For Anna Denise's poem, "How to Change a Frog Into a Prince," the prominent literary devices that I picked up on are tone, allusion, and conceit. Unquestionably, this poem alludes to the fairy tale of "The Princess and the Frog," in which the frog turns into a prince after the princess kisses it. However, unlike what happens in the fairy tale, in the poem, the frog must undergo a transformation that takes quite some time before he becomes the prince. For this reason, I classified the tone as somewhat serious and didactic. Throughout the piece, the speaker is instructing the reader how to change the frog into a prince. The poem is literally comprised of sentences that give the reader step-by-step instructions. For example, the poem reads, "Start with the underwear. Sit him down...Be gentle. Avoid the words awkward and gawky." The last most important literary device is conceit. I think that the poem is really a metaphor for anyone undergoing some kind of transformation. Because the frog does not automatically become a prince, Denise means to say that people should be patient when they experience some kind of change. The last four sentences of the poem played a big role in making me think that this was Denise's overall message.
For Jane Yolen's poem, "Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale," the prominent literary devices are tone, allusion, anaphora, and euphemism. In each stanza, Yolen alludes to a variety of fairy tales, such as "Sleeping Beauty," "Snow White," "Hansel and Gretel," "Rapunzel," and "Beauty and the Beast." For each of the fairy tales, she changes one word, so as to put her own spin on the titles. For example, instead of "Snow White," she says "Snow Weight." These twists definitely contributed to the comical tone of the poem. Yolen's use of euphemism is also prominent in the poem. For instance, she says, "wasp-waisted," "pillowed breast," and "fingers plump as sausage" instead of simply saying "fat." Finally, the last literary device that stuck out for me was the anaphora. Yolen begins each of the three stanzas with "I am thinking of a fairy tale." For me, this had the effect of making the tone conversational, in addition to comical. As I read each successive stanza, I felt like the speaker was sitting in a big chair, telling me the poem, instead of reading it; in other words, the anaphora made the poem feel like an actual fairy tale instead of simply a poem. By putting her own twists on every fairy tale mentioned in the poem, Yolen means to say that regardless of what someone looks like, they can still live his or her own fairy tale. The last stanza of the poem made me think that this was Yolen's message.
You made some insightful commentary, and I enjoyed those poems, but my favorites were the ones by Dorph and Webb. Dorph's "Forgotten Planet" beautifully communicates the loss of wonder as one grows, and the joy of rediscovering it in one's children. Its theme is encapsulated in this line: "my daughter's ignorance is my bliss". Dialogue is used to show innocence and lack of knowledge, especially in childhood. When Dorph is young, watching the meteor shower is not memorable because he's seeing meteors, it's because he's sharing quality time with his father; I have similar memories with my dad from when I was young, that are special to me because they're with my dad, and not because of the actual purpose (ie, meteor shower in this case). Dorph also includes old adages which ring true, like "knowledge erodes wonder". People, as they age, lose their sense of wonder with the world and grow more cynical and mistrusting with the acquirement of knowledge. Disillusionment takes away childish magic, as Dorph observes. Dorph uses onomatopoeia with "rumble" of his dad's throat as well as tactile and visual imagery to describe his memory with his father, as childhood memories are often remembered - little details comprise them. Then, when he grows up, he relives the joys of childhood wonderment through his daughter, who is the same as he was as a child. He compares this to being a "voyeur", using simile. The anaphora of "On Plunis" reinforces this childhood innocence and that his daughter's curiosity allows him to be happy and rediscover his imagination/lack of knowledge as a child.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, in Webb's "The Death of Santa Claus", there is a theme of disillusionment as childhood ends and one matures. Webb spins a fanciful story about how Santa Claus dies, with something he thinks is "indigestion" but is really serious, having "grabbed his heart and won't stop squeezing." This use of anecdote or perhaps even fairytale-esque story reminds the reader of a child's wondrous imagination. The use color imagery, with Santa's world that was once white now "goes black", signaling the death of both Santa and the child's unconditional faith in Santa. The comparison of Rudolph's nose to a "sad ambulance" reinforces this imagery of death, reminiscent of a trip to a hospital for a heart attack of "chest pain". After this story, the scene shifts to Texas, where a child is learning that Santa isn't real - a shattering blow to the child's belief system. It is as if a death is being announced, because in many ways, this is a death. It's the death of a beloved man that appears once a year to this child bringing toys and happiness, a symbol of magic. It's the death of his belief and, in some ways, childhood. It's "terrible news".
I enjoyed the poem "Forgotten Planet" by Doug Dorph. I think that it used the metaphor of a fake planet that his daughter named to serve as a representation of innocence and childhood. The child's "ignorance" reminds him of his own "wonder" about astronomy when he was a child, and carries him back to a time when he wasn't so burdened by the pitfalls of knowledge. He "physically" journeys to this imaginary planet at the end of the poem, and this allows him to actually experience imagination. Additionally, he uses references to facts about astronomy to parallel his feelings. Describing how the "sun does shine on the dark side of the moon" does not only refer to the solar system, but also refers to the optimism that this moment of ignorance has given him about the survival of wonder in the world. Anaphora in the second and fifth stanzas conveys a kind of childish way of speaking, which in this case is something that the narrator appears to respect.
ReplyDeleteI loved the poem "Sidekicks" by Ronald Koertge. (It reminded me, especially in the last stanza, of the "I Went to the Movies..." poem, and then I realized that Koertge wrote that one too!) The governing metaphor in "Sidekicks" compares the archetype of the comic book/movie sidekick to the average person. It begins by describing the blatant flaws that both groups of people have, and uses a simile ("ears big as kidneys") to emphasize imperfections. It goes on to compare the traits that both groups have - dependence, an inability to grow up, an overwhelming desire to please others, and a ceaseless need for attention. In the final stanza, the poem stops being merely descriptive and proceeds to set up a hypothetical situation (one that almost mirrors the one in the "I Went to the Movies" poem that we read in class.) It forces sidekick readers to imagine what it would be like if their movie-sidekick-counterparts were being beaten up on screen right before their eyes. This reenforces his earlier point that "Thankfully heroes never die in movies and leave the sidekick alone," and makes the metaphor even more personal. Additionally, he refers to actual sidekicks ("Pancho and Andy" etc) that I'm assuming many people (though not me!) would be familiar with to further connect with his audience.
Like Dani, I also really enjoyed "How to Change a Frog Into a Prince." Although I agree with many of Dani's points, I felt that the tone was much more ironic than it was didactic. The tale of the princess and the frog is magical while this poem's excessive instruction highlights the irony of alluding to this particular fairy tale (or any fairy tale at all). Also, this poem reminds me of a mother attempting to dress her child for school or something of the like. This also highlights the irony because it illustrates how unsuitable a frog is for royalty. This poem translates the absurdity of a frog as a prince by explaining, in great detail, the difficulty with which the frog would even get dressed.
ReplyDeleteNext, "The Hand" by Mary Ruefle was one of my favorites as well. First, the use of second person throughout the poem here forces the reader to connect to the boy/girl in the poem by taking his/her place. Although there is probably more to this poem, my gut reaction was that this poem is about a particular child's mentality. He/she does not raise his/her hand to answer the question, yet he/she is satisfied in the knowledge that he/she could answer it correctly. This child does not wish to be recognized by the class or by the teacher as the one who knows the answer. To me, this poem was very refreshing because it depicts someone who does not need recognition to feel gratified.
I think that each of the above posts contains good and analytic commentary. My two favorite poems however, were "The Hand" by Mary Ruefle and "Sidekicks" by Ronald Koertge.
ReplyDelete"The Hand" by Mary Ruefle describes a situation well known to students and teachers. Raising your hand and then waiting to be called on is something that happens every day. This story, however, tells a tale of a student who does not raise their hand, but instead spends their time staring out the window. This student is believed to be the only one with the answer, therefore when he withholds his knowledge from the rest of the class. This is a rudimentary exertion of power. Some examples of literary devices seen within this poem are enjambment, caesura, and hyperbole. The enjambment is seen throughout the poem but one example that stick out to me is "you suspect/you are the only." A caesura found in this poem is "You know the answer, you suspect." Coincidentally it is in the same line as the enjambment. Finally a hyperbole is "you are the greatest living authority." This is a hyperbole because it is doubtful that a student is the greatest living authority, on anything.
"Sidekicks" by Ronald Koertge has a similar feeling to the poem about the monster we read in class earlier, and rightfully so, considering it is by the same person. It describes its title, sidekicks. Generally the people who are a superheroes friend and main guy they are seen as the #2 in all and every situation. The poem describes them as less attractive, and less wanted than the superhero. Despite their physical attributes however, the poem describes them as brave and selfless-willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their #1. Whether they do this because they think they are less valuable than the other or because it is the right thing to do is unclear though. Something else noteworthy about this poem is the last line which is chose to be "that enormous nose" leaving the idea of the ugliness or unattractiveness which is still the major defining feature of the sidekick. Some literary devices seen within this poem are simile, hyperbole, metonymy, and caesura. A simile is "a yodel of a voice or ears big as kidneys." While a hyperbole is seen in "perfect face and body" because perfection is not really attainable and its probably that the features of the heroes are being exaggerated. Metonymy is seen when the names Gabby, Pat, and Andy are mentioned because they are to make the reader think of sidekicks and caesura is seen throughout the poem in order to emphasize the words/phrase before it. Finally something else i want to mention in the poem is the fact that it is more applicable to friendships then superheroes. At least for me thats how it was read.
My favorite poems were "The Death of Santa Claus" and "Fat is Not a Fairytale."
ReplyDeleteI really liked the poem "The Death of Santa Claus" because I think that it represents an important part of childhood that everyone experiences. Webb uses a somber and sorrowful tone to depict the speaker's loss of innocence- when he found out santa was not real. The enjambment that Webb employs is effective in showing the boy's emotional recount of when he found out Santa is imaginary. Also, the imagery such as "the beautiful white world he loves goes black" is effective in not only illustrating santa's death, but also alludes to the winter and white-christmas that most people dream about. Another powerful line that really struck me was, "tears in her throat, the terrible new rising in her eyes" because the reader can really imagine the pain and heart-ache the mother feels as she is about to ruin a childhood dream. The other poem that I really liked was "Fat is Not a Fairytale." The humorous and satiric tone that Yolen takes on is creatively drawn through the devices she employs. Everything she talks about are present issues in today's society. Many people struggle with weight issues, and even little kids strive to be like the beautiful princesses we see in movies and tv. She uses wordplay of fairy tale character to express her concern on weight issues. She uses first person to take the reader directly into her thoughts, and criticize not on the fairy tales, but also the reader by saying that this story has not been written, and whoever is reading it is not convinced of what she's trying to say.
I really enjoyed "Cartoon Physics, part 1" by Nick Flynn. There was a lot of alliteration with "ever expanding" "swallowed... solar systems collapsing... silence" "draws a door on a rock" etc. The repetition of soft letters and sounds add to the childlike innocence of the poem. Flynn draws a contrast between the disasters of real life and the exaggerated and impossible feats seen in cartoons. It is ironic that he titles the poem "physics" when it ultimately comes down to his message in the end of the poem about misleading children with cartoon heroics instead of reality. This makes his poem more about childhood naivety and the happier endings of disasters on television than the fact that cartoon cayotes run off a cliff and hang there before falling and that humans in the same situation would plummet to death. The use of enjambment keeps the poem pausing in frequent contemplation and yet the lines are never grouped in stanzas of more than three lines. This kind of made me think of actual cartoons where as short as they are, usually only 11 minutes, they're still broken down with commercial breaks which adds to the suspense. In this poem I think it has a similar effect; the progression of the poem from reality to a comparison to cartoons to the underlying message is made more comprehensible with the multiple forced pauses because readers must think about what Flynn is saying and are also compelled to keep reading quickly because the thoughts are not completely placed in one line.
ReplyDeleteAlso I really loved "The Bagel" by David Ignatow. I'm not sure if my analysis is a complete stretch, but bagels always make me think of my childhood (and most of the rest of the poems in this packet do, so I figured this was a safe guess) when I used to have a bagel for breakfast every single day. If to David, the bagel was metaphorical for his childhood, then the poem becomes a description of his annoyance at having dropped or lost part of his childhood but in chasing to recapture it, he renewed the passion and happiness of what he had been looking for. Metaphor is absolutely the dominant device in this case, followed closely by the use of verbs. There are many present tense, very active verbs such as rolling and gritting, and the accompanying adjectives of faster and faster which give a sense of immediacy to the poem. The tone and pace of the poem are similarly quick and the poem itself is relatively short. This could mimic life, which is so fast paced and fleeting and ultimately seen as too short. The poem is only two sentences, and the second is quite a run-on, which could also represent the blur of childhood into adulthood and the progression of life.
I personally enjoyed "Coloring" and "Cartoon Physics, part 1." Obviously, the main reason I enjoyed these poems is that their titles started with the letter 'C' (0x43 for those of who aren't computer-scientifically inclined (which is near 42 (which is the answer to life))). I also liked both poems because they deal with growing up and how people change, a topic I am passionate about. Both poems point out how people forget about the good things about being a kid and become too serious. (Honestly, how many of you go sledding anymore? Death of childhood right there)
ReplyDeleteBoth poems use tone to communicate their message. They are generally positive, but include very dark sentences or phrases to communicate how dark life is when people start growing up.
PS - I'm tempted to tell everyone what the surprise is for tomorrow in class, but that would ruin it.
PPS - That cartoon on the front? I found it and gave it to Siegs. HA!
PPPS - There are a lot (And I mean A LOT) of side comments in this post (like this one)
first off id just like to comment that i am certainly not computer scientifically inclined (i didnt understand the second reference let alone the first) and i also still LOVE sledding(been about 6 times this year), but thats no knock on you ed, ur the man,
ReplyDeletetime for the poems-The first one i enjoyed was Fat is Not a Fairy Tale, i liked the constant allusions to fairy tales with the addition of "fairy tale" actually in the title. This poem is somewhat sarcastic and the author is clearly implying what she states in the aforementioned title. There is alot of visual imagery used in the poem along with simile "and fingers as plump as sausage" with a little enjambment just for fun.
2-The second poem i enjoyed was "do you have any advice for those of us just starting out" i thought this poem was especially important because we are all starting out. It is written with a series of declarative sentences and has a very "pump up" speech feel about it. it stresses things like working hard and getting back up when life knocks you down, important things for us to know. i also noticed the use of caesura and enjambment, probably to strengthen the speech of the speaker.
PS-im psyched for the surprise too
I liked the poem “The Bagel” because it pictured a very childish scene that is totally relatable. Like Sarah, bagels remind me of the elementary school bagel days we had every Friday. I originally read the poem and took it at face value without reading too much into it. However, once I reached the end where he “found [him]self doubled over and rolling down the street head over heels”, things seemed strange. I agree with Sarah that the bagel is a metaphor for his childhood that he is chasing down the street. Additionally, the poem itself has a childish tone because the poem itself is short with short lines that are only a few syllables. The vocabulary is not very elevated and the descriptions are relatively simple, with repetition of the word “faster”, giving the poem a younger tone. The poem also consists of two run-on sentences, which is similar to the way a child would speak.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed “Fat Is Not a Fairytale” because I found it funny. The topic was also very relatable as weight and the portrayal of women are big issues in today’s society. I thought the changes to the names of fairy tales were humorous and witty. Like Dani mentioned, Yolen also used funny euphemisms for fat like “tubby”, “pillowed breasted” and “plump as a sausage” that provided imagery to reinforce her point. Furthermore, she begins each stanza with “I am thinking of a fairy tale” which is similar to how fairy tales always begin with “Once Upon a Time” (I’m not sure if that’s a stretch).
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ReplyDeleteFirst I liked "Cartoon Physics, part 1." I thought it was pretty funny. Firstly, it was relatable. All of these rules of cartoon physics like drawing doors on rocks and running off of cliffs are things that I have grown up watching so in some respects reading this poem was actually a little nostalgic. The structure of the poem seems to mirror a child talking, with the use of enjambed sentences and hyperbole's like the way a child, say, ten, would explain a his favorite cartoon character jumping out of a burning building. The author talks about how at the age of 10, still being a child, it is important to maintain our innocence. Meaning that, at such a young age kids shouldn't know that people will not always be saved when jumping from a burning building, and that car wrecks, and other "tangible disasters" do not always turn out positively. They should learn about these things to make it seem like that is always the case and slowly learn that sometimes "if a man runs off the edge of a cliff he will not fall."
ReplyDeleteSecond poem I liked was "The Death of Santa Claus." The poem like cartoon physics is a symbol of innocence in childhood. At a young age everyone believes in mystical and magical creatures like Santa Claus, The easter bunny, and the tooth fairy. Although this poem gives imagery and details regarding an actual death of Santa Claus it is a metaphor for a child learning that he is not actually real. Not a death in the literal sense of the word but a death in the sense that he will no longer exist in the mind of this child. The mother at the end of the story is crying because she has to, in essence, kill part of her child's innocence. (Something I am not unfamiliar with ). (Shot anecdote here) When I was 8 I played on a soccer team with Jeff Fischer, and, as a Jew, I didn't believe with Santa Claus to begin with. However, Jeffery did. One day at practice we got into a large debate about whether or not Santa was real. After a very heated argument we settled on the fact that the part about the flying reindeer was a bit outrageous but Santa himself may still exist because "how could parents possibly make all of those presents?" anyway, The poem uses enjambed sentences and extremely descriptive imagery along with similes and metaphors. The gruesome description of Santa's death contributes to the graveness of the situation.
I really liked "Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale". All the puns on the fairy tale titles were entertaining, and obviously the allusions were very effective. I also think the hopeful tone of the poem was effective. I don't think the poem would have been anywhere near as effective if Yolen sounded like she was complaining. The repetition of 'I am thinking...' at the beginning of each stanza helps to further its tone. I also really like the 'round is good' last part and the list that follows. It is simple and still very effective.
ReplyDeleteI also liked "The Hand". The second sentence is super long with lots of enjambed phrases. This sort of makes it seem like stream of consciousness as if the speaker is in the head of the student. The second person point of view does that as well by inferring that the speaker is in the readers head. This works because it is a relatable topic (not volunteering in class bc you are distracted/lazy or not confident in your answer).
surprise???
ReplyDeletealso ed i still go sledding...
i liked fat is not a fairy tale. its relatable and creative - i loved the twists on the fairy tale names. the anaphora reminded me of mlk's i have a dream speech, and though their dreams/fairy tales are different, there's a common theme present. it's not that she wants there to be a fairy tale about a fat princess. more significantly, she wants being overweight to become more socially acceptable/favorable. and maybe fat is even symbolic of all things that arent stereotypically beautiful. she wants a world where everyone is accepted - which is pretty powerful. i forget who said this-dani maybe- but i like the point that the anaphora made it read a little bit like a fairy tale - or at least a children's story.
im going to attempt knowledge bc i dont think anyone did....
its a little bit deep, but the abstraction of the content is quite like knowledge itself. the question at the end contributes to the idea of ambiguity and uncertainty described throughout the poem. while this discusses truth and what's really happening at a specific moment, there is another level that to be honest is going over my head... theres a lot of tactile imagery with the heat of the coals, and the image of soles blistering and peeling really grossed me out. but im not sure what its doing there. i guess they work in a coal mine? thoughts?
my favorite poem is the death of santa claus. its an extremely relatable topic.. one im personally passionate about. the metaphor is tragic brilliant. ari i liked your point about how the enjambment increases the emotional intensity. the last couple of stanzas gave me sad chills- probably bc it is SO relatable. but when he inserts himself: "i'm 8" - i can't help but picture him on his purple couch with his mom and feel so sad for him. waiting til the end to insert the speaker was extremely effective bc the lead up made it more powerful.
ps thanks for the anecdote miguel. loved it. also totally agree that the graphic description of his death is metaphor for how painful that loss of innocense is.
My favorite poem was "Q and A". I found it interesting that Koertge incorporated a Q and A format into his poem. This is significant because it shows how any string of words can be poetic, and words are the topic of his poem. The similes and metaphors also stood out to me because they described things like thesauruses and dictionaries that are normally not juxtaposed with anything else. With Koertge's descriptions, I could see a dictionary as an army because everything is in order, in its place, meant to preform certain functions. It makes sense for a thesaurus, on the other hand, to be more jumbled. In a thesaurus, everything is organized by relevance. I really loved those metaphors because they created a really crazy visual of words acting like people. I also liked how in general Koertge personified words as dying ("a go-go") and portrayed them as physically heavy objects to explain how difficult they were to use mentally.
ReplyDeleteMy next favorite poem was "Cartoon Physics". Right away, we realize that Flynn is mocking the age at which children should learn the truth about the universe. The phrase "Children under, say, ten" implies that his system, and the world's system, of determining this age is completely arbitrary and therefore absurd. I like the last few lines where Flynn says that a girl with a toy bus can determine how it will act before it gets to its destination and how a man will hover in mid air before realizing he ran off the cliff. It's ironic that cartoons will teach the girl that these things will happen because in reality it's not the same at all. When she learns about how physics actually works, she's going to have to forget about everything she's been taught before. In this poem Flynn looks at this transition from childhood to reality as a shame.