Poetry Part 1: My thoughts on poetry along with poems such as "The Eagle" and "Metaphors"
My thoughts on poetry
Ever since I was introduced to poetry I have had a harder time than others understanding but also enjoying poetry. Although there have been some poems I have enjoyed over the years, I have never loved poetry to the extent of how much passion I have for fiction novels. Sometimes I struggle to comprehend some poems that have a hidden message in them. Once I get a general idea about what the poem is about, I like discussing and analyzing the different techniques used by various authors. So far I have liked a few of the poems we have discussed in class and the discussion we have in class help with understanding more about components of the poems I didn't think or know about. Out of the poems we have read so far, my favorites include: "The Eagle", "I wandered lonely as a cloud", and "My Papas Waltz".
"The Eagle" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
When we read this poem in our class discussion, I enjoyed it the most out of the three poems listed on the sheet due to its vivid imagery and description along with a pretty clear meaning. Tennyson's purpose throughout the poem is seen as describing a powerful eagle with its abilities of swiftness and agility in flying above the world. From the eagles point of view it shows his higher up perspective that most humans never experience, such as the 'azure world' and the 'wrinkled seas beneath him crawls'. Tennyson creates a varying dynamic of the eagle being powerful and mighty but at the same time it is in solitude and lonely. This topic can apply to human lives as seen through people who are popular or wealthy but at the same time feel very alone and live desolate lives outside of the social image. When looking at my life this point of the poem could be seen when I interact with my bowling or school friends. I may feel confident and social while I am with them but when I am alone I feel less 'powerful' or important in a sense. Tennyson addresses many different ideas in his story that allow for deeper thinking about his techniques of writing along with word choice. He also brings up various thoughts and discussions about his poem's meaning of not only the eagle itself but the world around it.
Creative parts of the poem's word choice/description:
- Clasps the crag
- Crooked hands
- Azure world
-Wrinkled seas beneath him crawls
- Like a thunderbolt he falls
"Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath
Although I cannot connect to this poem on the topic of pregnancy, I do have feelings about women judging their bodies. Although the speaker is talking about her responsibilities of raising a child inside of her, there are moments in the poem where she has kind of negative outlooks on the image of herself, such as comparing herself to an elephant or a big melon. Pregnancy does great amounts to a women's body, especially stretching out the skin and creating weight gains and losses in different areas of the body. So many women, younger and older, have daily concerns about their body's looks, even when they are not pregnant, due to pressure from society. I know that I felt that some components of my body are not 'normal' due to seeing constant images through media and entertainment about what a typical woman should look like. Although the speaker may not really care what she looks like and is just bringing up a metaphor, that part of the poem made me think further into pressure anyone feels about their looks.
Interesting parts of the poem's word choice/description:
- An elephant
- A melon
- Fine timbers
- Loaf's big with its yeasty rising
- A cow in calf
- Green apples
- No getting off
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