Sunday, March 30, 2008

Sound and Sense #251 The Sound of Night - Maxine Kumin

This poem explores the happenings of nighttime that frighten us "day creatures." It paints an uneasy picture of the animals at night and what they do while we are sleeping - or trying to, anyway. The speaker is perhaps camping with another person/people, and they are a little leery of falling asleep among the unknown creatures of the night. The diction displays this fear, for the words used to describe the sounds, "cries," "squeaks," "noises," are rather harsh and unpleasant sounding - they are most definitely not soothing, soft words that roll off one's tounge and put them to sleep. These instead suggest uneasiness, "...noisy as ducks, drunk / on the boozy black, gloating chink-chunk" (Kumin 8,9). These noises are sharp and alert, keeping the speaker and company awake, for they must must "defend" themselves during the night. This suggests there is danger lurking that may attack or try to harm them. When listing the sources of all of these sounds, not one of them is positive, and "the strange" even has a line of its own. Unknown, unexplained, scary, foreign creatures are "the strange" ones that are especially frightening. All these campers can look forward to is the "sweet" sun that is guaranteed to rise in the morning and will silence all of the unknowns of the dark.


The term "we" is used, referring to the speaker and their company. It could also, perhaps, be referring to the human population as a whole. In that case, the poem takes on an entirely different tone, one of slight sarcasm and mockery. The speaker would then be pointing out all of the scary things that make us softy humans afraid of the dark. It is silly of us to curl up in our blankets next to a cozy fire, surrounded by the little birdies, bats, and frogs - all harmless and simply making noises. And of course those "supposed...the never seen" are out there too - who knows what they're going to do to you!

The imagery throughout this poem is entirely auditory. There is no solid, physical evidence to reassure these campers' wandering minds. Not seeing any of these animals leads to the fear of the unknown, which is most often the scariest aspect. The campers assume the source of every sound to be a bird, a bat, or a frog; but there is always that possibility that it is not, that it is something far more threatening on its way to gobble them up, for they never actually see this bird, bat or frog.

The structure of the poem also adds to the uneasy feeling the reader senses. "And now" is the start of the first two stanzas. First of all, this puts the reader right in the moment with the campers, experiencing that same trembling fear. Beginning this way is also very informal, rushed almost, as though the speaker is not focused because they are too consumed by the threatening noises surrounding them. The final stanza is different, for it begins only with "Now." In this stanza the speaker is now focused on the future - they are settled in, maybe a little accustomed to the noises, although still fearful. They are reassured by the definite coming of the "sweet" sun which will save them, and they concentrate on this to keep their minds off of the ever-present night sounds.

Sound and Sense #212 Money - Victor Contoski

This is an entertaining poem that describes money as though it has the characteristics of multiple living things. The first stanza implies that money is a wild animal, wild in the sense of free of any human connections, yet it is "willing to be domesticated." The next stanza describes it as a small creature that can fit in a pocket. The words "nest," "soft," and "curl up" suggest a cozy, furry little animal, like a mouse. The third stanza moves on to describe money as a dog - likable, it attracts other people, etc. The tides change, however, in the fourth stanza when the speaker describes money has a self-absorbed amoeba. The fifth stanza then returns to treating money like an animal that needs care, exercise, and watering (sixth stanza). In the second to last stanza, the description of money as something humans master, yet it turns on them, may be referring to a circus animal; perhaps a lion or tiger that obediently learns and performs all of the tricks, but one day turns and bites its trainer from out of the blue. The final stanza refers to money as a snake, or some animal with venom, that can kill its victim in 30 seconds. As the poem progresses, t describes the gradual transformation of money from a harmless little mouse, to a deadly snake. The speaker may have had some personal experience with money similar to this one, and this poem may be his warning to others to not get this involved with money or try to master it.

A literary device used in this poem is, in a way, personification. That is probably not the correct term, however, money is an inanimate object given animal traits instead of human traits. This allows the speaker room to make a large variety of comparison to encompass all of the various characteristics of money. Instead of saying: people will like you more because you have money, the speaker compares money to a dog. Dog is man's best friend; people walk up to complete strangers just to pet their dogs and may become friends because of it; a man's adorable puppy may be what causes two soul mates to meet in a movie. The reader now sees people buddying up to someone because of their money and a woman pursuing a wealthy man to secure her financial future. Now the money has taken on a living, breathing influence, that is stronger than a green piece of paper.

Hyperbole is used in the last stanza, when money is said to have the ability to kill. Of course this is unrealistic, and instead of literally physically killing a person, this implies an emotional death. Money can buy many wonderful things - it can feed thousands of hungry people, put roofs over heads, fund research to cure epidemic diseases, etc. Money can also destroy someone's life. It is a well-known fact that many of those who have won the lottery through the years end up with more miserable lives than before they had won the money. Some people get so caught up in the face value of money, all of the pretty things it can buy, the high status it gives them, etc., that when they run out, they are completely lost and utterly helpless. Because they relied on it to make them "happy," they know no other way to recreate this happiness. Money cannot buy happiness. That is also a well-known fact. This is the emotional death the speaker is referring to. That plummet into total darkness when all that someone has relied upon turns its back and leaves them.

This free verse poem is very simple - no complicated rhyme scheme, pattern, or meter. The speaker is merely stating facts, one per stanza. He is just putting out the warning, plain and clear for everyone to read: beware of money, for it can kill you.

Sound and Sense #209 Good Times - Lucille Clifton

This poem is rather simple, but has an important message. The speaker comes across as an older person, most likely a woman, who has perhaps lived through some tough times. These rough times however, make the simple, ordinary times appear to be that much better in comparison. It is these good times that should be remembered, which the speaker advises children as she looks back at her life, for perhaps she is lying on her death bed.

Because the speaker is an older person, it gives the poem a little more meaning. Coming from someone elderly, the poem has more truth, more validity - an 85 year old woman has the necessary experience, knowledge, and wisdom (that a 35 year old does not) to be making these suggestions on how to look at one's life.

The syntax of this poem suggests that the speaker is not very educated, for only names are capitalized, there is no sentence structure, no punctuation, etc. This literary device layers another meaning onto the poem, suggesting that good times are not restricted to the wealthy, privileged individuals who have higher educations, and whose "good times" are more extravagant
than others' may be. "Good times" are the simple times, the pleasant, true times that make one happy.
The fact that only the names are capitalized may also point out that these people, all members of the family, are around during each of these happy memories. This may imply that "good times" are those spent with family.

Repetition is the most obvious aspect of the poem, for "good times" is repeated seven times throughout this 18-line poem. It is repeated for a simple reason, too - to emphasize the fact that the good times are those that should be thought of often and kept in our memories forever. Not bad times, tough times, confusing times, prideful times, or any other kind of times - no, just the good times.

Sound and Sense #201. Siren Song - Margaret Atwood

Having read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, I found a clear message in this poem right away. Although Atwood is not necessarily the speaker, I can pick out her voice coming through this poem, for she is a strong promoter of women's rights. Not having previous knowledge of the author would have made this poem more difficult to understand. It is clear that the speaker, whoever it may be, is resentful of her job as a siren. She is simply being used for her voice, beauty, and femininity to seduce sailors and trick them into coming ashore, where they will surely meet their deaths. "I don't enjoy it here / squatting on this island / looking picturesque and mythical" (Atwood 13-15). She is stuck with this job only because she is a woman, and she feels suppressed by it. What she really wants is help, "This song / is a cry for help: Help me!" (21, 22).


One major literary device used in this poem is allusion, for the entire poem is an allusion to Greek mythology. A siren is a beautiful woman/creature with bird-like characteristics who lures sailors to their deaths with her beauty and voice. Using Greek mythology to portray a current concern, women's rights, stresses its importa
nce. If this issue can be dated as far back as Greek mythology goes, it is clearly an issue that must be addressed. The speaker is basically saying that it's about time someone should fix this problem, seeing as it has been around since the beginning of time.
Another literary device used is repetition. The speaker, the siren, uses repetition when addressing the reader, "I will tell the secret to you, / to you, only to you / ...Help me! / Only you, only you can, / you are unique" (19-24). This repetition stresses that the reader of this poem, "you," is the only person that can possibly help her. "You" is someone who is reading these words that the siren has written - they have not been seduced or put under the influence of her beauty or voice. The reader is not a pitiful sailor who has fallen for the siren's beautiful song, but is now the only person who knows of her true feelings and thoughts, for all others who have met her are dead. It is as though this poem is a message in a bottle that the speaker put out as her last chance of being rescued from her suppressing role as a siren.
It also makes it more personal, and it hits the reader at a deeper level than if she did not address them at all. To try and get her point across as best as possible, the speaker must emphasize that this single, unique reader is her only chance, her last hope.


This poem is written in free verse - there is no rhyme or meter whatsoever. This could perhaps be the speaker's form of rebellion. She has been forced as a siren to sing this "boring song" for years, and by writing in free verse, she is eliminating any element of song. There is no rhyme, no rhythm, no flow or movement, and no repetition of a particular stanza, like a chorus would be repeated.


Friday, March 28, 2008

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

One of the various symbols in this novel is the character Emma. She symbolizes purity and innocence, and is the one female character that Stephen does not destroy in his mind when he is exploring his sexual identity. Stephen places her on a pedestal, almost worships her, because she is everything that is good (although he never has a conversation with her). He has such high regards for her that he feels she is in a completely different reality than him and that they will never be at the same level together. Stephen is making these comparisons because he is going through the phase where he feels incredibly sinful for exploring his sexual identity the way he is. Comparing Stephen to Emma gives a better perspective of Stephen's guilt; he feels as though he is the complete opposite of her extreme purity and innocence. Once Stephen finds his own identity and has a conversation with Emma, he sees things in a totally different light. This conversation makes him realize she is human, real, and has faults and impurities of her own. He sees it was unrealistic for him to put her on such a high pedestal; also saying that it was unrealistic of him to ever compare himself to Emma. She did not exist as he imagined her to - perfect, pure, angelic; and he was not the complete devil he thought he was. "Yes, I liked her today. A little or much? Don't know. I liked her and it seems a new feeling to me...O, give it up, old chap! Sleep it off!" (Joyce 275). Stephen finally accepts himself and the way thing are, lets go, and is able to move on with his life.


"A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a crane's and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh. Her thighs, fuller and softhued as ivory, were bared almost the the hips where the white fringes of her drawers were like featherings of soft white down. Her slateblue skirts were kilted boldly about her waist and dovetailed behind her. Her bosom was as a bird's soft and slight, slight and soft as the breast of some darkplumaged dove. But her long fair hair was girlish: and girlish, and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face." (185, 186)

This passage stands out because it is one of the most important turning points in the novel. Stephen finally sees a girl as a beautiful, natural creation, rather than associating her with sex and ruining her image. The repetition of the words "soft and slight" in reference to her bosom suggests a modest figure, one that Stephen does not see and instantly relate to sex. "Girlish" is also repeated in this passage, implying girlhood innocence and purity. It goes on to say, "Her image had passed into his soul for ever and no word had broken the holy silence of his ecstasty...A wild angel had appeared to him, the angel of mortal youth and beauty, an envoy from the fair courts of life, to throw open before him in an instant of ecstasy the gates of all the ways of error and glory" (186). Although Stephen has overcome his sinful idea of women, he has yet to remove those innocent and pure from the pedestal he has raised them upon, as discussed above. This accomplishment will come at the end of the novel when Stephen and Emma finally have a conversation.

Because Stephen compares her to a "beautiful seabird" this passage also relates to flight, a common theme in the novel. At this point, Stephen has just rejected the priesthood but has yet to fully discover his inner artist. He is beginning to think for himself. The idea of flight and freedom allows him to make his own decisions, live his own life, and not be suppressed by Ireland or the traditions of his family or any religion. It is incredible that Stephen can actually see this freedom in her, whereas earlier in the novel he was trapped also by women.



"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is definitely an interesting read, however, I am leery to commit to saying that I like it or dislike it. On the positive side is Joyce's language, for one. Those paragraphs of the preacher's speech on hell are, although rather morbid, phenomenal. Joyce is able to chose the most appropriate words for each situation, almost like poetry, when the sound the word makes fits the tone of the work. One aspect of the novel that can be both good and bad is the theme of finding one's individual consciousness. This is something that everyone experiences at some point in their lives, and most of us teenagers are trying to find ourselves now. This makes the book easy to relate to; however, it is the extremity of this search that is the downfall. At his worst, Stephen's mind is so deep and dark that I almost no longer want to read it. His struggles and pitfalls are depressing, and because Joyce's language is so vivid, I feel as though I am struggling right along with him. Unfortunately, the depth of Stephen's mind is so cumbersome that it makes it difficult to read.