The Story We Know.

a poem by Martha Collins

1. Describe a villanelle by explicating the stanza pattern and the rhyme scheme of this poem. How many different end rhymes are in the poem? How many times is each sound repeated? Which words are repeated exactly at the ends of lines, in what pattern? How does the last stanza use the rhyming words? Why is this appropriate at the end of the poem?
There are 2 different end rhymes in the poem that follow the rhyme scheme of aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abaa. The words repeated at the ends of lines are, Hello, fine, know, No, wine, slow, nine, below, line, snow, pine, oh, sign. The a rhyme is used 13 times and the b rhyme used 6. The word “Hello” ends lines 1, 6, and 12. The word “know” ends line 3, 9, 15. There are also several rhyming words within lines such as same/name, tomorrow/No, Times/nine, hold/cold. Both know and Hello are used in the final two lines to reiterate the poem’s meaning.
2. Isolating the b rhymes (middle line of each tercet) gives of this list: fine, wine, nine, pine, sign. What is the significance of each of these words to the whole poem?
“Fine,” is a response to “How are you?”, a polite greeting like that you would give an acquaintance. “Wine,” is associated with jovial feelings, much like the beginning of a relationship. A “Line” is something flattering or charming one uses to attract another. “Pine” may also mean a nostalgic desire or grief, such as the feelings one may have soon after a relationship ends. “Cold white sign” is the final reality to the fate of the couple’s relationship.
3. Incremental repetition tends to augment meaning and accumulate significance. What variations in meaning are present in the following groups of repetitions and what is their effect?
Line 1: same. Hello,
Line 6: same, Hello,
Line 12: same Hello.
Line 18: end. Hello,The first hello is simply a way to make acquaintance. The second, is another way to begin a relationship, over lunch. The third signifies that all relationships begin the same, with Hello. The fourth points out that all relationships begin and end the same, “Hello, Good-bye”.

Line 3: Good-bye at the end.
Line 9: Good-bye. In the end
Line 15: Good-bye is the end
Line 19: Good-bye is the only

The first line signifies what we say at the end of making an acquaintance. The second, establishes that in a relationship we have established the ritual of good-bye. The third, reiterates the idea, with a forlorn tone. The fourth really stressed that “good-bye is the only” story.

Line 3: every story we know
Line 9: this is a story we know
Line 15: every story we know
Line 19: We know, we know.

The idea that every story we know is the same at the beginning and end is introduced in line 3. The second reiterates and adds that we do not bother with the details. The third states that we really know that every relationship ends with goodbye because it is implied that the speaker has experienced it in this relationship. The last signifies a sense of sadness and defeat, repeating “We know, we know.”

Death Perception.

Death Be Not Proud John Donne

1. In what ways does this poem conform to a common sonnet form? What variations are notable, and what is their effect?
The poem is comprised of fourteen lines that may be broken into three quatrains and a couplet, alike to a Shakespearian sonnet. However, the quatrains follow a rhyme scheme of abba / abba / bccb and are followed by a half rhyming couplet; that of an Italian sonnet.

2. Describe Donne’s use of apostrophe and personification. How do these devices enhance our experience of the poem?
Donne uses apostrophe and personification in the poem to address Death, devices which further weaken the subject. The speaker’s authoritative tone rebukes Death for its pride, and triumphantly reveals its true feebleness.

3. Paraphrase each of the sonnet’s three quatrains, preserving the clauses but simplifying the syntax. Do the same for the paradoxical couplet. Retain the apostrophe and personification.Death, don’t be proud, although some think you
Strong and fearsome, you are not.
Those who you think you conquer,
Do not die, poor Death, and you can not kill me.

We gain much pleasure from rest and sleep
which are like you; therefore we must gain more from you.
The best men will soon die,
their body will rest and their souls be delivered.

You are a slave to fate, chance, powerful persons such as kings, suicide,
You are associated with poison, war, and sickness,
Drugs, and charms can be used to sleep just as well-
Or better than you, so why do you take pride in these powers?

You are powerless because death is “one short sleep away”
Then we awake to immortality and you death are non-existent.

To Death Anne Finch

1. Describe the form and structure of the poem.
The poem is comprised of 3 sets of rhyming couplets, known as heroic couplets.

2. Which details personify death? What is their effect? With what attitude does the speaker apostrophize death? What does she request of him?
Finch personifies death as the “King of Terrors” in line 1. Throughout the poem this statement is endorsed by the speaker as she reveals her fear of Death’s wrathful “swords,” “racks,” “wheels,” “scorching fevers,” and “contagious darts.” Through this it is apparent that the speaker has a fearful attitude towards Death. Death is also personified as more powerful than Jesus in line 4 when Finch states, “Nor would ev’n God (in flesh) thy stroke decline.” Despite her fear, she requests that death, “Spare these, and let thy time be when it will… Gently thy fatal scepter on me lay.”

3. Paraphrase each of the three sections of the poem: (1-6) (7-12) (13-16). Use one sentence for each couplet. Change all figurative language to literal rather than retaining the apostrophe and personification.
Every living thing is a slave to the unlimited powers of King of Terrors because they all must die. Kings, Prophets, and Priests must all meet their end, as not even Jesus could conquer death. Even I will join the kingdom of death.
This I do not fear, only the agony associated with some deaths. Also fevers that take some, unprepared and not in their right mind. As well as contagious diseases that spread around deathbeds.
Take me when you wish but spare me of these agonies as I aim to die and you to kill. Take me gently for I wish to die peacefully.

Bilingual Sestina.

a Poem by Julia Alverez
1. This poem is written in a form called sestina. Look for a repetition of the last word of each line. The last three lines of the poem are called envoy.
In the poem, the lines each stanza end with the exact same words or a variation of the same words. The lines in stanza one end in: said/ English/ closed/ words/ nombres/ Spanish or abcdef. These six words are repeated in the next five lines in this order:
Stanza 2: faebdc
Stanza 3: cfdabe
Stanza 4: ecdfad
Stanza 5: deacfb
Stanza 6: bdfeca
The last three lines of the poem are called envoy and summarize the main idea of the poem. All six words are used, three as end words and found throughout the lines.
2. In the first stanza, what is the effect of personification and allusion? What is the Spanish counterpart of each? Sum up the meaning of the stanza.
In the first stanza the English language is personified as “this snowy, blonde, blue eyed, gum chewing” girl. The allusion, to the American anthem, “dawn’s early light,” makes Alvarez think of “light sifting through persianas” that dark skinned girls of her native Caribbean closed the night before. The effect of this is multicultural; the author’s frustration with English, “the universal language” is openly portrayed. She can not easily translate “persianas” to the English word “blinds”, which illustrates her unease with this newly assimilated language.
3. What mood is evoked in stanza two? How does language create this mood?
A mood of nostalgia and longing for the simplicity of childhood is created in stanza two by the way Alvarez describes her feelings for her native language. Lines 7-9 state, “the sounds of Spanish wash over me like warm island waters as I say your soothing names: child again learning nombres…” As a child things were what they were; that is, “sol, tierra, cielo, luna”, were simple to her- they had only one name and one meaning. They did not have to be translated into “sun, earth, sky, moon”, as they do now because she is an adult living in a foreign place.
4. What do we learn in stanzas two and three about the differences between names and vocabulary words? How does the example of the plant called the morivivir help illustrate this gap? What does the metaphor of the genii in the bottle tell us about the nature of the language?
We learn that words do not always manifest the same image/ feeling as the actual object. They are simply labels for things. The speaker uses the “morivivir” as an example of this, explaining how the word for this plant, English or Spanish was frail compared with the object. It does not embody the full meaning. The metaphor of the genii in the bottle further depicts this dilemma, by illustrating that the word for an object does not always “summon… the full blown genii”; it does not always deliver its richness or true significance.
5. In stanzas four and five, why does the speaker invoke Gladys and Rosario from her childhood? How is her childhood sensitivity to words inextricably bound to Spanish, her first language? What is significant about the allusion to Adam, the first man?
The speaker is nostalgic for Gladys and Rosario, and her native language. She associates feeling with Spanish words that she does not English, because this was her first language, the one which she understands inside and out. She, just as Adam, remembers naming (learning the names) of objects in Spanish.

Eve.

a Poem by Ralph Hodgson

1. Describe the subtle changes in setting and analyze how these shifts reveal Eve’s fall from grace.
   Originally, Eve is alone in the orchard picking berries and plums to eat. In line 25, she is called an “orchard sprite.” The setting then changes. “Singing birds,” in line 46 illustrates the noise present then that was not when the poem began, as Eve follows the serpent to the “Blasphemous Tree” their noise turns to “chatter.” In line 57, Eve is pictured crying outside the orchard, with no sweet berries to eat because God has banished her. Lastly, Satan is illustrated as victorious as in line 65, “the toast goes round.”
2. How does the poem’s diction contribute to the tone and meaning? Consider: adjectives, verbs, and participles; patterns contrasts, and surprising juxtapositions of words.
   Eve’s actions are described using verbs that imply innocence such as: “wading”, “picking fruit”, “wondering”, “listening”, “cries”, and “sadly haunts the garden gate.” While Satan’s actions are described with words such as “whispers”, as he whispers his evil lie, “tumbles”, and “low” to describe his tone as he ensnares Eve.
3. Adjectives associated with each character also contribute to their meaning.
   Eve is associated with the “sweet” berries; Birds describe her as “motherless”; her body is “white” with innocence. Contrarily, Satan’s voice of seduction is “soft,” “silvery,” and “low.” The birds make “clatter” noises of hatred towards him. The path he takes that leads Eve to the tree is “dark” and “blasphemous” as it signifies sin and death.
4. Consider the poet’s use of figurative language. How does the choice of comparisons influence tone and meaning?
   Eve is described as an “orchard sprite,” because she innocent and alien to the world. Satan’s seduction is described sweetly, “…each syllable, light as a flower fell.” He was talented with his disguise.
5. Describe meter, line length, and pattern of enjambment. What does the rhythm contribute to the mood of the poem?
   The meter gives the poem a happy, upbeat, dance-like mood. The meter is dactylic, with two dactyls to a line. The short lines are nearly all enjambed. This is ironic, as the poem speaks of a sober and sad matter.
6. Describe the use of repetition and rhyme. Look for patterns. What does the repetition contribute to the mood of the poem?
   The poem has many rhyming lines, although there is no regular rhyming pattern. Words that are meant to have extra emphasis are often the rhyming words.Repetition of phrases such as “belles and grass,” “Eva,” “Wondering/Listening” illustrates their significance in the poem.

An Experience.

To be honest… creating this blog was rather boring. I’ve had experience with blogs before, so it was nothing new and the process of creating the blog is usually not your motivation for creating one. Furthermore, the slow internet provider at school made it even more bland.

To construct this online journal, I simply provided my name, email, and a few other pieces of information about myself then created a user name, blog title, and password. Picking out the layout of this application was by far the most exciting part of the experience- though not at all captivating.