Creative Post - Suppose I tell you

The poetry group that I am in is focusing on the topic of 'Love and Tragedy'. This topic brought back so many memories of my Literature class in High school. In my senior year, we focused a lot on a Bahamian poet named Michael Pintard.  His collection of poems were published in a book called "Still Standing" which include poems about his love life, and his loss of love throughout his life. He is not grammatically correct most of the time which you may note, but this is the way Pintard includes the slang of the Bahamas into his writing.  I loved his style of writing, so much so, that I have his book at college now to look back on from time to time and to pull inspiration from. My favorite poem in his book is called "Suppose I tell you" and this poem uses the same repetition of the title but incorporates my own personal story into it.  I hope this touches you in some way.

Suppose I tell you

Suppose I tell you
that my heart has been yours,
since that breezy October evening,
when I gazed into your eyes,
and you into mine,
 I saw your soul,
 you saw mine,
You saw all my needs and my desires,
you saw your reflection,
but did you see us?

Suppose I tell you
that in that moment,
I saw my future,
I saw us,
growing old,
being happy, 
content with our life together,
and as we change,
our love never fades,
because I found you, 
and you found me,
but is this true love?

Suppose I tell you
that you give my life meaning,
there’s no distance too far,
for each day that passes,
is one day closer
 to the day we are together again,
but until that day we shall be patient,
for true love waits,
I will be waiting,
will you wait for me?

I hope that this encourages you to look into Michael Pintard's poetry and to possibly compare my poem this his and to note the contrast of our lives.  Maybe next year he will be included in the Love and Tragedy section of Introduction to Literature's Poetry Project. 

A Creative Response to "Harrison Bergeron"

Equality in a Dystopia

Equality of mind is,

A song of gunshots sounding,

Distracting my thoughts,

Unable to excel.

Equality of beauty is,

A hideous mask,

Preventing insecurities,

Robbing beauty and appreciation.

Equality of freedom is,

Ironically lost,

Causing more restrictions,

Leading to destruction.

Equality of strength is,

Identical talents,

Weights on my shoulders,

Normality unchanging.

         This poem shows the different aspects of ‘equality’ in the story Harrison Bergeron. It talks about the equality of knowledge, beauty, freedom, and strength in a dystopia. In the story Harrison Bergeron, the author Kurt Vonnegut uses acute changes in society to satirize America through the comparison of knowledge and power versus suppression and ignorance. Although this story was a harsh exaggeration; Vonnegut indirectly promotes uniqueness in humanity. He encourages the reader to appreciate the many differences in the world because if not, the world could be on a track to actual equality and a world without competition, goals, or flexibility.

Reflective Post - "A Work of Artifice"

          Growing up in the 21^st century, we’ve become so accustomed to the world shaping who we are that we often let others decide who we are instead of knowing for ourselves.  More often than not, the fact remains that women are shaped by the world’s standards of being inferior, weak, dependent and domestic.

        When reading the poem “A Work of Artifice” for the first time, I honestly did not understand the meaning of it or how it connected to the other readings.  In class on Tuesday, while discussing the poem, everything had finally been brought to light for me. Breaking the poem down, taking note of all of the symbolism, metaphors and allusions I found that the author of the poem wanted readers to reach in and find the reasons he used each of the words that were used in the poem.

         We can note the tone of the her poem right away in the title, "A Work of Artifice."  The word ‘Artifice’ directly links us to a deception to reach a wanted result.  The author, Marge Piercy uses the bonsai tree as a metaphor for women.  The “pot” represents the restriction of growth for the tree. If the tree had been planted in the ground, the roots would have grown to their full potential.  In line 5 it also mentions, “lightening” which ironically is a natural death in this piece of the poem. The poem then shifts in the 6^th line at “But a gardener” because the poet uses the word gardener as a nice word for what this person is being shaped by – The world.   

         In line 12 the word “nature” is an underestimation of the happenings and pressures of the world. The act of crooning is a ‘nice’ word defined as to hum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner. The use of this word represents the saying “if you hear it enough you will believe it”. That is so true. We take in all of the criticism of the world, and often think so little of our accomplishments or ourselves. Many times we lack so much self-confidence because of the world around us. This should not be so. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 it says "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. Buy pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm But how can one keep warm alone? though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." God wants us to left each other up, not bring each other down. The gardener is representative of a culture product. 
 

         The next shift in the poem occurs in lines 17-19 “With living creatures / one must begin very early / to dwarf their growth" These three lines begin the actual dwarfing process.  Pruning its roots and branches confines a bonsai tree. In addition, a woman is dwarfed by being told from a young age to believe in her inferiority and by being denied equality to opportunities.  The poet uses four examples of ways in which women have been shaped to meet the ‘norm’.  Firstly, she uses the example of "bound feet" (line 20), which has its origin in ancient China.  Women of higher classes in particular had their feet bound, or broken, at a young age so they would appear dainty and feminine.  Secondly, the "crippled brain" (line 21), is an allusion to skull shaping practices and the view of women as naturally lacking in intelligence. Third, "the hair in curlers" (line 22) is another marker of conforming to the worlds standards. This clearly illustrates the restrictions placed upon woman to be "homebodies" and nothing else.  Fourthly, it is thought that the reference to “the hands you/love to touch” (lines 23-24) presents a modified view of women as sex objects.  Therefore, Piercy has pulled together four recurrent themes of subordination included in the stereotypical woman:  physical, intellectual, occupational, and sexual.

          Consider this: If we live by the world standards will we ever see ourselves the way God sees us? Our culture tells us all of the superficial things that mean nothing in God’s eyes.  God wants us to live wholly for him without restrictions. In Romans 12:2 it says “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”