In Margaret Atwood's poem, "A Sad Child," Atwood contributes to the theme that society influences emotion. Throughout the first two stanzas, excuses are made as to why a child is sad, and how to "cure" the sadness. This leads into panic, but eventually resolve.
In the first two stanzas, extensive catalogging of excuses is seen in explanation of a young girl's sadness. The list includes: "you're sad because you're sad. It's psychic. It's the age. It's chemical." Even though these excuses (as said to the girl by another) are meant to comfort the girl through her sadness, they only increase her sadness by suggesting something is wrong with her, and that she needs to do something about it. Here are listed "cures" to her sadness: "hug your sadness, get over it, count your blessings, go shopping, dance." Among these "cures" many stand out, specifically ones stereotyping females. Suggestions like hugging dolls, shopping, and dancing are generally viewed as feminine. The basic message here is : "Don't cry, we don't like seeing a sad young lady. Try doing something girly to get over it."
In stanza three, we are given insight into what has caused the girl's sadness. Throughout this stanza, and the following two stanzas, it is hinted at that the girl has had her first period through words like; "flushed, bathroom, and red flame seeping out of you." This contributes to what seems to be a panicked feeling in the girl. Not only this, but we discover she feels meaningless due to her belief that she's not the favorite child. The ending of the poem gives the only encouraging words of the piece, to sum up: "We're either all the favorite child or none of us are."
In conclusion, the girl in the poem must be in a very confused stage of her life, and Atwood emphasizes this through her enhancement on what "they" are telling us to do to feel better.
Monday 23 February 2009
Thursday 12 February 2009
The Frontier of Writing
In Seamus Heaney's poem, "The Frontier of Writing," Heaney uses war imagery to convey the theme that writing is an uphill fight; a difficult process involving lengthy procedures, guidelines, and people trying to butcher your work.
The setting of the poem is stated in the first stanza - the "nilness" of the space, sorrounded by troops with guns taking your car's "make and number." All of this contributes to the dominant effect of the piece, that writing is like passing through a war-zone, everyone wants to make sure your not the "enemy," or more figuratively, that you fit to the "social norm," following the general procedure to writing that authors commonly use in the current era. This is made most evident in the line descirbing the process of analyzation of the person passing through to the "frontier of writing," in which the troops are said to be taking the "make and number" of the person, and to an extent the person behind the wheel. Typically, taking the "make and number" refers to recognizing the model/type and license plate number of a vehicle. Here, figuratively, one may think that the soldier is actually refering to the "make and number" of the person passing through, as in "where is this person coming from?" This suggests that he has to be the "right" make and number to pass through, showing that writing/editing process should conform to the social norm.
In the conclusion of the poem we find the writer passing through the frontier of writing, in which he'she feels as though passing through a waterfall, which ultimately suggests how relieving getting through the process feels. Even further, he'she feels free in the way the "open tarmac" lies in front of him/her. He/she is free to the open roads of writing.
Overall, the peom emits an effect that places the reader in the writer's position through it's vivid war imagery.
The setting of the poem is stated in the first stanza - the "nilness" of the space, sorrounded by troops with guns taking your car's "make and number." All of this contributes to the dominant effect of the piece, that writing is like passing through a war-zone, everyone wants to make sure your not the "enemy," or more figuratively, that you fit to the "social norm," following the general procedure to writing that authors commonly use in the current era. This is made most evident in the line descirbing the process of analyzation of the person passing through to the "frontier of writing," in which the troops are said to be taking the "make and number" of the person, and to an extent the person behind the wheel. Typically, taking the "make and number" refers to recognizing the model/type and license plate number of a vehicle. Here, figuratively, one may think that the soldier is actually refering to the "make and number" of the person passing through, as in "where is this person coming from?" This suggests that he has to be the "right" make and number to pass through, showing that writing/editing process should conform to the social norm.
In the conclusion of the poem we find the writer passing through the frontier of writing, in which he'she feels as though passing through a waterfall, which ultimately suggests how relieving getting through the process feels. Even further, he'she feels free in the way the "open tarmac" lies in front of him/her. He/she is free to the open roads of writing.
Overall, the peom emits an effect that places the reader in the writer's position through it's vivid war imagery.
Thursday 5 February 2009
Mid-Term Break
In Seamus Heaney's poem, "Midterm Break," Heaney contributes to the depressing/saddening tone through his straight-forward diction. Plain, simple, and concise words are used to give the serious efect Heaney is reaching for.
Mid-Term Break is about a college student who is disconnected with his family. The death of his baby brother/sister puts him in an awkward situatuiion in which the author feels out of place, not knowing whether he should act like a crying baby or resreved old man. n This is amplified through the absnce of descriptive words.
Throughout the poem, it is evident that adjectives and descriptors are not commonly used; adjectives are rarely used to boost the saddening effect, like "angry tearless sighs," or gaudy scars." The lack of description, reinforces how awkward the situation it is for the author, and also puts him into contrast of the crying/laughing baby and old men.
In conclusion, the overall tone of the poem is that of grief, but the grief is not felt through all, specifically the author, do to the disconnect between him/her and their family. The author does not know how to react, so he/she simply describes the situation as is, without heavy description and focus on mood.
Mid-Term Break is about a college student who is disconnected with his family. The death of his baby brother/sister puts him in an awkward situatuiion in which the author feels out of place, not knowing whether he should act like a crying baby or resreved old man. n This is amplified through the absnce of descriptive words.
Throughout the poem, it is evident that adjectives and descriptors are not commonly used; adjectives are rarely used to boost the saddening effect, like "angry tearless sighs," or gaudy scars." The lack of description, reinforces how awkward the situation it is for the author, and also puts him into contrast of the crying/laughing baby and old men.
In conclusion, the overall tone of the poem is that of grief, but the grief is not felt through all, specifically the author, do to the disconnect between him/her and their family. The author does not know how to react, so he/she simply describes the situation as is, without heavy description and focus on mood.
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