem concludes with the line, “it was going to die”. “It” refers to Persephone and the problematic decision she made to eat the fruits of the underworld. Although she does not die, her absence during “winter” was death itself.
Your analysis is very interesting and connects to the three poems mentioned in my analysis. This poem elaborates more on how Demeter feels about losing Persephone. I noticed there is a lot of kinesthetic imagery like “You picked it” to show the specific actions that lead to her captivity with Hades (Dove 2). I agree that the lines “O why/ did you pick that idiot flower?/ Because you knew it was the last one/ and you knew/ it was going to die” is a representation of how Persephone’s actions not only negatively affected her mother, but also brought a long autumn and winter to the world (24-28). When she writes about the last poppy being picked, this represents how Persephone was what gave her strength, and Hades took her daughter.
In the poem “Primer,” Rita Dove uses visual imagery to describe the narrator’s experiences of getting bullied on her way home from school. Dove writes, “In the sixth grade I was chased home by/ the Gatlin kids, three skinny sisters/ in rolled-down bobby socks” (Dove 1-3). The Gatlin kids are described here as being skinny, and running behind the narrator. It was important for Dove to describe the appearance of these sisters, because the narrator who is being bullied is being bullied for her body. The Gatlin girls call her “Mrs.Stringbean” which is ironic because they are skinny too. Dove also uses visual imagery when she writes, “I survived/ their shoves across the schoolyard/ because my five-foot-zero mother drove up/ in her Caddie to shake them down to size” (Dove 8-11). Here the narrator’s mother is being described as a short women. Despite her size, she stands up for her daughter, displaying her motherly love. The importance of her height relates to how her daughter’s body is being made fun of. Body size plays a large role in this poem by creating the message you are never too small to fight back. I also notice the theme of mother love, which is the title of this poem series. Mother love is displayed in this poem when the narrator’s mother comes to her rescue to stand up for her daughter. Although her daughter is embarrassed by this love, and decides to take the long way home, wishing she could just grow up. I find her mother’s love to be greatly displayed through her action of trying to help her daughter. Rita Dove’s use of visual imagery successfully describes the bullying, and helps to establish the themes of sticking up for yourself no matter your size, as well as mother love.
I initially read this poem and had similar ideas to you about the first part of the poem. I thought that that the visual imagery of the bullies help to strengthen the irony in the fact that they are calling the main character and narrator skinny. Most of all, I found your interpretation of lines 12-13 "Nothing could get me into that car./ I took the long way home" particularly interesting. Upon my first few read throughs I did not understand what was meant by "I took the long way home" or why saying this was relevant. Upon reading your analysis I realized that the narrator was embarrassed by her mother's protection/mother love over her and that this was the intended meaning of the line. Thanks!
In the poem “Demeter, Waiting” Rita Dove uses allusions the ancient Greek myth of Persephone, to portray the bond a mother has with her daughter. In short, this myth is about Demeter, Goddess of harvest and fertility, would not allow her daughter, Persephone, to be married. Hades fell in love with her and kidnapped her. Zeus was forced to intervene and create a compromise to avoid a war between his wife and brother. Persephone would live with Hades in for six months and with Demeter for the other six months. This poem symbolizes this six months waiting period for Demeter. “I will wail and thrash” is an example of kinesthetic imagery to show how hard this waiting period is for her (Dove 12). This creates a feeling of loss and anger. This evokes sympathy and pity in the readers. In the first stanza Dove writes “No. Who can bear it. Only someone/ who hates herself, who believes/ to pull a hand back from a daughter’s cheek/ is to put love into her pocket” to portray this feeling of unbearable loss (1-4). It is written from Demeter’s point of view to depict the bond of a mother and her daughter. This poem also connects to other poems by Rita Dove. The first stanza of “Persephone, Falling” is written in third person to show the actions of Persephone that lead to her mother’s pain and loss. The second stanza is a flashback to Demeter giving her instructions for going to school. This is written after to show that Persephone did not listen to her mother. The use of instructing diction shows that Persephone disobeyed her mother. “This is how easily the pit/ opens. This is how one foot sinks into the ground” is Demeter warning Persephone and shows the foreshadowing of this event (13-14). “The Narcissus Flower” also connects to these two poems. It seems to be written in Persephone’s point of view while being held captive by Hades. “I could see my own fingers and hear/ myself scream as the blossom incinerated” is a flashback to her being taken (3-4). Rita Dove uses allusions to the myth of Demeter and Persephone and connections between these poems to portray the bond of a mother and her daughter and how deeply a mother feels the loss of her child.
Another example from the text that would also support your analysis is when Dove writes, "She is gone again and I will not bear/ it, I will drag my grief through a winter/ of my own making and refuse/ any meow that recycles itself into/ hope" (Dove 7-11). I think this because these lines also invite the feeling of sympathy and pity in the reader. Dove's use of negative diction, like grief and refuse, shows how Demeter felt during those long 6 months of waiting. She could not bear being without her daughter, which revealed their close relationship, as well as the mother daughter love between the two. These lines also relate to your analysis of the feeling of loss and anger. Here Demeter talks about how she will not bear her daughter's absence, and will drag her grief through winter. Her grief explains her tremendous feeling of loss, and she is so angry she will refuse any hope she is given.
Although we had different poems my analysis on the poem "Heroes" was very similar to yours. The mother/daughter bond between Persephone and Demeter seems to have connected most of the poems together as they tell the story about the goddess and her kidnapping to the underworld. I previously had trouble figuring out the meaning behind "Persephone, Falling but your interpretation of it helped a lot!
In the poem "Breakfast of Champions" Rita Dove uses word play and symbolism in order to enhance the poem's stylistic aspect. The poem does appear to be telling of a person who has just suffered a personal loss and is coming to a place where they can properly mourn over this tragedy or loss . Dove writes "...I've crossed a hemisphere,// worked my way through petals and sunlight// to find a place fit for mourning"(Dove 1-3). Because of the poem's title "Breakfast of Champions" we can infer that it will be set or connected to the morning time. On line 3 Dove uses the word "mourning" which when read aloud sounds the same as mourning, creating a bit of a pun through this wordplay. This pun relates the feeling of sadness to the morning time. The morning time can also symbolize a beginning or restart of sorts as it is when people wake up from sleep. Dove writes "I rummage the pantry's/ stock for raisins and cereal as they pull/ honking out of the mist, a sonic hospital graph/ announcing recovery. Arise to a brand new morning!"(9-11) In this quote Dove is writing about fixing some breakfast, the raisins and cereal, but also she mentions recovery. This could be an allusion to her crisis or loss being resolved, not just that some sickness could have been now becoming better in some person she knew. Also in writing "A brand new morning!" Dove is using the morning to symbolize a new beginning or a new start to things as earlier mentioned. Rita Dove successfully uses symbolism and word play in order to make the reader think more deeply about the intended purpose or meaning of the poem .
In "Primer", Rita Dove uses colloquialism to portray the innocence and naive nature of youth that sometimes, only mothers love and understand. This naivety is also a reflection of and allusion to the story of Demeter and her daughter, Persephone. Persephone's innocence and lack of experience is shown by her initial reaction with the Cerberus. Where most would have been frightened and run, curiosity ruled her judgement. The terms "Brainiac" and "Mrs. Stringbean" (Dove 4) have a very middle school-esque form of bullying to them, a reflection of the innocence shaken by the negating treatment. The strongest example of colloquial diction lies when Dove describes the mother who comes to the rescue, "my five-foo-zero mother drove up/ in her Caddie to shake them down to size" (10-11). The significance of putting the strongest colloquialism here is to represent the home as a place of comfort where a mother will love the child, regardless of complexity or progression (of language). Also, I think the title "Primer" was given to label and show mothers as a type of 'primer', all the life of their children acting as a primer into the world, preparing and rearing them through all the turbulent times of youth. Dove used colloquial diction to show the comfort in the relationship between the child and his/her mother.
In the poem “Meditation at Fifty Yards, Moving Target” Rita Dove uses second person and personification to discuss guns. In the first stanza, it warns of the dangers of gun use whether it is loaded or not. “You could wound the burglar and kill your child/ sleeping in the next room, all with one shot” is emotional imagery which is a very effective way to ensure the importance of gun safety is understood (Dove 11-12). It shows the positives and negatives of what could happen as well as how quickly and easily each one can occur. Her point is more effectively shown because instead of warning the dangers of killing someone, she warn about killing your child, especially when they are most vulnerable. The second stanza is switches to a person who is more passionate about guns. This stanza and the title of the poem are connected because this stanza portrays the level of concentration of a gunman. This action could be considered a form of meditation for a person because of this intense concentration on one thing, one aspect. “Don’t pull the trigger, squeeze it-/ squeeze it between heartbeats./ Look down the sights. Don’t/ hold your breath. Don’t hold/ anything, just stop breathing./ Level the scene with your eyes. Listen./ Soft, now: squeeze” are instructions given (18-24). It creates a calming mood in the readers through the use of these simple, concise instructions. The third stanza is split into two parts to show the difference of men and women preferences of guns. It is also an allusion to stereotypes because men are associated with being rowdy, loud, and strong which is similar to their gun preference. Women are thought of as weak, reserved, elegant, which is also similar to their gun preference in these stanzas. The final stanza “The Bullet” personifies the bullet. This stanza is in the bullet’s point of view. Rita Dove fails to use capitals and punctuation marks to show that the bullet is still just an object contrary to how it is referred to here. “straight/ my glory road yes now i can feel/ it the light i am flame velocity o/ beautiful body i am coming i am yours/ before you know it/ i am home” describes the journey of the bullet from the barrel, being ignited when the trigger is pulled, traveling through the air, and hitting its target (44-49). Rita Dove uses second person, personification, and emotional imagery to discuss the variety of views about guns.
The poem “Cozy Apologia” by Rita Dove, explores the idea of love, and modern routine, while alluding to the disastrous hurricane Floyd of 1999. This poem was written for her husband, Fred, as mentioned after the title of the poem. In the first stanza of this poem, Rita Dove uses imagery to display her immense love for her husband. Dove writes, “This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue/ My pen exudes” (Dove 2-3). The imagery in these two lines represent items and things that remind Dove of her husband. She says everything makes her think of him, and in these two lines we can see that even just a lamp, or the ink from her pen bring her thoughts of her husband. Her true love for Fred is shown through this. The second stanza, Rita Dove starts to explain how a hurricane brought back memories of her teenage relationships. Dove writes “Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,/ Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host/ Of teenage crushes on worthless boys” (Dove 13-16). This hurricane brings Dove back these memories and daydreams because she compares the two, and finds them similar. Hurricanes are destructive, and a whirlwind, which is another way to describe her teenage relationships which lacked worth, and were destructive when it came to the emotional side of the relationship. Dove writes, “Were thin as licorice and as chewy,/ Sweet with a dark hollow center” (Dove 19-20). Referring to her teenage crushes, Dove explains the boys were “hollow” meaning they lacked originality and depth. These boys were sweet on the outside, but had nothing on the inside. This is similar to the structure of a hurricane, where the inside, or the eye, has nothing, and is calm. It is hollow, just like Dove’s teenage crushes. Lastly, in the third and final stanza of this poem, Rita Dove explains the ordinary routines, and never changing rituals we go through everyday. Dove writes, “Still, it’s embarrassing, this happiness---/ Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,/ When has the ordinary ever been news?/ And yet, because nothing else will do” (Dove 25-28). These lines give the effect of shame, and embarrassment. Shame that society never changes, and that we go on doing the same things, unconsciously at times. Dove wonders if anyone is truly satisfied with living their lives like this, going about the ordinary, and never taking risks or trying new things. This poem goes into depth of the love story between Dove and her husband, while alluding love to hurricanes, and questioning the ordinary routines of modern age people.
Your analysis of “Cozy Apologia” is similar to my interpretation of it. Rita Dove also uses similes to show the tremendous amount of love she has for her husband. She writes “And, sure as shooting arrows to the heart,/ Astride a dappled mare, legs braced as far apart/ as standing in silver stirrups will allow-/ And there you’ll be” to show that she is completely sure her husband is always there for her (Dove 5-8). In the second stanza she compares her past high school relationships to portray that both were catastrophic and only produced pain and heartbreak. “Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,/ When has the ordinary ever been news” Dove questions the tendency to choose the safe, ordinary choice (26-27). It is her way of saying the love is not the safe choice. It is about taking risks and varying from society’s definition of normal. Rita Dove writes this to show how deeply she loves her husband through the use of similes and allusions to her past and hurricane Floyd.
I found your interpretation of this poem similar to mine. I too saw that her allusions to hurricane Floyd helped to compare dissimilar things. The main theme that I explored was how powerful emotions could be. I supported this with the example that in the first stanza Dove writes about how her husband was her knight in shining armor and has finally rescued her. While I do stand by my interpretation of the poem I do also think that your's is very interesting and perhaps more accurate than mine. Thanks.
In the poem "Cozy Apologia" by Rita Dove allusions and metaphors are both used in order to present the theme of how powerful one's emotions can be while also giving the reader a feeling of hope for love in their own life. Dove start's this poem by writing about what seems to be her "trapped" situation. She writes "There you'll be, with furrowed brow/ And chain mail glinting, to let me go:/ one eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy"(Dove 8-10). In writing this she is signifying that her husband or whoever is meant by "he" is here to rescue her. The "chain mail glinting" is a reference to her husband being a "knight in shining armor". This is a metaphor because she is comparing her husband, indirectly, to her husband being a knight in shining armor. This comparison helps to convey how highly she thinks of her husband and how much he can do and does for her. She goes on to write " Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,/ Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd who brings a host/ of Day dreams"(13-15). In this instance Dove is alluding to Hurricane Floyd of 1999 which was one of the most deadly hurricanes of the 20th century in North America. In comparing her husband to hurricane Floyd Dove is showing that while he can be looking out for her best interest she is also showing that he can be very destructive, possibly emotionally, in contrast to what she had early described him as. This contrast helps Dove to show how powerful one's emotions can be.
I previously hadn't looked much into the background of hurricane Floyd but your explanation makes its significance in the poem a lot more clear. I had interpreted the poem as being Rita Dove's way of complimenting her husband and commenting on her love for him. I also thought that Dove's use of rhyme helped to convey the theme of love in this poem.
(this was supposed to post earlier today but I don't think my computer refreshed it)
In the poem “Cozy Apologia”, Rita Dove uses rhyme scheme to express the love and admiration she has towards her husband Fred. There is an a, b, c, d, e, f rhyme scheme located in the first 14 lines of Dove’s poem. She uses rhyming words such as, “you” and “blue, “heart” and “fall apart”, “compact disks” and “take no risks”. Each words rhyming pair gives a more negative and melancholy approach to love and the sadness that may come along with it. As the poem progresses, the rhyming sequences begins to fade out. The end to Dove’s rhyme scheme in the first one and a half stanzas is symbolic of the stages of love. The playful rhyming symbolizes a new, fresh approach to love as the couple fights every once in awhile and is only beginning the relationship. The pattern of rhyming, like love, is regular in the beginning but fades as it continues. This continuation of the poem without the end rhymes is similar to how the love shared between one another becomes a normal feeling as it progresses.
In addition to rhyme scheme Dove also uses simile and personification to further express her love for Fred. She writes, “today a hurricane is nudging up the coast” (Dove 13). The personification is symbolic of her and her husband's love for each other as its continues to flourish day by day. Dove writes, “Were thin as licorice and as chewy./ Sweet with a dark and hollow center” (19-20). The simile suggests that there was not much to the boys she had previously been with. Although they may have had good looks and seemed “sweet” on the outside (similar to candy) the inside was completely different. Her husband, unlike the other boys was far different from the rest. The poem concludes with Dove writing, “I fill this stolen time with you” (30). time she spends with her husband Fred is what keeps her content and happy with her life.
Your analysis is really interesting. I had noticed the rhyming pattern Dove used throughout the beginning of this poem, but I had not thought about its significance. I think your idea of how the rhyming, like love, is regular in the beginning but begins to fade as time goes on is an interesting idea. I really agree with this idea, and think Dove was trying to show that her love was more “perfect” and stronger in the beginning. I also think Dove’s use of rhyming may have been to create a lyrical sound within the poem. This lyrical sound incorporates into the overall theme of love because love is a happy feeling, and very happy, and beautiful, just like the lyrical sound of the poem.
In "Sic Itur Ad Astra", Dove describes the American Dream and its endlessness and opportunity by asking provoking questions and using joyous, for lack of a better term, diction. The title "Sic Itur Ad Astra" translates from Latin to "thus one journeys to the stars", which automatically (for me at least) set a dreamy mood of ultimate possibility and feeling lucky. Dove speaks to her bed, asking "where are you flying to?/ I went to sleep/ nearly an hour ago/ and now I'm on a porch/ open to the stars!" (Dove 1-5), this setting of a dream is contrasted with a consciousness and vivid awareness of surroundings, much like a lucid dream. Much like how a journey to America is a dream to most people heavily afflicted, although a dream maybe in mind, the immediate surroundings demand the attention. The effects of the punctuation dramatize what she speaks and add exclamation to her expressions. The dream state in this poem is a liberating relief for the speaker, "I need you! I don't know my way/ At least leave my pillow/ behind to remind me/ what affliction I've fled–/ my poor, crushed pillow" (18-22). Fleeing affliction, or escaping oppression, the liberating state of having opportunities, and chance to achieve rather than a smothering caste, exists and is most prominently represented by the symbol of America. In the poem, the bed is seen as the guide, the liberator from the tribulation the speaker feels in the waking world. A message of content and freedom of mind is transmitted through the exclamatory, provoking language and diction.
I find your analysis of "Sic Itur Ad Astra" very interesting. I agree with the points you make about the theme of the American Dream connecting to the questions Dove decides to ask. Your post reminded me a lot of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" as both Lennie and George had set goals for their future. I thought the pillow in this poem symbolized the hopes and dreams American's intended on attaining. Dove writes, "what affliction I've fled--/ my poor, crushed pillow" (20-22). Unlike your interpretation, I believed these lines represented the crushed dreams and how individuals were rarely able to attain them.
In the poem “Lady Freedom Among Us”, Rita Dove uses allusion to convey the theme of equality. The poem refers to the bronze “Armed” or “Lady Freedom” statue designed by Thomas Crawford in 1863. Dove writes, “She has fitted her hair under a hand-me-down cao/ and spruced it up with feathers and stars/ slung over one shoulder bears” (Dove 12-14). As Dove addresses, the statue depicts a female wearing a military helmet, holding a sword and laurel wreath in her right, and shield of war in her left. Prior to leading the Confederacy, Mississippi senator Jefferson Davis was in charge of the capitals decoration. Thomas Crawford and Jefferson Davis both had similar ideas for how the statue design would look. However, for the finished statue Walter added a liberty cap above the crown which symbolized the emancipated slave (which Davis was against). The cap was later replaced by a military helmet and eagle to symbolize freedom. In addition to allusion, Dove uses all lower case letters in the poem to further emphasize the dedication and love she has for her country. The enjambment lack of punctuation throughout the poem symbolizes how freedom can be taken for granted. She writes, “another item to fit on a tourist’s agenda” as it's just another thing to view. Freedom today is seen as a right that everyone has. It no longer is a privilege as it was in the past. The poem “Lady Freedom” is symbolic of the fight African Americans put up to gain their freedom and rights. Like the enjambed free verse, the African American race continued to work hard and fight until they were treated as equals in society.
Your analysis is very good. I agree that Dove portrays the symbolism of the Lady Freedom Statue as neglected and forgotten when she says “another item to fit on a tourist’s agenda” (Dove 19). It is also important to note that six lines start with the word don’t. These don’ts are followed by actions. When she writes lines like “Don’t lower your eyes/ or stare straight ahead to where/ you think you ought to be going” she is showing that it is important to stand up for what is believe is right (1-4). In order for all to be equal, these actions must be prevented. In this poem Lady Freedom symbolizes freedom and equality of all people.
In the poem, “Evening Primrose,” Rita Dove uses jargon, and visual imagery to create a dominant effect of sadness and pity. This poem is about the evening primrose plant, and the sad life of this plant. Dove writes, “Neither rosy nor prim,/ not cousin to the cowslip/ nor the extravagant fuchsia---/ I doubt anyone has ever picked one for show,/” (Dove 1-5). The evening primrose is not described as the most beautiful, respectable plant. It is compared to the primrose plant, which is the cousin of the cowslip, as well as fuchsia at times. The primrose is considered a very beautiful flower, and the evening primrose doesn’t seem to compare to the primrose. When Dove writes that no one picks the evening primrose for show, we are informed that this is not a flower used for decoration. I inferred from this that the flower must not be very attractive if it is not ever picked for show. I also inferred from this line that this plant may have another use, creating a reason for it to be grown and picked. Along with this, Dove writes, “They’ll wait until the world’s/ tucked in and the sky’s/ one ceaseless shimmer---then/ lift their saturated eyelids/ and blaze, blaze/ all night long/ for no one” (Dove 15-21). This refers to the flowering process of the evening primrose. The evening primrose begins to bloom at night. Dove uses personification to explain how the flower “lifts their saturated eyelids” meaning the flowers begin to bloom. She also writes that the evening primrose waits until the world is tucked in, meaning they wait for night time, when everyone is asleep. Adding to the dominant effect of pity, Dove writes how they blaze all night for no one. They do it for no one because everyone is asleep since they begin to flower at night. Also, this plant is blooming for no one because no one wants these flowers. The dominant effects of pity and sadness are displayed through Rita Dove’s use of visual imagery and jargon.
I found your analysis of this poem very interesting. I was able to relate this poem to the Greek myth of Persephone, but I did not know much about the actual flowers themselves. I thought that your insight onto the flowers was especially interesting because it is likely something that lots of other people overlook in their analysis. Also on my first few read throughs I did not think very deeply about the personification of the flower blooming, but after reading your analysis it started to seem more significant than what I had previously thought. Thanks for the great insight!
In “Persephone, Falling” Rita Dove uses allusion of the tragic Greek myth of the loving mother Demeter losing her daughter Persephone to portray the bond of a mother and her child. She first references the narcissus flower that caught Persephone’s eye. “On narcissus among the ordinary beautiful/ flowers” can be interpreted literally and metaphorically (Dove 1-2). It could be a piece from the myth. The narcissus flower could also symbolize Persephone and how she was unique and stood out among the others. “on his glittering terrible/ carriage, he claimed his due” symbolises there is always some danger in being unique and different (5-6). This is the portion of the myth where Hades comes and kidnaps Persephone. Dove is saying that it is not always good to be unique because it could cause unwanted attention. This is written in Demeter’s perspective. The second stanza is a flashback to Demeter warning Persephone of what to do and what not to do. “Remember: go straight to school./ This is important, stop fooling around!/ Don’t answer strangers. Stick/ with your playmates. Keep your eyes down” are instructions that Persephone failed to follow (9-12). Had she done what her mother said, she may not have ended up in a trap. Here, Dove is showing that despite the instinct to go against parents, following their instructions will keep us safe. Parents only give these “limitations” because they love their children and want the best for them. “This is how easily the pit/ opens. This is how one foot sinks into the ground” shows that situations can turn bad as easily and as quickly as the decision to go into that situation (13-14). Persephone saw the flower and immediately went to pick it. What seemed like a harmless act and a small delay ended up in a big horrible situation. Rita Dove uses allusions to the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, Demeter’s point of view of the story, and flashbacks to portray a mother’s love for her child.
I agree with your analysis of the poem “Persephone, Falling.” One really interesting point you brought up was about the instructions Demeter gave to Persephone while on her way to school. I also viewed this as Demeter showing her love for her daughter through her protective actions. I think parents don’t realize they are being controlling and a bit over protecting when they do this because they love you so much, and want to do everything they can to keep you safe. This reminds me of my mom because whenever I leave the house to do something, she always makes sure to give me some instructions first. Like Demeter, my mom always wants to make sure I am safe, and she does this by reminding me the things I should and shouldn’t do. I know it is all out of love, and I am very thankful for that. I think Rita Dove’s addition of Demeter’s instructions for Persephone were really an important piece of displaying the motherly love of Demeter for Persephone. Without it, us readers would not see the overprotective, motherly qualities of Demeter. This motherly love for her daughter is also the reasoning behind the extreme grief and sorrow Demeter contains after the kidnapping of her daughter.
In the poem "Rosa" by Rita Dove paradox and allusion to Rosa Parks to help convey how such a simple act could be so moving and inspiring to so many people. After describing what Rosa Parks was wearing and her position on the bus (the front) Dove writes "Doing nothing was the doing:/ the clean flame of her gaze/ carved by a camera flash."(Dove 7-9) When she writes "Doing nothing was the doing" she is creating a paradox as nothing can not be something. Rather than wanting to confuse her readers Dove is using this paradox as almost a literal translation of what she meant. Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955 for not leaving her bus seat in order to give it up for a white person, who by the then current social protocols deserved it more. She did nothing when asked to stand up, which ended up being her ultimate legacy as a racial equality activist. This paradox helps to put Parks' actions into a clever statement that makes the reader think, overall enhancing the stylistic aspect of the poem. Dove also used allusions in order to highlight the importance of Parks' actions. She writes "How she sat there,/ the time right inside a place/ so wrong/ it was ready"(1-3). In this instance Dove is alluding to Parks not moving when she was asked to do so by a white bus rider, but rather than just saying it Dove uses a metaphor. In saying "the time right inside a place so wrong it was ready" she is saying that the place, the Southern United States, had been in segregation for so long that now was the right time. Overall, Dove's paradoxes and metaphors enhance the poem's meaning and possible interpretations.
Please initiate your comments about the poetry in the section "Historical Figures"--due by 11:00 pm Thursday 10/29.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Canary”, Rita Dove uses musical diction and symbolism to reveal how Billie Holiday coped with her difficult life. As a child, Holiday was abandoned by both her father and mother leaving her to be mistreated by her relatives. The darker parts of Holiday’s life are revealed as Dove writes, “(Now you’re cooking, drummer to bass” (Dove 5). Rita Dove not only incorporates how music affected Holiday, but how her drug addiction impacted her life. Along with music, Heroin was one of the main drugs abused by Holiday as it . It often can be cooked using a spoon and injected with a needle. She writes, “magic spoon, magic needle” (6). The anaphora “magic” emphasizes the importance of the spoon and needle in the process of taking this particular drug. Dove later writes, “Take all day if you have to / with your mirror and your bracelet of a song” (7-8). “Take all day” implies that her addiction was heavily affecting her life resulting in becoming enveloped the stage of total dependency. Her “bracelet of a song” can represent how her music gave her a sense of pride and protection. Bracelets are worn around the wrist and normally are presentable to others. The music, along with drugs, acted as an escape for Holiday as singing helped withdrawal the pain she endured. Unlike her drug use, her performances were in public and seen by many (similar to how a bracelet can be presentably worn on the wrist). The bracelet also may refer to the circumstances that surrounded and tied her down. Women of color were not given the same equal rights due to segregation in the United States. Billie Holiday had no control over where and when she would perform or what she could and couldn’t do due to the segregated laws. As her quality of life went down, a lack of emotional stability resulted in both heavy drinking and hard drug use. The rough childhood Holiday experienced left her addicted to drugs and grieving for an outlet to her pain. Billie Holiday’s personal struggles are shown through Dove’s use of musical diction and symbolism.
ReplyDeleteWe both think that Rita Dove uses symbolism to explain Billie Holiday's ways of coping with the struggles she faced throughout her life. However, I also think Rita Dove's use of negative connotations displays how Billie Holiday coped with these difficulties. Dove writes "a mournful candelabra against a sleek piano" (Dove 3). The use of the word mournful shows the dark side of Billie Holiday’s life, and how she coped with her life thinking it was mournful, and feeling sad about her life. Another example of Dove’s use of negative connotations is when Dove writes “the gardenia her signature under that ruined face” (Dove 4). Here the phrase ruined face is the negative connotation that displays the effects Billie Holiday has suffered due to the struggles and hardships she has endured during her life. Having a ruined face means Billie Holiday has not successfully been able to cope and keep up with her difficult life. She has turned to drugs as a way to feel better, which have played a big part in ruining her face. I find that both symbolism and negative connotations were used successfully by Rita Dove to show how Billie Holiday coped with her life.
DeleteRita Dove writes Catherine of Siena about a saint who lived from 1347 to 1380. She uses allusions to Catherine of Siena’s life to show her choice of following the traditions of religion. “Under the star-washed dome of heaven, warm and dark” Dove creates a feeling of safety and comfort, but also entrapment (Dove 5-6). Her use of positive diction makes the word dome stand out as different. This contrast is what creates the feeling of being trapped. This is an allusion to her life and living during a dangerous time period of revolutions in Rome. “You walked the length of Italy to find someone to talk to” portrays how she went great lengths to teach and help others and also the obstacles of her life (1-2). This is also an allusion to receiving a lot of persecution from others, even the other priests and sisters who were suppose to support her. “No one stumbled across. No one unpried your fists as you slept” references how charitable she was towards others yet no one reciprocated this love and charity for her (11-12). “You struck the boulder at the roadside since fate has doors everywhere” means she everywhere she went she continued to perform good deeds because christians believe God is always watching. The line mentioning how often she prayed shows the contrast of how much passion she had for others and how much pain she received, but continued to persevere through it all. Allusions to Catherine of Siena’s life show how despite what she went through she continued to follow traditions of her religion.
ReplyDeleteI agree very much with your idea that allusions help to show why Catherine of Sienna chose to become a scholar and to live the way that she did. Another example of Dove's use of allusion was in the final line: "No one unpried your fists as you slept"(12). This may be in reference to the fact that Catherine of Sienna was able to accomplish so much despite being a woman. Also on the prior line when she says "No one stumbled across your path." (11) she is making reference to the fact that Catherine of Siena did not merely stumble into sainthood; she achieved it through hard work and perseverance.
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ReplyDeleteRita Dove uses allusions, as well as symbolism in her poem “Catherine of Alexandria” to describe the life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. In the beginning of the poem, Dove writes “no wonder sainthood/ came as a voice” (Dove 3-4). This is an allusion referencing to when Saint Catherine had visions and heard voices, which persuaded her to convert to Christianity. Dove is explaining how sainthood was brought to Saint Catherine through voices she heard through a vision, which were of Our Lady and the Holy Child. Both an allusion and symbol are used when Dove writes “His spiraling/ pain. Each morning/ the nightshirt bunched/ above your waist---/ a kept promise,/ a ring of milk” (Dove 11-16). The kept promise Dove mentions is a reference to Saint Catherine’s promise with Jesus to stay a virgin. The lines preceding this reference are about Saint Catherine’s struggles with staying a virgin, and resisting sexual temptations. Along with this, the mentioning of a ring of milk symbolizes a purity ring. A purity ring is a ring worn by women who want to show that they are sexually pure and abstinent. This ring of milk translates to a purity ring because milk is white, which is considered the purest color. In addition, Rita Dove writes “and what went on/ each night was fit/ for nobody’s ears/ but Jesus’. His breath of a lily” (Dove 6-9). This comes before the mentioning of the purity ring, and has a similar meaning. The secretive side of Saint Catherine is shown through this, along with her promise to confide in Jesus. The lily is a symbol in this line, and it symbolizes purity, promise, and innocence. These traits are used to describe Jesus’ voice, which Saint Catherine will hear when confiding in him. His voice reminds her to stay pure and keep her promise with him. The use of allusions and symbolism in the poem “Catherine of Alexandria” help display the events of Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s life.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some very good points in your interpretation. “What went on/ each night was fit/ for nobody’s ears/ but Jesus’” this could be talking about the covenants taken by the saints (Dove 6-8). This would relate to her vowing to remain a virgin. There is also a lot of biblical dication that helps know the poem is about a saint. Also, with what you were saying about the ring of milk, her covenants and vows are connected to this purity ring. The frequent biblical references help in understanding the poem and Catherine of Alexandria. “Deprived of learning and/ the chance to travel,/ no wonder sainthood/ came as a voice” shows that women living in that time period did not have the same opportunities as men (1-4). If they did not get married then the only thing they really could do was devote their lives to their religious practices. In this case, Catherine is one of those women. Also it mentions in the bible how people who have been spiritually awakened have been called to be awakened by a voice or a person in a dream. She has a similar experience it when Dove says “sainthood/ came as a voice” (3-4). The contradiction of “His/ breath of a lily./ His spiraling pain” is similar to the contradiction of all the good promises she made and how she stood up for christianity, but ended up being tortured and executed because of this (9-12).
DeleteWe both have a similar interpretation on how Rita Dove uses the ring of milk to symbolize the struggles Catherine of Alexandria endures. Adding onto your analysis I believe Rita Dove’s use of anaphora and allusion evokes another meaning to the poem. Dove incorporates anaphora by using the word “His” (which refers to Jesus) in stanza 3. The repeated use of the word shows how the promise Saint Catherine of Alexandria made with Jesus affects both of their lives. Dove then writes, “each night was fit/ for nobody’s ears” (7-8). Unlike your interpretation, I thought this allusion may have referred to the Emperor Maximus rejecting Saint Catherine’s religion (as he violently persecuted Christians). This may have led to her to question her religion resulting in further temptation. In the following stanza, Dove writes, Jesus’ “breath of a lily./ His spiraling pain.” (10). I thought this symbolizes Jesus’ influence on Saint Catherine of Alexandria and how his spiraling pain was caused by her temptations. Dove writes, “Each morning/ the nightshirt bunched/ above your waist—“(Dove 11-14). The bunched night shirt symbolizes her temptation to breaking her sexual purity.
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In the poem "Sonnet in Primary Colors", by Rita Dove, employed is the use of visual imagery to generate metaphorical depictions of meaningful events that sculpted Frida Kahlo's life. Describing Kahlo who "painted herself a present" (Dove line 4), Dove writes "wildflowers entwining the plaster corset/ her spine resides in the romance of mirrors." (5-6), as a metaphor for a traumatic bus accident Kahlo experienced as child. Wildflowers commonly grow on mountains, enduring grueling winter conditions that teach them when to bloom, beautifying otherwise dead spaces with luscious aromatic flowers. The bus accident a major influence on her, that grueling winter is what is often the influence on paintings, her pain being outputted in her art (the wildflower). The accident is further alluded to by "the plaster corset/ her spine resides in", making allusions to hospital treatment, possible physical therapy, that is described as a "corset". Painful events in Kahlo's life have shaped her and given her art form, just as a corset does. The "romance of mirrors" is a descriptor of the love, fulfillment, and pure enjoyment that comes as a result of creating something to satisfy and tame a perturbation.
-Nicholas Rex
I agree with your interpretation on “Sonnet in Primary Colors”. Visual imagery was very dominant devices as it was used in almost every line of the poem. I also think allusions played a significant role in the overall message of the poem. I thought this poem was contrasting beauty and pain, and how her pain was expressed through her paintings. Dove writes, “Each night she lay down in pain and rose” (Dove 7). Although she was beaten down in the past, Rita Dove was able to persevere through this pain.
DeleteIn her poem “David Walker,” Rita Dove uses harsh sounds and allusions to reveal the inhumanity of the horrific institution of slavery while also instilling a sense of hope in the slaves’ lives. Dove writes, “Free to travel, he still couldn’t be shown how lucky he was” (Dove 1). Born in North Carolina, David Walker was a free black, civil rights activist, and abolitionist. Walker encouraged slaves of the South to rebel against their masters. Although he was not a slave himself, he witnessed firsthand degradations and injustices of slavery. In response to this, Walker got involved in the first African American newspaper “Freedoms Journal” and later the publication of his pamphlet “Appeal” in September of 1829. The importance of the newspaper and pamphlets is reflected in Dove’s writings, “pamphlets were stuffed/ into trouser pockets. Pamphlets transported/ in the coat linings of itinerant seaman jackets/… in the Carolinas, pamphlets ripped out… (9-13). The goal of his pamphlet was to instill pride in its African American readers and to give them hope that they would one day be free. However, as a result of the publication of “Appeal,” more slave laws were enacted, such as the outlawing of reading and writing for slaves. In the following lines Dove writes, “We are the most wretched, degraded and abject set of beings that ever lived since the world began” (16-17). The harsh sounds: w, d, and b are used multiple times throughout the lines to emphasize the degradation and inhumane manner in which the slaves were treated. At this time, African Americans were seen as inferior to Whites and were not given equal chances or opportunities to advance in their society.
ReplyDeleteYour ideas were very interesting. Building off of your analysis, another way to interpret the line “Free to travel, he still couldn’t be shown how lucky/ he was” is since David Walker was free he was more prone to noticing the slavery around him (Dove 1-2). He could see that he was lucky, but the sight and thoughts of those who were not as lucky as he was, overpowered thoughts of himself. Like you were saying, Dove stresses the importance of Walker’s pamphlets in the second stanza. Her use of quotes from Walker’s pamphlet to prove her point of its importance to history. In the line “‘Men of colour, who are also of sense.’/ Outrage. Incredulity. Uproar in state legislatures” Dove uses a variety of negative diction to portray the reaction of all people who did not support this claim (14-15). Throughout this poem Dove installs hope in the readers that the situation will change, just like how Walker uses his pamphlets to install hope in the African Americans of his time period and the message that African Americans and Americans are equal to those against his ideals.
DeleteIn Rita Dove’s “The Abduction” she uses the vantage point of first person and allusions to the story “12 Years a Slave” to portray the monstrosities of slavery in the life of Solomon Northrup. “I among them, Solomon Northrup/ from Saratoga Springs, free papers in my pocket, violin/ under arm, my new friends Brown and Hamilton by my side” references when the con men, Merrill Brown and Abram Northrup, kidnapped him and sold him into slavery (Dove 3-5). In these lines, it clarifies that Northrup was a free African American man in 1841 when she says he has free papers. This was a very important to be a free African American because most were slaves during this time. The next line “Why should I have doubted them? The wages were good” shows he showed no real concern for why these two men were taking him to Washington DC because it was difficult to make ends meet being a different race during this time period (6). If they were free, they would take any job available to make enough money to get by. When Dove next writes “Then the wine, like a pink lake, tipped./ I was lifted-the sky swivelled, clicked into place” she uses a simile and kinesthetic imagery to create an image of Northrup being drugged (11-12). The wine spilling references to the typically movie scene of slipping the drugs into a person’s drink and after they take a sip, the glass falls and they collapse. The kinesthetic imagery shows the readers what Northrup sees, the sky spinning, in his drugged state as he is being taken away. “I woke and found myself alone, in darkness and in chains” can be considered from a literal and metaphorical point of view (15). Waking in darkness and in chains could be a metaphor for what his life was like for the 12 years he was forced into slavery. The chains and darkness represent being trapped and seeing no current solution to ever becoming a free man again. It could also represent how the slaves were physically treated. The placement of Solomon in chains could portray the abuse, malnourishment, and being overworked that the slaves were forced to endure. Throughout this poem Dove uses the first person point of view and allusions to Solomon Northrup’s life to portray the horrid treatment African Americans received during the time period around the civil war and even after that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation on how the poem relates the situation of Solomon Northrup, who may be attributed to the entire slave population to some degree: That they had something stolen from them (freedom, dignity, name, life, family, purity). I would also like to add how the structure of “The Abduction” contributed to this theme of loss. The first stanza contains five lines, and each succeeding stanza after has one less line, until the last stanza, which end stops after one final line (all stanzas end with end stop), “I woke and found myself alone, in darkness and in chains.” (Dove 15). This poem structure contributes by the reducing confidence in tone simultaneously with the reduction of words, this sudden space fills with doubt and adds suspense, as well as creates an atmosphere of lacking, of ebbing freedom, of loss and chronic deprivation.
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For nearly two and a half centuries Africans were torn from their homeland. From their African homes, to the Middle Passage, to plantations, to inhumane actions and violations of civil rights all in regards to their color, Africans have been desecrated. Rita Dove articulates this emotion of an afflicted people in her poem, “Belinda’s Petition”, through use of decisive diction and disciplined sarcasm. In stanza one, all the capitalized words, such as “Senate”, “Country”, and “Slave” (Dove 1-4), are all capitalized to create a sense of humility in her address for equitable rights. Also in the first stanza, an alliteration of soft sounds is used with “plead and place my pitiable Life” (6) to soften her approach and lessen her appearance.
These humble, subjugated vibes quickly morph through the stanzas, the last stanza being scattered with sarcastic undertones. Belinda addresses accusations of her being “Ignorant” with confidence and a bold but not imposing stature. She addresses it frankly, “How might/ I have known of Men with Faces like the Moon, / who would ride toward me steadily for Twelve Years?” (18-20), providing straightforward evidence as to why she would be perceived as ignorant, “All my Childhood/ I expected nothing” (15-16). By saying that she did not expect the slave traders (“Men with Faces like the Moon”) to capture her is an optimistic statement: It shows innocence, and her good natured assumptions about the white men, though their deeds were evil. But the fact that she is black, and a woman, and a slave, and articulate and able to express her thoughts and desires, defeats any accusation of ignorance. Through sympathy arousing diction and undertones of confidence and sarcasm, Dove impresses the woes and the angered aches of an exploited people.
And just of note: The date in the top right reads “Boston, February 1782”, and Belinda addresses the “honorable Senate and House of Representatives of this Country” (1-2), however, the ratification of the Constitution and the simultaneous creation of the divided House was not completed until 1787. Perhaps this was a display of: 1) A black, slave, woman, that was current on her political knowledge and news- which goes against major stereotypes, and/or 2) This foreshadowing (of a divided House) is a display of pure intellect by a (again) black slave woman predicting the prophesied government- a government that has been replicated across the world as the standard for democracy and political organization.
My idea is similar to yours. I also noticed the randomly capitalized words throughout this poem and looked for a meaning and pattern in them. You made a very good point that these words were emphasized to create a sense of humility in her address for equitable rights. My thoughts were that these capitalized words all had something in common. I found that all these words were basics to human existence, as well as Belinda’s existence as a slave. The words like country, time, life, childhood, and years are all basics to the existence of all humans. I feel like Belinda is trying to emphasize these words in order to show what is basic to humans, and wants to add freedom to this. Her main goal is to attain freedom for her and the rest of the slaves, and by emphasizing these basics and rights of humans, she is inferring freedom is just another one of these. Other words like ignorant, tyranny, and accusation are words that show the basics of slave existence. Slaves have the tendency to be accused for things they haven’t done, making it a basic. Also, they live in a sort-of tyranny, another basic to their existence as slaves. In conclusion, I find our ideas similar, and think you had a really good point bringing up how these words emphasize humility.
DeleteYour interpretation of Rita Dove’s “Belinda’s Petition”, is very similar to observations I made. I also noticed the capitalization of particular words throughout the poem. I believed she selected these words to emphasize characteristics associated with Whites during this time period and the advantages they had over the African Americans. Belinda, who was kidnapped and taken to Massachusetts, petitioned for her freedom in 1783. I thought the petition conveyed the inhumanities of the horrendous institution of slavery as well as the mental and physical confinements the slaves experienced. The other literary device I noticed in this poem was her use of simile. Dove writes “I have known of Men with Faces like the Moon, “(Dove 19). I thought the moon also could be a symbol for White men during this time period and their views towards the slaves. Moons have multiple phases in their cycle. The “faces” may be referring to the different stages of the slave’s lives and how their owners treated them.
DeleteIn Rita Dove's "The House Slave" smilies and personification are used to convey the disparity between slave's lives and their owner's lives and the severity of the slave's everyday struggles. Dove writes, "... while their mistress sleeps like an ivory toothpick..."(6). In this instance Dove uses a simile , comparing the mistress to an ivory toothpick. Writing that she is like an ivory toothpick implies that she is frail like a toothpick yet expensive or worth lots of money like ivory was. This contrasts greatly with what slaves of the 18th and 19th centuries would have been like or though of as; hard working, strong, and valued as some of the cheapest human lives. On the first two lines Dove writes "The first horn lifts its arm over the dew lit grass/ and in the slave quarters ..." The horn is given human like characteristics, like being able to lift its are, in order to show that rather than some abstract and nameless force waking up the slaves, it was more human like and in fact it was real humans making the slaves get up to do the work. She later goes on to write " At the second horn,/ the whip curls across the backs of the laggards- "(8-9). The fact that the more lazy or less hard working slaves are being whipped for waking up a seemingly negligible amount of time after the first horn implies that the owners of this house are very strict with their slaves. Dove uses figures of speech in order to help convey the disparity between slaves and their masters as well as the harsh conditions under which the slaves had to live.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “The House Slave,” Rita Dove uses visual and auditory imagery to portray the hardships slaves faced, and the poor way they were treated. Dove writes, “At the second horn,/ the whip curls across the backs of the laggards---” (Dove 8-9). The visual imagery creates the image of a slave being whipped across their back. This was a common act by many slave owners, normally a punishment. This harsh and violent act is one of the hardships endured by slaves. In this case, the whippings were a punishment to the laggards, which were the slaves who worked slowly, and fell behind others. Their slow progress caused an unfair beating, which shows how little the slave owners cared for their slaves. There is auditory imagery in these two lines as well. The second horn must be a method of communicating to the slaves that they are needed, or have something to do, like a bell. Having a horn brings up the point that slaves had no freedoms at all, and had to do whatever their owner said, whenever they needed it done. Another example of the use of auditory imagery is when Dove writes “sometimes my sister’s voice, unmistaken, among them./ ‘Oh! pray,’ she cries. ‘Oh! pray!’” (Dove 10-11). Here the auditory imagery emphasizes the hardships through the cries of the persona’s sister. The cries show how the slaves struggled throughout their lives of being slaves. These lines come directly after the earlier mentioned lines of the whippings of laggards. Due to this I inferred this sister must have been one to be whipped. Her cries for someone to pray really show the immense pain she’s in, and how awfully treated she was, along with the other slaves. Rita Dove’s use of visual and auditory imagery displayed the hardships and horrid lives slaves once lived.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Situation is Intolerable” Rita Dove uses visual imagery, various metaphors, and the comparison of white and African American people to illustrate the injustice and inequality the African American population was forced to endure. She uses first person point of view to put the reader in their situation to experience this inequality and better understand. She starts out by saying “Intolerable: that civilized word./ Aren’t we civilized too?” which raises the comparison of the conduct of African Americans and white people (Dove 1-2). Through her use of visual imagery in the first stanza she show that the two races were similar in action as well as other aspects, yet the difference in skin color determined that one race was above the other. The first stanza and half of the second one has an overall mood of confusion and a sense of being wronged. The second half of the second stanza presents a more hopeful mood through the use of symbolism and visual imagery. “But the star-/ tiny, missionary stars-/ on high, serene, studding/ the inky brown of heaven” uses the symbolism of stars to show the hope that someday their situation will change. The third stanza reverts back to this mood of injustice. The use of visual imagery portrays that no matter what their situation is, it should not whether or not they everyone is equal. “Our situation is intolerable, but what’s worse/ is to sit here and do nothing” this is used to inspire African Americans to take action and fight against this intolerable situation.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe that Dove's use of comparisons between the two races in this poem help to show how intolerable the situation was I had a different interpretation of the first tow lines, and the rest of the first stanza. Dove writes "Shoes shined,/ each starched cuff unyielding,/ each dovegray pleated trouser leg/ a righteous sword advancing/ onto the field of battle ". I believe that that these lines describe what the African American's thought to be civil, which differed from what the whites thought to be civil. The white people considered the African Americans' way of being "uncivilized" because it did not conform to their notion of the meaning of the word. This description is what Dove uses to show that any notion of "civilized" can be correct, but persecuting or treating someone or a group of people differently because of their idea of civil differs from one's own makes no sense, because the definition of "civil" by a group of people is arbitrary in the first place.
DeleteIn the poem “Climbing In”, Rita Dove uses symbolism to convey the theme of racial inequality. Dove portrays characters commonly associated with the children’s fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” as the social standings of races in the United States. When Dove writes, “as I clutch the silver pole/ to step up, up” (Dove 6-7) the lack of change in social standings is introduced. The word “clutch” signifies how unequal the American Society had made itself. In stanza 3, Dove writes, “(sweat gilding the dear lady’s/ cheek)—these are big teeth, / teeth of the wolf” (Dove 8-10). The word “teeth” represents the power Whites wielded over the African American race during this time period. The wolf, symbolic of the White men, enforced these racial barriers. The concluding stanza concludes with the consumption of the “grandmother” by the “wolf” who has taken her place. Dove writes, “as the bright lady tumbles/ head over tail/ down the clinking gullet.”(14-16). This can be interpreted as African American rights being stripped from them as they were not deemed as equals in society. The “clinking gullet” is symbolic of the fall of the rights of African Americans as there was no way of escaping the racial barriers in place. The wolf quickly swallowing the person demonstrates how the White men took advantage of the Black community.
ReplyDeleteI think your interpretation of “Climbing In” involves a lot of interesting ideas. I agree that it does use the “Little Red Riding Hood” as a symbol for the racial inequality as well as how the African Americans were treated. “Not a friendly shine” could refer to the harm that would come to them because of being supposedly inferior to white people (Dove 3). She mentions the teeth again in stanza 3. The teeth represent the power held by the white people and the overall theme of the wolf represents how white people felt about African Americans. The last stanza represents how some of the whites showed a lot of hostility towards the African Americans as well as portraying their rights being stripped from them. I agree with your observation of how comparing the wolf taking advantage of red riding hood and her grandmother to how the white people took advantage of the African Americans.
DeleteIn "Lady Freedom Among Us" Rita Dove's use of metaphors and analogies allows for her to more easily convey her belief that all people have an innate sense of freedom inside of them. When she writes "don't think you can ever forget her/ don't even try/she's not going to budge" rather than referring to some fictional person (she) the "she" represents the sense of freedom that resides inside of all people. In saying that "she's not going to budge" Dove means that no matter how hard a person tries to forget their patriotism or their sense of freedom they will not be able to. Another characteristic described by Dove in this poem of "lady freedom" is that she can often be neglected or abused. On line 12 she writes "she has fitted her hair under a hand me down cap" which is an example of how this "lady liberty" has been treated as a second class citizen. A final example of Dove's use of metaphors is on line 20 and 21, she writes "she who has brought mercy back into the streets/ and will not retire politely to the potter's field ". "Bringing mercy back into the streets" could be seen as literally what it is, bringing mercy into the street, but also could be seen as an innate desire to bring equality and justice to all people. Also retiring to the potter's field could be a reference to simply giving up and quitting before having achieved anything. Dove uses allusion and metaphor in order to help to better convey her message that all people have an intrinsic sense of patriotism and freedom and should not and can not let it shrivel up inside of them.
ReplyDeleteThe other literary device that I saw in this passage was anaphora. It affected the mood and tone by emphasizing what should not be done as we search for the true meaning of freedom. Rita Dove repeatedly uses the word “don’t” in front of 6 of the lines of this poem. The “don’t” is followed by an action each time. These actions include lowering your eyes, crossing to the other side of the square, trying to forget Lady Freedom, and more. What all of these actions have in common is that they are actions of someone not fighting for what they believe in. These are the actions of someone shy and timid, the actions of someone who is scared to fight back and stand up for themselves. When Dove ads don’t in front of these actions the mood of the poem begins to show how strongly she believes in fighting for your rights. In addition, I think Dove is trying to get across what so many people mistakenly do when looking for freedom. People don’t see that these actions are not creating the change they are looking for, and what Dove is saying is you can’t do these things if you want freedom.
DeleteThe poem “QE2. Transatlantic Crossing. Third Day.” refers to the transatlantic slave trade, which was the largest slave trade in history. Millions of Africans were taken from their homes, and shipped on this massive ship to be sold as slaves in America. The ship’s name was Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2. Despite this deportation of slaves being a negative action, Rita Dove uses positive diction in order to lighten the event, and cause a feeling of comfort and pleasure in the reader, as well as imagery to portray the sad lives of the slaves who have been taken. Dove writes “I can hear the chime of the elevator,/ the hush of trod carpet. Beyond the alcove, escorted widows/ perfect a slow rumba. Couples linger by the cocktail piano,/ enmeshed in their own delight as others stroll past,” (Dove 6-9). Throughout these lines Rita Dove’s imagery and positive diction makes the boat seem luxurious, and full of enjoyment. The effect on the reader is a comforting setting that seems enjoyable. This definitely was not the case for the slaves on the boat. The slaves not only suffered physically, but they also suffered as they watched the white people on the boat having fun, and living luxurious lives. Dove uses kinesthetic imagery when she writes, “I can only imagine/ what it’s like to climb the steel stairs and sit down, to feel/ the weight of yourself sink into the moment of going home” (Dove 16-18). The actions climb, sit, and feel show the longing this person has to be able to ride the bus, all in order to go home. She knows she is not going home, and knows her ride will end with her in an unfamiliar place, around unfamiliar faces. This brings a sad and empathetic feeling to the reader when finding this person will not be returning home, despite their longing to be at home.
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ReplyDeleteNicholas Rex
In “Rosa”, by Rita Dove, a minimalistic and contrasting form of writing is used to reflect the most common pattern of the time. As a whole, there is only one word longer than two syllables. Repeated at the beginning of each stanza is an identical pattern, a four syllable line (eight syllables in stanza three)with stress on the third syllable (and the sixth), “How she sat there, . . . That trim name with . . . Doing nothing was the doing: . . . How she stood up” (Dove 1, 4, 7, 10). There are pairs of contrasting words used throughout the poem to create a paradoxical sense of the time. The existence of such oppression and limitation of rights to a people living in the freest, most modernly humane nation on the face of the Earth. In stanza one, “the time right inside a place/ so wrong it was ready” (2-3) mentioning and stressing “right” and “wrong” is to show the dilemma of the modern day: Determining another's rights, is it ethical? (Should rights be defined at all or is it all relative to region?) A very confident tone is used when describing Rosa Parks, “How she stood up/ when they bent down to retrieve/ her purse.” (10-13), and her beginnings of the Montgomery bus boycotts, which was in large part an origin for Civil Rights movements as an entirety. The “they” refers to the white population, serving the black population, which is flipping the roles of the past 300 years, another use of contrasting terms. Overall, I received very subtle, backbiting, near bitter, choppy, pokey, silent, passive vibes. This much reflects Rosa Parks’ action, not a boisterous action alone, but when given the context of the day, a very bold and profound action indeed.
Analysis of “1.The Cane Fields” in “Parsley”
ReplyDeleteRita Dove’s tragic poem “Parsley” is drawn from the devastating Parsley Massacre of 1937. Under the brutal regime of Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, over 20,000 Haitians were massacred. Trujillo wanted to prevent migration of Haitian laborers who were searching for work on sugar plantations. In order to identify who was and wasn’t Haitian, he demanded the border guards of the Dominican Republic to test people by having them pronounce the word “perejil” (or “parsley” in English). Workers able to correctly say the word were able to continue on with their lives while individuals unable to pronounce the word were brutally murdered. Rita Dove portrays this appalling event through the use of allusion and season symbolism to create a depressing tone while also illustrating the cruelties and crimes committed during the ruling of Dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Parsley acts as a symbol for the mass genocide and the cause of its occurrence. Dove divides the poem into two sections. One being “1.The Sugar Fields” giving the Haitian workers perspective and “2. The Palace” told from Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s point of view. In the section “The Cane Fields”, Dove uses season symbolism as she writes, “There is a parrot imitating spring/ in the palace, its feathers parsley green” (Dove 1-2).Spring is associated with birth, growth, and new beginnings. The first lines of the poem suggest Trujillo is planning on re-inventing the Dominican Republic. The “parrot” is a foreign bird Dove includes to refer to the Haitian workers and their affect on the recreation of the Dominican Republic. However, the positive symbolism of spring is contradicted as Dove writes, “Like a parrot imitating spring,/ we lie down screaming as rain punches through/ and we come up green” (6-8). Rain falls and results in the growing of different plants. As the rain continues to fall, the cycle of death remains persistent. The rain is personified as it “punches” the Haitians supporting the fact that Haitians were enslaved and confined on the cane fields. The dark diction and negative imagery creates a gloomy and darker tone. Dove’s use of symbolism and allusion throughout “1.The Cane Fields” in “Parsley” to reveal the challenges Haitians were faced with under the dictatorship of Trujillo.
I found your analysis very interesting and I thought that it resinated very much with my ideas about the poem. I found you're connection between the death of his mother and the new Dominican Government that he wanted to the Springtime most interesting and very "outside the box"! Also another part of your analysis that I liked was the symbolism of the parrot. On my first few read throughs I did not exactly pick up on the contradicted moods that Dove was creating. Overall I liked what you had to say and how you related this poem to its historical context.
DeleteIn the poem “Parsley” Rita Dove makes allusions to the Haitian massacre in 1937 and repetition to portray the genocide over a single word. Perejil is the spanish word for parsley. It is used as a symbol of death forced on the Haitian people because they were killed if they were not able to pronounce the “R” in perejil. In the first stanza Dove mentions spring. Spring is associated with life, birth, and thriving. “There is a parrot imitating spring/ in the palace, its feathers parsley green” irony is used here by her use of the beauty of the parrot and parsley (Dove 1-2). This is not the only place the parrot is mentioned. The parrot is a repeated symbol of violence “For every drop of blood/ there is a parrot imitating spring” (17-18). This furthers the irony of the parrot symbol because of the typical association made in the poem to beauty and the association to violence and death. In the second section of the poem, the Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo is being portrayed. “He ordered pastries/ brought up for the bird” in this line, it shows he treats his pet parrot better than the Haitian workers because his parrot can pronounce the “R” (40-41). He decides the bird is more valuable because of its ability to correctly pronounce perejil. The bird being held in a cage symbolizes how the Haitian workers were unable to escape the genocide. Some people consider it cruel to keep birds in a cage. Why else would they have wings? This thought is also used to show that the Haitian people should be free and equal because they are humans just like the people of the Dominican Republic. Also, parsley, if ingested by a bird, is very fatal. This adds to the connection between the parsley and parrot symbols because both the parsley plant and the parrot are lush and beautiful to seen. If the parrot were to eat parsley it is likely the bird would die or have serious health issues. This adds to the depiction of the contrast of beauty and death. Rita Dove chooses these symbols to represent how something so beautiful and simple can represent violence and genocide. Through the use of symbolism, allusion, and repetition Dove is able to convey and portray how horrific the Haitian Parsley Massacre was.
ReplyDeleteI had a very similar interpretation to your ideas. However, I did not think about the symbol of the parsley connecting to the symbol of the parrot prior to reading your post. Another very dominant device Dove uses in this poem is refrain. The line "Parrot imitating spring" is repeated at the end of stanza 2,4, and 6 in "1.The Cane Fields". Dove also writes, "out of the swamp the cane appears" to conclude stanzas 1,3,5, and 6. The only time both of these lines are repeated in the same stanza is at the end of the sixth.
ReplyDeleteIn Rita Dove's "Parsley" allusions are used to convey the theme that while many people will be dissatisfied with the fact they will eventually lose their loved ones, they will never be able to bring them back, no matter what extreme measures they take. The poem's title, "Parsley", is often referred to throughout the poem in various instances. It is seen by "El General" as a very important word. Dove writes: " El General has found his word: perejil./ Who says it, lives. He laughs, teeth shining / out of the swamp. The cane appears" (Dove 13-15). Perejil is the Spanish word for parsley. In Dove saying that he "had found his word" she is making reference to the massacre of the Haitian people in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. "The General" in this poem is referencing Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, who, in order to decide wether the Haitians were to die or not, had them say the word "Perejil". If they pronounced it with a rolled R he let them live, if not he had them executed. Later Dove again makes reference to this fact and writes "The word the general's chosen is parsley./It is fall when thoughts turn to love and death". With the General's grieving he is angry and feels that he needs to do something; which ends up being massacring nearly 13,000 people. Dove continuously makes allusions to the fact that Trujillo's mother had died in order to emphasize the fact that she is dead and will not be coming back no matter what Trujillo does. Dove's allusions to the parsley massacre and the life of Trujillo help to convey the theme that death is permanent and that taking extreme actions because of it is illogical.
ReplyDeleteYou analysis is very interesting. I had not thought about the theme of people being dissatisfied with the loss of their loved ones, whom they cannot bring back. Another example from the text that would support your analysis would be when Dove writes, "Ever since the morning/ his mother collapsed in the kitchen/ while baking skull-shaped candies/ for the Day of the Dead, the general/ has hated sweets" (Dove 36-40). These lines from the poem "Parsley" exhibit the theme you mentioned because the general's hatred for sweets was based on the association of sweets and the death of his mother. I think this hatred of sweets also relates to his hated of the Haitians, and how he would do anything to feel better about the death of his mother.
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ReplyDeleteThe poem “Parsley,” by Rita Dove, is an allusion to the Parsley Massacre of 1937. The Parsley Massacre was a mass killing of Haitians by Dominicans, carried out by the Dominican president Rafael Trujillo. This tragic event in history is described throughout this poem by the contrasting use of positive and negative diction. Dove writes, “As he paces he wonders/ Who can I kill today. And for a moment/ the little knot of screams/ is still.” (Dove 30-33).The use of negative diction here explains the Dominican’s urge to kill the Haitians. The word kill creates a negative feeling inside the reader, because death is not a happy, positive thing. In contrast, Dove writes, “He will/ order many, this time, to be killed/ for a single, beautiful word.” (Dove 70-72). Here Dove uses both negative and positive diction. The negative diction again is the word killed. In this context the Dominican is talking about how the general will be killing numerous Haitians all due to a word. The positive diction comes out when Dove writes “beautiful word.” This is very contrasting because this beautiful word is what causes the death of all the Haitians killed during this massacre. This beautiful word is parsley, or in spanish, perejil. The Dominicans want to kill all those who cannot pronounce the “R” in perejil or parsley, which is known the be the haitians. The excerpt from The Farming of Bones, by Edwidge Danticat, explains the events of the massacre through the story of 3 Haitians trying to escape. This passage uses negative diction as well, to illustrate the horrors of this event. Danticat writes, “Yves fell head first, coughing and choking” (Danticat 18). The negative diction here is fell, coughing and choking. These words exhibit the struggles these workers faced when they had parsley forced down their throats. Both “Parsley” as well as The Farming of Bones use negative and positive diction to display the extreme horror this massacre brought many.
ReplyDeleteYour interpretation of both "The Farming of Bones" and "Parsley" and how they connect is very interesting. Both authors intended to show how horrible this genocide was through their use of negative diction, like you explained. Dove's diction represents a negative and positive contrast. Parsley and parrots are very beautiful, but the was Dove writes about them makes them take on a darker association. This same thing is portrayed in the excerpt from “The Farming of Bones” how the soldiers force them to eat the parsley until they are sick.The beauty and simplicity of the parsley takes on a negative, complex symbol in the Haitian massacre. Another connection I found between the poem and the excerpt is Dove writes about how they cannot say perejil correctly, so they are killed. In the excerpt the main character refuses to say perejil for fear she will mispronounce it which would get her killed. This connects the two further because of they are both allusions to the reason for the genocide. Your analysis connects the two works very well and in a way I had not really considered.
DeleteIn "Parsley" by Rita Dove, refrain and anaphora are used to be representative of the psychological effects of a dictatorship and traumatic events. The poem is an allusion to the genocide committed in the Dominican Republic, headed by General Rafael Turillo, killing thousands of Haitians on their accents (the inability to pronounce "R"). With the repetition of "a parrot imitating spring", and "out of the swamp the cane appears", it's given a feeling much like a cradled baby: Rocked back and forth, repeatedly returned to the same or similar position. I thought the line "a parrot imitating spring" was repeated to show not only the psychological effects of Turillo's dictatorship on the people of the DR, but to show the mental state and possible reasoning for his genocidal actions. A parrot that imitates spring would be a parrot pretending to be as spring is, lively, anew, fresh, happy. Because of the tragic loss of his mother, perhaps this trouble writhing within Turillo's soul is the cause for inaffection and cruelty, a desensitivty from pretending. The line "out of the swamp the cane appears" can be symbolic of the low class cane field workers, in which the working conditions are horrid. A swamp connotates musty, disease and danger stricken environment that is hard of growth. Out of this swamp, cane is being grown, this line is repeated to remind again and again of the oppression of Turillo's dictatorship and its toll on the people who suffer from it.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Heroes”, Rita Dove uses season/flower symbolism and allusion to illustrate the effects of putting yourself before the well being of others. “Heroes” is specifically written about the relationship between mother Demeter and her daughter Persephone. Dove writes, “A flower in a weedy field: / make it a poppy. You pick it. / It begins to wilt” (Dove 1-3). Being a flower, the roots are tied down, but not as strong as those of a weed. The weed, symbolic of the strength of Demeter’s love for Persephone is tested after her daughter is abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. The fact that the poppy was “wilting” suggests a change in seasons. The poppy in particular is important because in Greek mythology poppies were very sacred to Demeter who would concoct an infusion of poppies to sleep after the absence of her daughter Persephone. The theme of sleep is carried to stanza 3 as Dove, “screaming: you’ve plucked the last poppy in her miserable garden,/ the one that gave her strength every morning” (7-9). Persephone was taken by Hades to the “miserable garden” of hell (or underworld). After eating the pomegranate given to her by Hades, she was bonded to staying with him for one third of each year. Persephone was only able to reunite with her mother from spring until fall. The period she spent in the underworld corresponding to the season winter. During the four months of Persephone’s absence, the Goddess of harvest laid a curse on the world that resulted in desolate land and the spoils of crops. Dove then writes, “the villagers stirring as your hear/ pounds into your throat. O why/ did you pick that idiot flower? (23-25). The absence of Persephone not only affected her mother, but the whole world as winter brought cold weather and unsuitable conditions for farming. The personification “idiot flower” adds to this as it represents the frustration individuals faced as a result of winter and the choosing of Persephone to become the wife of Hades. The poem concludes with the line, “it was going to die”. “It” refers to Persephone and the problematic decision she made to eat the fruits of the underworld. Although she does not die, her absence during “winter” was death itself.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is very interesting and connects to the three poems mentioned in my analysis. This poem elaborates more on how Demeter feels about losing Persephone. I noticed there is a lot of kinesthetic imagery like “You picked it” to show the specific actions that lead to her captivity with Hades (Dove 2). I agree that the lines “O why/ did you pick that idiot flower?/ Because you knew it was the last one/ and you knew/ it was going to die” is a representation of how Persephone’s actions not only negatively affected her mother, but also brought a long autumn and winter to the world (24-28). When she writes about the last poppy being picked, this represents how Persephone was what gave her strength, and Hades took her daughter.
DeleteIn the poem “Primer,” Rita Dove uses visual imagery to describe the narrator’s experiences of getting bullied on her way home from school. Dove writes, “In the sixth grade I was chased home by/ the Gatlin kids, three skinny sisters/ in rolled-down bobby socks” (Dove 1-3). The Gatlin kids are described here as being skinny, and running behind the narrator. It was important for Dove to describe the appearance of these sisters, because the narrator who is being bullied is being bullied for her body. The Gatlin girls call her “Mrs.Stringbean” which is ironic because they are skinny too. Dove also uses visual imagery when she writes, “I survived/ their shoves across the schoolyard/ because my five-foot-zero mother drove up/ in her Caddie to shake them down to size” (Dove 8-11). Here the narrator’s mother is being described as a short women. Despite her size, she stands up for her daughter, displaying her motherly love. The importance of her height relates to how her daughter’s body is being made fun of. Body size plays a large role in this poem by creating the message you are never too small to fight back. I also notice the theme of mother love, which is the title of this poem series. Mother love is displayed in this poem when the narrator’s mother comes to her rescue to stand up for her daughter. Although her daughter is embarrassed by this love, and decides to take the long way home, wishing she could just grow up. I find her mother’s love to be greatly displayed through her action of trying to help her daughter. Rita Dove’s use of visual imagery successfully describes the bullying, and helps to establish the themes of sticking up for yourself no matter your size, as well as mother love.
ReplyDeleteI initially read this poem and had similar ideas to you about the first part of the poem. I thought that that the visual imagery of the bullies help to strengthen the irony in the fact that they are calling the main character and narrator skinny. Most of all, I found your interpretation of lines 12-13 "Nothing could get me into that car./ I took the long way home" particularly interesting. Upon my first few read throughs I did not understand what was meant by "I took the long way home" or why saying this was relevant. Upon reading your analysis I realized that the narrator was embarrassed by her mother's protection/mother love over her and that this was the intended meaning of the line. Thanks!
DeleteIn the poem “Demeter, Waiting” Rita Dove uses allusions the ancient Greek myth of Persephone, to portray the bond a mother has with her daughter. In short, this myth is about Demeter, Goddess of harvest and fertility, would not allow her daughter, Persephone, to be married. Hades fell in love with her and kidnapped her. Zeus was forced to intervene and create a compromise to avoid a war between his wife and brother. Persephone would live with Hades in for six months and with Demeter for the other six months. This poem symbolizes this six months waiting period for Demeter. “I will wail and thrash” is an example of kinesthetic imagery to show how hard this waiting period is for her (Dove 12). This creates a feeling of loss and anger. This evokes sympathy and pity in the readers. In the first stanza Dove writes “No. Who can bear it. Only someone/ who hates herself, who believes/ to pull a hand back from a daughter’s cheek/ is to put love into her pocket” to portray this feeling of unbearable loss (1-4). It is written from Demeter’s point of view to depict the bond of a mother and her daughter. This poem also connects to other poems by Rita Dove. The first stanza of “Persephone, Falling” is written in third person to show the actions of Persephone that lead to her mother’s pain and loss. The second stanza is a flashback to Demeter giving her instructions for going to school. This is written after to show that Persephone did not listen to her mother. The use of instructing diction shows that Persephone disobeyed her mother. “This is how easily the pit/ opens. This is how one foot sinks into the ground” is Demeter warning Persephone and shows the foreshadowing of this event (13-14). “The Narcissus Flower” also connects to these two poems. It seems to be written in Persephone’s point of view while being held captive by Hades. “I could see my own fingers and hear/ myself scream as the blossom incinerated” is a flashback to her being taken (3-4). Rita Dove uses allusions to the myth of Demeter and Persephone and connections between these poems to portray the bond of a mother and her daughter and how deeply a mother feels the loss of her child.
ReplyDeleteAnother example from the text that would also support your analysis is when Dove writes, "She is gone again and I will not bear/ it, I will drag my grief through a winter/ of my own making and refuse/ any meow that recycles itself into/ hope" (Dove 7-11). I think this because these lines also invite the feeling of sympathy and pity in the reader. Dove's use of negative diction, like grief and refuse, shows how Demeter felt during those long 6 months of waiting. She could not bear being without her daughter, which revealed their close relationship, as well as the mother daughter love between the two. These lines also relate to your analysis of the feeling of loss and anger. Here Demeter talks about how she will not bear her daughter's absence, and will drag her grief through winter. Her grief explains her tremendous feeling of loss, and she is so angry she will refuse any hope she is given.
DeleteAlthough we had different poems my analysis on the poem "Heroes" was very similar to yours. The mother/daughter bond between Persephone and Demeter seems to have connected most of the poems together as they tell the story about the goddess and her kidnapping to the underworld. I previously had trouble figuring out the meaning behind "Persephone, Falling but your interpretation of it helped a lot!
ReplyDeleteIn the poem "Breakfast of Champions" Rita Dove uses word play and symbolism in order to enhance the poem's stylistic aspect. The poem does appear to be telling of a person who has just suffered a personal loss and is coming to a place where they can properly mourn over this tragedy or loss . Dove writes "...I've crossed a hemisphere,// worked my way through petals and sunlight// to find a place fit for mourning"(Dove 1-3). Because of the poem's title "Breakfast of Champions" we can infer that it will be set or connected to the morning time. On line 3 Dove uses the word "mourning" which when read aloud sounds the same as mourning, creating a bit of a pun through this wordplay. This pun relates the feeling of sadness to the morning time. The morning time can also symbolize a beginning or restart of sorts as it is when people wake up from sleep. Dove writes "I rummage the pantry's/ stock for raisins and cereal as they pull/ honking out of the mist, a sonic hospital graph/ announcing recovery. Arise to a brand new morning!"(9-11) In this quote Dove is writing about fixing some breakfast, the raisins and cereal, but also she mentions recovery. This could be an allusion to her crisis or loss being resolved, not just that some sickness could have been now becoming better in some person she knew. Also in writing "A brand new morning!" Dove is using the morning to symbolize a new beginning or a new start to things as earlier mentioned. Rita Dove successfully uses symbolism and word play in order to make the reader think more deeply about the intended purpose or meaning of the poem .
ReplyDeleteIn "Primer", Rita Dove uses colloquialism to portray the innocence and naive nature of youth that sometimes, only mothers love and understand. This naivety is also a reflection of and allusion to the story of Demeter and her daughter, Persephone. Persephone's innocence and lack of experience is shown by her initial reaction with the Cerberus. Where most would have been frightened and run, curiosity ruled her judgement. The terms "Brainiac" and "Mrs. Stringbean" (Dove 4) have a very middle school-esque form of bullying to them, a reflection of the innocence shaken by the negating treatment. The strongest example of colloquial diction lies when Dove describes the mother who comes to the rescue, "my five-foo-zero mother drove up/ in her Caddie to shake them down to size" (10-11). The significance of putting the strongest colloquialism here is to represent the home as a place of comfort where a mother will love the child, regardless of complexity or progression (of language). Also, I think the title "Primer" was given to label and show mothers as a type of 'primer', all the life of their children acting as a primer into the world, preparing and rearing them through all the turbulent times of youth. Dove used colloquial diction to show the comfort in the relationship between the child and his/her mother.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Meditation at Fifty Yards, Moving Target” Rita Dove uses second person and personification to discuss guns. In the first stanza, it warns of the dangers of gun use whether it is loaded or not. “You could wound the burglar and kill your child/ sleeping in the next room, all with one shot” is emotional imagery which is a very effective way to ensure the importance of gun safety is understood (Dove 11-12). It shows the positives and negatives of what could happen as well as how quickly and easily each one can occur. Her point is more effectively shown because instead of warning the dangers of killing someone, she warn about killing your child, especially when they are most vulnerable. The second stanza is switches to a person who is more passionate about guns. This stanza and the title of the poem are connected because this stanza portrays the level of concentration of a gunman. This action could be considered a form of meditation for a person because of this intense concentration on one thing, one aspect. “Don’t pull the trigger, squeeze it-/ squeeze it between heartbeats./ Look down the sights. Don’t/ hold your breath. Don’t hold/ anything, just stop breathing./ Level the scene with your eyes. Listen./ Soft, now: squeeze” are instructions given (18-24). It creates a calming mood in the readers through the use of these simple, concise instructions. The third stanza is split into two parts to show the difference of men and women preferences of guns. It is also an allusion to stereotypes because men are associated with being rowdy, loud, and strong which is similar to their gun preference. Women are thought of as weak, reserved, elegant, which is also similar to their gun preference in these stanzas. The final stanza “The Bullet” personifies the bullet. This stanza is in the bullet’s point of view. Rita Dove fails to use capitals and punctuation marks to show that the bullet is still just an object contrary to how it is referred to here. “straight/ my glory road yes now i can feel/ it the light i am flame velocity o/ beautiful body i am coming i am yours/ before you know it/ i am home” describes the journey of the bullet from the barrel, being ignited when the trigger is pulled, traveling through the air, and hitting its target (44-49). Rita Dove uses second person, personification, and emotional imagery to discuss the variety of views about guns.
ReplyDeleteThe poem “Cozy Apologia” by Rita Dove, explores the idea of love, and modern routine, while alluding to the disastrous hurricane Floyd of 1999. This poem was written for her husband, Fred, as mentioned after the title of the poem. In the first stanza of this poem, Rita Dove uses imagery to display her immense love for her husband. Dove writes, “This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue/ My pen exudes” (Dove 2-3). The imagery in these two lines represent items and things that remind Dove of her husband. She says everything makes her think of him, and in these two lines we can see that even just a lamp, or the ink from her pen bring her thoughts of her husband. Her true love for Fred is shown through this. The second stanza, Rita Dove starts to explain how a hurricane brought back memories of her teenage relationships. Dove writes “Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,/ Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host/ Of teenage crushes on worthless boys” (Dove 13-16). This hurricane brings Dove back these memories and daydreams because she compares the two, and finds them similar. Hurricanes are destructive, and a whirlwind, which is another way to describe her teenage relationships which lacked worth, and were destructive when it came to the emotional side of the relationship. Dove writes, “Were thin as licorice and as chewy,/ Sweet with a dark hollow center” (Dove 19-20). Referring to her teenage crushes, Dove explains the boys were “hollow” meaning they lacked originality and depth. These boys were sweet on the outside, but had nothing on the inside. This is similar to the structure of a hurricane, where the inside, or the eye, has nothing, and is calm. It is hollow, just like Dove’s teenage crushes. Lastly, in the third and final stanza of this poem, Rita Dove explains the ordinary routines, and never changing rituals we go through everyday. Dove writes, “Still, it’s embarrassing, this happiness---/ Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,/ When has the ordinary ever been news?/ And yet, because nothing else will do” (Dove 25-28). These lines give the effect of shame, and embarrassment. Shame that society never changes, and that we go on doing the same things, unconsciously at times. Dove wonders if anyone is truly satisfied with living their lives like this, going about the ordinary, and never taking risks or trying new things. This poem goes into depth of the love story between Dove and her husband, while alluding love to hurricanes, and questioning the ordinary routines of modern age people.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of “Cozy Apologia” is similar to my interpretation of it. Rita Dove also uses similes to show the tremendous amount of love she has for her husband. She writes “And, sure as shooting arrows to the heart,/ Astride a dappled mare, legs braced as far apart/ as standing in silver stirrups will allow-/ And there you’ll be” to show that she is completely sure her husband is always there for her (Dove 5-8). In the second stanza she compares her past high school relationships to portray that both were catastrophic and only produced pain and heartbreak. “Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,/ When has the ordinary ever been news” Dove questions the tendency to choose the safe, ordinary choice (26-27). It is her way of saying the love is not the safe choice. It is about taking risks and varying from society’s definition of normal. Rita Dove writes this to show how deeply she loves her husband through the use of similes and allusions to her past and hurricane Floyd.
DeleteI found your interpretation of this poem similar to mine. I too saw that her allusions to hurricane Floyd helped to compare dissimilar things. The main theme that I explored was how powerful emotions could be. I supported this with the example that in the first stanza Dove writes about how her husband was her knight in shining armor and has finally rescued her. While I do stand by my interpretation of the poem I do also think that your's is very interesting and perhaps more accurate than mine. Thanks.
DeleteIn the poem "Cozy Apologia" by Rita Dove allusions and metaphors are both used in order to present the theme of how powerful one's emotions can be while also giving the reader a feeling of hope for love in their own life. Dove start's this poem by writing about what seems to be her "trapped" situation. She writes "There you'll be, with furrowed brow/ And chain mail glinting, to let me go:/ one eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy"(Dove 8-10). In writing this she is signifying that her husband or whoever is meant by "he" is here to rescue her. The "chain mail glinting" is a reference to her husband being a "knight in shining armor". This is a metaphor because she is comparing her husband, indirectly, to her husband being a knight in shining armor. This comparison helps to convey how highly she thinks of her husband and how much he can do and does for her. She goes on to write " Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,/ Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd who brings a host/ of Day dreams"(13-15). In this instance Dove is alluding to Hurricane Floyd of 1999 which was one of the most deadly hurricanes of the 20th century in North America. In comparing her husband to hurricane Floyd Dove is showing that while he can be looking out for her best interest she is also showing that he can be very destructive, possibly emotionally, in contrast to what she had early described him as. This contrast helps Dove to show how powerful one's emotions can be.
ReplyDeleteI previously hadn't looked much into the background of hurricane Floyd but your explanation makes its significance in the poem a lot more clear. I had interpreted the poem as being Rita Dove's way of complimenting her husband and commenting on her love for him. I also thought that Dove's use of rhyme helped to convey the theme of love in this poem.
Delete(this was supposed to post earlier today but I don't think my computer refreshed it)
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Cozy Apologia”, Rita Dove uses rhyme scheme to express the love and admiration she has towards her husband Fred. There is an a, b, c, d, e, f rhyme scheme located in the first 14 lines of Dove’s poem. She uses rhyming words such as, “you” and “blue, “heart” and “fall apart”, “compact disks” and “take no risks”. Each words rhyming pair gives a more negative and melancholy approach to love and the sadness that may come along with it. As the poem progresses, the rhyming sequences begins to fade out. The end to Dove’s rhyme scheme in the first one and a half stanzas is symbolic of the stages of love. The playful rhyming symbolizes a new, fresh approach to love as the couple fights every once in awhile and is only beginning the relationship. The pattern of rhyming, like love, is regular in the beginning but fades as it continues. This continuation of the poem without the end rhymes is similar to how the love shared between one another becomes a normal feeling as it progresses.
In addition to rhyme scheme Dove also uses simile and personification to further express her love for Fred. She writes, “today a hurricane is nudging up the coast” (Dove 13). The personification is symbolic of her and her husband's love for each other as its continues to flourish day by day. Dove writes, “Were thin as licorice and as chewy./ Sweet with a dark and hollow center” (19-20). The simile suggests that there was not much to the boys she had previously been with. Although they may have had good looks and seemed “sweet” on the outside (similar to candy) the inside was completely different. Her husband, unlike the other boys was far different from the rest. The poem concludes with Dove writing, “I fill this stolen time with you” (30). time she spends with her husband Fred is what keeps her content and happy with her life.
Your analysis is really interesting. I had noticed the rhyming pattern Dove used throughout the beginning of this poem, but I had not thought about its significance. I think your idea of how the rhyming, like love, is regular in the beginning but begins to fade as time goes on is an interesting idea. I really agree with this idea, and think Dove was trying to show that her love was more “perfect” and stronger in the beginning. I also think Dove’s use of rhyming may have been to create a lyrical sound within the poem. This lyrical sound incorporates into the overall theme of love because love is a happy feeling, and very happy, and beautiful, just like the lyrical sound of the poem.
DeleteIn "Sic Itur Ad Astra", Dove describes the American Dream and its endlessness and opportunity by asking provoking questions and using joyous, for lack of a better term, diction. The title "Sic Itur Ad Astra" translates from Latin to "thus one journeys to the stars", which automatically (for me at least) set a dreamy mood of ultimate possibility and feeling lucky. Dove speaks to her bed, asking "where are you flying to?/ I went to sleep/ nearly an hour ago/ and now I'm on a porch/ open to the stars!" (Dove 1-5), this setting of a dream is contrasted with a consciousness and vivid awareness of surroundings, much like a lucid dream. Much like how a journey to America is a dream to most people heavily afflicted, although a dream maybe in mind, the immediate surroundings demand the attention. The effects of the punctuation dramatize what she speaks and add exclamation to her expressions. The dream state in this poem is a liberating relief for the speaker, "I need you! I don't know my way/ At least leave my pillow/ behind to remind me/ what affliction I've fled–/ my poor, crushed pillow" (18-22). Fleeing affliction, or escaping oppression, the liberating state of having opportunities, and chance to achieve rather than a smothering caste, exists and is most prominently represented by the symbol of America. In the poem, the bed is seen as the guide, the liberator from the tribulation the speaker feels in the waking world. A message of content and freedom of mind is transmitted through the exclamatory, provoking language and diction.
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DeleteI find your analysis of "Sic Itur Ad Astra" very interesting. I agree with the points you make about the theme of the American Dream connecting to the questions Dove decides to ask. Your post reminded me a lot of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" as both Lennie and George had set goals for their future. I thought the pillow in this poem symbolized the hopes and dreams American's intended on attaining. Dove writes, "what affliction I've fled--/ my poor, crushed pillow" (20-22). Unlike your interpretation, I believed these lines represented the crushed dreams and how individuals were rarely able to attain them.
DeleteIn the poem “Lady Freedom Among Us”, Rita Dove uses allusion to convey the theme of equality. The poem refers to the bronze “Armed” or “Lady Freedom” statue designed by Thomas Crawford in 1863. Dove writes, “She has fitted her hair under a hand-me-down cao/ and spruced it up with feathers and stars/ slung over one shoulder bears” (Dove 12-14). As Dove addresses, the statue depicts a female wearing a military helmet, holding a sword and laurel wreath in her right, and shield of war in her left. Prior to leading the Confederacy, Mississippi senator Jefferson Davis was in charge of the capitals decoration. Thomas Crawford and Jefferson Davis both had similar ideas for how the statue design would look. However, for the finished statue Walter added a liberty cap above the crown which symbolized the emancipated slave (which Davis was against). The cap was later replaced by a military helmet and eagle to symbolize freedom.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to allusion, Dove uses all lower case letters in the poem to further emphasize the dedication and love she has for her country. The enjambment lack of punctuation throughout the poem symbolizes how freedom can be taken for granted. She writes, “another item to fit on a tourist’s agenda” as it's just another thing to view. Freedom today is seen as a right that everyone has. It no longer is a privilege as it was in the past. The poem “Lady Freedom” is symbolic of the fight African Americans put up to gain their freedom and rights. Like the enjambed free verse, the African American race continued to work hard and fight until they were treated as equals in society.
Your analysis is very good. I agree that Dove portrays the symbolism of the Lady Freedom Statue as neglected and forgotten when she says “another item to fit on a tourist’s agenda” (Dove 19). It is also important to note that six lines start with the word don’t. These don’ts are followed by actions. When she writes lines like “Don’t lower your eyes/ or stare straight ahead to where/ you think you ought to be going” she is showing that it is important to stand up for what is believe is right (1-4). In order for all to be equal, these actions must be prevented. In this poem Lady Freedom symbolizes freedom and equality of all people.
DeleteIn the poem, “Evening Primrose,” Rita Dove uses jargon, and visual imagery to create a dominant effect of sadness and pity. This poem is about the evening primrose plant, and the sad life of this plant. Dove writes, “Neither rosy nor prim,/ not cousin to the cowslip/ nor the extravagant fuchsia---/ I doubt anyone has ever picked one for show,/” (Dove 1-5). The evening primrose is not described as the most beautiful, respectable plant. It is compared to the primrose plant, which is the cousin of the cowslip, as well as fuchsia at times. The primrose is considered a very beautiful flower, and the evening primrose doesn’t seem to compare to the primrose. When Dove writes that no one picks the evening primrose for show, we are informed that this is not a flower used for decoration. I inferred from this that the flower must not be very attractive if it is not ever picked for show. I also inferred from this line that this plant may have another use, creating a reason for it to be grown and picked. Along with this, Dove writes, “They’ll wait until the world’s/ tucked in and the sky’s/ one ceaseless shimmer---then/ lift their saturated eyelids/ and blaze, blaze/ all night long/ for no one” (Dove 15-21). This refers to the flowering process of the evening primrose. The evening primrose begins to bloom at night. Dove uses personification to explain how the flower “lifts their saturated eyelids” meaning the flowers begin to bloom. She also writes that the evening primrose waits until the world is tucked in, meaning they wait for night time, when everyone is asleep. Adding to the dominant effect of pity, Dove writes how they blaze all night for no one. They do it for no one because everyone is asleep since they begin to flower at night. Also, this plant is blooming for no one because no one wants these flowers. The dominant effects of pity and sadness are displayed through Rita Dove’s use of visual imagery and jargon.
ReplyDeleteI found your analysis of this poem very interesting. I was able to relate this poem to the Greek myth of Persephone, but I did not know much about the actual flowers themselves. I thought that your insight onto the flowers was especially interesting because it is likely something that lots of other people overlook in their analysis. Also on my first few read throughs I did not think very deeply about the personification of the flower blooming, but after reading your analysis it started to seem more significant than what I had previously thought. Thanks for the great insight!
DeleteIn “Persephone, Falling” Rita Dove uses allusion of the tragic Greek myth of the loving mother Demeter losing her daughter Persephone to portray the bond of a mother and her child. She first references the narcissus flower that caught Persephone’s eye. “On narcissus among the ordinary beautiful/ flowers” can be interpreted literally and metaphorically (Dove 1-2). It could be a piece from the myth. The narcissus flower could also symbolize Persephone and how she was unique and stood out among the others. “on his glittering terrible/ carriage, he claimed his due” symbolises there is always some danger in being unique and different (5-6). This is the portion of the myth where Hades comes and kidnaps Persephone. Dove is saying that it is not always good to be unique because it could cause unwanted attention. This is written in Demeter’s perspective. The second stanza is a flashback to Demeter warning Persephone of what to do and what not to do. “Remember: go straight to school./ This is important, stop fooling around!/ Don’t answer strangers. Stick/ with your playmates. Keep your eyes down” are instructions that Persephone failed to follow (9-12). Had she done what her mother said, she may not have ended up in a trap. Here, Dove is showing that despite the instinct to go against parents, following their instructions will keep us safe. Parents only give these “limitations” because they love their children and want the best for them. “This is how easily the pit/ opens. This is how one foot sinks into the ground” shows that situations can turn bad as easily and as quickly as the decision to go into that situation (13-14). Persephone saw the flower and immediately went to pick it. What seemed like a harmless act and a small delay ended up in a big horrible situation. Rita Dove uses allusions to the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, Demeter’s point of view of the story, and flashbacks to portray a mother’s love for her child.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of the poem “Persephone, Falling.” One really interesting point you brought up was about the instructions Demeter gave to Persephone while on her way to school. I also viewed this as Demeter showing her love for her daughter through her protective actions. I think parents don’t realize they are being controlling and a bit over protecting when they do this because they love you so much, and want to do everything they can to keep you safe. This reminds me of my mom because whenever I leave the house to do something, she always makes sure to give me some instructions first. Like Demeter, my mom always wants to make sure I am safe, and she does this by reminding me the things I should and shouldn’t do. I know it is all out of love, and I am very thankful for that. I think Rita Dove’s addition of Demeter’s instructions for Persephone were really an important piece of displaying the motherly love of Demeter for Persephone. Without it, us readers would not see the overprotective, motherly qualities of Demeter. This motherly love for her daughter is also the reasoning behind the extreme grief and sorrow Demeter contains after the kidnapping of her daughter.
DeleteIn the poem "Rosa" by Rita Dove paradox and allusion to Rosa Parks to help convey how such a simple act could be so moving and inspiring to so many people. After describing what Rosa Parks was wearing and her position on the bus (the front) Dove writes "Doing nothing was the doing:/ the clean flame of her gaze/ carved by a camera flash."(Dove 7-9) When she writes "Doing nothing was the doing" she is creating a paradox as nothing can not be something. Rather than wanting to confuse her readers Dove is using this paradox as almost a literal translation of what she meant. Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955 for not leaving her bus seat in order to give it up for a white person, who by the then current social protocols deserved it more. She did nothing when asked to stand up, which ended up being her ultimate legacy as a racial equality activist. This paradox helps to put Parks' actions into a clever statement that makes the reader think, overall enhancing the stylistic aspect of the poem. Dove also used allusions in order to highlight the importance of Parks' actions. She writes "How she sat there,/ the time right inside a place/ so wrong/ it was ready"(1-3). In this instance Dove is alluding to Parks not moving when she was asked to do so by a white bus rider, but rather than just saying it Dove uses a metaphor. In saying "the time right inside a place so wrong it was ready" she is saying that the place, the Southern United States, had been in segregation for so long that now was the right time. Overall, Dove's paradoxes and metaphors enhance the poem's meaning and possible interpretations.
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