POEM: I carry thee on my scrawny back

I carry thee on my scrawny back.

Her prematurely aborted dreams,

Her skyscraping expectations,

Her heart quaking disappointments,

Her blood secreting sacrifices

Her ocean filling buckets of tears.

A decade protracted excursion up Golgotha

And we have yet to reach the crucifix.

Clawing herself into my soul and mind,

Pleading for Veronica, a mere reverberation

Bawling at my creator in retaliation.

One misstep shall eternally disintegrate me

One clash against vocation and she dies.

One seraph’s voice and organ of faith,

One purpose of my subsistence

One billion taxing strides before me lay.

Far-off the mahogany wood looms

Calling my name, bearing her face.

Bright Star, Choose Something Like a Star

The poem Choose Something Like a Star contains an allusion to a previously written poem by John Keats called Bright Star. Through their styles of writing differ, the poems share common themes.

Both poems are similar in that they spark the human fascination in the celestial word, which intertwines with life and meaning on Earth. In Keats’ poem, the speaker is talking to a star, wishing it was “steadfast” like it. The speaker’s main agenda is to make sure to never change like the star. This idea is manifested through the fact that he never wants to leave lying on his beloved’s bosom. The first poem also seems to have a bit of religious undertones and themes, as indicated by lines (5-6),  The moving waters at their priestlike task Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores”. The statement itself symbolizes the idea of nature cleansing humanity from sin, just like a priest would.

In the poem Choose Something Like a Star by Robert Frost, the star can be characterized as an outlet of belief and dependence. The speaker begs the star to talk to him, and be his trusty confidant. However the star seems to lack any legitimate passion or answer. Likewise, this poem seems to seem to be reflective of the religious idea of going to God for answers and meaning. The speaker is the obvious symbol of humanity, and how we often go to a higher power to reassure ourselves and guide us in decision making. However, because the star only answers simply, “I burn”, questions its overall knowledge and certification to even be worthy in the process of serving as a guide for others.

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

                Elizabeth Bishop’s villanelle poem, One Art talks about the process of learning and coming to terms with loss. The Speaker seems to be comfortably composed, and experienced in the art of losing throughout most of the poem. However in the final stanza she displays her true vulnerability and ability to act human when it comes to displaying her true emotions over the loss of presumably, a loved one.

                Lines 1-15 of the poem or the first four stanzas are simply a means of self-deception. The Speaker tries to reinforce the simple fact that “the art of losing isn’t hard to master” nor is it a “disaster”.  The Speaker’s confident attitude in these ideas is demonstrated through her tackling the little issues of loss, in order to show their lack of importance and emotion to her. For example, “lost door keys, the hour badly spent.” As the poem progresses the Speaker encourages us to practice losing inconsequential things like, “places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel.” By practicing to lose the minor things early on, the Speaker feels that we will be more ready for weighty losses in the future, and won’t see it as such a calamity. In stanzas four and five, the Speaker begins mentioning belonging that are seemingly more considerable and personal to her, such as her “mother’s watch”, “three loved houses”, “two cities”, “some realms”, and “two rivers, a continent”. Losing this and not feeling grief seems to show that the Speaker has built up a type of thick skin, and is immune to great pain might bring to the average individual. Her headstrong, unfeeling attitude is reflective of this.

                However the final stanza offers a much different glimpse into the Speaker’s true feelings and attitude. The poet writes, “Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan't have lied.  It's evident the art of losing's not too hard to master.” It is obvious that the Speaker is not above having natural emotions when it comes to loss. She is not a “Master” at repressing feelings of sorrow, when it comes to her beloved. While she may try to convince herself that losing minor things have to significant impact or value on her life, she cannot apply the same attitude towards another human being. By urging her readers to “(Write it!) like disaster” demonstrates her finally coming to terms, and reinforcing her feelings. Though her previous claims at “losing isn’t hard to master” may have shown her attitude to be hypocritical, the final stanza reaffirms her humaneness and thus invokes the reader’s sympathy.

Clocks and Lovers by WH Auden

The 1983 poem Clocks and Lovers by W.H. Auden presents two different takes on love, which are that of the actual Lovers (the speaker) and the Clock(voice of wisdom).  Both characters offer distinct points of view on the matter through their narration in the poem. While the first is marked by sincere infatuation, happiness, and caution, the second narration from the clock offers a more pessimistic, wise, and analytical attitude. Overall the use of these two differing perspectives works to forewarn of the dangers and inevitable end that all lovers face due to time.

The Lover initiates the poem’s narration. The way he views love reflects the Romantic genera of the poem. He is fixated on the idea that he will love his beloved for eternity. Dreamy imagery from lines nine to twenty reinforce this idea. For example the poet writes I’ll love you, dear, “I’ll love you Till China and Africa meet”, “I’ll love you till the ocean of folded up to dry”. The lover also uses many symbols, and impossibilities to demonstrate his unexplainable means and vast capability of loving another person. This can been seen with dreamy lines such as “Till China and Africa meet And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street.” These impossibilities show that he believes that he can and will love forever. The lover also makes use of animal motions imagery such as “squawking like geese about the sky. The years run like rabbits..” to show the impact time has on his relationship and innocent feelings. This imagery of rabbits and others such as “flower of ages” are reflective of the formulaic love cliques that are apparent in more poems of this Romantic genera.

Midway into the poem the lover dives further into the idea of time(the Clock) having an impact on his relationship. His once quixotic imagery shifts to a more realistic and cautious one. The poet writes, O let not Time deceive you, You cannot conquer time”. Time transforms into a symbol of the enemy which the lover cannot escape. No longer does the lover bask on praising his beloved, but paints Time with darker imagery of a “Nightmare” that “watches from a shadow And coughs when you would kiss.” With this perspective and imagery in mind, the poet introduces a second voice of reason as narrator, the Clock, to counter shine light on the Romantic utopia envisioned by the lover.

The Clock urges the Lover to come to grips with himself, and reexamine his love life. The commanding imagery, “plunge your hands…stare in the basin” invoke just that. The Clock helps reinforce the stressful imagery that come with love overtime such as “headaches” and “worry” which is conflicting imagery of that spoken by the Lover previously. In a sense, the use of the Clock’s language solidifies the idea that the Lover’s relationship may not have been in fact perfect which is supported by “the crack in the tea-cup opens A lane to the land of the dead”. The Clock (time) is what leads to further deterioration in the loving relationship of the Lover. Whether it be simply a matter of dwindling time, aging, or loss of attraction, the “look.. look in the mirror look in your distress” imagery makes it clear that time is a challenging factor in a successful relationship. The final stanza and its language fully affirm the Clock’s superior power over love. “Late in the evening the lovers they were gone” confirms that despite the eternal love one may have for another, the feeling itself never outlasts time.

Questions Essay

           What defines an existentialist? Is the state of isolation, indifference, and ignorance of the “true” human existence enough to label a character as such? Can Monsieur Meursault from the Stranger, and Gregor Samsa from Metamorphosis be portrayed as such? In what ways are they so different, yet fundamentally identical in state of mind? What situations and experiences change their lives forever? Does anyone contribute to their journey as protagonists? What overall outcome does existentialism have upon their lives?

How do the characters’ moral duties reflect their outlook on life? Does the pressure of being his family’s financial provider ultimately lead Gregor to his beetle state? Why does nonchalant Mersault decide to smoke and reject to see his mother when at her funeral? Should one always abide by the “accepted” moral code that society established for us? Does Mersault’s smoking then resemble his disobedient nature, or lack of proper morals? To what extent can society dictate the lives of these characters, without overstepping the boundaries of personal freedom? Is the workforce justified in prosecuting a worker if he commits the slightest negligence or absence? Is it then safe to say that Gregor’s human life is not technically his own, but indebted to his boss and family’s cause?

If that is the case, why does Gregor’s family shun him once he turns into a beetle? What does their immediate reaction to his appearance demonstrate about human beings in general? Are we quick to fear that which we cannot understand? Does Grete’s assertion of Gregor’s disposition paint him to be just a tool that the family abuses? Is it this abuse Gregor receives from the isolation, and realization of humanity’s corrupt ways which lead him to die? Or is it simply his physical state and “survival of the fittest” that lead to his demise?

On the contrary, doesn’t Mersault’s rejection of his mother and eventually his lover clearly display his existentialist nature? Does then the climatic act of him killing the Arab display his disillusionment, or indifference to the value of human life? If he is in fact an existentialist, and his life is absurd, is does his killing become justified? Does his rejection of God add to his sense of invincibleness? Is sex his replacement for the power and rejuvenation that religion brings? Is his realization that he cannot take responsibility for his actions in court, his defining moment? Was the act of killing truly spur of the moment, or overall his destiny?