The Explosion

When I first read this poem, I thought it was Apocalyptic. The diction in the poem creates and image of Armageddon. Larkin's use of the words "explosion," "shadows," "tremor," "heat-dazed," and "dimmed" illustrate what the Apocalypse might look like and what I imagine it to be. However, when I learned that the word "pithead" meant the entrance to a mine and the word "pitboots" were miners boots and the Larkin wrote this poem after watching a documentary about miners and being fascinated by it, my paradigm of the poem shifted. The poem is not about the Apocalypse but rather mining, and each stanza discusses different aspects of mining. For example, the first stanza illustrates an explosion in the mine, the second stanza the miners after a day of work, and so on. What struck me the most was the stanza that was italicized, however, after reading the poem again I understood that this stanza represented the funeral of a miner and the italicized words are the words spoken by the priest. The last three stanzas had the most impact on me because the focus of the poem shifts from the miners to their wives which makes the poem relatable to many people, especially when Larkin says, "It was said, for a second Wives saw men of the explosion," because many people have been in a situation oh where it could have been their loved one that was hurt or had died and think of the horror of it.

Many red devils...

This poem could be understood many different ways. Each time I read it, it had a different impact. At first I thought that Crane had harsh feelings toward him self and the ideas that came from his heart were cruel and devilish and it was strange to him to write of these deep thoughts of his heart. Then, I thought that maybe Crane is just like many other people and there are some ideas that are disturbing that come from the heart and it is strange to realize that such a thing could come from your heart. Finally, I thought of this poem in a literal writing sense. First, that Crane felt power from writing and how the pen could "mash them." Then that the struggling devils in the ink were the ideas from his heart that he had trouble writing, and it was strange for him to put such deep thoughts on paper.

the lesson of the leaves

the lesson of the leaves

Lucille Clifton

the leaves believe

such letting go is love

such love is faith

such faith is grace

such grace is god

i agree with the leaves

I really liked this poem. It was actually slightly cheerful unless you looked at it in terms of death. I think the structure and diction of the poem can make the poem appear to be multiple things. At first, I saw the poem as a circle poem because Clifton repeats the words in each line, and the words from line to line have different meanings. Then, I thought of the visual effect the repetions of the words had: they create the image of an actual leave fluttering to the ground and the repeated movement they make. I also saw the structure as Clifton's line of thought and her reasoning to why she agress with the leaves, and hopw she goes from letting go to God. When I think of this poem in terms of death I see this poem as Clifton's acceptance of death because she had cancer, and how letting go is having grace in God.

The Golf Links

The Golf Links

Sarah N. Cleghorn

The golf links lie so near the mill

That almost everyday

The laboring children can look

And see the men at play.

This poem is very short. It's only one stanza with four lines. At first I thought writing this response would be easy because the poem is easy, but it turns out it's hard to write a response about a four line poem. I am inferring that Cleghorn is meaning a golf course when she says golf links. I find it curious that she would say link instead of course. This poem reminds me of going to my Grandpas house in Iowa. He lived on the 18th hole of the course, so everyday my sister and I would watch the golfers play. I also find it interesting that in the poem Cleghorn only says watch the men play, but not women as well. It's even more odd that a women would write this poem about the course when she said only men play. It makes me wonder if Cleghorn was one of the children watching the men play golf or if she was envious of the men who had the privilege of playing golf. I think part of the reason Cleghorn said only men were playing golf was because it was set during the time when golf was only a male sport. When Cleghorn mentions that the course was near the mill and the children can watch I think of the early 20th century when children worked in mills.

you fit into me

you fit into me

Margaret Atwood

you fit into me

like a hook in an eye

a fish hook

an open eye

The first thing that struck me about this poem was its length. It is two stanzas that consist of a couplet. I find the simile Atwood uses to illustrate how she fits with another to be curious: a fish hook and an eye don't really fit well together at all. I think Atwood could have used this simile to show that the person she is addressing and herself don't fit well together, whether its personality, relationship, etc. The next thing that caught my eye was how the hook changes from just a hook in the first stanza to a fish hook in the second stanza, and how the eye goes from just an eye to an open eye. The use of the fish hook and the open eye creates a more gruesome image for me than the first stanza illustrated ti begin with. I think her tone in this poem is slightly ironic because she is comparing two very different things and poking fun at how they appear to fit well together, then in the second stanza, she emphasizes the eye and the hook and makes them less alike and more gruesome.

So Long to Colorado

So long to Colorado
to the deep purple
of the Rockie Mountains
and the crystal snow capped peaks.

Farewell to the bipolar seasons.
Snow rain, sunshine, sleet,
wind, and hail all
in the same day.

Good bye Colorado fashion.
Ugg boots and shorts
in the middle of winter.
Snow pants and ski
jackets in May.

Farewell to the
"Sweetheart City"
that sometimes
wasn't so sweet.

So long to my blue
house on the corner.
How your paradigm
has shifted.

Fifteen years has
transformed you from
a monument in the
eyes of a three year old
to a home. My home.

Questions we have about compassion?

Is compassion universal?
Is compassion seen or heard?
Is it a feeling or an action?

Do we choose who we show compassion to?
How can we be compassionate to some but not to others?
Is compassion done for all or just those in dire need?

Why can you be so fake?
Why are some people unable to receive compassion?
Why are some people unable to show compassion?
Why aren't you natural?

"Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival."
Dalai Lama

*the quote wasn't apart of the poem originally but I thought it went really well with it and answered some of the questions.