Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.Holliday had a seminal influence on both jazz and pop music and singing style. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday's unique style made her performances unmistakable throughout her career. Her improvisation made up for lack of musical education. Her voice lacked range and was thin, and years of drug use altered its texture and gave it a fragile, raspy sound. Holiday said that she always wanted her voice to sound like an instrument. Some of the people she spoke of that influenced her most were Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz trumpet player, and singer Bessie Smith.Even though she died of liver cirrhosis, handcuffed to her hospital bed, under police guard at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, Holliday is still seen as a major influence of modern jazz music. She is said to have inspired even Frank Sinatra who saw her live on 52nd Street in the late 50’s. In the poem, “Canary” by Rita Dove, the poet poses inferential questions about the famous “Lady Day.”
Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.Holliday had a seminal influence on both jazz and pop music and singing style. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday's unique style made her performances unmistakable throughout her career. Her improvisation made up for lack of musical education. Her voice lacked range and was thin, and years of drug use altered its texture and gave it a fragile, raspy sound. Holiday said that she always wanted her voice to sound like an instrument. Some of the people she spoke of that influenced her most were Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz trumpet player, and singer Bessie Smith.Even though she died of liver cirrhosis, handcuffed to her hospital bed, under police guard at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, Holliday is still seen as a major influence of modern jazz music. She is said to have inspired even Frank Sinatra who saw her live on 52nd Street in the late 50’s. In the poem, “Canary” by Rita Dove, the poet poses inferential questions about the famous “Lady Day.” In the first line Dove writes about Holliday’s “burned voice,” which could allude to Holliday’s alcoholism. A lot of times nightclub singers have drinks with them on stage and hard liquor is said to burn as it goes down. The poem is allegorical to Holliday’s life as it starts with the negative diction of “burned voice” and moves to the positive sounds of “sleek piano.” In the second stanza there is a lot of drug and music references “Now you’re cooking, drummer to bass / magic spoon, magic needle,” as the middle section of Holliday’s life was focused on music, specifically her personal style jazz vocals, and drugs such as heroin which are injected with a needle. The poem ends with a paradox, “If you can’t be free, be a mystery.” This correlates to the end of Lady Day’s life, where she ends up seeking help for her alcoholism, but ends up being arrested in her dying dies for possession of a controlled substance.
(Ignore the original post, that was just a placeholder. This is my blog entry)
In the poem "Canary" Rita Dove portrays Billie Holiday’s hardships through the use of opposing diction. Holiday was an African American jazz singer in the mid 1900s whose childhood was very rough which lead to her addiction to drugs and alcohol later in life. Dove writes, “Billie Holiday’s burned voice // had as many shadows as lights” (1-2). In this instance the word “shadow” is the opposite of the word “light”. Even though Holiday had the opportunity to be a star, this opposing diction symbolizes the rough side to her life. During her time in the spotlight she turned to drugs and alcohol and found herself in jail multiple times. Because Holiday was an African American woman in the time of crude racism, this could also symbolize how Holiday was a singing star when in the spotlight, but she was discriminated against and taken advantage of off the stage. Opposing diction is also used when Dove writes, “the gardenia her signature under that ruined face” (4). A gardenia is a beautiful white flower while her face is being portrayed as something quite the opposite of beautiful. This opposing diction displays how her use of drugs and alcohol might make her feel good in the moment, but they are literally ruining the appearance of her face. Just like how the gardenia hides her face, her singing career hides her hardships. This also reflects how one might think she has a glamorous, enjoyable life but under that she is really struggling with addiction, being taken advantage of, and being discriminated against.
Nestor’s wife is another forgotten woman in history with no name, and known only for her husband and sons. There’s nothing definite about her, but Rita Dove crafted a poem about her. Beginning in line one through five, Dove goes on to talk about how Nestor’s wife was responsible for the home she lived in,“As usual, legend got it all| wrong: Nestor’s wife was the one| to crouch under| jug upon jug of fragrant water poured| until the room steamed.” The title of the poem is Nestor’s bathtub and yet it’s Nestor's wife seen interacting with it, rather than him, showing that this house is more Nestor's wife’s home than his. Dove goes on to talk about Nestor, “But where was Nestor-| on his throne before the hearth,| counting the jars of oil| in storeroom 34, or| at the Trojan wars| while his wife with her white hands| scraped the dirt from a lover’s back| with a bronze scalpel?” (Line 6-13). Despite Dove showing Nestor's ownership over the bathtub and his wife, it appears that neither is true. It is not Nestor the reader sees in the bathtub, but a lover of Nestor's wife. Nestor's wife, whose identity rests on that of her husband, had very little to do with him, in Dove’s poem. The second stanza talks of the destruction of this house mentioned in the first stanza, but it is the third stanza that carries the most powerful message, “For the sake of legend only the tub| stands, tiny and voluptuous| as a gravy dish.| And the blackened remains of ivory| combs and 2,853 tall-stemmed| drinking cups in the pantry-| these, too, survived” (Lines 26-32). Here, the remains of Nestor's house are described, and though it seems the bathtub, most associated with Nestor survived, the combs and cups of Nestor's wife survived the fire as well. Yet, it is Nestor alone who gets the glory, while his wife, which the house truly belonged to, was reduced to a nameless possession. Through enjambment and caesura, Dove separates Nestor's wife’s identity from Nestor.
Your analysis is really interesting. It made me think about the feminism and gender roles in Siddhartha in which Kylie talked about in her IOP. In Siddhartha, Kamala isn’t talked about in depth and seems to be more in the shadows of different men. She is portrayed more as an object of desire than a strong, independent woman. Similarly, you discussed how Nestor’s wife does not get as much credit as she should and isn’t the one to be made out as a hero when she is just as important as Nestor. Gender roles seem to play a huge role throughout history as displayed in literature.
Rita Dove uses caesurae in her poem, “Tou Wan Speaks to her Husband, Liu Sheng” making the reader pause and consider what Tou is talking about. Dove uses the first caesura, “for you, // my / only conqueror” to portray the submissiveness of Tou to her husband Liu (6-7). Throughout the poem, she has to prepare everything for him and calls him multiple tiles, even though she is his wife. By using the word ‘Conqueror’ and ‘Emperor,’ (23) Dove show how Tou had really lived her life. These tiles, used by subjects of princes, are now coming from his wife. The constant allusions to Tou’s life show how Dove has truly unlocked the problem of women in Tou’s era. Through this Dove’s poem, this shows the constant submittance to Liu. The following caesura, “to stay / alive, // a year, // together...” is used to show time passage (17-18). The two pauses, that are consecutive, show how time will pass slowly and they will finally be together and she will not have to conform any longer to society's culture. Dove shows her anxiousness as time passes. However, in the following line, Tou goes right back to caring more about her husband's needs. The last reason Dove uses caesurae is to list the multiple items placed in this tomb. It is as though they were just to continue living. As in their former life, Liu needs, “-a chariot, // a / dozen horses-” to make his after life the fullest that it can become (10-11). Dove uses this break to show the elongated list of material things that essentially keep Liu alive. However, Dove never mentions items that Tou would need. This is an allusion to Tou’s personal life because in she was hardly ever mentioned in regard to her husband. She was simply another item that Liu had placed in his tomb for the year after death. Dove’s use of caesurae throughout the poem demonstrates how Tou lived her life, and how that relates to many other women, never truly being able to have their voice heard until they were dead.
I agree with your idea that Tou was subservient to her husband. Before reading your blog I had never thought about how cesura could show the effect of a subservient lifestyle. I also think that this poem shows her relief that her husband is dead. In spanish, we learned about traditions for Día de los Muertos, and one tradition is writing satirical poems about their loved ones. While reading this poem I go the feel that she was almost mocking her husband. This was shown when she was describing all of the features of her husband’s tomb, “ but you’re bored. / straight ahead then...”(Dove 19-20). Dove uses sarcasm her to show that after all her work for her husband, he still wouldn’t acknowledge her.
During the mid 1900’s, African American jazz singer, Billie Holiday became one of the most well known and respected jazz singers of all time. Discovered in 1933, by John Hamm, Holiday quickly began her rise in popularity. Holiday often had to perform in white bars for the upper-middle class. In the poem “Canary”, by Rita Dove, Dove discusses the struggles that Holiday went through as an African American singer. Holiday’s prime was before the Civil Rights Movement, meaning Holiday often got mistreated while performing. Many of the venues that she performed at where strictly white establishments. Holiday was not allowed many amenities while performing at those venues and often wasn’t allowed to use the main doors. She was forced to use the service doors with the workers. Yet being mistreated, Holiday still had to perform , “Take all day if you have to/ with your mirror and your bracelet of song,”(Dove 7-8). Holiday’s voice was very desirable to be heard live. Dove uses metaphor to emphasis how music is bound to Holiday’s life. Handcuffs or chains are brought to mind in “bracelet of song”. The handcuffs surround the circumference of her whole wrist while music emcompasses her life. Holiday is trapped in her music. This is also shown in the title of the poem. Canaries are songbirds which are typically held in cages. Even while being caged, many people lust after canaries to hear their beautiful voices. The same can be said for Holiday, being trapped in a life a music. Holiday was mistreated for the amount of talent and number of admirers she had.
Sarah, I agree with the fact that the music is all around her life and affects everything that she does. Also, something that could also fit into your analysis would be in the first line, where it is her burned voice. Dove might be referring to how this has been Holiday’s life for so long that it has physically affected her. Her “chains,” as the bracelet, could also be in reference to her addiction to her addiction to drugs. Her bracelet could also be referring to the contrasting diction Dove uses in the rest of the poem to allude to the hardships in Holiday’s life. This being the only pretty accessory in her life.
In the poem, "The House Slave," Rita Dove uses similes to portray the extreme social injustice between races while creating the dominant effect of empathy. Dove writes, “while their mistress sleeps like an ivory toothpick” (6). Something of ivory is valuable and rare, while a toothpick is quite the opposite. An ivory toothpick seems a bit absurd, reflecting how whites saw themselves during this time period. This implies that the mistress is much more important and prized than the hard-working African Americans. Another simile is used when Dove writes, “and as the fields unfold to whiteness, / and they spill like bees among the fat flowers” (13-14). This simile is being used to represent the slave workers in the fields who are like “bees,” busy working hard. How the word “spill” is used implies that there are plenty of slaves who are field workers. The way that I interpret “fat flowers” is that they symbolize how much work the slaves have to do, because bees pollinate flowers and if the flowers are “fat” then it will take more time and effort. Because slaves did not get enough credit for their hard work while the “mistresses” were seen as much more important, I feel empathy towards the dishonored African Americans. I also want to mention that each of the five stanzas is three lines (a triplet). Every stanza in this poem is the same length to give the message that everyday has the same routine; the racial inequality is a constant battle for slaves.
I find your take on the poem quite interesting. So caught up was I in the analysis between the different duties separating the house slaves from field workers, that I failed to catch the emphasis on the simile comparing the mistress to the ivory toothpick, and the simile comparing the fieldworkers to bees. The whole symbolism behind such a comparison would indeed juxtapose fragility with hardiness, and the ornate appearance of both the toothpick and the "fat flowers" would cause the bees to be overlooked, and unaccredited for the foundation they have laid.
Holly, I totally agree! that the ivory means the white richness and sharply in control. I also noticed in this poem how this was all done before daylight. Like this was all done in the dark and unappreciated by this white mistress, who at first seems pure as white, but has an undertone of wickedness. With auditory imagery of the slave's crying out and being whipped, empathy in the reader grows. Dove chooses to tell this situation from the eyes and ears of the House slave to create more of an empathetic tone, relating more to the reader. the house slave would not have to go out in the fields and suffer, but the cries of her sister hurt her enough to bring her to tears. I think Dove uses this fact to show how connected these slave communities were and how they all suffered together.
As a freed slave Solomon Northup had rights, he was now one of the many freed slave in the north, in Washington. Rita Dove uses the inner thought process of Northup to show how black people were still being taken advantage of even after they had been freed. Dove, in “The Abduction,” uses Decreasing lines, increasing negative diction, and visual imagery to assist the reader in feeling as though their freedom is taken away from them. Dove starts out the poem show the great hope and achievement of Solomon, his new friends, his freedom, and is violin. It is as though, “the bells,” are ringing and he is one of the many freed slaves that have, “clotted the avenue” (1,3). His thoughts are abundant. This is shown with the five lines in the first stanza. The lines decrease every time, making hope sem scarce by the end of his abduction. He finds himself, “alone, in the darkness and in chains” (15). The negative words, “alone”,“darkness”, and “chains.” show how hopeless Solomon is now. The stanza before is also filled with negative words. He, “could not drink,” and, “climbed no ladders” (13,14). This show how his positivity has lessened and is now locked up again when he could have been a freed man. This visual imagery Dove uses to portray Solomon’s situation is extremely impactful to the readers making it seem as though they were actually experiencing this with him. The second stanza about the circus has an abundance of imagery, “tall hat,” and “jig on a tightrope,” make the readers feel as though they as they are watching this chaos, Solomon’s chaos is just starting to ensue(7-8). Dove uses many allusions to Solomons abduction and how it affected him. She shares this with her readers to show the injustices of the situation.
I find your analysis really interesting. It reminds me of the book "Copper Sun" by Sharon Draper. In "Copper Sun," Draper writes about the main character, an African American, who was brought to America to become a slave. The young slave girl started out with a little hope and then it gradually started to dissipate just like how Solomon Northup lost hope throughout his journey. In both "Copper Sun" and "Abduction" the main characters are African Americans who take on many similar hardships, which lead them to the loss of hope. This theme of lost hope seems to be very common in the life of a slave.
In the poem, The Abduction, by Rita Dove, imagery is used to convey the heartbreaking message of the poem. Solomon Northrup, the subject of the poem, is described as having, “free papers in my pocket, violin/ under arm, my new friends Brown and Hamilton by my side” (Lines 4-5). From this the readers can see that Solomon Northrup is a free, African American man in the north, making a living. This description is accompanied by auditory imagery in lines one and nine that brings to mind cheerful things; “The bells, the cannons…//pigs squealed invisibly from the bleachers and I fiddled” (Lines 1 and 9). Due to the connotations tied to this pleasant auditory imagery, it is easy to imagine that life for Solomon Northrup is enjoyable. However come stanza three, the imagery brings with it dark connotations, and even darker happenings, “I remembered how the windows rattled with each report./ Then the wine, like a pink lake tipped. / I was lifted- the sky swiveled, clicked into place” (Lines 10-12). The rattling of the windows, she swiveling of the sky, these descriptions give off the feeling of one being hunted and carted off. This ties in with the title of the poem, The Abduction, which is precisely what is going on. Dear Mr. Solomon Northrup, a free man according to the law, was drugged, abducted, and dragged down to the south into slavery. The last line of the poem contains the darkest of imagery and tells the readers his fate, “I woke and found myself alone, in darkness and in chains” (Line 15). The readers never discover whether Solomon Northrup regained his freedom, or if his friends ever tried to find him. Using connotations of both visual and auditory imagery, Dove tells the story of Solomon Northrup.
In the poem, “The Transport of Slaves From Maryland to Mississippi” by Rita Dove, the poet uses visual imagery, vernacular language, and enjambement to show a motif of the horrids of slavery and invoke a feeling of disgust at the slave trade in the reader. In the first stanza, Dove describes a slave corpse, “dust hovering around the body \ like a screen of mosquitos \ shimmering in the hushed light” (4-6). In these lines, Dove uses imagery to give the reader a more distinct picture of the rotting slave corpse in the road. The line “like a screen of mosquitos” (5) is a simile that creates the feel of the hot, stagnant southern air. At the end of the first stanza, “Death and salvation-- one accommodates the other” (11), Dove uses a paradox to make the reader understand how desperate these slaves were for freedom. Later in the poem, Dove writes, “Wait. You ain’t supposed to act this way” (29). Her use of vernacular allows the reader to feel close and sympathize with the speaker, who is most likely one of the slaves that is fighting for his freedom. In the third stanza Dove writes, “Sixty slaves \ poured off the wagon, smelly, half-numb, free.” (22-23). Here, Doves uses enjambment to create the sense of the slaves “pouring” off the wagon into freedom. The slaves thought they were truly gaining their freedom by running away from this transport, but unfortunately they were recaptured.
I find your analysis really interesting. I was intrigued by the line, “Wait. You ain’t supposed to act this way,”(29). Slavery is obviously a huge violation of human rights. No one should have the right or ability to own another human. The slaves know that they aren’t meant to be owned by another person and are allowed personal freedoms. This is what makes their attempt to escape so interesting. The society that they lived in stressed and strictly enforced the subservient status of African Americans. This society pressure is what makes the slaves question their escape.
Before slavery was abolished, it was seen as a necessity in the American culture. There were many revolutionists who wanted to change that. In the poem “David Walker”, Rita Dove writes a brief biography of African American author David Walker. Walker was born to a salve father and a free mother, which allowed him freedom. Although not owned he still felt the effects of slavery around him, “Free to travel, he still couldn’t be shown how lucky/ he was,”(Dove 1-2). Dove uses irony here because Walker still can’t enjoy the fact that he is free and educated. Instead of enjoying his personal liberation, he advocated for those who were enslaved. Walker wrote a pamphlet, Abolish, intended for the slaves in the South, his pamphlet encouraged slaves to rebel against their masters. These pamphlets were sent down south in the most secrecy. The second stanza describes the various steps taken to ensure that the pamphlets were delivered to the desired audience. Walker’s thorough plan still had flaws, pamphlets ended up in slave owner hands and cause a huge uproar. The pamphlets became the most dangerous documents in America, “The jewelled canaries in the lecture halls tittered,/ pressed his dark hand between their gloves,” (18-19). Dove uses a metaphor to describe the government officials. Canaries are often seen as beautiful and desirable birds due to their lovely singing voices; the government officials are similar to canaries because they had a voice. After this pamphlet was released, the government was free to say whatever they wanted, but they felt restrained on what actions they could take to eliminate this threat. The pamphlet was almost amusing to them because they knew that there was no way they were going to let the practice of slavery end, “Every half-step was no step at all,”(20). Slavery was considered a necessary evil to many Americans at the time Walker’s pamphlets were published. Walker’s pamphlets although not accepted, were a serious potential threat to abolishing slavery.
In the poem, "Lady Freedom Among Us", Rita Dove discusses the concept of freedom and how it should never be forgotten but it is often missed by using the symbol of Lady Freedom and her attributes. The whole poem talks about Lady Freedom as if she is freedom herself. Dove uses anaphora to explain this symbol of freedom throughout the poem. Dove writes “don’t” six times to give a certain effect for the readers (1, 4, 17, 18, 25, 26). This repetition helps explain the concept that Dove is trying to get across of not forgetting all the possibilities of freedom. The word being used this many times helps to show the amount of excuses that people now-a-days use to not explore all of the options allowed by freedom. Dove also uses “with her” three times in the same stanza (8-10). Even though it is not used in this context, the purpose of this anaphora is to show that “with her” (Lady Liberty) people are able to do so much. The repetition of “with her” is used to enforce the idea of all the things possible with freedom. Anaphora is also used in the last two lines of the poem when Dove writes, “for she is one of the many / and she is each of us” (30-31). The repetition of “she” helps to display the importance of Lady Freedom in society and is shows how “she” symbolizes freedom. It’s her that allows us to make our own choices. The words that are repeated throughout this poem seem to be the most important words that add to the theme of how valuable freedom really is and how people take it for granite.
your analysis is highly insightful, and though I received a different one from reading this poem, I agree with yours. Lady Freedom is indeed discussed as though she were freedom herself, and the anaphora drives that point home. I noticed that the majority of your analysis takes place in the second half of this poem, and while that does indeed carry the most evidence supporting your analysis, i feel as though your analysis would've been stronger had it drawn more on the first few stanzas. Naturally of course there is the word limit to take into account, and your analysis is brilliant without it. (Also your pun rocks)
I find your analysis very insightful and I completely agree. One of the first things I noticed while looking at this poem was anaphora, but I did not put together what it meant. I feel like the missing piece for my understanding of this poem was that Lady Freedom represented freedom itself. Looking back on it now I find it kind of silly that I overlooked the connection between Lady freedom and freedom considering I actually color marked lines that support the metaphor of freedom. Freedom is referred to as “she” in this poem(probably due to the statute being a lady), this made me think about how boats are often referred to as females or even named feminine names. This probably has no correlation, but it made me think about when in the open water, how people can get a sense of freedom. After reading your analyzation, I have a greater understanding of this poem. (I also really enjoyed the pun).
The poem, “Claudette Colvin Goes to Work,” by Rita Dives tells the story of Civil Rights pioneer, Claudette Colvin. On March 2, 1955, she was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, preceding the more publicized Rosa Parks incident by nine months. Colvin was one of the five listed plaintiffs in the 1956 court case Browder v. Gayle. She testified in front of the 3-judge panel in the United States District Court that decided that bus segregation was unconstitutional. This decision was appealed to the United States Supreme Court and Colvin was the last witness to testify. Three days later the Supreme Court issued an order to to end bus segregation. In the poem, Dove uses a lyrical structure and 1st person narration to add perspective to the historical event. Throughout the poem the speaker, whom the reader can perceive to be Colvin, describes the events happening around her in real time. This gives the effect of the reader actually being there as these events are happening. In the first stanza Doev writes, “lightbulbs coming on / in each narrow residence, the golden wattage / of bleak interiors” (4-6). Here, Dove uses imagery to give a sense of somberness in this situation. This is describing the “negro” area of town, which would potentially be more run down and decrepit than the white areas and Dove’s visual imagery conveys that.This poem shares similar motifs with Dove’s poem “The Transport of Slaves From Maryland to Mississippi.” In both, Dove uses imagery and poetic structure to put the reader in almost a first-hand experience of the recounted events.
Yes, I agree with the fact that it is about the run down part of town, but I think it is about so much more than this!!!! In the last stanza specifically, how Colvin is recounting how “they say” that she “curse or spit” that she is the crazy one. I think this shows how the African-American’s even themselves looked down on those who stood out. Her parents, the ones conforming where the ones that were normal, but it was an outrage just for her to sit down on a bus and refuse to give her sear away. The visual imagery that Dove uses, I do have to say is what really makes this poem come to life, but also the olfactory imagery of, “announcing, cabs starting up, and the stuttering of the neons. Also the fact that she must work at night shows that she worked and did not expect anything but respect from other people.
In the poem, "Climbing In", by Rita dove, enjambment, end stops, and allusions are used to convey the danger found during the Civil Right’s period. The first line is but a word, “Teeth.” Immediately, one gets a feeling of danger that a predator is lying in wait, and the punctuation adds to the absolution of the feeling. Throughout the second and third lines, the teeth are described, “Metallic. Lie-gapped. / Not a friendly shine.” The description of the teeth sounds like a weapon, as though the shine of the teeth is the shine of a blade, deadly and promising retribution. In the second stanza, it is revealed to the readers that the narrator is boarding a bus, “like the dime/ cutting my palm/ as I clutch the silver pole/ to step up, up” (Lines 4-7). In the Civil Rights period, the buses were a huge source of conflict, and the enjambment in the poem connects this idea till its run its course. This also connects the subject of the poem to the title, as "climbing in" refers to the narrator boarding the bus, and it shows that the teeth are a symbol for the bus doors. The allusion that ties this poem together is found in the third and fourth stanza, “(sweat gilding the dear lady’s/ cheek)-these are big teeth,/ teeth of the wolf// under Grandmother’s cap. Not quite a grin. Pay him to keep smiling” (Lines 8-13). The bus is the wolf, from Little Red riding hood, a dangerous trap, seen as the grandmother to all who don’t face the racism that the narrator does. This allusion, along with the enjambment and end stops, paints the picture that by riding the bus, the narrator is walking the edge of a knife, and the smallest slip will have dangerous consequences.
I find your analysis very interesting and I completely agree. I like how you described how the first line, "teeth," makes the readers feel immediate danger because that is the feeling that I got too. I also like how you mention the title “Climbing In” and how it is referring to climbing into a bus; I had not noticed that! Lastly, the allusion you mentioned completely makes sense now that you have analyzed it. I did not make that connection to Little Red Riding Hood prior to reading your analysis! I am so glad you analyzed this poem because now my understanding is much clearer and I completely agree with the whole thing!
In The poem, “”The situation is intolerable””, Dove uses alliteration and assonance, metaphor and Visual imagery to convey a changing tone from questioning, to hope, to strength throughout the stanzas of the poem. However, in this blog post I only have room to discuss the metaphors and visual imagery. Dove speaks from the perspective of an African-American person who is having an internal struggle with how white people are treating them. Dove does this to give White people who are reading this an insight of what was going on in the everyday thoughts of an average African-American. When walking around, “each dovegray pleated trouser leg / a righteous sword advancing,” they feel as though they have to fight every day just to survive (4-5). They do this in the, “name of the Lord,” and are mentally fighting back against the oppressing white people (7). The African-Americans, although going about their days dressed and looking like any other, are dressing to fight the continuing war of equality. When I first read, “Hush, now. Assay the terrain,” I thought now what in the world does that mean? It means that in their thought process, they must stop and continually assess the culture, world, and situation around them. They find the situation intolerable, but still have to quiet their thoughts and even look for the, “stars-- / tiny, missionary stars-- / on high, serene, studding / the inky brow of heaven” (11-14). The small specks of hope in the world of oppression around them. The visual imagery and the negative connotations that comes from the word “dark”(9) and the, “perimeter in flames,” (10) show how they are in constant internal turmoil. The metaphor of the edges in flame show that they are being attacked from all sides, and feel like there's nowhere to escape to. They instead must look up. Looking up may refer to looking ahead to the future where they see more hope and possible equality. At the closing of this African-American’s thoughts, Dove uses visual imagery to demonstrate how poor they are and how they do not have enough courage to stand up for themselves. The African-Americans were, “knocked flat with a paddle,” (16) and not given, “a pot to piss in,” (17) this shows their culture and how they were raised. Dove uses the narrator's recalling of events to bring a clear picture into our head of what had gone on in these African-Americans lives. However, this doesn't seem to bring any negative thoughts into the narrator's head, what is a bother to them is that their “situation is intolerable” (19). Dove restates the title at the end of this poem to show how they once again realize that they are being treated unfairly, yet, all the narrator seem to see them doing is, “sit [here] and do nothing” (20). Dove uses the narrator's thoughts to show how timid they are outside of their thoughts. As the poem closes, the reader will go away with the last thought being of sorrow toward the African-Americans, they will know how they have suffered, how they internally try to stand strong, but ultimately only hold on to small hope and do not have enough courage to speak out of their thoughts.
The poem “Rosa”, by Rita Dove, captures Rosa Parks peaceful protest during the Civil Rights Movement. During the time leading up to Parks’ famous bus ride, there were strict rules, enforcing segregation, especially in the South. To many, Parks’ refusal to give up her seat was a wake up call and a final push towards starting the movement, “the time right inside a place/ so wrong it was ready,”(Dove 2-3). Dove uses paradox to emphasis the importance of Parks’ defiance. On the day that Parks got arrested, she said she refused because she was tired of giving in. Many African Americans at that time also had the same feeling of irritation towards always accommodating to whites. The line “so wrong it was ready” illustrates the feelings of many African Americans waiting for a change in segregation. After the bus ride, Parks became a leader in the movement, using peaceful protest to fight segregation. Dove captures Park’s methods in her diction. Positive diction, such as, “sensible”, “courtesy”, and “clean” are used to show that Parks was a reasonable and respectable woman. They also indicate her level-headedness and ability to make just and purposeful decisions. Another way that Dove shows Parks’ protest style is in the structure of the poem. There are four stanzas in this poem each with three lines. The structure is concise and to the point, short and sweet. It also is clearly thought out to get a point across. Each of the four stanzas begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, this makes Parks’ defiance look like a statement. Dove’s structure along with her use of diction and paradox demonstrate Rosa Parks’ protest during the Civil Rights Movement.
In the poem, “Parsley” by Rita Dove and the excerpt from “The Farming of Bones” by Edwidge Danticat, the authors are describing the horrors of the Parsley Massacre of 1937. Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo ordered anyone who could not pronounce “perejil” (“parsley” in Enlgish) were to be executed. The people who could not pronounce this word were Haitians; therefore Trujillo’s goal was to eliminate a mass amount of Haitian migrant workers from the Dominican Republic. Dove and Danticat both use violent/morbid diction to portray the harsh reality of being a Haitian migrant worker in the Dominican Republic under Trujillo’s rule. In “Parsley” Dove writes, “We lie down screaming as rain punches through and we come up green” (7-8). Dove uses the words “screaming” and “punches” instead of less harsh verbs to give a morbid mood and to also display the intensity of the situation. Rain does not literally “punch” so this personification intensifies the tone. Later in the “Parsely” Dove uses morbid diction when she writes, “The cane appears in our dreams, lashed by wind and streaming” (15-16). The words “lashed” and “streaming” are both very strong, aggressive words that are describing the wind and its effect on the sugar cane. This reflects how the Haitian migrant workers were treated and how they experienced life everyday. In “The Farming of Bones” Danticat writes, “Our jaws were pried open and parsley stuffed into our mouths” (11-12). The words “pried” and “stuffed” display the aggressive actions that were taken on the migrant workers. This diction reinforces the horrors experienced by these migrant workers.
your analysis is spot on and well written. I like your mention of the negative diction, and connection between the two literary works. It really gives the sense of violence and anger boiling under the surface while the atrocities are committed. To this day, conflicts still exist that affect the Haitians, or those of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic, so your analysis is especially powerful.
Holly, I agree with the very morbid diction used. I also think it bring the reader to a point of pity toward the Haitian workers. In the second part, The Palace, Dove also used hard diction, like when, “the knot in his throat starts to twitch”(43), or when, “he sees his mother’s smile”(52). From his perspective the reader is almost feeling pity for the one killing these Haitians. Dove uses perspective to show that there are always two sides to a story and that, yes, the Haitians had it worse. But that the other side is not completely unjustified in his actions. This is something Dove does in many of her poems, choosing the point of view from someone you might not expect, putting a whole new turn on a pretty straight-forward type of event.
The parsley massacre of 1937 was ordered by Trujillo, the Dominican republican dictator at the time. Targeting Haitian migrant workers, Trujillo ordered the death of those who could not pronounce perejil, or parsley. In the literary works, “The Farming of Bones” and “The Palace” repetition and symbolism and visual imagery are used to display the motive behind the massacre. In “The Farming of Bones” the narrator Amabelle, a Haitian migrant worker gives her account of the massacre, “…I could have said the word properly, calmly, slowly, the way I often asked “Perejil?” of the old Dominican women and their faithful attending granddaughters at the roadside gardens and markets, even though the trill of the r and the precision of the j was sometimes too burdensome a joining for my tongue” (Edwidge Danticat). Amabelle’s vivid imagery reveals the difficulty the Haitian migrant workers have rolling their r’s, which was the pronunciation reason the word was the difference between life and death. The poem “The Palace” is in Trujillo’s point of view, “Haitians sing without R’s/ …his mother was no stupid woman; she/ could roll an R like a queen. Even/ a parrot can roll an R!...The General remembers the tiny green sprigs/ men of his village wore in their capes to honor the birth of a son. He will/ order many, this time, to be killed// for a single beautiful word.” (Dove, lines 29, 35, 40, 41, and 49-53). The imagery, and mention of the parrot, who symbolized his late mother in this poem, reveal the motive behind the massacre. Trujillo, stricken by his mother’s death, has misdirected his grief and rage at his mother’s passing towards the Haitian migrant workers. His mother, who could roll the R’s, who was honored by the men of the village decked in parsley at his birth, died, and not the Haitian migrant workers. Therefore, those who could not roll the R’s like his mother, would die choking on the plant that once honored her. His logic, while twisted, is easy enough to map out, but like “Brooklyn nine” would say, “Cool motive, still murder.”
I find your analysis very interesting. I agree with a lot of your blog but, I had different ideas about the symbol of the parrot. When I first read the poem I thought that the parrot represented the Haitian workers. I only looked at the beginning section of this poem however to conclude that the parrot represented the Haitian workers. Your analysis makes me wonder if the parrot could be a changing symbol throughout the poem. Looking at the poem now after reading your analysis has changed my perspective slightly on the symbolism of the parrot.
The poem, “Parsley” is a tragic retelling of the Parsley massacre of 1937. Dove uses the symbol of the Parrot to portray the Haitians throughout the poem. The first section, The Cane Fields, is from the perspective of the Haitians. The Parrot, themselves, must imitate the ‘beautiful’ language around them. They are almost like slaves, from the recounts of how they, “lie down screaming,(7)” and their “children gnaw their teeth(11)”. In The Palace, the parrot is confined, “in an ivory cage” “all the way from Australia” (34). This shows how foreign this bird is, much like the Haitians. The General orders pastries for this bird, making it eat something he hates to almost self-justify his next action of genocide. The next interaction with the parrot is that, “even a parrot can roll an R!”(60). Dove uses this rant from the General to show how arbitrary the word parsley is, but how it can affect so much. It shows how just like the parrot can imitate with no meaning, the general can also arbitrarily decide if someone can live or die. The last reference to the parrot is its, “blackened tongue” (63). This is used to show how life and death are so intermingled, that even through beauty there will be an inner stroke of death. This then goes back to the parrot who is imitating spring. How it can never truly live up to expectations and will always remind the general of failure and his mother.
I find your analysis really interesting! I completely agree with the parrot being a symbol to portray the Haitians. I found it interesting how you discussed how the parrot reflects how the word parsley is quite arbitrary which I completely agree with! I also think that the parrot can symbolize springtime and how it is usually very green in the spring. In addition this greenness can reflect the parsley. The color green seems to be another symbol in this poem. I like your last sentence that you wrote; I had not thought of the parrot reminding him of his mother.
The poem “Parsley”, by Rita Dove, illustrates the Parsley Massacre of 1937. During the Parsley Massacre, Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo, put to death anyone who could not pronounce the spanish word “perejil”(parsley). Trujillo was targeting the Haitian workers, who mainly spoke French or Creole and could not properly pronounce perejil. Dove uses light/dark symbolism to show the harshness of Trujillo to the Haitian workers. The first section of the poem, The Cane Fields, anaphora is used to emphasise the symbols in the poem. The first symbol in the poem is the symbol of the parrot, which represents the Haitian workers. The symbol of the parrot is seen as the “light” in the poem, “a parrot imitating spring,” (Dove 1,6,12,18). This line is repeated multiple times to represent the Haitians trying to pronounce perejil. The spring in the line refers to the parsley because it is in spring when plants begin to sprout after winter. The “light” symbol of the parrot is contradictory with the “dark” symbol of the cane fields. The cane fields represent Trujillo and the massacre. Anaphora was also used to emphasise the number of Haitians massacred, “out of the swamp the cane appears/ to haunt us, and we cut it down...”(3-4). The Haitians working on sugarcane plantations were haunted by the reign of Trujillo. This is also an paradox, the sugar cane that haunts them, they get to cut down. It is contradictory because while literally the Haitians were cutting down sugar cane, it was the Dominican Republic that was executing the Haitians. The sugarcane can also represent the brutality of the massacre. Although talking about the plant, sugarcane could also possibly symbolize a cane. Canes are used to as a disciplinary to discourage certain behaviors. The cane could also represent Trujillo discouraging the Haitians all together. The symbols of the sugarcane and parrot allude to the Parsley Massacare.
In the poem “Used” Rita Dove uses end rhyme to display the theme of how women are used and what their roles are because of society. Throughout this poem, Rita Dove discusses different ways in which women are often used. At the end of each line there is a word that rhymes with the word at the end of the next line. There are only two places where this is not present, which are, “used” and “cool” (7 & 14). The fact that these two words do not have an end rhyme displays their importance. This lack of rhyming is used to put a spotlight on these two words. I think the purpose of this is to show the relationship between women being used and being cool. Through unhealthy means, society is always urging that to be “cool” you must wear nice things and always look your best. In the second stanza when Dove writes, “We have been used” she is saying that women have been used by society and that women must listen to themselves and go on their own path. There is a constant battle between being “cool” but “used” and being “uncool” but happy. There are many ways in which women get used or taken advantage of but the battle versus society seems to be the biggest. In addition I would like to point out that the rest of the words that have end rhyme are also very important but the two that do not are singled out because they are a little more important in conveying this theme.
Your analysis is very compelling and well written. I like how you connected the poem analysis to modern society, and your attention to detail is incredible. I feel that your analysis is very strong, and if this were an essay, I would definitely be drawn in by it.
“Golden Oldie” Rita Dove uses caesurae, alliteration, and contrast to create a lyrical type poem making the reader feel as though they are listening to the music with the driver of the car. The title, Golden Oldie refers to a song that was once popular and is now brought back with reawakened interest to the tune. Caesurae are used to create pauses and a rhythm to the poem. When the narrator, “made it home early, only to get / stalled in the driveway, swaying / at the wheel”(1-3) Dove uses the pauses mid-line to create a tone of stopping and waiting for what is coming next. Dove also uses alliteration to create a repetition in sound to have a more lyrical speech, like “stalled” and “swaying”. These words, although in and of themselves do not lead to lyrical, when put together roll off one's tongue and make it more appealing. The readers are affected by this by feeling a calm. This poem is about the revival of a tune, but Dove is showing through the sonnet form that, memories take you on a journey, and they might be uncomfortable and have you, “float[ing] on a film of sweat” (9), but it should not affect the beauty of the rhythm. When a song is sung on the radio, it is like the person is speaking directly to you in your present situation. Dove captures this irony in the ending couplet, when the narrator is, “without a clue who [their] lover / might be, or where to start looking” (13-14). the reader is addressed with this very controversial situation that many of us have been in. This is the moment where we find reawakening in the things of the past that we once found great.
I find your analysis is really interesting. When I first read this poem I also thought that it sounded very lyrical like it was meant to be sung instead of read. The use of alliteration definitely helps this poem sound very lyrical. A quote that could help your analysis is “meant for more” (4). The words “meant” and “more” both start with “m” and are therefore alliteration. This alliteration along with your example help to carry the reader throughout the poem without getting bored. I like how you talk about how memories take you on a journey; this goes really well with the lyrical style of the poem.
The poem “ Persephone, Falling”, by Rita Dove, is an allusion for human trafficking. The classic Greek Myth of the story Persephone and Hades correlates to the message that Dove is trying to portray through this sonnet. Metaphor is used to show how easily it is to get involved in the human trafficking business, “She had strayed from the herd,”(Dove 8). The minute that Persephone had changed her path, she was faced with danger. This shows how vulnerable girls can be when left in the wrong company. In the myth, Persephone was older and not needed to be watched over constantly. Human traffickers often look for young girls who have recently gotten more freedom but are still credulous. Traffickers will often lure girls in with the idea of a luxurious lifestyle, “on his glittering terrible/ carriage...”(5-6). The use of the contradictory terms ‘glittering’ and ‘terrible’ to show how even though it is a terrible life, it could still be appealing. It is common for traffickers to buy nice clothes for their victims. This gives victims the idea that traffickers actually care genuinely about them, but in reality they only care about themselves. Through the purchase of nice, high quality clothes, traffickers can alter the mindset of their victims which encourages them to stay with traffickers, “This is how easily the pit/ opens. This is how one foot sinks into the ground,” (13-14). Dove uses metaphor to shows how once in the human trafficking business, it is hard to leave. This is similar to after Persephone was abducted, she chose to eat the fruit from the Underworld which hindered her from being able leaving. Dove uses this poem to inform people the dangers of human trafficking.
In the poem, heroes, by Rita Dove, symbolism, point of view, and allusion are used to convey the topic of the poem. The poem starts out in second person narration, making “You” the one whose thoughts are heard throughout the poem, “A flower in a weedy field:/ make it a poppy. You pick it./ Because it begins to wilt/ you run to the nearest house/ to ask for a jar of water.” (Dove, lines 1-5). The thoughts of the “You” are displayed as trying to preserve the flower that is seen wilting. Ordinarily, to prevent a flower from wilting, one would water it while leaving it in the ground, but in this case “You” picks it. The other characters in the poem don’t quite understand “You’s” motivations, “The woman on the porch starts// screaming: you’ve picked the last poppy in her miserable garden, the one/ that gave her strength every morning // to rise! It’s too late for apologies/ though you go through the motions, offering/ trinkets and a juicy spot in the written history// she wouldn’t live to read, anyway.” (Lines 6-13) Knowing that Dove alluded to Greek mythology often in her “Mother Love” poems, it’s not hard to connect this to the myth of Persephone’s abduction. The flower in this case, would symbolize Persephone, the woman, Demeter, and “You” Hades. Persephone wilting under her mother’s stifling care was swept up by Hades, who in turn went to Demeter to save her. Demeter naturally was furious at the “abduction” of her daughter, and would accept nothing Hades offered to placate her. The myth continues in Dove’s own retelling, “So you strike her, she hits/ her head on a white boulder,// and there’s nothing to be done/ but break the stone into gravel/ to prop up the flower in the stolen jar// you have to take along,/ because you’re a fugitive now/ and you can’t leave clues.” (Lines 14-21). Hades strikes Demeter, effectively killing her, and escapes with Persephone , becoming a fugitive, a kidnapper, despite only wanting to save Persephone.
In the poem. "Breakfast of Champions" by Rita Dive, the poet tells the tale of a woman who has lived through, and is trying to recover from a serious tragedy. Throughout the poem, Dove never reveals what the speaker has actually experienced, but leaves it up to the audience to interpret. If the poet had said exactly what happened, then the audience’s view of the woman would most likely be completely parallel compared to what one sees now. Instead of giving away the mystery of the speaker, Dove uses dreary and dismal diction to hint to this woman’s situation. In the first stanza, Dove writes, “Finally, overcast skies. I’ve crossed a hemisphere,//worked my way through petals and sunlight//to find a place fit for mourning” (1-3). In this part, Dove uses a hyperbole to convey the likely far distance that the woman has come since the incident, whether that is literal distance traveled or emotional obstacles overcame, is left up to the reader. The speaker is happy to see overcast skies and is unhappy with “petals and sunlight” so one might presume that they are grieving and sad and want everyone else to be that way to. Next, Dove mentions alcohol to show a more humanistic way of dealing with problems. When alcohol is mentioned in the fifth and sixth line of the poem, it brings the reader to terms with the speaker’s depression, because one might often think of drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism for depression. In the final stanza, Dove writes, “I rummage through the pantry’s / stock for raisins and cereal as they pull / honking out of the mist, a sonic hospital graph//announcing recovery” (9-11). By writing “honking through the mist, a sonic hospital graph” it could possibly represent a car honking in the mist, and ending up in the hospital. This cause of the woman’s depression could be a car accident that landed her in the hospital.
In, “Ripont” by Rita Dove, the use of visual imagery, enjambement, and paradox enlightens the reader about the battle of Ripont, which was fought by mixed US and French forces in World War one. This poem is one of the longer poems in the American Smooth collection, for it is comprised of 8 stanzas, which makes it about 4 pages long. In the first stanza Dove writes, “like the one we were passing / in our rusty orange BMW baby daughter / crowing from the backseat in her plastic shell / strapped over the cracked upholstery” (5-8). In the passage Dove uses imagery to bring the reader into a more intimate sense of the situation. In the seventh line, Dove says “plastic shell” instead of car seat to give the feeling that the “rusty BMW” with “cracked upholstery” is in really crappy condition, which reflects the views they are seeing out their windows of a post total war landscape, but greened over after 50 to 100 years. In pretty much every line Dove uses enjambment instead of caesura to move onto the next line. This technique gives the poem a feeling of being rushed, like a soldier would feel in battle. In the fourth stanza Dove writes, “destroyed during the course of their own salvation” (30). This is referring to how during the Great War, French villages were destroyed while they were being liberated from the Kaiser’s empire. This is a paradox because while they are now technically free, they don’t really have anything to show for it because everything was destroyed during the battle. This could represent how the soldiers fought for freedom,but died trying so when they had won, they weren’t there to get the payout for their sacrifice. An important fact about the battle of Ripont is that the US troops were formed of mostly negro soldiers, known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
I found it very interesting that this poem has no punctuation what so ever especially because this poem is so long. I agree that the enjambment makes it feel very rushed without any pauses, much like the life of a soldier. In addition, the visual imagery plays a huge roll in this poem. A quote that would support your analysis would be, “We followed cow paths bisected pastures / barreled down stretches of gravel arrow straight” (17-18). This is visual imagery that helps the reader understand the scenery in which the soldiers had to march through and may help the reader understand the battle better.
In the poem “Cozy Apologia” Rita Dove uses end rhyme and metaphors to portray the relationship between Dove and her husband, Fred. This poem written by Rita Dove is for her husband, Fred and explains how their relationship is not ordinary and near perfection. The end rhyme used throughout this poem gives it a lyrical feel much like most of her other poems. This lyrical feel helps move the poem along while also helping to explain the love that she has for her husband. The rhyme scheme is different at the beginning than it is at the end of the poem. This difference explains how her and Fred’s relationship is almost perfect but they “fall short of the divine” (24). Because the rhyming is still almost “perfect,” Dove’s relationship is also almost “perfect” but just falls short. Dove also uses metaphors to portray this theme. Dove writes, “Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host/Of daydreams” (14-15). Dove alludes to Hurricane Floyd as “Big Bad Floyd” to compare Dove’s teenage, awkward relationships to the storm that happened a few years before this was written. Hurricanes are usually horrible and disastrous, so this metaphor suggests that her memories of previous relationships are crazy and detrimental. This ties in to the theme because it makes Dove appreciate her current relationship with her husband and how it is very different than her teenage relationships. Dove also uses a metaphor to compare her teenage relationships to candy when she writes, “were thin as licorice and as chewy, / sweet with a dark and hollow center” (19-20). This metaphor suggests that the boys she dated as a teenager were good looking but did not have the inner qualities to become her soul mate. I have inferred that in contrast, Fred ended up having inner qualities that are suitable to become a loving husband.
The story of the fall of man is well known, and In the poem, “All souls” Rita Dove uses enjambment and caesura to retell it. With no enjambment until the last two lines in stanza one, Dove creates a clipped tone, Starting up behind them,/ all the voices of those they had named:/ mink, gander, and marmoset,/ crow and cockatiel./ Even the duck-billed platypus/, of late so quiet in its bed,/ sent out a feeble cry signifying /grief and confusion, et cetera.” (Rita Dove, line 1-8). the animals that have been named by “Them” are in shock at the banishment of those who had named this. Due to this, the caesura creates stops that the reader must take to represent the shock of the creatures, until the last line, in which grief finally overrides the shock. The enjambment finally ends the streak, and connects the ideas of the two lines creating one fluid line of speech. Of course the world had changed for good. As it would from now on/every day, with every twitch and blink./ Now that change was de rigueur,/ man would discover desire, then yearn/ for what he would learn to call/ distraction. This was the true loss./And yet in that first// unchanging instant,/ the two souls/ standing outside the gates/ (no more than a break in the hedge;/ how had they missed it?) were not/ thinking.” (lines 9-22) In these lines, the amount of caesura dramatically decreases connecting the ideas on a grander scale, and creating a fluid tone for the reader. This displays that the mindset of the animals has become linear, and is now focused on the fate of the humans who were banished. The change mentioned in relation to the world the poem has created, is also reflected by the punctuation of the poem, Already the din was fading. “Before them, a silence/ larger than all their ignorance// yawned, and this they walked into/ until it was all they knew. In time/ they hunkered down to business,/ filling the world with sighs—/ these anonymous, pompous creatures,/ heads tilted as if straining/ to make out the words to a song/ played long ago, in a foreign land.” (Lines 22-31). The fluidity of this poem increases with the use of enjambment; until the reader struggles to find a place to take a breath. The animals now imagine the future of their dear humans, and through this fast pace, worry for them has become evident, for to them the humans must miss the place of their banishment as much as the animals miss the humans. Through the caesura and enjambment the thoughts and emotions of the animals named, the mink, gander, marmoset, crow, cockatiel, and th duck-billed platypus.
In, “Chocolate,” Dove uses symbolism, stanza length, and visual imagery to compare a square of chocolate to someone the narrator loves. One of the symbols that Dove uses is chocolate itself, her lover, the one she is dying to have. The narrator worries about possibly losing her loved one, “if [I] don’t eat [you] quickly, / [you’ll] melt in my palm” (6-7). The sort even lengthed stanzas puts the reader in a playful light mood. it might also represent the even chocolate squares. The last line, left by itself brings focus to that line and a sense of ultimate finality. The narrator is, “ready / to fall in love!” (15-16) leaving the reader with a want to go out and experience this amazing high point! Dove has built up our eyes to finally behold this amazing piece of chocolate, this amazing person that the narrator is dying to love. The, “dark punch of earth,” describes the amazing richness of the chocolate and how strong it is. Dove uses the image of a, “woman” “crumbl[ing] to ruin” (13,14) to show how impactful a man can be. This shows how her emotions will “numb” a girl with his, “rich intentions” (4,5). The picture of this chocolate, being cared for and caressed show the loving attitude of the narrator. This bring the reader to a mood of happiness and lightness. Dove uses such a simple, amazing object as chocolate, to explain the magnanimous feelings of a girl for someone that she loves.
I find your analysis really interesting. I agree that this poem is about a relationship, but I think it is more about an affair than a committed relationship. The diction she uses alludes to an almost sinful relationship she has with chocolate. Through the words ‘pleasure’, ‘numb’, and ‘ruin’ Dove hints at that chocolate is like an affair. She wants it desperately, but she knows it can ruin her. Although our ideas varied, we had similar ideas to the poem. I enjoyed your analysis because it helped me see different possibilities of interpretation of the poem.
The poem “Eliza, Age 10, Harlem”, by Rita Dove uses first point of view, negative diction, and structure of the poem to indicate innocence and ambition in Eliza. All children are innocent. There are experiences and knowledge that come with age that can take some innocence away, but for the most part, children are innocent. Dove uses the first person with the narrator Eliza to show the innocence of Eliza, “I can climb these stairsㅡ/easy, even in T-straps,”(Dove 10-11). Many young girls partake in the activity of playing dress up. Almost at every age of childhood, young girls dream of being glamorous and fancy and most of all older. One sign of age is high heels. Young girls see high heels and they think about how mature they are, but when you become old enough to actually wear them, you realize that they just hurt a lot. The ambition of Eliza to believe she can wear them and climb stairs in them shows her innocence. Eliza’s point of view is also used to show her opinion on adults, “I’m not small like they say,/ those withered onions on the stoop. clucking their sorrowful tongues,” (1-3). Eliza shares her opinion through the use of negative diction. The use of the words ‘withered’, ‘stoop’, and ‘sorrowful’ give a negative connotation to older people. This implies there to be a weak relationship between children and adults. Eliza doesn’t believe that she is being valued as much as an individual by adults than she should be. The structure of the poem also represents the innocence of Eliza. Three cinquains make up this poem. In elementary school, children are taught the “formula” to the format of writing papers, a introduction paragraph, a body paragraph, and a concluding paragraph. Dove could’ve chose to do this to show the simplicity of Eliza and childhood.
I find your analysis really interesting. I had not thought about how there is a weak relationship shown between children and adults. This analysis reminds me of the Junie B. Jones books that I read in elementary school because the main character had a sassy attitude and thought she was better than adults at some points in the book. The characteristic of being innocent is seen in most children as seen in Eliza and Junie from the childhood novel. I also did not make the connection of the stanzas representing simplicity in a child’s life, which I find interesting and agree with.
In the poem “Heart to Heart” Rita Dove uses metaphors to portray the reality of what a heart does and to show her difficulty of expressing love. Dove starts out by addressing some of the common sayings that people often use when they feel different emotions by calling them untrue. Dove writes, “It doesn’t melt / or turn over / break or harden” (3-5). When people say, “You broke my heart!” they do not literally mean their heart has physically been damaged; they are using this as a metaphor to explain how they feel extremely upset. Dove talks about how this metaphor is in fact only a metaphor and not something that is true. In the first two stanzas she talks about more metaphors that are simply metaphors. She does this to set herself up to discuss how even though these common sayings are not true, she relates and has troubles with them. It is ironic how she initially talks about the frequently used sayings being untrue and then later uses common metaphors to discuss her heart. Dove writes, “but I can’t open it: / there’s no key. / I can’t wear it on my sleeve, / or tell you from the bottom of it / how I feel” (22-28). All three of these metaphors are being used to explain how Dove has problems expressing her love. Dove’s use of common metaphors tie the beginning intro into her own personal issues with love. In addition, the poem looks a bit like heartbeats on a monitor if you turn it to the side.
Castle Walk Always a good idea to find out who James Reese Europe is...well, he is an African american bandleader who played Jazz music for soldiers during WWI in Europe. In “Castle Walk” Dove uses juxtaposition to show the growing gap between the African-Americans and the white people. When Europe is describing these, “white folks” as they, “stalk / through privilege / just like they dance,” (25-27) he is saying how they feel as though they have some air about themselves. That they are better than the ones who are merely entertaining. Dove uses the wealthy diction of, “gloved and buttoned” (3) to show how these people not only act like they are at the top of the social status, but also dress like they are. And at that point they kinda were. With their, “chins poked out,” (17) moving to the dance moves of Castle Walk, they simply danced like they had no care in the world, not even the World War. Europe then strongly transitions from formal diction to the jargon of not as learned people. Even in his thought process Dove uses words like, “ain’t” (30) and “set ‘em” (45) to show how down to earth these black soldiers are and that this is really their language. When Europe is thinking about, “the biggest news going,” (36) about Irene and Vernon, he finally catches a glimpse of what equality might look like. Dove show this with the next stanzas having a sort of urgency to them, having all enjambed lines. It shows how these two dancers have now opened a door to white people finally noticing these African-American black musicians.
Rita Dove’s poem “Meditation at Fifty Yards, Moving Target” is split into four different sections, Safety First, Open Air, Gender Politics, and The Bullet. Safety First is written in the point of view of san experince gun handler who is giving a gun to a complete rookie. Gender Politics is talking about the differences of a women holding a firearm as opposed to a man. The Bullet is the literal perspective of a bullet in a gun. Open Air is written from the perspective of someone who is about to shoot a gun. The poem starts with the line “Fear, of course” (13). This is talking about how one would feel with the possession of a gun. When one is firing a gun, there is always a plethora of things that could go wrong. The speaker might be thinking of those things. Like if say, the speaker was aiming the gun at another person, there might be fear of repercussions of his actions or guilt, or maybe fear of the act itself. The next quintet reads, “Then the sudden / pleasure or heft-as if the hand had always yearned for this solemn / fit, this gravitas, and now had found / its true repose” (13-17). This is talking about the pleasure one feels for holding such a powerful weapon in their hand, the pleasure of power and control and practically omnipotent.Doves uses the word “repose” as a metaphorical representation of death because death is often looked at as “eternal sleep” and when one is dead they are in a state of peace.
In the poem “Demeter, Waiting”, Rita Dove uses point of view, negative diction, and enjambment to give show the sorrow that Demeter feels for her kidnapped daughter. This sonnet is written in the point of view of Demeter. Doves choice to write it with this point of view emphasises the loss that Demeter feels, “She is gone again and I will not bear/ it, I will drag my grief...”(Dove 6-7). Through this point of view, readers can more easily see the pain that Demeter is going through with the loss of her daugher. Negative diction also shows the emotions that she feels for the loss of her daughter. Through the use of words ‘bear’, ‘grief’, and ‘drag’ Dove gives emphasis to the intense emotions that she is feeling. One of a mother’s worst fears is losing her children. Grieving for weeks, months, years is normal for those who have lost children. Throughout this poem, Demeters grieving is shown by end stops. In both stanzas there is only one end stop for both. The use of enjambment could represent the long months of grieving that Demeter went through. The time without her daughter could’ve only been a shown as going faster than Demeter perceived it to be. Enjambment can give the effect of time flowing on without stopping. Therefore the only event that mattered was the loss of her daughter. The whole poem had a lack of punctuation. The poem starts with “No.” and ends with “Yes.”. These two examples are nearly all of the punctuation in the whole poem. It could start this way because Demeter is in disbelief and denial of what happened. Throughout the poem, Demeter is coming to terms with her daughter’s kidnapping and that’s why it ends with a “Yes”.
Please initiate your comments about the poetry in the section "Historical Figures"--due by 11:00 pm Thursday 10/29.
ReplyDeleteBillie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.Holliday had a seminal influence on both jazz and pop music and singing style. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday's unique style made her performances unmistakable throughout her career. Her improvisation made up for lack of musical education. Her voice lacked range and was thin, and years of drug use altered its texture and gave it a fragile, raspy sound. Holiday said that she always wanted her voice to sound like an instrument. Some of the people she spoke of that influenced her most were Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz trumpet player, and singer Bessie Smith.Even though she died of liver cirrhosis, handcuffed to her hospital bed, under police guard at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, Holliday is still seen as a major influence of modern jazz music. She is said to have inspired even Frank Sinatra who saw her live on 52nd Street in the late 50’s. In the poem, “Canary” by Rita Dove, the poet poses inferential questions about the famous “Lady Day.”
ReplyDeleteDiana Carey
DeleteBlog #1- Historical Figures
10/29/15
Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.Holliday had a seminal influence on both jazz and pop music and singing style. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday's unique style made her performances unmistakable throughout her career. Her improvisation made up for lack of musical education. Her voice lacked range and was thin, and years of drug use altered its texture and gave it a fragile, raspy sound. Holiday said that she always wanted her voice to sound like an instrument. Some of the people she spoke of that influenced her most were Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz trumpet player, and singer Bessie Smith.Even though she died of liver cirrhosis, handcuffed to her hospital bed, under police guard at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, Holliday is still seen as a major influence of modern jazz music. She is said to have inspired even Frank Sinatra who saw her live on 52nd Street in the late 50’s.
In the poem, “Canary” by Rita Dove, the poet poses inferential questions about the famous “Lady Day.” In the first line Dove writes about Holliday’s “burned voice,” which could allude to Holliday’s alcoholism. A lot of times nightclub singers have drinks with them on stage and hard liquor is said to burn as it goes down. The poem is allegorical to Holliday’s life as it starts with the negative diction of “burned voice” and moves to the positive sounds of “sleek piano.” In the second stanza there is a lot of drug and music references “Now you’re cooking, drummer to bass / magic spoon, magic needle,” as the middle section of Holliday’s life was focused on music, specifically her personal style jazz vocals, and drugs such as heroin which are injected with a needle. The poem ends with a paradox, “If you can’t be free, be a mystery.” This correlates to the end of Lady Day’s life, where she ends up seeking help for her alcoholism, but ends up being arrested in her dying dies for possession of a controlled substance.
(Ignore the original post, that was just a placeholder. This is my blog entry)
In the poem "Canary" Rita Dove portrays Billie Holiday’s hardships through the use of opposing diction. Holiday was an African American jazz singer in the mid 1900s whose childhood was very rough which lead to her addiction to drugs and alcohol later in life. Dove writes, “Billie Holiday’s burned voice // had as many shadows as lights” (1-2). In this instance the word “shadow” is the opposite of the word “light”. Even though Holiday had the opportunity to be a star, this opposing diction symbolizes the rough side to her life. During her time in the spotlight she turned to drugs and alcohol and found herself in jail multiple times. Because Holiday was an African American woman in the time of crude racism, this could also symbolize how Holiday was a singing star when in the spotlight, but she was discriminated against and taken advantage of off the stage. Opposing diction is also used when Dove writes, “the gardenia her signature under that ruined face” (4). A gardenia is a beautiful white flower while her face is being portrayed as something quite the opposite of beautiful. This opposing diction displays how her use of drugs and alcohol might make her feel good in the moment, but they are literally ruining the appearance of her face. Just like how the gardenia hides her face, her singing career hides her hardships. This also reflects how one might think she has a glamorous, enjoyable life but under that she is really struggling with addiction, being taken advantage of, and being discriminated against.
ReplyDeleteNestor’s wife is another forgotten woman in history with no name, and known only for her husband and sons. There’s nothing definite about her, but Rita Dove crafted a poem about her. Beginning in line one through five, Dove goes on to talk about how Nestor’s wife was responsible for the home she lived in,“As usual, legend got it all| wrong: Nestor’s wife was the one| to crouch under| jug upon jug of fragrant water poured| until the room steamed.” The title of the poem is Nestor’s bathtub and yet it’s Nestor's wife seen interacting with it, rather than him, showing that this house is more Nestor's wife’s home than his. Dove goes on to talk about Nestor, “But where was Nestor-| on his throne before the hearth,| counting the jars of oil| in storeroom 34, or| at the Trojan wars| while his wife with her white hands| scraped the dirt from a lover’s back| with a bronze scalpel?” (Line 6-13). Despite Dove showing Nestor's ownership over the bathtub and his wife, it appears that neither is true. It is not Nestor the reader sees in the bathtub, but a lover of Nestor's wife. Nestor's wife, whose identity rests on that of her husband, had very little to do with him, in Dove’s poem. The second stanza talks of the destruction of this house mentioned in the first stanza, but it is the third stanza that carries the most powerful message, “For the sake of legend only the tub| stands, tiny and voluptuous| as a gravy dish.| And the blackened remains of ivory| combs and 2,853 tall-stemmed| drinking cups in the pantry-| these, too, survived” (Lines 26-32). Here, the remains of Nestor's house are described, and though it seems the bathtub, most associated with Nestor survived, the combs and cups of Nestor's wife survived the fire as well. Yet, it is Nestor alone who gets the glory, while his wife, which the house truly belonged to, was reduced to a nameless possession. Through enjambment and caesura, Dove separates Nestor's wife’s identity from Nestor.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is really interesting. It made me think about the feminism and gender roles in Siddhartha in which Kylie talked about in her IOP. In Siddhartha, Kamala isn’t talked about in depth and seems to be more in the shadows of different men. She is portrayed more as an object of desire than a strong, independent woman. Similarly, you discussed how Nestor’s wife does not get as much credit as she should and isn’t the one to be made out as a hero when she is just as important as Nestor. Gender roles seem to play a huge role throughout history as displayed in literature.
DeleteRita Dove uses caesurae in her poem, “Tou Wan Speaks to her Husband, Liu Sheng” making the reader pause and consider what Tou is talking about. Dove uses the first caesura, “for you, // my / only conqueror” to portray the submissiveness of Tou to her husband Liu (6-7). Throughout the poem, she has to prepare everything for him and calls him multiple tiles, even though she is his wife. By using the word ‘Conqueror’ and ‘Emperor,’ (23) Dove show how Tou had really lived her life. These tiles, used by subjects of princes, are now coming from his wife. The constant allusions to Tou’s life show how Dove has truly unlocked the problem of women in Tou’s era. Through this Dove’s poem, this shows the constant submittance to Liu. The following caesura, “to stay / alive, // a year, // together...” is used to show time passage (17-18). The two pauses, that are consecutive, show how time will pass slowly and they will finally be together and she will not have to conform any longer to society's culture. Dove shows her anxiousness as time passes. However, in the following line, Tou goes right back to caring more about her husband's needs. The last reason Dove uses caesurae is to list the multiple items placed in this tomb. It is as though they were just to continue living. As in their former life, Liu needs, “-a chariot, // a / dozen horses-” to make his after life the fullest that it can become (10-11). Dove uses this break to show the elongated list of material things that essentially keep Liu alive. However, Dove never mentions items that Tou would need. This is an allusion to Tou’s personal life because in she was hardly ever mentioned in regard to her husband. She was simply another item that Liu had placed in his tomb for the year after death. Dove’s use of caesurae throughout the poem demonstrates how Tou lived her life, and how that relates to many other women, never truly being able to have their voice heard until they were dead.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea that Tou was subservient to her husband. Before reading your blog I had never thought about how cesura could show the effect of a subservient lifestyle. I also think that this poem shows her relief that her husband is dead. In spanish, we learned about traditions for Día de los Muertos, and one tradition is writing satirical poems about their loved ones. While reading this poem I go the feel that she was almost mocking her husband. This was shown when she was describing all of the features of her husband’s tomb, “ but you’re bored. / straight ahead then...”(Dove 19-20). Dove uses sarcasm her to show that after all her work for her husband, he still wouldn’t acknowledge her.
DeleteDuring the mid 1900’s, African American jazz singer, Billie Holiday became one of the most well known and respected jazz singers of all time. Discovered in 1933, by John Hamm, Holiday quickly began her rise in popularity. Holiday often had to perform in white bars for the upper-middle class. In the poem “Canary”, by Rita Dove, Dove discusses the struggles that Holiday went through as an African American singer. Holiday’s prime was before the Civil Rights Movement, meaning Holiday often got mistreated while performing. Many of the venues that she performed at where strictly white establishments. Holiday was not allowed many amenities while performing at those venues and often wasn’t allowed to use the main doors. She was forced to use the service doors with the workers. Yet being mistreated, Holiday still had to perform , “Take all day if you have to/ with your mirror and your bracelet of song,”(Dove 7-8). Holiday’s voice was very desirable to be heard live. Dove uses metaphor to emphasis how music is bound to Holiday’s life. Handcuffs or chains are brought to mind in “bracelet of song”. The handcuffs surround the circumference of her whole wrist while music emcompasses her life. Holiday is trapped in her music. This is also shown in the title of the poem. Canaries are songbirds which are typically held in cages. Even while being caged, many people lust after canaries to hear their beautiful voices. The same can be said for Holiday, being trapped in a life a music. Holiday was mistreated for the amount of talent and number of admirers she had.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I agree with the fact that the music is all around her life and affects everything that she does. Also, something that could also fit into your analysis would be in the first line, where it is her burned voice. Dove might be referring to how this has been Holiday’s life for so long that it has physically affected her. Her “chains,” as the bracelet, could also be in reference to her addiction to her addiction to drugs. Her bracelet could also be referring to the contrasting diction Dove uses in the rest of the poem to allude to the hardships in Holiday’s life. This being the only pretty accessory in her life.
DeleteIn the poem, "The House Slave," Rita Dove uses similes to portray the extreme social injustice between races while creating the dominant effect of empathy. Dove writes, “while their mistress sleeps like an ivory toothpick” (6). Something of ivory is valuable and rare, while a toothpick is quite the opposite. An ivory toothpick seems a bit absurd, reflecting how whites saw themselves during this time period. This implies that the mistress is much more important and prized than the hard-working African Americans. Another simile is used when Dove writes, “and as the fields unfold to whiteness, / and they spill like bees among the fat flowers” (13-14). This simile is being used to represent the slave workers in the fields who are like “bees,” busy working hard. How the word “spill” is used implies that there are plenty of slaves who are field workers. The way that I interpret “fat flowers” is that they symbolize how much work the slaves have to do, because bees pollinate flowers and if the flowers are “fat” then it will take more time and effort. Because slaves did not get enough credit for their hard work while the “mistresses” were seen as much more important, I feel empathy towards the dishonored African Americans. I also want to mention that each of the five stanzas is three lines (a triplet). Every stanza in this poem is the same length to give the message that everyday has the same routine; the racial inequality is a constant battle for slaves.
ReplyDeleteI find your take on the poem quite interesting. So caught up was I in the analysis between the different duties separating the house slaves from field workers, that I failed to catch the emphasis on the simile comparing the mistress to the ivory toothpick, and the simile comparing the fieldworkers to bees. The whole symbolism behind such a comparison would indeed juxtapose fragility with hardiness, and the ornate appearance of both the toothpick and the "fat flowers" would cause the bees to be overlooked, and unaccredited for the foundation they have laid.
DeleteHolly,
DeleteI totally agree! that the ivory means the white richness and sharply in control. I also noticed in this poem how this was all done before daylight. Like this was all done in the dark and unappreciated by this white mistress, who at first seems pure as white, but has an undertone of wickedness. With auditory imagery of the slave's crying out and being whipped, empathy in the reader grows. Dove chooses to tell this situation from the eyes and ears of the House slave to create more of an empathetic tone, relating more to the reader. the house slave would not have to go out in the fields and suffer, but the cries of her sister hurt her enough to bring her to tears. I think Dove uses this fact to show how connected these slave communities were and how they all suffered together.
As a freed slave Solomon Northup had rights, he was now one of the many freed slave in the north, in Washington. Rita Dove uses the inner thought process of Northup to show how black people were still being taken advantage of even after they had been freed. Dove, in “The Abduction,” uses Decreasing lines, increasing negative diction, and visual imagery to assist the reader in feeling as though their freedom is taken away from them.
ReplyDeleteDove starts out the poem show the great hope and achievement of Solomon, his new friends, his freedom, and is violin. It is as though, “the bells,” are ringing and he is one of the many freed slaves that have, “clotted the avenue” (1,3). His thoughts are abundant. This is shown with the five lines in the first stanza. The lines decrease every time, making hope sem scarce by the end of his abduction. He finds himself, “alone, in the darkness and in chains” (15). The negative words, “alone”,“darkness”, and “chains.” show how hopeless Solomon is now. The stanza before is also filled with negative words. He, “could not drink,” and, “climbed no ladders” (13,14). This show how his positivity has lessened and is now locked up again when he could have been a freed man.
This visual imagery Dove uses to portray Solomon’s situation is extremely impactful to the readers making it seem as though they were actually experiencing this with him. The second stanza about the circus has an abundance of imagery, “tall hat,” and “jig on a tightrope,” make the readers feel as though they as they are watching this chaos, Solomon’s chaos is just starting to ensue(7-8). Dove uses many allusions to Solomons abduction and how it affected him. She shares this with her readers to show the injustices of the situation.
I find your analysis really interesting. It reminds me of the book "Copper Sun" by Sharon Draper. In "Copper Sun," Draper writes about the main character, an African American, who was brought to America to become a slave. The young slave girl started out with a little hope and then it gradually started to dissipate just like how Solomon Northup lost hope throughout his journey. In both "Copper Sun" and "Abduction" the main characters are African Americans who take on many similar hardships, which lead them to the loss of hope. This theme of lost hope seems to be very common in the life of a slave.
DeleteIn the poem, The Abduction, by Rita Dove, imagery is used to convey the heartbreaking message of the poem. Solomon Northrup, the subject of the poem, is described as having, “free papers in my pocket, violin/ under arm, my new friends Brown and Hamilton by my side” (Lines 4-5). From this the readers can see that Solomon Northrup is a free, African American man in the north, making a living. This description is accompanied by auditory imagery in lines one and nine that brings to mind cheerful things; “The bells, the cannons…//pigs squealed invisibly from the bleachers and I fiddled” (Lines 1 and 9). Due to the connotations tied to this pleasant auditory imagery, it is easy to imagine that life for Solomon Northrup is enjoyable. However come stanza three, the imagery brings with it dark connotations, and even darker happenings, “I remembered how the windows rattled with each report./ Then the wine, like a pink lake tipped. / I was lifted- the sky swiveled, clicked into place” (Lines 10-12). The rattling of the windows, she swiveling of the sky, these descriptions give off the feeling of one being hunted and carted off. This ties in with the title of the poem, The Abduction, which is precisely what is going on. Dear Mr. Solomon Northrup, a free man according to the law, was drugged, abducted, and dragged down to the south into slavery. The last line of the poem contains the darkest of imagery and tells the readers his fate, “I woke and found myself alone, in darkness and in chains” (Line 15). The readers never discover whether Solomon Northrup regained his freedom, or if his friends ever tried to find him. Using connotations of both visual and auditory imagery, Dove tells the story of Solomon Northrup.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, “The Transport of Slaves From Maryland to Mississippi” by Rita Dove, the poet uses visual imagery, vernacular language, and enjambement to show a motif of the horrids of slavery and invoke a feeling of disgust at the slave trade in the reader. In the first stanza, Dove describes a slave corpse, “dust hovering around the body \ like a screen of mosquitos \ shimmering in the hushed light” (4-6). In these lines, Dove uses imagery to give the reader a more distinct picture of the rotting slave corpse in the road. The line “like a screen of mosquitos” (5) is a simile that creates the feel of the hot, stagnant southern air. At the end of the first stanza, “Death and salvation-- one accommodates the other” (11), Dove uses a paradox to make the reader understand how desperate these slaves were for freedom. Later in the poem, Dove writes, “Wait. You ain’t supposed to act this way” (29). Her use of vernacular allows the reader to feel close and sympathize with the speaker, who is most likely one of the slaves that is fighting for his freedom. In the third stanza Dove writes, “Sixty slaves \ poured off the wagon, smelly, half-numb, free.” (22-23). Here, Doves uses enjambment to create the sense of the slaves “pouring” off the wagon into freedom. The slaves thought they were truly gaining their freedom by running away from this transport, but unfortunately they were recaptured.
ReplyDeleteI find your analysis really interesting. I was intrigued by the line, “Wait. You ain’t supposed to act this way,”(29). Slavery is obviously a huge violation of human rights. No one should have the right or ability to own another human. The slaves know that they aren’t meant to be owned by another person and are allowed personal freedoms. This is what makes their attempt to escape so interesting. The society that they lived in stressed and strictly enforced the subservient status of African Americans. This society pressure is what makes the slaves question their escape.
DeleteBefore slavery was abolished, it was seen as a necessity in the American culture. There were many revolutionists who wanted to change that. In the poem “David Walker”, Rita Dove writes a brief biography of African American author David Walker. Walker was born to a salve father and a free mother, which allowed him freedom. Although not owned he still felt the effects of slavery around him, “Free to travel, he still couldn’t be shown how lucky/ he was,”(Dove 1-2). Dove uses irony here because Walker still can’t enjoy the fact that he is free and educated. Instead of enjoying his personal liberation, he advocated for those who were enslaved. Walker wrote a pamphlet, Abolish, intended for the slaves in the South, his pamphlet encouraged slaves to rebel against their masters. These pamphlets were sent down south in the most secrecy. The second stanza describes the various steps taken to ensure that the pamphlets were delivered to the desired audience. Walker’s thorough plan still had flaws, pamphlets ended up in slave owner hands and cause a huge uproar. The pamphlets became the most dangerous documents in America, “The jewelled canaries in the lecture halls tittered,/ pressed his dark hand between their gloves,” (18-19). Dove uses a metaphor to describe the government officials. Canaries are often seen as beautiful and desirable birds due to their lovely singing voices; the government officials are similar to canaries because they had a voice. After this pamphlet was released, the government was free to say whatever they wanted, but they felt restrained on what actions they could take to eliminate this threat. The pamphlet was almost amusing to them because they knew that there was no way they were going to let the practice of slavery end, “Every half-step was no step at all,”(20). Slavery was considered a necessary evil to many Americans at the time Walker’s pamphlets were published. Walker’s pamphlets although not accepted, were a serious potential threat to abolishing slavery.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, "Lady Freedom Among Us", Rita Dove discusses the concept of freedom and how it should never be forgotten but it is often missed by using the symbol of Lady Freedom and her attributes. The whole poem talks about Lady Freedom as if she is freedom herself. Dove uses anaphora to explain this symbol of freedom throughout the poem. Dove writes “don’t” six times to give a certain effect for the readers (1, 4, 17, 18, 25, 26). This repetition helps explain the concept that Dove is trying to get across of not forgetting all the possibilities of freedom. The word being used this many times helps to show the amount of excuses that people now-a-days use to not explore all of the options allowed by freedom. Dove also uses “with her” three times in the same stanza (8-10). Even though it is not used in this context, the purpose of this anaphora is to show that “with her” (Lady Liberty) people are able to do so much. The repetition of “with her” is used to enforce the idea of all the things possible with freedom. Anaphora is also used in the last two lines of the poem when Dove writes, “for she is one of the many / and she is each of us” (30-31). The repetition of “she” helps to display the importance of Lady Freedom in society and is shows how “she” symbolizes freedom. It’s her that allows us to make our own choices. The words that are repeated throughout this poem seem to be the most important words that add to the theme of how valuable freedom really is and how people take it for granite.
ReplyDeleteyour analysis is highly insightful, and though I received a different one from reading this poem, I agree with yours. Lady Freedom is indeed discussed as though she were freedom herself, and the anaphora drives that point home. I noticed that the majority of your analysis takes place in the second half of this poem, and while that does indeed carry the most evidence supporting your analysis, i feel as though your analysis would've been stronger had it drawn more on the first few stanzas. Naturally of course there is the word limit to take into account, and your analysis is brilliant without it. (Also your pun rocks)
DeleteI find your analysis very insightful and I completely agree. One of the first things I noticed while looking at this poem was anaphora, but I did not put together what it meant. I feel like the missing piece for my understanding of this poem was that Lady Freedom represented freedom itself. Looking back on it now I find it kind of silly that I overlooked the connection between Lady freedom and freedom considering I actually color marked lines that support the metaphor of freedom. Freedom is referred to as “she” in this poem(probably due to the statute being a lady), this made me think about how boats are often referred to as females or even named feminine names. This probably has no correlation, but it made me think about when in the open water, how people can get a sense of freedom. After reading your analyzation, I have a greater understanding of this poem. (I also really enjoyed the pun).
DeleteThe poem, “Claudette Colvin Goes to Work,” by Rita Dives tells the story of Civil Rights pioneer, Claudette Colvin. On March 2, 1955, she was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, preceding the more publicized Rosa Parks incident by nine months. Colvin was one of the five listed plaintiffs in the 1956 court case Browder v. Gayle. She testified in front of the 3-judge panel in the United States District Court that decided that bus segregation was unconstitutional. This decision was appealed to the United States Supreme Court and Colvin was the last witness to testify. Three days later the Supreme Court issued an order to to end bus segregation. In the poem, Dove uses a lyrical structure and 1st person narration to add perspective to the historical event. Throughout the poem the speaker, whom the reader can perceive to be Colvin, describes the events happening around her in real time. This gives the effect of the reader actually being there as these events are happening. In the first stanza Doev writes, “lightbulbs coming on / in each narrow residence, the golden wattage / of bleak interiors” (4-6). Here, Dove uses imagery to give a sense of somberness in this situation. This is describing the “negro” area of town, which would potentially be more run down and decrepit than the white areas and Dove’s visual imagery conveys that.This poem shares similar motifs with Dove’s poem “The Transport of Slaves From Maryland to Mississippi.” In both, Dove uses imagery and poetic structure to put the reader in almost a first-hand experience of the recounted events.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with the fact that it is about the run down part of town, but I think it is about so much more than this!!!! In the last stanza specifically, how Colvin is recounting how “they say” that she “curse or spit” that she is the crazy one. I think this shows how the African-American’s even themselves looked down on those who stood out. Her parents, the ones conforming where the ones that were normal, but it was an outrage just for her to sit down on a bus and refuse to give her sear away. The visual imagery that Dove uses, I do have to say is what really makes this poem come to life, but also the olfactory imagery of, “announcing, cabs starting up, and the stuttering of the neons. Also the fact that she must work at night shows that she worked and did not expect anything but respect from other people.
DeleteIn the poem, "Climbing In", by Rita dove, enjambment, end stops, and allusions are used to convey the danger found during the Civil Right’s period. The first line is but a word, “Teeth.” Immediately, one gets a feeling of danger that a predator is lying in wait, and the punctuation adds to the absolution of the feeling. Throughout the second and third lines, the teeth are described, “Metallic. Lie-gapped. / Not a friendly shine.” The description of the teeth sounds like a weapon, as though the shine of the teeth is the shine of a blade, deadly and promising retribution. In the second stanza, it is revealed to the readers that the narrator is boarding a bus, “like the dime/ cutting my palm/ as I clutch the silver pole/ to step up, up” (Lines 4-7). In the Civil Rights period, the buses were a huge source of conflict, and the enjambment in the poem connects this idea till its run its course. This also connects the subject of the poem to the title, as "climbing in" refers to the narrator boarding the bus, and it shows that the teeth are a symbol for the bus doors. The allusion that ties this poem together is found in the third and fourth stanza, “(sweat gilding the dear lady’s/ cheek)-these are big teeth,/ teeth of the wolf// under Grandmother’s cap. Not quite a grin. Pay him to keep smiling” (Lines 8-13). The bus is the wolf, from Little Red riding hood, a dangerous trap, seen as the grandmother to all who don’t face the racism that the narrator does. This allusion, along with the enjambment and end stops, paints the picture that by riding the bus, the narrator is walking the edge of a knife, and the smallest slip will have dangerous consequences.
ReplyDeleteI find your analysis very interesting and I completely agree. I like how you described how the first line, "teeth," makes the readers feel immediate danger because that is the feeling that I got too. I also like how you mention the title “Climbing In” and how it is referring to climbing into a bus; I had not noticed that! Lastly, the allusion you mentioned completely makes sense now that you have analyzed it. I did not make that connection to Little Red Riding Hood prior to reading your analysis! I am so glad you analyzed this poem because now my understanding is much clearer and I completely agree with the whole thing!
DeleteIn The poem, “”The situation is intolerable””, Dove uses alliteration and assonance, metaphor and Visual imagery to convey a changing tone from questioning, to hope, to strength throughout the stanzas of the poem. However, in this blog post I only have room to discuss the metaphors and visual imagery. Dove speaks from the perspective of an African-American person who is having an internal struggle with how white people are treating them. Dove does this to give White people who are reading this an insight of what was going on in the everyday thoughts of an average African-American. When walking around, “each dovegray pleated trouser leg / a righteous sword advancing,” they feel as though they have to fight every day just to survive (4-5). They do this in the, “name of the Lord,” and are mentally fighting back against the oppressing white people (7). The African-Americans, although going about their days dressed and looking like any other, are dressing to fight the continuing war of equality.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read, “Hush, now. Assay the terrain,” I thought now what in the world does that mean? It means that in their thought process, they must stop and continually assess the culture, world, and situation around them. They find the situation intolerable, but still have to quiet their thoughts and even look for the, “stars-- / tiny, missionary stars-- / on high, serene, studding / the inky brow of heaven” (11-14). The small specks of hope in the world of oppression around them. The visual imagery and the negative connotations that comes from the word “dark”(9) and the, “perimeter in flames,” (10) show how they are in constant internal turmoil. The metaphor of the edges in flame show that they are being attacked from all sides, and feel like there's nowhere to escape to. They instead must look up. Looking up may refer to looking ahead to the future where they see more hope and possible equality.
At the closing of this African-American’s thoughts, Dove uses visual imagery to demonstrate how poor they are and how they do not have enough courage to stand up for themselves. The African-Americans were, “knocked flat with a paddle,” (16) and not given, “a pot to piss in,” (17) this shows their culture and how they were raised. Dove uses the narrator's recalling of events to bring a clear picture into our head of what had gone on in these African-Americans lives. However, this doesn't seem to bring any negative thoughts into the narrator's head, what is a bother to them is that their “situation is intolerable” (19). Dove restates the title at the end of this poem to show how they once again realize that they are being treated unfairly, yet, all the narrator seem to see them doing is, “sit [here] and do nothing” (20). Dove uses the narrator's thoughts to show how timid they are outside of their thoughts. As the poem closes, the reader will go away with the last thought being of sorrow toward the African-Americans, they will know how they have suffered, how they internally try to stand strong, but ultimately only hold on to small hope and do not have enough courage to speak out of their thoughts.
The poem “Rosa”, by Rita Dove, captures Rosa Parks peaceful protest during the Civil Rights Movement. During the time leading up to Parks’ famous bus ride, there were strict rules, enforcing segregation, especially in the South. To many, Parks’ refusal to give up her seat was a wake up call and a final push towards starting the movement, “the time right inside a place/ so wrong it was ready,”(Dove 2-3). Dove uses paradox to emphasis the importance of Parks’ defiance. On the day that Parks got arrested, she said she refused because she was tired of giving in. Many African Americans at that time also had the same feeling of irritation towards always accommodating to whites. The line “so wrong it was ready” illustrates the feelings of many African Americans waiting for a change in segregation. After the bus ride, Parks became a leader in the movement, using peaceful protest to fight segregation. Dove captures Park’s methods in her diction. Positive diction, such as, “sensible”, “courtesy”, and “clean” are used to show that Parks was a reasonable and respectable woman. They also indicate her level-headedness and ability to make just and purposeful decisions. Another way that Dove shows Parks’ protest style is in the structure of the poem. There are four stanzas in this poem each with three lines. The structure is concise and to the point, short and sweet. It also is clearly thought out to get a point across. Each of the four stanzas begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, this makes Parks’ defiance look like a statement. Dove’s structure along with her use of diction and paradox demonstrate Rosa Parks’ protest during the Civil Rights Movement.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, “Parsley” by Rita Dove and the excerpt from “The Farming of Bones” by Edwidge Danticat, the authors are describing the horrors of the Parsley Massacre of 1937. Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo ordered anyone who could not pronounce “perejil” (“parsley” in Enlgish) were to be executed. The people who could not pronounce this word were Haitians; therefore Trujillo’s goal was to eliminate a mass amount of Haitian migrant workers from the Dominican Republic. Dove and Danticat both use violent/morbid diction to portray the harsh reality of being a Haitian migrant worker in the Dominican Republic under Trujillo’s rule. In “Parsley” Dove writes, “We lie down screaming as rain punches through and we come up green” (7-8). Dove uses the words “screaming” and “punches” instead of less harsh verbs to give a morbid mood and to also display the intensity of the situation. Rain does not literally “punch” so this personification intensifies the tone. Later in the “Parsely” Dove uses morbid diction when she writes, “The cane appears in our dreams, lashed by wind and streaming” (15-16). The words “lashed” and “streaming” are both very strong, aggressive words that are describing the wind and its effect on the sugar cane. This reflects how the Haitian migrant workers were treated and how they experienced life everyday. In “The Farming of Bones” Danticat writes, “Our jaws were pried open and parsley stuffed into our mouths” (11-12). The words “pried” and “stuffed” display the aggressive actions that were taken on the migrant workers. This diction reinforces the horrors experienced by these migrant workers.
ReplyDeleteyour analysis is spot on and well written. I like your mention of the negative diction, and connection between the two literary works. It really gives the sense of violence and anger boiling under the surface while the atrocities are committed. To this day, conflicts still exist that affect the Haitians, or those of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic, so your analysis is especially powerful.
DeleteHolly, I agree with the very morbid diction used. I also think it bring the reader to a point of pity toward the Haitian workers. In the second part, The Palace, Dove also used hard diction, like when, “the knot in his throat starts to twitch”(43), or when, “he sees his mother’s smile”(52). From his perspective the reader is almost feeling pity for the one killing these Haitians. Dove uses perspective to show that there are always two sides to a story and that, yes, the Haitians had it worse. But that the other side is not completely unjustified in his actions. This is something Dove does in many of her poems, choosing the point of view from someone you might not expect, putting a whole new turn on a pretty straight-forward type of event.
DeleteThe parsley massacre of 1937 was ordered by Trujillo, the Dominican republican dictator at the time. Targeting Haitian migrant workers, Trujillo ordered the death of those who could not pronounce perejil, or parsley. In the literary works, “The Farming of Bones” and “The Palace” repetition and symbolism and visual imagery are used to display the motive behind the massacre. In “The Farming of Bones” the narrator Amabelle, a Haitian migrant worker gives her account of the massacre, “…I could have said the word properly, calmly, slowly, the way I often asked “Perejil?” of the old Dominican women and their faithful attending granddaughters at the roadside gardens and markets, even though the trill of the r and the precision of the j was sometimes too burdensome a joining for my tongue” (Edwidge Danticat). Amabelle’s vivid imagery reveals the difficulty the Haitian migrant workers have rolling their r’s, which was the pronunciation reason the word was the difference between life and death. The poem “The Palace” is in Trujillo’s point of view, “Haitians sing without R’s/ …his mother was no stupid woman; she/ could roll an R like a queen. Even/ a parrot can roll an R!...The General remembers the tiny green sprigs/ men of his village wore in their capes to honor the birth of a son. He will/ order many, this time, to be killed// for a single beautiful word.” (Dove, lines 29, 35, 40, 41, and 49-53). The imagery, and mention of the parrot, who symbolized his late mother in this poem, reveal the motive behind the massacre. Trujillo, stricken by his mother’s death, has misdirected his grief and rage at his mother’s passing towards the Haitian migrant workers. His mother, who could roll the R’s, who was honored by the men of the village decked in parsley at his birth, died, and not the Haitian migrant workers. Therefore, those who could not roll the R’s like his mother, would die choking on the plant that once honored her. His logic, while twisted, is easy enough to map out, but like “Brooklyn nine” would say, “Cool motive, still murder.”
ReplyDeleteI find your analysis very interesting. I agree with a lot of your blog but, I had different ideas about the symbol of the parrot. When I first read the poem I thought that the parrot represented the Haitian workers. I only looked at the beginning section of this poem however to conclude that the parrot represented the Haitian workers. Your analysis makes me wonder if the parrot could be a changing symbol throughout the poem. Looking at the poem now after reading your analysis has changed my perspective slightly on the symbolism of the parrot.
DeleteThe poem, “Parsley” is a tragic retelling of the Parsley massacre of 1937. Dove uses the symbol of the Parrot to portray the Haitians throughout the poem. The first section, The Cane Fields, is from the perspective of the Haitians. The Parrot, themselves, must imitate the ‘beautiful’ language around them. They are almost like slaves, from the recounts of how they, “lie down screaming,(7)” and their “children gnaw their teeth(11)”. In The Palace, the parrot is confined, “in an ivory cage” “all the way from Australia” (34). This shows how foreign this bird is, much like the Haitians. The General orders pastries for this bird, making it eat something he hates to almost self-justify his next action of genocide. The next interaction with the parrot is that, “even a parrot can roll an R!”(60). Dove uses this rant from the General to show how arbitrary the word parsley is, but how it can affect so much. It shows how just like the parrot can imitate with no meaning, the general can also arbitrarily decide if someone can live or die. The last reference to the parrot is its, “blackened tongue” (63). This is used to show how life and death are so intermingled, that even through beauty there will be an inner stroke of death. This then goes back to the parrot who is imitating spring. How it can never truly live up to expectations and will always remind the general of failure and his mother.
ReplyDeleteI find your analysis really interesting! I completely agree with the parrot being a symbol to portray the Haitians. I found it interesting how you discussed how the parrot reflects how the word parsley is quite arbitrary which I completely agree with! I also think that the parrot can symbolize springtime and how it is usually very green in the spring. In addition this greenness can reflect the parsley. The color green seems to be another symbol in this poem. I like your last sentence that you wrote; I had not thought of the parrot reminding him of his mother.
DeleteThe poem “Parsley”, by Rita Dove, illustrates the Parsley Massacre of 1937. During the Parsley Massacre, Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo, put to death anyone who could not pronounce the spanish word “perejil”(parsley). Trujillo was targeting the Haitian workers, who mainly spoke French or Creole and could not properly pronounce perejil. Dove uses light/dark symbolism to show the harshness of Trujillo to the Haitian workers. The first section of the poem, The Cane Fields, anaphora is used to emphasise the symbols in the poem. The first symbol in the poem is the symbol of the parrot, which represents the Haitian workers. The symbol of the parrot is seen as the “light” in the poem, “a parrot imitating spring,” (Dove 1,6,12,18). This line is repeated multiple times to represent the Haitians trying to pronounce perejil. The spring in the line refers to the parsley because it is in spring when plants begin to sprout after winter. The “light” symbol of the parrot is contradictory with the “dark” symbol of the cane fields. The cane fields represent Trujillo and the massacre. Anaphora was also used to emphasise the number of Haitians massacred, “out of the swamp the cane appears/ to haunt us, and we cut it down...”(3-4). The Haitians working on sugarcane plantations were haunted by the reign of Trujillo. This is also an paradox, the sugar cane that haunts them, they get to cut down. It is contradictory because while literally the Haitians were cutting down sugar cane, it was the Dominican Republic that was executing the Haitians. The sugarcane can also represent the brutality of the massacre. Although talking about the plant, sugarcane could also possibly symbolize a cane. Canes are used to as a disciplinary to discourage certain behaviors. The cane could also represent Trujillo discouraging the Haitians all together. The symbols of the sugarcane and parrot allude to the Parsley Massacare.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Used” Rita Dove uses end rhyme to display the theme of how women are used and what their roles are because of society. Throughout this poem, Rita Dove discusses different ways in which women are often used. At the end of each line there is a word that rhymes with the word at the end of the next line. There are only two places where this is not present, which are, “used” and “cool” (7 & 14). The fact that these two words do not have an end rhyme displays their importance. This lack of rhyming is used to put a spotlight on these two words. I think the purpose of this is to show the relationship between women being used and being cool. Through unhealthy means, society is always urging that to be “cool” you must wear nice things and always look your best. In the second stanza when Dove writes, “We have been used” she is saying that women have been used by society and that women must listen to themselves and go on their own path. There is a constant battle between being “cool” but “used” and being “uncool” but happy. There are many ways in which women get used or taken advantage of but the battle versus society seems to be the biggest. In addition I would like to point out that the rest of the words that have end rhyme are also very important but the two that do not are singled out because they are a little more important in conveying this theme.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is very compelling and well written. I like how you connected the poem analysis to modern society, and your attention to detail is incredible. I feel that your analysis is very strong, and if this were an essay, I would definitely be drawn in by it.
Delete“Golden Oldie”
ReplyDeleteRita Dove uses caesurae, alliteration, and contrast to create a lyrical type poem making the reader feel as though they are listening to the music with the driver of the car. The title, Golden Oldie refers to a song that was once popular and is now brought back with reawakened interest to the tune. Caesurae are used to create pauses and a rhythm to the poem. When the narrator, “made it home early, only to get / stalled in the driveway, swaying / at the wheel”(1-3) Dove uses the pauses mid-line to create a tone of stopping and waiting for what is coming next. Dove also uses alliteration to create a repetition in sound to have a more lyrical speech, like “stalled” and “swaying”. These words, although in and of themselves do not lead to lyrical, when put together roll off one's tongue and make it more appealing. The readers are affected by this by feeling a calm. This poem is about the revival of a tune, but Dove is showing through the sonnet form that, memories take you on a journey, and they might be uncomfortable and have you, “float[ing] on a film of sweat” (9), but it should not affect the beauty of the rhythm. When a song is sung on the radio, it is like the person is speaking directly to you in your present situation. Dove captures this irony in the ending couplet, when the narrator is, “without a clue who [their] lover / might be, or where to start looking” (13-14). the reader is addressed with this very controversial situation that many of us have been in. This is the moment where we find reawakening in the things of the past that we once found great.
I find your analysis is really interesting. When I first read this poem I also thought that it sounded very lyrical like it was meant to be sung instead of read. The use of alliteration definitely helps this poem sound very lyrical. A quote that could help your analysis is “meant for more” (4). The words “meant” and “more” both start with “m” and are therefore alliteration. This alliteration along with your example help to carry the reader throughout the poem without getting bored. I like how you talk about how memories take you on a journey; this goes really well with the lyrical style of the poem.
DeleteThe poem “ Persephone, Falling”, by Rita Dove, is an allusion for human trafficking. The classic Greek Myth of the story Persephone and Hades correlates to the message that Dove is trying to portray through this sonnet. Metaphor is used to show how easily it is to get involved in the human trafficking business, “She had strayed from the herd,”(Dove 8). The minute that Persephone had changed her path, she was faced with danger. This shows how vulnerable girls can be when left in the wrong company. In the myth, Persephone was older and not needed to be watched over constantly. Human traffickers often look for young girls who have recently gotten more freedom but are still credulous. Traffickers will often lure girls in with the idea of a luxurious lifestyle, “on his glittering terrible/ carriage...”(5-6). The use of the contradictory terms ‘glittering’ and ‘terrible’ to show how even though it is a terrible life, it could still be appealing. It is common for traffickers to buy nice clothes for their victims. This gives victims the idea that traffickers actually care genuinely about them, but in reality they only care about themselves. Through the purchase of nice, high quality clothes, traffickers can alter the mindset of their victims which encourages them to stay with traffickers, “This is how easily the pit/ opens. This is how one foot sinks into the ground,” (13-14). Dove uses metaphor to shows how once in the human trafficking business, it is hard to leave. This is similar to after Persephone was abducted, she chose to eat the fruit from the Underworld which hindered her from being able leaving. Dove uses this poem to inform people the dangers of human trafficking.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, heroes, by Rita Dove, symbolism, point of view, and allusion are used to convey the topic of the poem. The poem starts out in second person narration, making “You” the one whose thoughts are heard throughout the poem, “A flower in a weedy field:/ make it a poppy. You pick it./ Because it begins to wilt/ you run to the nearest house/ to ask for a jar of water.” (Dove, lines 1-5). The thoughts of the “You” are displayed as trying to preserve the flower that is seen wilting. Ordinarily, to prevent a flower from wilting, one would water it while leaving it in the ground, but in this case “You” picks it. The other characters in the poem don’t quite understand “You’s” motivations, “The woman on the porch starts// screaming: you’ve picked the last poppy in her miserable garden, the one/ that gave her strength every morning // to rise! It’s too late for apologies/ though you go through the motions, offering/ trinkets and a juicy spot in the written history// she wouldn’t live to read, anyway.” (Lines 6-13) Knowing that Dove alluded to Greek mythology often in her “Mother Love” poems, it’s not hard to connect this to the myth of Persephone’s abduction. The flower in this case, would symbolize Persephone, the woman, Demeter, and “You” Hades. Persephone wilting under her mother’s stifling care was swept up by Hades, who in turn went to Demeter to save her. Demeter naturally was furious at the “abduction” of her daughter, and would accept nothing Hades offered to placate her. The myth continues in Dove’s own retelling, “So you strike her, she hits/ her head on a white boulder,// and there’s nothing to be done/ but break the stone into gravel/ to prop up the flower in the stolen jar// you have to take along,/ because you’re a fugitive now/ and you can’t leave clues.” (Lines 14-21). Hades strikes Demeter, effectively killing her, and escapes with Persephone , becoming a fugitive, a kidnapper, despite only wanting to save Persephone.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem. "Breakfast of Champions" by Rita Dive, the poet tells the tale of a woman who has lived through, and is trying to recover from a serious tragedy. Throughout the poem, Dove never reveals what the speaker has actually experienced, but leaves it up to the audience to interpret. If the poet had said exactly what happened, then the audience’s view of the woman would most likely be completely parallel compared to what one sees now. Instead of giving away the mystery of the speaker, Dove uses dreary and dismal diction to hint to this woman’s situation. In the first stanza, Dove writes, “Finally, overcast skies. I’ve crossed a hemisphere,//worked my way through petals and sunlight//to find a place fit for mourning” (1-3). In this part, Dove uses a hyperbole to convey the likely far distance that the woman has come since the incident, whether that is literal distance traveled or emotional obstacles overcame, is left up to the reader. The speaker is happy to see overcast skies and is unhappy with “petals and sunlight” so one might presume that they are grieving and sad and want everyone else to be that way to. Next, Dove mentions alcohol to show a more humanistic way of dealing with problems. When alcohol is mentioned in the fifth and sixth line of the poem, it brings the reader to terms with the speaker’s depression, because one might often think of drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism for depression. In the final stanza, Dove writes, “I rummage through the pantry’s / stock for raisins and cereal as they pull / honking out of the mist, a sonic hospital graph//announcing recovery” (9-11). By writing “honking through the mist, a sonic hospital graph” it could possibly represent a car honking in the mist, and ending up in the hospital. This cause of the woman’s depression could be a car accident that landed her in the hospital.
ReplyDeleteIn, “Ripont” by Rita Dove, the use of visual imagery, enjambement, and paradox enlightens the reader about the battle of Ripont, which was fought by mixed US and French forces in World War one. This poem is one of the longer poems in the American Smooth collection, for it is comprised of 8 stanzas, which makes it about 4 pages long. In the first stanza Dove writes, “like the one we were passing / in our rusty orange BMW baby daughter / crowing from the backseat in her plastic shell / strapped over the cracked upholstery” (5-8). In the passage Dove uses imagery to bring the reader into a more intimate sense of the situation. In the seventh line, Dove says “plastic shell” instead of car seat to give the feeling that the “rusty BMW” with “cracked upholstery” is in really crappy condition, which reflects the views they are seeing out their windows of a post total war landscape, but greened over after 50 to 100 years. In pretty much every line Dove uses enjambment instead of caesura to move onto the next line. This technique gives the poem a feeling of being rushed, like a soldier would feel in battle. In the fourth stanza Dove writes, “destroyed during the course of their own salvation” (30). This is referring to how during the Great War, French villages were destroyed while they were being liberated from the Kaiser’s empire. This is a paradox because while they are now technically free, they don’t really have anything to show for it because everything was destroyed during the battle. This could represent how the soldiers fought for freedom,but died trying so when they had won, they weren’t there to get the payout for their sacrifice. An important fact about the battle of Ripont is that the US troops were formed of mostly negro soldiers, known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that this poem has no punctuation what so ever especially because this poem is so long. I agree that the enjambment makes it feel very rushed without any pauses, much like the life of a soldier. In addition, the visual imagery plays a huge roll in this poem. A quote that would support your analysis would be, “We followed cow paths bisected pastures / barreled down stretches of gravel arrow straight” (17-18). This is visual imagery that helps the reader understand the scenery in which the soldiers had to march through and may help the reader understand the battle better.
DeleteIn the poem “Cozy Apologia” Rita Dove uses end rhyme and metaphors to portray the relationship between Dove and her husband, Fred. This poem written by Rita Dove is for her husband, Fred and explains how their relationship is not ordinary and near perfection. The end rhyme used throughout this poem gives it a lyrical feel much like most of her other poems. This lyrical feel helps move the poem along while also helping to explain the love that she has for her husband. The rhyme scheme is different at the beginning than it is at the end of the poem. This difference explains how her and Fred’s relationship is almost perfect but they “fall short of the divine” (24). Because the rhyming is still almost “perfect,” Dove’s relationship is also almost “perfect” but just falls short. Dove also uses metaphors to portray this theme. Dove writes, “Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host/Of daydreams” (14-15). Dove alludes to Hurricane Floyd as “Big Bad Floyd” to compare Dove’s teenage, awkward relationships to the storm that happened a few years before this was written. Hurricanes are usually horrible and disastrous, so this metaphor suggests that her memories of previous relationships are crazy and detrimental. This ties in to the theme because it makes Dove appreciate her current relationship with her husband and how it is very different than her teenage relationships. Dove also uses a metaphor to compare her teenage relationships to candy when she writes, “were thin as licorice and as chewy, / sweet with a dark and hollow center” (19-20). This metaphor suggests that the boys she dated as a teenager were good looking but did not have the inner qualities to become her soul mate. I have inferred that in contrast, Fred ended up having inner qualities that are suitable to become a loving husband.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the fall of man is well known, and In the poem, “All souls” Rita Dove uses enjambment and caesura to retell it. With no enjambment until the last two lines in stanza one, Dove creates a clipped tone, Starting up behind them,/ all the voices of those they had named:/ mink, gander, and marmoset,/ crow and cockatiel./ Even the duck-billed platypus/, of late so quiet in its bed,/ sent out a feeble cry signifying /grief and confusion, et cetera.” (Rita Dove, line 1-8). the animals that have been named by “Them” are in shock at the banishment of those who had named this. Due to this, the caesura creates stops that the reader must take to represent the shock of the creatures, until the last line, in which grief finally overrides the shock. The enjambment finally ends the streak, and connects the ideas of the two lines creating one fluid line of speech. Of course the world had changed for good. As it would from now on/every day, with every twitch and blink./ Now that change was de rigueur,/ man would discover desire, then yearn/ for what he would learn to call/ distraction. This was the true loss./And yet in that first// unchanging instant,/ the two souls/ standing outside the gates/ (no more than a break in the hedge;/ how had they missed it?) were not/ thinking.” (lines 9-22) In these lines, the amount of caesura dramatically decreases connecting the ideas on a grander scale, and creating a fluid tone for the reader. This displays that the mindset of the animals has become linear, and is now focused on the fate of the humans who were banished. The change mentioned in relation to the world the poem has created, is also reflected by the punctuation of the poem, Already the din was fading. “Before them, a silence/ larger than all their ignorance// yawned, and this they walked into/ until it was all they knew. In time/ they hunkered down to business,/ filling the world with sighs—/ these anonymous, pompous creatures,/ heads tilted as if straining/ to make out the words to a song/ played long ago, in a foreign land.” (Lines 22-31). The fluidity of this poem increases with the use of enjambment; until the reader struggles to find a place to take a breath. The animals now imagine the future of their dear humans, and through this fast pace, worry for them has become evident, for to them the humans must miss the place of their banishment as much as the animals miss the humans. Through the caesura and enjambment the thoughts and emotions of the animals named, the mink, gander, marmoset, crow, cockatiel, and th duck-billed platypus.
ReplyDeleteIn, “Chocolate,” Dove uses symbolism, stanza length, and visual imagery to compare a square of chocolate to someone the narrator loves. One of the symbols that Dove uses is chocolate itself, her lover, the one she is dying to have. The narrator worries about possibly losing her loved one, “if [I] don’t eat [you] quickly, / [you’ll] melt in my palm” (6-7). The sort even lengthed stanzas puts the reader in a playful light mood. it might also represent the even chocolate squares. The last line, left by itself brings focus to that line and a sense of ultimate finality. The narrator is, “ready / to fall in love!” (15-16) leaving the reader with a want to go out and experience this amazing high point! Dove has built up our eyes to finally behold this amazing piece of chocolate, this amazing person that the narrator is dying to love. The, “dark punch of earth,” describes the amazing richness of the chocolate and how strong it is. Dove uses the image of a, “woman” “crumbl[ing] to ruin” (13,14) to show how impactful a man can be. This shows how her emotions will “numb” a girl with his, “rich intentions” (4,5). The picture of this chocolate, being cared for and caressed show the loving attitude of the narrator. This bring the reader to a mood of happiness and lightness. Dove uses such a simple, amazing object as chocolate, to explain the magnanimous feelings of a girl for someone that she loves.
ReplyDeleteI find your analysis really interesting. I agree that this poem is about a relationship, but I think it is more about an affair than a committed relationship. The diction she uses alludes to an almost sinful relationship she has with chocolate. Through the words ‘pleasure’, ‘numb’, and ‘ruin’ Dove hints at that chocolate is like an affair. She wants it desperately, but she knows it can ruin her. Although our ideas varied, we had similar ideas to the poem. I enjoyed your analysis because it helped me see different possibilities of interpretation of the poem.
DeleteThe poem “Eliza, Age 10, Harlem”, by Rita Dove uses first point of view, negative diction, and structure of the poem to indicate innocence and ambition in Eliza. All children are innocent. There are experiences and knowledge that come with age that can take some innocence away, but for the most part, children are innocent. Dove uses the first person with the narrator Eliza to show the innocence of Eliza, “I can climb these stairsㅡ/easy, even in T-straps,”(Dove 10-11). Many young girls partake in the activity of playing dress up. Almost at every age of childhood, young girls dream of being glamorous and fancy and most of all older. One sign of age is high heels. Young girls see high heels and they think about how mature they are, but when you become old enough to actually wear them, you realize that they just hurt a lot. The ambition of Eliza to believe she can wear them and climb stairs in them shows her innocence. Eliza’s point of view is also used to show her opinion on adults, “I’m not small like they say,/ those withered onions on the stoop. clucking their sorrowful tongues,” (1-3). Eliza shares her opinion through the use of negative diction. The use of the words ‘withered’, ‘stoop’, and ‘sorrowful’ give a negative connotation to older people. This implies there to be a weak relationship between children and adults. Eliza doesn’t believe that she is being valued as much as an individual by adults than she should be. The structure of the poem also represents the innocence of Eliza. Three cinquains make up this poem. In elementary school, children are taught the “formula” to the format of writing papers, a introduction paragraph, a body paragraph, and a concluding paragraph. Dove could’ve chose to do this to show the simplicity of Eliza and childhood.
ReplyDeleteI find your analysis really interesting. I had not thought about how there is a weak relationship shown between children and adults. This analysis reminds me of the Junie B. Jones books that I read in elementary school because the main character had a sassy attitude and thought she was better than adults at some points in the book. The characteristic of being innocent is seen in most children as seen in Eliza and Junie from the childhood novel. I also did not make the connection of the stanzas representing simplicity in a child’s life, which I find interesting and agree with.
DeleteIn the poem “Heart to Heart” Rita Dove uses metaphors to portray the reality of what a heart does and to show her difficulty of expressing love. Dove starts out by addressing some of the common sayings that people often use when they feel different emotions by calling them untrue. Dove writes, “It doesn’t melt / or turn over / break or harden” (3-5). When people say, “You broke my heart!” they do not literally mean their heart has physically been damaged; they are using this as a metaphor to explain how they feel extremely upset. Dove talks about how this metaphor is in fact only a metaphor and not something that is true. In the first two stanzas she talks about more metaphors that are simply metaphors. She does this to set herself up to discuss how even though these common sayings are not true, she relates and has troubles with them. It is ironic how she initially talks about the frequently used sayings being untrue and then later uses common metaphors to discuss her heart. Dove writes, “but I can’t open it: / there’s no key. / I can’t wear it on my sleeve, / or tell you from the bottom of it / how I feel” (22-28). All three of these metaphors are being used to explain how Dove has problems expressing her love. Dove’s use of common metaphors tie the beginning intro into her own personal issues with love. In addition, the poem looks a bit like heartbeats on a monitor if you turn it to the side.
ReplyDeleteCastle Walk
ReplyDeleteAlways a good idea to find out who James Reese Europe is...well, he is an African american bandleader who played Jazz music for soldiers during WWI in Europe. In “Castle Walk” Dove uses juxtaposition to show the growing gap between the African-Americans and the white people. When Europe is describing these, “white folks” as they, “stalk / through privilege / just like they dance,” (25-27) he is saying how they feel as though they have some air about themselves. That they are better than the ones who are merely entertaining. Dove uses the wealthy diction of, “gloved and buttoned” (3) to show how these people not only act like they are at the top of the social status, but also dress like they are. And at that point they kinda were. With their, “chins poked out,” (17) moving to the dance moves of Castle Walk, they simply danced like they had no care in the world, not even the World War. Europe then strongly transitions from formal diction to the jargon of not as learned people. Even in his thought process Dove uses words like, “ain’t” (30) and “set ‘em” (45) to show how down to earth these black soldiers are and that this is really their language. When Europe is thinking about, “the biggest news going,” (36) about Irene and Vernon, he finally catches a glimpse of what equality might look like. Dove show this with the next stanzas having a sort of urgency to them, having all enjambed lines. It shows how these two dancers have now opened a door to white people finally noticing these African-American black musicians.
Rita Dove’s poem “Meditation at Fifty Yards, Moving Target” is split into four different sections, Safety First, Open Air, Gender Politics, and The Bullet. Safety First is written in the point of view of san experince gun handler who is giving a gun to a complete rookie. Gender Politics is talking about the differences of a women holding a firearm as opposed to a man. The Bullet is the literal perspective of a bullet in a gun. Open Air is written from the perspective of someone who is about to shoot a gun. The poem starts with the line “Fear, of course” (13). This is talking about how one would feel with the possession of a gun. When one is firing a gun, there is always a plethora of things that could go wrong. The speaker might be thinking of those things. Like if say, the speaker was aiming the gun at another person, there might be fear of repercussions of his actions or guilt, or maybe fear of the act itself. The next quintet reads, “Then the sudden / pleasure or heft-as if the hand had always yearned for this solemn / fit, this gravitas, and now had found / its true repose” (13-17). This is talking about the pleasure one feels for holding such a powerful weapon in their hand, the pleasure of power and control and practically omnipotent.Doves uses the word “repose” as a metaphorical representation of death because death is often looked at as “eternal sleep” and when one is dead they are in a state of peace.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem “Demeter, Waiting”, Rita Dove uses point of view, negative diction, and enjambment to give show the sorrow that Demeter feels for her kidnapped daughter. This sonnet is written in the point of view of Demeter. Doves choice to write it with this point of view emphasises the loss that Demeter feels, “She is gone again and I will not bear/ it, I will drag my grief...”(Dove 6-7). Through this point of view, readers can more easily see the pain that Demeter is going through with the loss of her daugher. Negative diction also shows the emotions that she feels for the loss of her daughter. Through the use of words ‘bear’, ‘grief’, and ‘drag’ Dove gives emphasis to the intense emotions that she is feeling. One of a mother’s worst fears is losing her children. Grieving for weeks, months, years is normal for those who have lost children. Throughout this poem, Demeters grieving is shown by end stops. In both stanzas there is only one end stop for both. The use of enjambment could represent the long months of grieving that Demeter went through. The time without her daughter could’ve only been a shown as going faster than Demeter perceived it to be. Enjambment can give the effect of time flowing on without stopping. Therefore the only event that mattered was the loss of her daughter. The whole poem had a lack of punctuation. The poem starts with “No.” and ends with “Yes.”. These two examples are nearly all of the punctuation in the whole poem. It could start this way because Demeter is in disbelief and denial of what happened. Throughout the poem, Demeter is coming to terms with her daughter’s kidnapping and that’s why it ends with a “Yes”.
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