Sample Poetry Analysis 2

 3. There are many strategies by which poets increase the effect of their words and one of those is the repetition of words, images, sounds and the like. In the work of ONE poet you have studied, show how various kinds of repetition have allowed poets to heighten their meaning.


    In Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope" is the thing with feathers, she uses tsymbolism of a bird to represent hope; therefore, through this poem, the appearance of the bird became the repetition as the image of hope to highlight the theme. The first line "Hope is a thing with feathers" and the word "perches" in the second line, indirectly tells the reader that it is most likely to be a bird. Moving on to the second stanza, the author directly uses the word "bird" to provide what the hope is put into. In the third stanza, crumbs can be referred to what people normally feeds to the birds. In each stanza, Emily Dickinson continued mentioning the bird and how the bird acts to create a simile of the hope in different conditions. Emily Dickinson also repetitively uses words having the same meaning in the end of each stanza to show that hope is always there. In the first stanza, she wrote "never stops", in the second stanza she wrote "that kept so much warm", in the third and final stanza, she wrote "yet- never"; All of these repeating words meaning never highlights her idea on how hope is always something there to look up to. Another exactly same word being used is the word "And", it is being used linking four lines, to show that all of these qualities being wrote after the word and, is included in hope. How it sings, it never stops, it is sweetest in the Gale, and the storm must be in the storm. The repetition of the word "and" united the lines in different stanzas that are all supporting and are the details about the theme --hope. This repetition also creates a gradually built up sense of what hope is.
     Emily Dickinson also used words that are started in the letter s, for example, sweetest, sore, storm, soul, sings, strangest, this made the poem sounded more together and more harmonious. To highlight that hope often appear during difficulties, terrible situations are repeated through the poem separated in many of the lines. for example, "storm", "chillest land", "strangest sea" and "extremity". It shows that these situations are where she "heard" hope. Emily Dickinson's writing style is also very special in which she uses "-" to separate words in a sentence. In my opinion, it is a way to make the reader see more clearly on the important words and knowing the meanings more clearly, strongly, when they read slower because of the pause created using the dash. For example, "and never stops - at all -" this emphasizes that hope does not stop singing and giving her a sense that it is right there at all. Also, "And sweetest- in the Gale - is heard -" emphasizes that it is sweetest only in the gale, not in other conditions, but right in the gale, is where hope is being heard the loudest. 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - 

RELATED POEM CONTENT DETAILS

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - 

That perches in the soul - 

And sings the tune without the words - 

And never stops - at all - 

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - 

And sore must be the storm - 

That could abash the little Bird 

That kept so many warm - 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land - 

And on the strangest Sea - 

Yet - never - in Extremity, 

It asked a crumb - of me.

sample poetry analysis

1. Ancestors, parents, children. The connections and oppositions among these groups often provide interesting material for poets. In the work of ONE poet you have studied, examine the means by which such relationships have been explored.

              In many different kinds of literature, the connection between family are showed, from a loving relationship to a bad relationship, each family has their own way to get along. Most of the stories I read included elements about family, many of them are about the barriers the elders try to dissolve with the younger generation. However, in Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry, she used short but meaningful lines to tell the readers about her family, from her father to the grandmother that she is not familiar with. My Father and The Fig Tree is a poem she wrote about her father and his stubborn on his belief. In the line, "later when they caught and arrested him, his pockets were full of figs", it shows how his father have been trying to face every situation using his own belief. The father has always been wanting to prove to the daughter about his belief and what it really is. In the last section of this poem, she wrote "He took me out back to the new yard.There, in the middle of Dallas, Texas,a tree with the largest, fattest,the sweetest fig in the world" this is a part where he finally found what he has been looking for and immediately called his daughter to see what it is. Also, in the poem Blood from Naomi as well, she tells about his father. "He said that's what a true Arab would say", therefore, we could infer that the father has been wanting to teach Naomi how and what a true Arab is, having their own identity instead of what others might think about them. They have a close relationship and also a relationship that is interesting. What the father gave to her daughter are principles on how she should live and how she should sense the world. As an adult knowing more about the society's stereotype, the father also chose to protect Naomi in a special way by telling her that they are "shooting star", instead of labeling themselves by ethics.                

          In another poem Naomi Shihab Nye wrote, The Words Under The Words is more alike the theme of ancestors. Even though she did not live with her grandmother, but through the details she observed, she understood her grandmother, we could know the fact from these lines "My grandmother’s hands recognize grapes,   the damp shine of a goat’s new skin", and "My grandmother’s voice says nothing can surprise her". Naomi knows what her grandmother have experienced also through what her father might have told her.               

            Many of Naomi's poetries are about her ancestors' belief and how she connects to it; Also how it all affects her way of thinking. Starting when she was little,  she get all these ideas about life and small parts of her original Aran culture through his father and even from her grandmother that she don't see often. Since it is a poem, it is more interesting to think and conjecture about comparing to a long story giving out all the details. Naomi's poetry shows how her connection with the family is important as an immigrant from a very different country than U.S.A., how important it is for an elder to provide the correct knowledge and perspective for a young girl to keep her innocent from people's peculiar judgement. Also how his father chooses to speak and tell her about their orignal culture instead of changing the familt into a American family to fit into a new place for settlement. 

Staging proposal

            My Love My Love is a love story with a sad ending, therefore makes it difficult for me to choose what the overall feeling should be like. However, I think if the audience haven't heard about the story, it is a good idea to start it off with a bright feeling and moving on to a darker and sad feeling along with the plot to keep the audience away from knowing the sad ending right in the beginning in the performance so they could be more interested in continuing watching. 

             First of all, the stage should be set up into two different genres: the village and the city. To separate this through the scene changes, use different props for the background on stage. For the village, trees, plantations, old chairs should be around the stage; and for the city scenes, clean beds (in hotel), paintings should be set up in the background. Props being placed in the village stage should be in dirt or in a darker color. The overall stage should be in the color of green representing it being rural and brown to show how the villagers have been working in the muds. The costumes for the villagers should also be in these darker colors to simulate this feeling of a village life. For the scenes in the city (hotel), brighter props could be used, even shining, to show how they have a luxurious life that is in big difference from the village's lifestyle. Paintings on the wall would also show that they do have more extra time besides working to enjoy a different kind of entertainment and educations of all kind. 

             The lightings should not only be different according to the location's change. It should be more depending on each scene's tone. For example, during the scene where Ti Moune and Daniel is in love, it should have the brighter light and tone out of every scene, because it is the main character--Ti Moune's happiest scene in my opinion. The lighting could even be pink, to show a sense of love surround them. Ti Moune in the beginning of the performance could dress in a white dress but still in dirt to show her as a villager (but different from them because of the bright color of dress instead of dark color working pants), it could get more ripped and dirty in the scenes of her journey to the city. Until she meets Daniel inside the hotel, should be the time where she dresses in the most resplendent clothing to show her change and effort made to fit into this new world. Small parts of her saying how tired she is could be added into scenes as she started trying to fit in Daniel's world. As the plot is towards the ending, the lighting could be darker and darker with less colorful effects to represent Ti Moune weakening and to create a negative sense so the sudden abandon of Daniel would not be too shocking and fast for the audience to take in. 

Ti Moune's custom

           To show the situation of where the village where Ti Moune lives, it is important to make the villagers wear something that first their situation. Poor, hot and dry, is what they're facing in the beginning of the story. The villagers should all be bared foot to show a feeling where they all lives in rural places and are often farming therefore shoes are not necessary. Their costumes could have several holes or holes that are covered with another piece of cloth, to show their frugal. Girls should also be wearing shorts because it is easier for them to work. With makeup that follows the costumes, it is even better to have their faces dirty with dirts covering some parts of their face or on their arms. But for Ti Moune acting as a different villager, she should be clean without dirty make up. This would also show how she likes going to the stream and let the waters clean her body, this also makes her more clean and shinny. It can also represent how she is looking forward to a better life, maybe also in the quality of living. Besides not having dirty make up, her customers should also be different from the girls in the village. She could be wearing a dress instead of shorts. This is also supported by the novel, where it mentioned how her dress got bigger and there was a rip under the armpit. To make the customs more detail and similar to the novel, we could cut a hole around the arm to show the fact that Ti Moune is growing and her family did not had the money nor time to give her another new dress. But we should definitely keep her dress cleaner than the villagers even though there is still one or two holes on it. The dress could be in white, to show her pure and innocent. While we have Ti Moune dressing in such a bright color, the villagers could be dressing in darker colors, for example, gray, brown or dark green. Colors that are similar to where they work, in the fields; and this will also reflect how they feel about themselves, that they should and fits well in the condition of their life. But Ti Moune's choice of dress could reflect how she felt different and wanted another life that is away from the villagers way of thinking, way of living and the works they're supposed to do for their whole life. 

My Love My Love Chapter 10,11

chapter 10
-Ti Moune got to the city during night (sees a big difference from the village and the city)-->"City has no eyes" --> collapsed
-A lady sleeping in the shadows gave her courage
-She went up the hill to a hotel--> squeeze in the hotel (this could show how she is thin comparing to city people and even because she was in hunger, therefore, made her even more skinny)
-She felt embarrassed because the guard threw her out and people was laughing.
(the barefoot reminds of little mermaid, when she first came on land to another world)
-She ran beside a sea in the forest--> took fruits from the gods to get a pair of shoes
-Guard: Lucifus and Dwarf. Never went into the castle.
-Erzulie? gave TiMoune comb, shoes, and dress

Chapter 11
-She felt more confident after showering in the sea but the shoes made her uncomfortable (symbolizing she's trying to fit a world that does not belongs to her)
-She ran to a car that entered
-Butterfly appeared
-Have a good impression in the artisans
-Goes to the garden every night to wait for Daniel's appearance
-She saw Daniel mad so went to calm his emotions--> lay down together, hugged

In class performance of Duality

Ti Moune - facing opposite direction
Give me your blessings to leave...

Mama
What Madness is this?
What is this nonsense I can hear?

Ti Moune
I must go
Daniel Beauxhomme needs me.

Mama
He needs a poor peasant girl?

Ti Moune
Agwe and Erzulie saved young Daniel from the hands of Papa Gé on the promise of my soul!

Mama
Then it's the gods who have gone mad. You are sixteen, Ti Moune.

Ti Moune
I must leave the village, and I must go tonight
Young Daniel Beauxhomme is in danger. He needs me. I must go to him - or he might die.

Mama
The road is hard for men and mules. It can be death for a little girl.

Ti Moune
I don't care. I am not a child anymore.

Mama
You consider leaving us after the care we gave you for all these years for a man you only know for a couple days and who might not love you back.

Ti Moune
I know he loves me, I feel it.

Mama
How you can feel it? Stop blaming yourself. It makes me sad that you are choosing him instead of us. We have always loved you the most.

Ti Moune
You don't understand!

Mama
Of course I don't understand you! I have always tried to raise you up in the best way with the strongest love. It hurts me to see you blind, I am sorry but your thoughts are not real!

Ti Moune
Oh, Mama... I am sorry... but I must leave now...

Inclass writing (Ti Moune v.s. Villagers)

      Duality is often seen in book My Love My Love, through the difference between the God and human, between the villagers and the wealthy men, between light and dark, most of all, between Ti Moune and the villagers. In the previous chapter, Ti Moune would go to the stream where no other villagers dare to go. The stream is representing a line separating the village and the city, it is two different world where Ti Moune did no felt afraid of going. She is not afraid of crossing the line, she enjoyed the refreshing feelings the stream gave her, instead of thinking it as a place she shouldn't be close to. This is already showing a comparison between Ti Moune's braveness and special characteristics differing from the villagers. On page 60 while Ti Moune was talking to M. Bienconnu, another duality was represented. Even the man of knowledge in the village discourages her love to Daniel and her braveness of going to the city. It is not exactly wrong for the elder to say such thing since the history most of them have been through was set like this without people breaking the line between the duality of the rich and poor, as he said:"History has cast our fate in stone". The villagers believe that the faith is meant to be in a way, but Ti Moune said "her fate! nonsense" and "what did she have but dreams to sustain her" to show that she does not feel restricted of faith nor what people thought should or should not be done. Also, in the text as it says "Occasiaonally she passed villagers threading their way through the woods toward the Vaudun ceremony in the hills, but she was too preoccupied to return their greetings", this shows her annoyance and a duality between Ti Moune and the villagers where she does not feel what they feel, and have been feeling unnecessary to repospond to them sometimes.