My first response to this poem was, "what in the world is the point in this"? This happens to be one of the poems I do not like, not because it is a bad poem or anything, but because it is a very confusing poem that is difficult to follow and comprehend. Because it was hard to follow, "Understudy" very easily frustrated me. Personally, I prefer poems that rhyme or talk about something I am familiar with, for example: breakups, or daily stresses of a teenager, not something pertaining to death.
Lusk repeatedly mentions the arrangement of silverware. Why? What could possibly be relevant about sitting at a table arranging silverware, and why does arrangement matter? In the second section, Lusk says: "It crawls inside their cuffs and edges out again along their temples and the gothic arches of their eyebrows". What is "it"? From the previous section, it sounds as if "it" were supposed to be the silverware, but with imagery that would make no sense.
This is what frustrates me; riddles. Though Lusk may not be using riddles, he sure is not being precise about what he is talking about, and because of this I cannot stand this poem. Underlying meanings simply anger me. Instead of being obvious about the subject he is writing about, he jumps from subject to subject, expecting the reader to understand what he is trying to say. Though I do not prefer, or even like, this type of poem, I appreciate the thought and work Lusk had to put into this poem to make it different while still getting a story across.
I believe this poem is referring to death. "It" refers to age, not silverware. Sitting around arranging silverware is a matter of wasting time and marking their place in this world as they sit, awaiting their death. The old men frequently check their watches, as if they know that time is running out, and the term "belly up" refers to dying, in their case, dying with loneliness.
Overall, the point of the poem was that, ultimately, we are all understudies. At some point in time these events may happen to us, and the outcome is inevitable. Until then we can only check the time, and wonder when the hourglass will run out of sand.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
"Please Come Late" by, Hugo Williams
I wonder; what creates a sense of connectivity? Maybe a distant memory,or maybe even a shared experience. Memory is a funny thing, along with the human mind. The human body, being united as one yet being so independent in it's own. The heart and mind, connected, but dysfunctional in the same. You may think and find yourself wondering, but it's once you start to feel that things turn for the worse.
"Make me suffer, wondering what you are doing on the other side of town ..." (Williams 55). Why? Why suffer and physically cause harm to yourself? It's simple; love. The things people put themselves through for the sake of love is actually quite remarkable. Every individual has gone through a break up, especially heart break. We fall into people, not knowing exactly how fast we are falling, until it's too late and no one is there to catch you except the cold reality that no one was ever truly there.
We think to ourselves, "what did I do?", "where did it all go wrong?". Every possible scenario comes to mind once faced with this reality. The thought of cheating, the thought of them reminiscing about the good times, and then the thought of all that was lost. What happened for one to think "please come late"? Being late refers to a change in time, thankfully, time heals. In time, memories fade, feelings weaken, but the pain still lingers as if it were only there to taunt you in your weakest hours.
Why would someone want to give up? Possibly because they have wasted too many hours, and tears on someone, knowing that the person will never return. Why would someone want to know if they are remembered by the little things, by the person that hurt them? Maybe because the thought of the other individual missing you leaves a sense of hope. Lastly, how can one finally admit to themselves that there is nothing left? Is it because they want to be shut out, or because they want to avoid any more hurt that comes along with love?
Readers, no matter how old they may be, will connect to this poem. Every person will eventually come in contact with heart break, but it is how each person copes with it that makes there own story something of it's own. Although it may hurt, I would much rather someone come late, than never come at all.
"Make me suffer, wondering what you are doing on the other side of town ..." (Williams 55). Why? Why suffer and physically cause harm to yourself? It's simple; love. The things people put themselves through for the sake of love is actually quite remarkable. Every individual has gone through a break up, especially heart break. We fall into people, not knowing exactly how fast we are falling, until it's too late and no one is there to catch you except the cold reality that no one was ever truly there.
We think to ourselves, "what did I do?", "where did it all go wrong?". Every possible scenario comes to mind once faced with this reality. The thought of cheating, the thought of them reminiscing about the good times, and then the thought of all that was lost. What happened for one to think "please come late"? Being late refers to a change in time, thankfully, time heals. In time, memories fade, feelings weaken, but the pain still lingers as if it were only there to taunt you in your weakest hours.
Why would someone want to give up? Possibly because they have wasted too many hours, and tears on someone, knowing that the person will never return. Why would someone want to know if they are remembered by the little things, by the person that hurt them? Maybe because the thought of the other individual missing you leaves a sense of hope. Lastly, how can one finally admit to themselves that there is nothing left? Is it because they want to be shut out, or because they want to avoid any more hurt that comes along with love?
Readers, no matter how old they may be, will connect to this poem. Every person will eventually come in contact with heart break, but it is how each person copes with it that makes there own story something of it's own. Although it may hurt, I would much rather someone come late, than never come at all.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
When Dreams Become Reality
People face reality in many different ways. Some face their fears with their head held high, while others face them with their emotions hidden. David Small, the main character in "Stitches: A Memoir" faces his fearful realities through his astonishing imagination, and through his vivid dreams.
Growing up, David faces many brutal encounters with his family. Throughout his experiences, he uses his vivid imagination and creative dream sequences to escape the reality at hand. The communication between David and his family is very minimal, along with the care that is supposed to be provided withing an ideal family household. David's family is nowhere near the ideal family though.
"During spring vacation [David's] family split down the middle" (Small 65). His mother took him to his grandmother's in the South, while his father took David's brother Ted East. No one exactly knows why his mother is not a very caring, loving individual; through the novel, David implies that maybe the reason for his mother's behavior is caused by her own mother.
During the visit to his grandmother's we begin to see more imagination, along with dreams come out from David. His grandmother was a harsh woman, inflicting physical and emotional pain to David. To escape reality, he draws and escapes into a place like the place of "Alice in Wonderland". If only dreams could become a reality, but as always, all good things must come to an end.
The most fascinating illusion, dream, is the man in the jar. When David discovers a growth on his neck, he imagines that inside of the growth is the little man. The little man resembles guilt. First, the guilt for disobeying his mother in the hospital (39-41), and also the guilt for the growth, as if he were trying to hurt his mother and her reputation purposely (119).
There are multiple amounts, and various types of dreams and imaginative illustrations David has provided, but these are just a few. The way Small goes about his writing is very interesting and disturbingly funny. So I wonder: when will we finally see his dreams become reality?
Growing up, David faces many brutal encounters with his family. Throughout his experiences, he uses his vivid imagination and creative dream sequences to escape the reality at hand. The communication between David and his family is very minimal, along with the care that is supposed to be provided withing an ideal family household. David's family is nowhere near the ideal family though.
"During spring vacation [David's] family split down the middle" (Small 65). His mother took him to his grandmother's in the South, while his father took David's brother Ted East. No one exactly knows why his mother is not a very caring, loving individual; through the novel, David implies that maybe the reason for his mother's behavior is caused by her own mother.
During the visit to his grandmother's we begin to see more imagination, along with dreams come out from David. His grandmother was a harsh woman, inflicting physical and emotional pain to David. To escape reality, he draws and escapes into a place like the place of "Alice in Wonderland". If only dreams could become a reality, but as always, all good things must come to an end.
The most fascinating illusion, dream, is the man in the jar. When David discovers a growth on his neck, he imagines that inside of the growth is the little man. The little man resembles guilt. First, the guilt for disobeying his mother in the hospital (39-41), and also the guilt for the growth, as if he were trying to hurt his mother and her reputation purposely (119).
There are multiple amounts, and various types of dreams and imaginative illustrations David has provided, but these are just a few. The way Small goes about his writing is very interesting and disturbingly funny. So I wonder: when will we finally see his dreams become reality?
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