"Actual" Poetry Analysis

My last few posts have all been songs and, to stay with the contents of the class, for this one I'll pick a poem from out packet of poems (alliteration).

The Coming of Wisdom with Time

William Butler Yeats

(1865 – 1939)

though leaves are many, the root is one;

Through all the lying days of my youth

I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;

Now I may wither into the truth.

We've touched on this poem in class, but I just wanted to give my perspective on the poem-because my opinion matters sooooooo much.

It's hard to analysis this poem line by line, but if you look at the poem as whole you can relate parts of the poem to each other. The relations I see is between "leaves" and "roots," "lies" and "truth," "swaying" and "wither(ing)," and "youth" and "now." I feel these contrasting words relate to each other and therefore thats where we should start. Leaves, lies, swaying, and youth I think are all one part of the poem; and the other part is composed of roots, truth, withering, and now.

Lies are leaves, swaying, always moving, flourishing in our youth, hiding the base of itself (the branch). Truths are roots, withering, simple, and is now. The withering part of this is the only one of these that really doesn't immediately sound like it fits but when thinking of a tree when the leaves are gone, or the branches brake, and perhaps erosion has been swept away, the roots (truth) will always prevail.

Day in the Lit

Ok so I was driving on my way to work today and heard this song and remembered our poetry analysis in class, thus I decided to get to work and, while on brake, blog about this song.

I read the news today, oh boy . . .
About a lucky man who made the grade;
And though the news was rather sad,
Well, I just had to laugh—
I saw the photograph . . .

He blew his mind out in a car;
He didn't notice that the lights had changed.
A crowd of people stood and stared;
They'd seen his face before;
Nobody was really sure
If he was from the House of Lords.

I saw a film today, oh boy;
The English Army had just won the war.
A crowd of people turned away;
But I just had to look,
Having read the book.
I'd love to turn you on . . .

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head;
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup;
And looking up, I noticed I was late.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat,
Made the bus in seconds flat;
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke;
Somebody spoke and I went into a dream . . .

I read the news today, oh boy;
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire;
And though the holes were rather small,
They had to count them all.
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.
I'd love to turn you on . . .

Ok so in the first stana it tells how this man read the news about some guy who "made the grade." and the author laughed at it. Then in the second stanza he tells how the man "blew his mind out in a car," (ie. went crazy with anger). And these people watching him wondered if he was a government official. Next stanza tells how english won the war, people looked away but the author kept looking because he's read "the book" (Bible?) and also he'd love to turn you on...like sexually or turn me on to a better way of living.

Next stanza is completely different. The rhyming scheme in the last three stanza had only one pair of lines that rhymed, usually at the end as some after though. This stanza every other PAIR of lines rhyme. Where the stanza rhymes the narrator is doing something good (ex. getting up, brushing his hair, getting dressed, taking the bus); however when the rhyme brakes the author is late, smoking, day dreaming, all things that society condemns.

The last stanza goes back to the original rhyme scheme ending with "turn you on" again. This stanza makes many reference to british culture with I have neither the time, nor will to look up.

To finish I feel this song is a prospective of a day in the life of two separate people, signified by the difference in rhyming schemes and is making a comment on how people who "make the grade," who fill their life with monotony and busyness don't live a full life, but rather people who are free, dreamers, poets, singer-song writers live lives that are full, at least to them.

Now and Then photo of Kabul

"War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace." - Baba"
— Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner)

Song for Gatsby

It's the good life, full of fun, seems to be the ideal,
Yes, the good life, lest you hide all the sadness you feel,
You won't really fall in love 'cause you can't take the chance,
So be honest with yourself, don't try to fake romance.
Yes, the good life, to be free and explore the unknown,
Like the heartache when you learn you must face them alone,
Please remember I still want you and in case you wonder why,
Well, just wake up, kiss that good life goodbye.

[musical interlude]

Please remember I still want you and in case you wonder why,
Well, just wake up, kiss that good life goodbye.

So this song discusses "the good life," and what this life should look like (ex. full of fun). Then, in the second line, it shifts from what it should be to what it is, a place to hide all your sadness. Falling in love means sometimes getting hurt; love is a risk and in the good life there is no room for hurt and therefore no room for love. And since you cannot love, romance is the next substitute but romance that does not grow is a romance that will not last. Be honest with yourself. Then I feel it makes a jump, in line 5, back to the theoretical where you can be free and explore. The heartache is like the newly adventured lands, they must be explored in solitude. But in spite of the freedom, the fun, and the adventure, the author wants you instead of the solidarity of "the good life."

I thought of this song when we talked about The Great Gatsby because we decided Gatsby found The American Dream, but not his dream. This song is about choosing the path of Freedom and Fun, or rather choosing the path less traveld by of risk, romance, and Love.

It's a love story

Rapid Enlightenment Movement

Life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

So to begin with the first stanza I notice the broken syllogism, and comparison

between the narrator and the "other subject." Knowing this is REM's "Losing my Religion.”

I feel the narrator is saying that the restrictions which apply to the "other subject"

don't apply to him.

Next he begins with saying he's on outcast; yet he's also the one in the spotlight

He's trying to keep up-maybe like sympathize with theologians.

He says he's said to much, perhaps he insulted someone,

and then he hadn't said enough, like he wants to spread the truth.

I'm not really sure what to make out of the

"I think I thought I saw you try."

In the third stanza I think he's making a comment

on how the hurt lost is better than the blinded fool.

The hint of the century, the slip (faith) that brought him to his knees

,and all these fantasies are things that are reasons not

to "buy in to religion."

But all in all, the hope of ridding the world of its religious shackles

Is "just a dream"

My apologizes

Due to the absence of many poetry responses, I feel the need to make it up to everyone. However seeing how grades have already been due, and the work is ridiculously late, I will pick a few poems of my choice rather than the poems for poetry responses.

So be on the look out!

Thank you,

Dustin Trembath

An intro on America

Three men sit on a bench. These men are waiting for the bus. They all have in mind to go different places for different reasons.

As they wait for the bus they see another man walking by. The first man on the bench sees the other man has a nice hat but it’s tarnished and his watch is gilded. He notices that the look on the man’s face looks like he’s lost, but not too concerned. The second man sees that the other man has a wedding band, and though it may be gilded too, it is kept as clean as if it wasn’t. He also slightly recognizes the man from someone he might have seen at a church or a volunteer project. The third man sees that the other man looks slightly at the other two men on the bench but pays no attention to him. He resents the man, but knows that he will get on the bus and go to the places he wants to with or without the man.

I am the bus driver. I pull up and let the men in, hearing their murmurs about what they just thought as they go by. I think about what they said as I too look at the man walking. I consider what the men, now in the bus, said but I do not dwell on what he looks like or what he’s doing or what he might say. I wonder at where he’s going, and why he’s going there. I hear the criticisms for how the man may be getting there, but I believe in the man, and I believe in his Ideals, and I believe in where he might go. So I pull up a little farther and ask if I can help get the man to where he is going.