For the Record-Adrienne Rich

The first time that I read this poem, I interpreted it as being about an arguement. An arguement either between two individuals (most likely a couple) or an internal conflict. It's kind of far-fetched, but I decided to run with it.

Stanza 1:
The stars, clouds, and stones of fire being external issues that have no bearing on this argument whatsoever. The raindrops signifying that the relationship, starts to give way under pressure.

Stanza 2:
Occasionally when people argue, they try to bring up past conflicts, which only adds to the deteriorating relationship. It can, in a sense, "poison" the relationship, over time. And even, though the arguement may have subsided, the words that were exchanged can stay in one's mind.

Stanza 3:
While neither party neccessarily intended to add tension to an arguement, bringing up the past can create a lost or "roaming" feeling in a relationship. The two people themselves, are not the problem. Its what they bring out in each other that can be the problem, potentially.

Stanza 4:
Two people can try to protect a relationship to the ends of the earth and back, but some situations are inevitable. Even the thickest of walls can be comprimised.

Stanza 5:
These arguements can leave us with bruised egos, defeated self-pride, and ultimately lost. While no one ever asks for these situations to happen, sometimes they just do. Sometimes they can be fixed and sometimes they can't.

Stanza 6:
While its important to remember that these arguements are inevitable, its also important to remember that both said things that they probably didn't mean and made the other person feel a way they didn't intend to make them feel. You can't simply find the other person at fault. You must also realize that you are at fault too, but you're also human.

I think that this poem is relevent, if my interpretation is plausible. Arguements are an innevitable part of life and the key to getting through them is learning to pick your battles, but not only that, but learning to when to walk away or try harder.

Diving into the Wreck-Adrienne Rich

This poem was an easy read for me.

Stanza 1:
This, I interpreted, is a metaphor for taking risks in life.

Stanza 2:
While there is a ladder, not all use it. To those who don't use any of the 'tools' that life gives them, the tools are merely things/ideas that don't mean much to them.

Stanza 3:
When we descend the ladder, we never really know when we will hit the water and have to start swimming. In life, when we take risks, we usually don't know the outcome. We never know when we'll have to start fighting.

Stanza 4:
As we sink deeper and deeper, swimming becomes increasingly difficult. As life throws situations at as from all angles, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep going. Often we have to hit "rock bottom", before things start to look up. The key is turning rock bottom into the new solid foundation from which you can grow.

Stanza 5:
It is sometimes easy to forget to focus on the things that truely matter in life when it becomes difficult.

Stanza 6:
Once we hit "rock bottom" or come to a point that we can evaluate where we are in our life journey and what we want out of life, we have to do so honestly and confidently.

Stanza 7:
Differentiating between the events that caused the taken risk or sudden change and what you want out of life becomes trivial and of the upmost importance.

Stanza 8:
It is in this place (rock bottom or at the foundation of your new life) that you relaize the person that you want to be and you then strive to make that happen.

Stanza 9:
We are not the mistakes that we have made, only. When life leaves us beaten and worn down, we emerge from our new foundation, maybe not quite stronger than ever....yet, but we will. It takes time, but thats part of life. Learning how to be strong enough to push through the tough times.

Overall, I loved this poem. I think that it is quite relevant for where a lot of individuals in my age group are at in there lives right now. I find it very interesting how poetry can stand the test of time and remain pertinant.

Daddy-Sylvia Plath

This poem was very difficult for me to comprehend. I am still not sure if I think that she is referring to her father, Hiltler, or the Nazi events in general. I took the Hitler interpretation and ran with it. While its not 100%, its close.

Lines 1-5
I believe that the speaker could be one of the soldiers under the terrorizing  reign of Hiltler. The "Black Shoe" that the speaker was referring to feeling like a "foot" in, in my opinion, was a metaphor for Hitler. Stepping on the innocent and containing the foot at full disclosure. The speaker "barely daring to breathe or achoo" is scared to step out of line.

Lines 6-10
This section seemed to be relative to the author's father rather than the Hilter interpretation that I was running with. However, I still found enough evidence for the direction that I was going with it. The soldier, not wanting to be the "foot in the shoe of Hitler" anymore, wants out. The "marble-heavy" and "ghastly" statue, for my interpretation was that of the undeserved honor that Hitler was given by his followers. The "statue" being Hitler being held as an important person to those that agreed with his wicked actions.

Lines 11-15
This section was one of the most difficult for me to interpret because I couldn't really find a link between my interpretation and the author's words. I almost thought that this could be the soldier reflecting back on the war years down the road.

Lines 16-20
The Polish Town was overtaken by the Germans, (hence the "German tongue in the Polish town"). Overtaken being "scraped flat by the roller" (tanks, etc.), "wars", referring to war, obviously.

Lines 21-25
There were many involved in Hitler's Army. The soldiers under Hitler's command never quite knew his next moves, but did as they were told.

Lines 26-30
I interpreted this section as the speaker reflecting again. The memories "stuck like a barb wire snare". Every German, mainly those under Hitler's control, were like robots and seemed like versions of their leader. Hearing the German language brings back these memories.

Lines 31-35
The engine being the army. The soldiers, being treated like tools, (for Hilter to use as he pleases) could have felt just as trapped.

Lines 36-40
These lines mainly refer to the speaker reflecting upon their German roots. They are also expressing the irony of the fact that they very well could have Jewish ancestory.

Lines 41-45
The speaker, I believe, is expressing their fear of Hitler's reign and his power. The "neat mustache", I believe, referred to Hitler's iconic facial hair and the "Panzer-man" referred to the more destructive members of Hitler's following, if not referring to Hitler himself.

Lines 46-50
With so much destruction occuring, there seems to be little hope "Black (dark color, signifying horror or dark times) no sky could squeak through." (All the soldiers/Hitler's followers or really anyone involved could see was dark, dreary days.

Lines 51-55
While in this section, the speaker seems to be talking to her father, I looked toward the end of this section. The speaker is calling the "inspiration" of this poem a devil. This could easily be a reflection of their distate for Hitler, depending upon whom the author intended this poem to be about.

Lines 56-60
This section was the hardest in terms or linking it to my interpretation. Therefore, I could not find any viable link. Although, the "back back back to you" part could be the speaker's constant battle between trying to forget and being unable to stop remembering.

Lines 61-65
This section referred to the speaker feeling as though they are the dictator's mini-me, being molded and taught/formed to be like him. As if the army is simply a mirror image of Hitler's ideals.

Lines 66-70
In my opinion, the speaker has finally had enough of "Hitler" and his ideals in this section.

Lines 71-75
They are reflecting back upon the awful that they have done. The "vampire" being Hitler (?), sucked the life from his tired servants.

Lines 76-80
The speaker is rejoicing in the relief of being done with the overbearing "father" (Hitler being referred to as the 'father/daddy'--of the senseless killings that the speaker was involved in.) The speaker is finally through with it.

This interpretation may be a bit of a stretch, but this is what I inferred from it when I read it the first time. Overall it was a very dark, odd poem. Not one of my favorites, but it definitely makes you think.

Levertov: The Third Dimension

I found this one to be an odd poem. Some of the language was different and it threw me off a bit. Overall, I think I interpreted this poem was about a woman changing herself for a man that she is interested in, in hopes that he would reciprocate the feelings she had for him.

Lines 1-4
I interpreted these lines as the speaker saying that the qualities in the man that she is interested in were what was "spliting" her open from scalp to crotch. As in they were starting to destroy who she was originally.

Lines 5-8
Although the speaker is in the midst of this internal crisis, she still sees the world as it goes about normally.

Lines 9-12
"Honesty isn't so simple: a simple honesty is nothing but a lie."
This is the speaker, again, referring to her inner turmoil. Honesty isn't so simple--the speaker is trying to be honest with herself about who she truely is, but to her it is not that simple. She wants to be what the fixation of her eye wants. A simple honesty is nothing but a lie--the speaker knows that regardless of what she does, whether that is to stay true to herself or to become what he is looking for, she will not be happy.

Lines 13-17
These lines are referring to the woman hiding who she truly is from the man that she is interested in.

Lines 18-21
While even though the woman thinks that she's being honest in who she is becoming, she is ultimately lying to herself. A lie is a lie is a lie.

Lines 22-25
Despite her being suseptable to this common fate (individuals changing themselves to be what their heart's desire wants) she is still living and will thrive long after this phase passes. Even though this predicament seemed to crash her world, she'll be okay in the end.

Lines 26-30
The speaker is starting to move from this situation back into the 'real' world.

Lines 31-34
She is starting to 'change pace'. I interpreted this as she is starting to move on.

This is quite a relevant topic, especially for my age group and happens more times than many people think. Overall, I could relate, somewhat to this poem.

Skunk Hour

Overall, I thought that this poem was quite interesting. This poem by Robert Lowell is a very dark and dreary piece.

In lines 1-12:
In these lines, I pictured a small fishing/tourist island that was starting to wear down. "She buys up all/the eyesores facing her shore/and lets them fall." This depicts the overall destruted town.

In lines 13-24:
These lines express the lack of touring of the island. There is little business coming in for the people of this town. The fact that it is no longer summer, is one of the main reasons for the little income. As the towns people prepare their town for the coming fall/winter months there is little money due to the lack of income.

In lines 25-36:
The speaker talks about driving up a hill and sees some cars parked on the hill. I believe that these cars were those of "teenagers" or young couples. I also think that the speaker seems to be discontent with his own relationship status. Whether this is due to a lack of a relationship or a deteriorating one, I believe that he is unhappy--"I myself am hell/nobody's here". I also thought that these lines could be depicting the speaker having a flashback. (specifically the line "nobody's here".)

In lines 37-48:
These lines were harder for me to understand than the others.
I interpreted these lines as the speaker associating the skunks with his relationship. I thought, also, that the skunks could be metaphors for the people in the town, not in that they smell, but that the town around them is deteriorating and they are, in a sense, scrounging to survive.

As I mentioned above, this poem was very dark and quite metaphorical, in my opinion, however it was quite intriguing.

Desert Places

Desert Places by Robert Frost
I decided to go back to this one because I loved this one and meant to do a blog on it earlier.

"Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
In a field I looked into going past,
And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
But a few weeds and stubble showing last."

I interpreted this section as the speaker feels lonely (I saw more of this later too) and felt as though it came on fast. I saw "night falling fast" as the darkness that the speaker feels in his life. I also interpreted the las two lines in this section as meaning that everyone, despite how strong their exterior or front is, has issues that they deal with.

"The woods around it have it--it is theirs.
All animals are smothered in their lairs.
I am too absent-spirited to count;
The loneliness includes me unawares."

This section I felt as though the speaker was saying that he felt like he didn't have his own space or his own home. The loneliness spoken about above also became more obvious to me in this stanza.

"And lonely as it is, that loneliness
will be more lonely ere it will be less--
A blanker whiteness of benighted snow
With not expression, nothing to express."

I felt as though Frost was trying to say that a blanket of snow is 'expressionless' (if you will). A smooth, white, pristine blanket of snow is like a person's 'poker face'. You cannot necessarily know when something is wrong with them. This, to me, related back to the last two lines in the first stanza.

"They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars--on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places."

This section was hard for me to interpret. I took it as, the speaker was so fearful of his own loneliness and issues that he couldn't be scared by the issues of others.

America

This poem by Claude McKay was one that I found to be quite interesting.

This poem, I believe, is mainly about the experiences of the speaker, whom I interpreted to be Mr. McKay, in America.

"Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!"

I interpreted this as his way of saying that while there are hardships in his life that stem from America [America being the "she" in the poem], he still likes being there. I know that there were many issues that revolved around race; I interpreted those issues to be some of his 'tests' of his youth.

"Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood."

Going back to the racial issues, I considered that those issues were what he was referring to in this section. "Her vigor", I figured was the opinions that many people had towards those of different races, but somehow he gains strength from those very opinoins.

"Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer."

I saw this as the speaker saying that while he is aggrivated and feels somewhat bitter, he will not be fearful or hateful.

"Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand."
(America, Claude McKay)

He knows that there are many more trying days ahead in dealing with these issues and opinions, but he is hopeful that one day this country can move past them and only time would tell.


I'm not quite sure if anyone else interpreted the poem this way, but this is just what I got out of it.

The Mending Wall

This particular poem by Robert Frost is certainly one of my favorites. Frost is an interesting writer in my opinion. His poetry seems to pull from reality and real, tangible items and ideas, nature mostly. While it is realistic, he gives the reader a sense of imaginary, lyrical grace,. Quite often, I've noticed, regardless of the topic. A great example of this would be one of his most famous poems, "The Road Not Taken".

Mending Wall
This poem regards, mostly, community vs. isolation. The speaker of the poem is walking along a stone wall with his neighbor, each on their respective sides. While the neighbor is all for keeping the partition where it stands, often saying "Good fences make good neighbors", the speaker, on the other hand, is more in favor of tearing down the fence. According to the speaker, since the fence serves no foreseeable purpose (there are no crops, animals, or the like to keep separated), therefore, there is no need for it. As they walk along the fence beneath the apple trees (on the speaker's side) and pine trees (on the neighbor's side), they fix the wall together.

This poem in a sense talks about the idea of community vs. isolation. While on the one hand, the speaker expresses his favor of community and the idea of no 'recognizable' barriers. I interpreted his view on the fence as being somewhat like mine. While I'm not quite speaking in regards to physical fences (I don't have any beef with fences), I do tend to think that the idea of fences can lead to the separation of people. Also, in my own opinion, I think the idea of fences can lead to isolation and closed mindedness. However, I can also see the point of the neighbor. "Good fences make good neighbors" can refer to people knowing the boundaries/personal space/property.
Overall, this was an interesting read and left me thinking about the chain-links in my world. (chain-links seeing as there are very few stone wall fences left.)

The Open Boat

This story was, similarly to The Yellow Wallpaper, hard to follow for me in the beginning. However, again like the previously reflected upon story, understanding came as I read further. The Open Boat is a story that is filled with symbolism, dark symbolism. Stephen Crane's symbolism, in my opinion, is dark and lonely, yet it gives the reader something to think about and take away from the story.

In summary, four men, the Correspondent, the Oiler, the Cook, and the Captain, are afloat a dinghy in the ocean after the original ship they were aboard sank. These four men are the survivors of the accident and are trying to make it back to shore alive. While the dinghy is serving its purpose, or as well as it can being that dinghies are not the best method for sailing an ocean, it fills with water and there is risk of capsizing at any given moment. Despite being sleep-deprived, and more than likely malnourished by this point, the men take turns rowing tirelessly in an attempt to survive. At one point, there is a glimmer of hope when the men believe they see the shoreline and bystanders, along with a lighthouse--unfortunately, as it turns out, the lighthouse has been abandoned for some time. The next day they decide to take the dinghy as close to the shoreline as they can, then swim to safety. Using the dinghy as a, sort of, life preserver, three of the men make it to safety. The Correpondent, who is fighting bouts of unconsciousness, the Captain, who was injured in the sinking of the original ship, and the Cook survive. Unfortunately the Oiler did not make it.

As mentioned above, this particular piece of Crane's work is filled with symbolism. Some of the symbols, as I did more research on them, included: the boat--linked with the uncontrollable parts of life. I am unsure of which boat Crane was referring to, however, I think that either would make sense. The original ship that the men and their crew were on sank, which can be an unforeseen circumstance, and the dinghy, which would be difficult to navigate regardless of the body of water, but with the unpredictable nature of the ocean, would be arduous; the waves--which I associated with the difficult, unpredictable situations that life tends to throw at individuals and society in general. Sometimes you don't see them coming, you just need to be ready for them at any given moment; the oiler's death could also be considered in a round-about-way, a symbol--which, as it seems to be the theme of the story, depicts the unpredictable facts of life. It wasn't for any reason that the oiler died, he simply did.

This was a very dark story, however, there was a small light at the end of the tunnel, at least for those who survived. For the Captain, Cook, and Correspondent, they have more life to live. Overall, this was a good story, long and slightly confusing, but good none-the-less.

*Additional symbolism research done using Sparknotes and Helium.*

The Yellow Wallpaper

Overall, this story made for an interesting read. While it was slightly confusing in the beginning, as it progressed it started to make more sense. Charolette Perkins Gilman used great imagry to depict the setting of the story, giving the reader a visual, mental picture.

In summary, this story is about a woman, whom I interpreted to be young, perhaps newly married, who is spending the summer with her husband, who is a physician and the woman's caretaker, in a large, aged house. While it is not mentioned outright, the woman is suffering from a form of depression. The room that this young woman is residing in, in fact, that is all she does--as commanded by her caretaker/husband, is covered in a tattered, aged yellow wallpaper. As time marches slowly on, the woman becomes infatuated with the wallpaper, then obsessive. She convinces herself that she sees a pattern within the pattern that seems to depict the figure of a woman trying to emerge and flee from behind the yellow wallpaper. This drives the young, married, woman mad.

From early on in the story, I got a sense that this woman was being somewhat oppressed by her husband. With him forbidding her from doing any activity, including writing, and keeping her in the room with the yellow wallpaper, I could tell that she was feeling suppressed by her married life. In a way, I think that the yellow wallpaper was a symbol of her marriage. Tattered, worn, and with the illusion of a woman trying to escape from within it, the wallpaper reflects how she is feeling.