| Dr. Bordelon's Introduction to Poetry |
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In class work So . . . . you have a draft paragraph. Now what? For starters, consider these five areas.
Example 1: Paragraph 1 The calming natural imagery in Li Po's poetry conveys a sense of peace and serenity. When stressed, people are often advised to imagine a calm and peaceful scene. Instead of the hustle and bustle of urban or village life, most people turn to visions of nature. In "The Solitude of Night," the speaker, recalling a night of drunken revelry, awakens with "blown flowers" on his "lap" (3). The softness and delicacy of flower petals, which had fallen but not awakened him, contrast with the apparently raucous "wine party" (today this would be a kegger) which opens the poem (1). Evoking the serenity of languid summer days, the flowers shift the attention of the reader from people -- the party -- to nature. Instead of celebrating the camaraderie of civilization, the poem turns to natural solitude, a "river" and "moonlight," as the setting for a contemplative life (7). The emphasis on the natural world in “The Solitude” suggests that while parties were a part of Chinese life, nature and it's soothing qualities, played the dominant role in the society.Work Cited Po, Li. "The Solitude of Night." Greek, Roman, and Chinese Handout. Dr. Bordelon's Introduction to Poetry, Ocean County College.http://media.ocean.edu/files/OCC_VIDEO/upload/Faculty_Resources/dbordelon/211%20Poetry/211-Poetry-handout-2017.pdf Accessed 2 Feburary 2015. Example 2: Paragraph 1 Additionally, Poem 76 shows the complexity of Catullus' anger. Though in Poem 11 he condemns Lesbia with a “bitter message” and hopes her next affairs are “never with love,” he spends 76 entreating the gods for mercy (15-26, 19). He begs they “tear from within [him]” the heartbreak that is “completely driving every joy from [his] spirit” should they deem him worthy of pity (20, 22). Even in Poem 8, he writes with vitriol, “So much for you, bitch – your life is all behind you” and asks her rhetorical, self-entitled questions about the affection he now denies her (15). However, in 76, he begs that the “foul sickness” of his heartbreak be ended by the gods “in exchange for [his] worship” (25, 26). Catullus admits in this poem to still loving Lesbia, as well as struggling with that, despite previous scorn as he suffers in the wake of their affair. This betrays a complexity in his anger toward Lesbia that runs deeper than some of his other poems may suggest. Example 3: Paragraph 1 The use of simple language also makes Catullus’ poetry seem contemporary. Language today seems more conversational than formal, more street than college classroom. Catullus uses layman’s terms and does not get caught up in the eloquence of the wording but rather states quite plainly what he wants the reader to know about his Lesbia and how he feels for her both in love and anger. The modern term of profanity may be too strong of a word to exactly describe his word choices, but they could be deemed more of a socially inappropriate way to describe a lady or gentleman. Catulus uses colorful terms in poem 83; he refers to Lesbia’s complaining as “barking and bitching”(4) and it can be assumed that he thinks her husband is a “jackass”(3) because he is blind to see that Lesbia is still in love with Catullus. The word usage is simple yet makes a strong point and conveys his feelings. This is easily seen in the short yet direct poem, 85, when he quite frankly states how he feels,“ I hate & love”(1). His point is made directly and the reader knows exactly what he means without wasting time on filler sentences to make the poem seem pretty. Catullus’ use of common words makes his work more accessible and in turn more appealing to modern day audiences. Example 4: Paragraph 1 Collins echoes Buson’s haiku on the temple bell through repetition. He, literally interpreted, reads the haiku multiple times, each time at a new place with a new context. From the “big silence of the piano” to the “painting of the sea”, he recites the poem with a new context but the same familiar feeling (10,11). The haiku expresses the feeling of tension, and of awaiting the inevitable close to said tension. Collins takes the feeling Buson’s haiku expresses and applies it numerous contexts; he used it to make the reader relate to an ever-changing sea and a piano waiting to be played. He applies the haiku to himself, using this emphasis of tension to express the vastness in which it can be experienced. When it is his lover, she or he is the bell and he is the “tongue of the bell,” meaning the tension was broken through the bell-ringing of love (32). By use of Buson’s poem, Collins conveys this feeling of tension in numerous relatable ways, and suggests the infinity of contexts to which the feeling belonged. His incorporation of Buson’s poem is done extremely effectively; it is, as a result, one of the best poems I have read in this class. Lawall, Sarah N. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2002. Print.
Examples for Paragraph #2 Paragraph 1 Permanence is another reason a tattoo works as a symbol for love. The conventional view of love involves time: a common saying is "true love is forever." But getting to this forever can take time. There is usually a period of acceptance and rejection filled with intimate conversations and long looks, until, at last, a soul mate appears. Tattoos, like true love, require careful consideration and commitment -- and long looks at a binder of samples. A rash decision could mean being married for life to the Chinese symbol for "Stupid Drunk." In tattoos and love, commitment rules. The poem plays with this idea of sorting or testing by juxtaposing the permanence of her lover’s tattoo with the frailty of their new relationship. The frailty is demonstrated by the kind of love the poem depicts. Instead of a deep emotional experience, the poem focuses on the surface of the person: the "skin" (5). It seems that instead of the long commitment that true love implies, the poem provides a negative example, suggesting that this tattooed love is only skin deep. Love suggests permanence, the kind of love that stretches beyond the boundaries of time. But there's a hesitancy here, a suggestion that the speaker know that "such permanence is terrifying" (13). The tattoo on her lover's body acts as a warning, a reminder that true love is permanent. No one wants to go through a divorce after being married to their "true love" -- and no one wants to pay for plastic surgery to remove "Stupid drunk." Examples for
Paragraph #2 Paragraph 2 Permanency is another reason a tattoo works as a symbol of love. In Kim Addonizio’s “First Poem for You,” the speaker compares the permanency of their partner’s tattoos to the commitment of a relationship. To the speaker, the longevity of a tattoo is “terrifying” because it stays on someone’s skin until they’re “seared to ashes,” and their partner’s in particular could potentially outlive whatever is between them (13, 11). In the context of Addonizio’s poem, the permanency represented by a tattoo brings fear to the speaker because they are afraid of the commitment it represents, both literally and figuratively. The speaker entangles the two; “whatever persists / or turns to pain between us, they will still / be there,” meaning that even if the relationship ends, their partner’s tattoos will still survive (11-13). In this way, the partner is better versed in permanency than the speaker. The tattoos aren’t a direct comparison to a relationship, but the speaker ends the poem tracing over the tattoos, “trying” (14) – to face the permanency of them as well as to try for the same longevity with their relationship, even if it isn’t guaranteed. Work Cited Examples for Paragraph #2 Paragraph 3 Shakespeare in Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day is comparing his love to a summers day and talks about how he wishes summer and his loves youth would last forever because both are perfect to him. The time metaphor in Shakespeare’s Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?, is also illustrated by comparing his love to a beautiful summers day. “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer’s lease hath all too short a date” (3-4). Shakespeare is saying that May is to rough but summers temperatures are fair yet the summer does not last long enough. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade, / Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, / Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade” (9-11). Shakespeare is speaking of how he wishes summer and his loves youth would last forever. He is aware that such a thing could never happen and one day he will lose his love because he ends this poem by saying his love will live forever through it. Hunter, J. Paul. The Norton Introduction to Poetry. New York: Norton, 2007. In Class Work For the remainder of the class, review your own paragraph, concentrating on
Body Paragraph Assignment Steps for drafting a body paragraph Context for a Quote Verb List and Introducing Quotes Examples Back to top
© David Bordelon 2015 |