From Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"
-the film's a bit similar to Machan's "Hazel Tells LaVerne"
-mainly just good music :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84FTVsckrN8

"Hazel Tells LaVerne" -Machan

"Kiss me just kiss me once on the nose well i screams ya little green pervert" -Lines 17-20

I think this poem was also very relatable because it has been shown numerous times in the media, most recently in a Disney film. This story, however, has a more unfortunate and frankly, more realistic ending. It's the story of a frog asking a princess to kiss him in order for him to become a prince. I must say I enjoyed the spinoff- it gave a fantasy idea a more realistic situation. The author's style of no punctuation is meant to show that the speaker is uneducated. Besides that, I felt like the vernacular was the greatest literary term used here. For example, "Well i screams ya little green pervert an i hism with my mop" shows exactly how the author conveys the speaker's status, education level, and description. I believ the author intended for the reader to assume that the speaker is an African- American. Perhaps a deeper meaning is that the author is criticizing racism. Because of the woman's attitude towards herself, "me a princess," (probably sarcasm/obvious disbelief) and her uneducated status, society would not consider her a princess. I also don't know the significance of flushing the frog down the toilet three times. It could just be another fairy tale, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqB3ybtYQXI&feature=relmfu

"Getting Out" -Mathis

"That year we hardly slept,..." -Line 1 "Heaving words like furniture." -Line 14 "The lawyer's bewilderment when we cried, the last day." -Lines 20-21

I also liked this poem because it was easy to understand. I'm pretty sure this focuses on the cycles of the speaker's relationship with a spouse. The first quote shows the early, crazy days of purely physical emotion. The second shows the fighting-verbal and possibly also physical. And the last stanza goes through the divorce of the couple. When, "We held on tight, and let go," sums up the poem's content: two lovers were "in love" but it didn't last. The tone presented is mostly reminiscent of memories in the past, probably the ones in the first quote and in lines 8-10, "FM and full-blast blues, hours of guitar 'you gonna miss me when I'm gone.'" That last quote is actually ironic, because it means before the couple divorced they spoke of sadness of their break-up. This poem was also easy to read because it is relatable. Not personally for me, but for many others, and almost this exact content is often portrayed in movies and on TV shows. Because of its constant occurence in the real world and the imminent depiction in the media, relating to this poem was simple, making it more fun for me to read.

"The Apparition" -Donne

"I had rather thou shouldst painfully repent, than by my threatenings rest still innocent." -Lines 16-17

This poem was a my favorite because it was easy and clear to understand. I took the poem's setting as a dead (figurative?) ex-boyfriend watching and thinking about his former lover and her replacement for him. To me, the tone here was of a very emotional, bitter, vengeful, and perhaps immature ex. Especially evident in these last lines is the fact that the speaker is intend on psychologically getting revenge on his lover and/or making her feel guilty. The speaker also says, "What will I say, I will not tell thee now," revealing a sort of sick pleasure of the man keeping the woman in suspense of his "payback." He also says, "My love is spent," so he's definitely beyond taking her back. Another reason for the woman to feel guilty is that she killed him (probably figurative for breaking up with him) and then dating another man or cheating on the first man. Either way, this poem would make a really good drama series.

"Crossing the Bar" -Tennyson

"And may there be no sadness of farewell when I embark;" -Lines 11-12

Besides tone, I think this poem's strongest device was a metaphor. For me, I took this quote as referencing the speaker's death, or "crossing the bar." Sadness is obviously associated with death, and when we die, we are embarking-either on a journey to the afterlife, or as some believe, just leaving. I also thought the "flood" in line 14 was a symbol for our journey in life. Just like unpredictable waters, life brings up new challenges for us to face. I also think when the author writes, "I hope to se my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar," he means he wants to go to heaven and see God after he dies. Although the poem is majorly addressing death, because of this quote, the author creates a worry-free tone that encourages the reader to view death positively. Lastly, the "no mourning of the bar" could either mean the author wants a painless, fast death, or that he simply wants people to celebrate his life rather than mourning his passing.

"My mistress' eyes" -Shakespeare

"And in some perfumes is there more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks." -Lines 7-8

First of all, I don't think Shakespeare is giving a great first-impression. This poem, until the very last two lines, is basically insulting every aspect of his mistress. Saying things like her breath is not as pleasing as perfume, "her breasts are dun," and that "she treads on the ground" just sound like Shakespeare is working against himself. After reading these lines, I was sure it wasn't a love poem. The last lines, however, change it up; he states, "and yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare." Basically, I interpreted this as his lover being mediocre, but rare and still special to him. I don't quite understand if he is criticizing or praising his lover. Overall I think the tone shifts from a bitter, criticism to a more polite, honest, complimenting attitude-showing Shakespeare is a romantic at heart.

"Dream Deferred" - Langston Hughes

I really enjoyed this poem because it was short and sweet. The diction wasn't difficult, so that's good: it's always more fun reading a poem that I can understand. Additionally, the theme of the poem is stated at the very beginning of the poem: "What happens to a dream deferred?" Hughes then goes on about possible outcomes of a dream that is deferred.  If this poem were to be taken literaly, it would be interesting bcause no one thinks about what happens to dreams after you wake up. Here, however, the poem is talking about peoples' dreams or ambitions in life. I think all the "dreams deferred," or forgotton dreams or ones that never came true, here are all negative outcomes. Some "dry up," "fester like a sore," and "stink like rotten meat." Needless to say, imagery and senses are used heavily in this piece. I'm not sure how each deferred dream differs, but I'm guessing the common thread is that they were dreams that fell short, giving this poem a sad, bitter tone.

"Toads" - Philip Larkin

I thought this poem's tone was kind of dreary, saddened, and negative overall. That's also what I think of when I think of a toad, so maybe that's another thing meant by the author. I think the central theme of this is something like, "Don't let something hold you back or get in the way of your dreams." I think this because lines 25-26 say, "For something sufficiently toad-like squats in me, too." This just means that the author has something holding him back, or a negative toad-like quality that is keeing his from "getting the girl and the money all at one sitting." This guy sounds like a real optimist.... I took he next lines, "Bud I do say it's hard to lose either, when you have both" as kind of the "kicker." He makes the positive or negative point (depending on how you look at it) that it's difficult to get the fame, the girl, and the money, but once you have all three, it's hard to lose one component. In a way, he's expressing hard wok pays off.

"February" - Margaret Atwood

I thought this poem was rally funny because it was really relatable. The part where the cat is described as a "black fur sausage" really made me laugh because I make that comparison all the time with small animals. Then, the cat "jumps up on the bed and tries to get onto m head." I'm positive that anyone reading this who has a small pet knows exactly what this is talking about. Because I felt the poem was really relatable to everyone with a pet-which is most people- reading this was actually fun. Also, the author's diction in this porm was really odd but amusing. The parts where Atwood says, "Some cat owners around here should nip a few testicles" and , "Cat, enouh of your greedy whining and your small pink bumhole" makes me visualize an old, crazy lady shouting things at cats all the time. Lastly, this poem is like the opposite of "Autumn" because the last line says, "Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring." Basically, the author means that winter is a dreary, terrible time of dath, and we should look forward to the hope and light of spring.

This is what I envisioned the speaker to look like.

"The Joy of Cooking" - Elaine Magarrell

I am so happy this is the figurative language chapter, because otherwise I would take this poem as repulsive. So the problem with this poem is that I have no idea what the "sister's tongue" or "brother's heart" resemble, since they are obviously not literally those things. I'm especially unsure of what to make of lines 15-16:"Although beef heart serves six my brother's heart barely feeds two."Ithought this was a bit of juxtaposition, because the siblings' parts are described in detail in (quite disgusting, if I do say so myself) cooking methods, and the essay says "beef heart," not "cow heart," - it seemed to me that the author was trying to create a barbaric, cannibalistic effect there, because why would she go into detail describing how to cook ehr family and not an animal?

 I also interpreted the parts that were being cooked as to the characters' personalities. he sister's tongue "will probably grow back" probably means that she is talkative, a bit fresh, or has a problem with authority. The brother's heart "needs an appel-onion stuffing to make it interesting at all" probably means that he is a mean, cold, or unthoughtful person.

"Pink Dog" -Elizabeh Bishop

There is a lot of smbolism in this poem. From seeing the title I knew the dog probably wasn't a dog. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I'm thinking the social outcasts.And the water these outcasts are thrown into is shame. One more thought I had was that in 32, the author mentions Carnicval. I don't think this is really just a fair or something like that. I interpreted it as the second coming of Jesus. The author asks, "What sambas can you dance? What will you wear? I thought that was referencing how Catholics are always being told, "Ready yourself for the kindgom of God:" giving a good impression.

In a more literal sense, I thought the "Canival" in line 32 could be the Karneval, which is the last day before Lent, "Fat Tuesday,"  in German. It could be this because the author also mentions Ash Wednesday, the day after. It could also be referring to the Germans' celebration, because in lines 34-35, the author says that "Carnival's degenerating --radios, Americans, or something, have ruined it completely." When she says Americans, that sort of implies that she is a foreigner.

Robert Hayden vs Grease

"Those Winter Sundays" and "Summer Nights"

If only we listened to Thomas Hardy....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJUrt0O7uY

Also, this could be used as a counterargument for "To Autumn" by John Keats.

"Those Winter Sundays" - Robert Hayden

The first thing I thought of when I saw this title was the song "Summer Nights" from the musical Grease. The poem's theme, however, was pretty much the opposite. And I don't think this would make a very good musical, considering the central idea is about a father, or a worker, works constantly and is not appreciated.that  The son is the villain here, in the sense that he is not thanking his father. The son's part could also be interpreted as the worker's company or boss, who doesn't pay him enough or at all. To me, I felt like this poem addressed the issue of taking things for granted. And because every person takes something for granted, this poem is universally relevant. It rang true for me because nowadays, younger children are being taught to be thankful for what they have and help others who have little. It was refreshing to see that idea in story-/poem-form without being blatantly told, "Be thankful!"

"To Autumn" - John Keats

In this work, the author heavily utilizes sensual imagery. For me, that makes literature like this more relatable, fun to read, and easier to understand. For example, lines 19-22: "And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep steady thy laden head across a brook; or by a cider-press, with patient look, thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours." This imagery contributes to the central theme: autumn can be beautiful and peaceful.

Besides loads of imagery, Keats includes a peaceful, calm, and happy tone throughout. That ties into the other central theme: autumn is just as good as summer or spring, if not better. This is stated in lines 23-24, "Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--." I believe "thou" in this sentence is speaking directly to autumn. This quote is then saying that, although people only praise the warmer seasons, autumn has numerous good qualities such as rejuvination: Lines 9-11 show downfall of summer: over-working the land and, thus, killing the vegetation: "And still more, later flowers for the bees, until they think arm days will never cease, for summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cells." Lastly, the situation of summer over-working the land, killing plant life could be an analogy for how humans are refreshed at the beginning of autumn; for example, the start of school or work for some people occurs in fall: it is a new, fresh start.

"The Convergence of the Twain" - Thomas Hardy

I really liked this poem because it had allusions to the "Titanic" throughout. First of all, writing a poem about the Titanic is highly relatable because a vast majority of people have seen the movie or at least are familiar with the history, including myself, so it was easy to understand. :) Secondly, the central purpose of this poem, as well as the theme, is revealed in line 15: "And query: 'What does this vaingloriousness down here?'...." I find this theme also a bit ironic because it's pointing out how everyone thought this magnificent, glamorous ship could never sink, but it happened anyways.

Hardy also references a higher power in lines 18-21 when he says, "The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything prepared  sinister mate for her--so gaily great--a Shape of Ice, for the time far and dissociate." It makes it seem as though God planned the demise of this vessel as well as the passengers aboard, which is contrary to what most people think of God's temperament towards humanity. Maybe that is the author's way of proving the theme of our vanity as humans and belief that we are most important. By showing, through situational irony, that God premeditated this event, and that one of our biggest, best creations was taken in one fell swoop by an outside party, the author urges our insignificance, thus revealing the poem's main idea.

"I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain" - Emily Dickinson

This poem's structure is one big symbol. That is that the funeral which the speaker feels is really the "death" of her sanity, or her normality. The author also uses repetition and an analogy in lines 5-8 when she describes the feeling: "And when they all were seated, a service, like a drum--kept beating--beating--till I thought my mind was going numb--." Then, in the last stanza, the author says, "And then a Plank in Reason, broke, and I dropped down, and down--and hit a World, at every plunge, and finished knowing--then--." I believe that is symbolism for either when it "hit her" that she was not sane or when she died from her illness. By using these analogies, she creates imagery for the reader. That makes her concept visually conceivable. It also makes the piece more interesting, I think, whereas some authors might just tell the audience straight out that the speaker is sick. Emily Dickinson's analogy is much more entertaining and makes the reader think.

"London" - William Blake

I found this poem to be the most interesting and also the most depressing. The first thing I noticed was the tone: sadness, hopelessness, and chaos, which is how Blake creates imagery and pathos. In lines 11-12, the author states, "And the hapless Soldier's sigh runs in blood down Palace walls." This idea of soldiers being sent out to die while the royals stand by, aware but unmoved, creates the bitter resentment of the hierarchy by London citizens. I really felt that this is a common theme in literature: the common people are up against "the man." So naturally, being someone not in a position of power, I often envy and resent those who have power but make poor decisions as to how to use it. In this way, the poem seems more universally relatable.

The author also evokes pity/disappointment in the reader when he says, "How the youthful Harlot's curse blasts the new-born Infant's tear, and blights with plagues the Marriage hearse." At first, I didn't know what that meant, but here Blake is depicting how, because of prostitues' behavior, the institution of marriage is devalued, probably because one, or maybe both, spouses are visiting the prostitute. Effectually, the children in these cases are raised in unstable households. Everyone suffers. Just like the image in the opening stanza, the tone of "marks of weakness, marks of woe" in this society sure makes London seem appealing.

Perrine on Poetry

I found most of what Perrine said in "The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry" to be true. Knowing these things will make me a better reader and better author. Having said that, there were a few pieces of the work that I did not agree with. First, he says that all interpretations of a poem are not equally valid. Secondly, he states that there is only one "right answer." I disagreed at first with that because the interpretation from the reading should depend on the reader. And if different readers come up with different variations of meanings, they should be valid. But then it could be said that a crazy person who thinks Shakespeare is talking about Al Quaida still has a valid interpretation, so he does have a point. The main idea is that the audience can have different perceptions of a poem, and all are correct if they are within a certain boundary.

The next area that I thought was a bit farfetched was when Perrine addressed the "right" meaning of the Melville poem. First, I believed that the text, seemingly about an army marching at night, is actually about the stars, not war. The thing that I found completely outlandish was when he says, "As I read it, the poem poses the question of the existence of God." I just sat there and thought, "Is this guy for real?" It's a poem about twinkling things. Anyways, because he explained that statement afterwards with sufficient logic, it doesn't sound too far-out. I still don't understand how people can pick up deep content like that from a short poem. I also wonder why some authors put so many symbols and metaphors in their works only to realize that no one but other authors, like Perrine, understands them. If the common man can't understand their writing, or interpret the wrong meaning from it, why do they make it so complex? I do think believe, though, that Perrine's logic as to how to interpret the words as something more (especially this example because without explanation it would sound completely absurd) will help me in the future to be a more perceptive reader and to be more open to possible meanings.