ENGL 2003: Introduction to Poetry

I quite enjoyed this back and forth, sort of controversy that transpired. The author uses hyperbole in that his overstatements about love and war become sort of condescending. He spoke in the first paragraph about how he hated war and how the things that are futile are kept after war. He said that the spoils of love are presented in a different case. Instead he claims that you cannot sell the spoils of love, that it “may not be publicly displayed; nor sold”. He is saying that love letters have such an impact on you that it does not matter where we keep them they still leave a mark onus and on our emotions.

In Beauty I like this poen a lot because as the author described the writer did not “swing to the easy extreme of the repulsive”. It was real. I could still see the beauty in the bronzed old farmer & father and the old rag just adhering to the staff, in tatters- the remnant of many battle fields. I can imagine these scenes and see them as not being so far from the beauty that they are compared to like the youth with features of bloom and brightness. Overall a great chapter.

The poem, The Parable of the Old Man and the Young is basically the biblical story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac with poet Wilfred Owen’s own ironical twist. In Genesis Chapter 22, God spoke to Abraham and commanded him to take his son to Mount Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice to God. However, in the end God’s intent was not for Isaac to be killed; this was God’s test of Abraham’s faith.  Abraham loved his son very much, but did not hesitate to follow God’s words for he was a man whose faith in God was strong. But unlike the “happy ending” in the Bible where God stops Abraham just as he is about to kill his son and sends a ram to be sacrificed instead, in Owen’s poem, Abraham refuses to kill the ram and kills his son instead and “half the seed of Europe one by one”.

Europe? But according to many religious beliefs this story did not occur in Europe.

Written during World War I, Owen uses this poem to voice his discourse with the then current war. Abram represents the government and Isaac, the soldiers who follow the orders given to them without asking any questions or hesitations.  Owen realized how the soldiers suffer in wars and how harsh they were treated. In the poem, when Abram was told to stop and sacrifice the ram instead, he refused and killed his son which implied the actual situation during First World War in Europe, where dictators sacrificed their soldiers instead of land.

www.esvbible.org

This poem was a great example of anti poetry due to the fact that it contain  dark Humor as well as irony and sarcasm. Shakespeare is in a way  making fun of his  mistress appearance, and yet he seem to be intrigued by those same features which makes her unattractive. The poem is focus on the less appealing aspects of his mistress showing us how he truly views her. He went on to compare her to objects which were beautiful while ironically stating those same objects did not remind him of her instead of what she was not like.  One would begin to wonder what was the benefits of having a mistress such as that one. And perhaps how unappealing was his wife for him to fall for a mistress who was so unattractive to him. He uses perfect example of imagery as well as you went on reading the poem you can actually picture how he viewed his mistress. An perfect example of imagery is when “I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;” Than what was it that had brought the two of them together and made his love so rare. May be he is being sarcastic in that line stating ” And Yet by Heaven! I think my love as rare”. Is he trying to say him falling for her was a rare occurrence which he himself could not explain? Whatever the true reason being this poem really showed you what anti poetry is all about.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/the-broken-coin-the-use-of-symbol/

This post is a seeker’s post by jsylvesterd. The link provided by this seeker gives you a more detailed definition of metonymy and synecdoche. The link also give you examples such as politicians creates metonymic images such as flags and diverse crowds The seeker also talks about the makers of Axe and their commercials and how the company uses sex and beautiful people to sell their products.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/symbolism-what-is-it/

This post is a first responder’s post by Emily. It defines what symbolism, and synecdoche, metonymy is. It also provide example of what metonymy is and how we use it in real life. Chung also provided more detailed definitions of all the above terms including allegory and gave examples for each.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/first-responder-symbolism/

This is provided by a first responder-zapt. It include a explanation of what is Synecdoche and symbolism and there meaning.The user zapt included some example for both Synecdoche and symbolism. It has a  poem that show symbolism at work and the poem was written by Thomas Centolella.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/symbolism-synecdoches-metonymies-comparison/

This is a Seeker post by Joju Qu showing the definitions of synecdoches and metonymies, the comparison between them and examples of them used in songs, movies and Shakespeare .

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/17/first-responder-a-fence/

This is a first responder post by dlee that talks about the poem A Fence. I like how dlee made their own interpretation of poem saying that the fence is not physical it is a mental fence that the person put up to keep others out their life.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/17/seeker-use-of-symbolism/

This is a seeker post by ashleygp that talks about symbolism. Symbolism was found in a song that ashleygp liked. All to show that even though u think the song means one thing, there is a totally different meaning about it.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/first-responder-symbolism-the-broken-coin/

This post is a first responder’s post by nerek.  It defines what synecdoche and metonymy is and gives example of each such as in the text the author talks about “our daily bread” and for metonymy, it talks about Shakespeare and Mary Jo Salter.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/first-responder-symbolism-the-broken-coin-2/

This is a first responder’s post by erikasan1. It gives the definition of synecdoche as a figure of speech in which a part is substituted for a whole. An example given is “The world treated him badly”. Metonymy is a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for another to which it is related. It relates to page 47 on Shakespeare. It also defines what symbol is and gives examples such as “The Sick Rose” by William Blake, which the Rose was the symbol.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/goldpoetrysp2012/2012/02/16/seeker-windy-example-of-how-a-rose-can-be-use-as-a-symbol/

This is a seeker’s post by windyj. It talks about how the author say that symbol can be use to better help understand while also evoking more of a reaction. Poems that were mention in this blog that uses symbols are “A Sick Rose” by William Blake, “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns, and “One Perfect Rose” by Dorothy Parker. It also provides a more detailed link to what a symbol is.

A fence is what we use to promote privacy, to keep others out.  In this poem “A Fence” by Carl Sandburg, the symbol of the poem is the fence he is writing about.  Furthermore, not simply the fence but rather the properties of the fence. The symbol of the deathly properties of this fence, its ability to ward people off relate to the larger meaning of the poem which I believe to be the authors representation of a person building a fence around their personal life.  Someone who keeps”iron bars with steel points” up around them at all times that can “stab the life out of any man who falls on them” essentially symbolizing the death of any forms of relationships from those who try to cross the barrier of the fence.  One who shuts off those around them including “vagabonds, hungry men, and wandering children”.  Essentially, it is describing a heartless person who has distanced and blocked themselves off from the world.

Carl Sandburg writes; “The palings are made of iron bars with steel points that can stab the life out of any man”.  This line is central to the larger meaning of the poem in that it depicts the the type of fence that’s being built and at the same time symbolizes what this fence can do to people, to life, and essentially to relationships with others.

Hello everyone! As a seeker I tried to think of something that I am passionate about and find symbolism in its form. One of my favorite songs and band is “Into the Ocean” by Blue October. To enlighten you a little about the song, the initial meaning might seem as if it’s about a boy drowning. The song progressively reveals that the boy was actually morning the loss of a loved one (pay attention to the last line of the song). In the lyrics, one will be able to identify how symbolism is utilized. Some people who hear the song might believe that the words said have literal meaning, however, if you have the term “symbolism” in mind, you would realize how much this tool is actually used. Please let me know if you guys are able to identify symbolism in this song 🙂.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZES3nJQYJok