Response to Gerald Stern poetry reading

Gerald Stern did a wonderful job of holding his audience's attention as he recited his poems. He was entertaining as he read with a strong voice that had a comical twist. The poems that he shared portrayed what was stated about him on www.poets.org, which was "The voice is intimate, someone unafraid to be imperfect." He did clearly demonstrate this description of himself as he read "Lillies" and "She Was A Dove." He read with such assurance and definition.

"Lillies" was descriptively written in narrative form and as he shared about this unusual experience that he had while sitting in traffic one day, the reader could picture his story as it was unfolding. The vivid language used by this poet allowed the audience to clearly picture the scene as he described it. The audience was able to feel his emotion of surprise and picture the expression on his face as a prior student approached his car in traffic with such excitement and his ambivalence about how exactly to respond to the praise he was unexpectantly receiving. "The voice is intimate, someone unafraid to be imperfect," describes how Stern expressed himself in this poem. He shared about an intimate moment and his lack of a perfect response to the unexpected situation that arose. His surprise and hestitation in response was what made the poem so comical and enjoyable to the reader.

"She Was A Dove" also reveals the author's intimate voice as he uses descriptive language to describe the woman he loves. He uses colors and sounds to develop the vivid language that he expresses throughout the poem. He is able to clearly portray how he views the woman who he loves and how they struggled with important decisions in regard to their future, "should we soar or should we land and stay." He seemed to be sharing with the reader the need to remember to appreciate those we love and think carefully about the choices and decisions that we make in life.

Overall, this was an impressive poetry reading.

Response to Adrienne Rich video

Adrienne Rich is so representative of what the identity poets were all about. At lawyersgarden.blogspot.com, there is a great description of the characteristics, ideas, and drive behind the identity poets. Some of what was shared was that these poets tend to focus on the underrepresented part of the population, which changes as times change. They tend to zone in on what a particular group is experiencing during a particular time period in history, or what a particular group of people who are deviating from the norm of what is expected in society may be experiencing. They state the truth regarding the true identity of these groups of people and challenge the stereotypes that may exist. They become the voice for those who may not be heard or who may not be strong enough to make themselves be heard. Their poetry serves as a tool to educate and open the minds of people to issues that they may not have been aware of or chose to ignore.

This video shows various pictures of Adrienne Rich at different points in her life, which symbolizes the woman as a whole. This emphasizes the point that we are a result of all of what we have experienced in life; not just parts. The spoken words from this video can also be located at www.poets.org without the visual of the video. The experiences in her life are reflected in the tone and focus of her poetry. It was stated that at first she was writing as if she was a princess in a fairytale and then her content became increasingly confrontational. This shift occurred after she gave birth to 3 sons before the age of 30. Her themes focused on what was currently going on during that time period, which was how women's role in society was being viewed in a different way, racism, and the Vietnam War. She also began to use more free verse as opposed to the structure of careful metric patterns. This shift seems to indicate that maybe she had followed a more structured lifestyle with her husband and now she is breaking away from that to develop her own free style.

The headstone for her ex-husband which was portrayed in this video was quite disturbing. It stated, "I TOLD YOU THE MILK WAS BAD. I NOTICE YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY." This is a direct attack on Adrienne Rich as a mother because a mother's ability to provide milk to her newborn baby is expected of all new mothers. The inability to be able to do this makes a mother feel like a failure and like she is missing out on a true mothering experience.

The poem that was read on the video, "Rape," demonstrated a theme of injustice and inequality. It represented what is wrong with the judicial system and society and how women are being the target for violent crimes. There was a tone that nothing in being done to effectively make a difference.

The whole idea behind the Identity Poets is a direct correlation to what the City at Peace program is all about. This is a youth empowerment program where they have a chance to share their story and create an original musical drama based on what is shared by the 80 inner city youth who are chosen for the program. The youth are taught that they have the power to make a difference in the world and that it starts with making your voice be heard. Poets like Adrienne Rich helped to move people in the direction to be able to advocate for themselves and to be motivated to make a difference in the world.

Graham's poem about Klimt

Analyzing paintings is a difficult task for me unless it is something that really grabs my attention. If it is too abstract, I lose patience. For a poet to have the desire to look deeply at a painting, especially to the point of creating a poem in response to their observation of the painting, is wonderful. It helps to add such depth to the understanding of what may have been going through the painter's mind as they created a piece of art. It is like a critical analysis that has turned into a type of commentary on their work.

At first glance at Klimt's painting, Beech Forest Buchenwald 1 (1903), I would never have been able to interpret anything close to what was captured by Graham in her poem, "Two Paintings by Gustav Klimt." The mere mention of Buchenwald makes this painting and poem intense and emotional. Graham notes Klimt's artistic style of incorporating shiny, glittery paints into his paintings in the lines of her poem that state, "Although what glitters on the trees; catching the light; and yellows glittering." It also appears that she many be connecting her concerns about the annihilation of the environment and nature as we know it to the annihilation of the Jews during the Holocaust. This seems evident when she states, "the sum of these delays is the beautiful, the human beautiful, body of flaws; stand in rows, anonymous." All of these beautiful people were killed because Hitler viewed them as flawed and they stood in rows (lines) waiting to be killed in cremeatories and gas chambers. There is a relationship that has been intertwined between the destruction of the trees and the destruction of the Jews with both being tied to, "The injustice of the world." Graham captures the visual features of the painting such as the colors "the blue air, the yellow trees," the glistening features of the paint, the shadows of the tree limbs "into the avenue of mottled shadows," the trees, and the season being autumn "one autumn afternoon." However, she goes deeper than just the physical features by creating a parallel relationship between the forest and the concentration camp, "crossing this yellow beech forest, this buchen-wald."

After mentioning Klimt's death, the poem takes a turn in a different direction focusing on a painting of a woman. The focus is on her vagina "a woman's body open at its point of entry; between her legs; over this mouth of her body." A simile is then incorporated in which brings back the mention of the colors used in his paintings, "we are drawn to it, its blues and yellows glittering like a stand." Her use of the word "pleasure" to end this poem makes me think of her use of "lust, desire, and passion" in "I Watched a Snake." Graham seems to connect these human emotions to the intense things that are happening around us or that have happened already.

As I looked at these paintings again after reading Graham's poem a few times, I began to hear the forest speaking to me. I was able to imagine what the trees may be saying if they could speak and the raw emotion that filled that beech forest. I was envisioning all of the trees being bodies marching along falling from time to time as tree leaves and limbs fall to the ground and die. I see the painting of the woman signifying that just as the Jews were viewed in such a limited and negative way, women can be viewed not for who they are or how they appear but just for one use, sex.

"One Train May Hide Another" by Kenneth Koch

"One Train May Hide Another" is read aloud by Kenneth Koch on http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15592. The tone he used as he read this poem reflected a sense of calmness and pause, which went along with the overall message of the poem. He did not rush through his reading, but instead took his time to slowly and clearly emphasize each word and each line of the poem. The pace at which he read gave the audience a chance to respond with laughter at humorous points and to have a chance for reflection during other points in the poem. It was like when you have a nicely seasoned juicy steak at a restaurant and you take your time to savor each bite, as opposed to rushing through the meal and barely getting to appreciate the time and dedication the chef gave in preparing your meal. The poet read in a way in which you could really appreciate and understand each word that he thoughtfully and carefully placed in the poem, which was the result that he had been striving for.

The repetition of the phrase, "One may hide another," emphasizes that we should take the time to pause and really look at the whole picture. We should not be impulsive in our decisions but instead should look closely at all of our options. We should look deeper than the surface of people, things, and situations and take the time to really process what and who is around us. His continuous repetition of this phrase demonstrated how strongly he believed that we should appreciate the whole picture when viewing something and not just the individual parts.

This thought is truly reflective of the tone of the New York poets, who didn't just look at and reflect on their own poetry but that of the other New York poets, as well. In addition, they opened their lives and minds to the work of the artists from that time period. They spent a great deal of time looking closely at and analyzing one another's poems and art. They were a very reflective and collaborative group of people. This is demonstrated by this incredible poem that was inspired as Kenneth Koch saw a sign at a railway crossing.

Poetry reading at The Village Bookshop in RVC

The Village Bookshop reviews describe it as a great little bookstore with friendly helpful staff and a nice variety of books to choose from. Many nice events are scheduled here and among those are poetry readings.

Walking into a poetry reading for the first time was a bit awkward. The room was set up with the chairs and couch nicely organized all facing forward where the poet would be speaking. There was a quiet pleasant atmosphere in the room and snacks for all to share. It was apparent that just about everyone knew each other and who the newcomers were. On Friday night, October 2, at 7:30PM, everyone anxiously awaited the arrival of the poet who would be presenting her poems. By 7:45, it became clear that Larissa Shmailo, who was the poet to share her poetry that night, was not coming. The announcement was made that it would be open mic night and a sign up sheet was passed around for all to have the opportunity to share what they had written.

Wayne had a reflective tone to his poetry. Each poem spoke of his life's journey and how he was looking back upon special moments or things that struck him as important and worthy of being described in detail. His poetry centered around luck, sand, and reflections. Wayne's use of end rhyme helped to provide rhythm to the poem, which made it easier to follow along and grasp his message. Wayne is an older man who seems content in life and uses his poetry to analyze and highlight his life's journey. Anyone who appreciates looking back upon fond memories and cherishing the details of objects, things, and moments in your life, would enjoy listening to Wayne's poetry. I appreciated the calming voice he used as he read and the peaceful tone that came across in his writing.

Matt had a different style of writing with his poetry. His poetry centered around the thoughts that are going through his head. I was able to picture the topics that he spends time thinking about and how his thought process works. "If I" was written with numerous questions about different directions the speaker's life could have gone in and what may have happened if he had done or been any of those things. Matt used imagery in his poem, "Mystery" to illustrate the many mysteries that exist in life. The vivid language used helped me to visualize the many things in life that he views to be a mystery. His use of metaphors in his poem, "Who am I," left a sense of mystery about who he really is as a person. He writes with a stream of consciousness in "Nothing," which consists of a bunch of rambling thoughts that do not tie together and then ends with "What are you talking about?" "Nothing." His addition of the second speaker at the end of the poem adds both humor and understanding as to why the rest of the poem was full of disconnected thoughts and phrases.

Annie appeared to be a modernist style poet. She focused on topics that centered around nature and her writing was somewhat ambiguous. The conceit of the poems was not as clearly evident as with the other poets. Her message in her poem, "Fly," was the struggle of the human condition. She used a parallel relationship of "a fly struggling on his back; the wind that picked him up so he could fly; his living one last flight and will soon mingle with the dirt" to represent how humans face struggles in life; have people who help us through; and in the end we will also die and be buried. I appreciated the passion displayed in her poems.

One poet focused on two funny poems that he had written about snow and a firefly. His poem about snow was from a memory he had from when he was ten years old and noticed the individual snowflakes that had fallen on his winter jacket. He used descriptive language throughout the poem to describe the action of the snow. His poem about the firefly also focused on the action of the firefly and he used personification to help the listener to develop a relationship with this firefly as the speaker of the poem had. The firefly was "thinking, feeling, and chatting."

Floyd's poetry centered around anger and disappointment in the relationship that he had with his wife and his feelings of loss around the lack of time that he is able to spend with his grandchildren. His poetry appears to be an outlet to express the feelings that are weighing heavily on him.

Listening to the various poets share their poems with such pride and passion helped me to appreciate poetry in a different way. Observing the value the poetry held for each of these poets and the connection that it allowed them to have with those around them was a powerful message that I will carry with me.

Harlem Renaissance- Langston Hughes

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement which centered around the African Americans in Harlem, NYC. This was an amazing time for this group of people during the 1920's to 1930's because it gave them a chance to express themselves in unique, creative, and talented ways, which opened the world to a whole new form of art, music, dance, and poetry. African Americans began to be viewed as performers and their talents were being portrayed in a powerful way that changed history and has had a lasting effect on the world. A new respect for this group of people began to grow, which was a nice change from being viewed solely as laborers and slaves. This video captured all of this for me. These were the thoughts that were running through my head as I watched it. The video showed Halem and significant locations in Harlem, such as the Apollo Theatre. I pictured how exciting and energized the streets of Harlem were back then with all of the bright lights, music, and entertainment happening into the late hours of the night. This was illustrated with the Blues singer and how he went to bed late with the Blues echoing in his head. "He slept like a rock for a man that's dead" makes me think of how the blues changed this singer and made him feel more fulfilled in life, which made him sleep so well. The man that was dead may symbolize who he was before he began to sing the blues and how that man no longer exists. I remember bringing a group of foster kids (teenagers) to the Apollo Theatre one night and it was a powerful experience. This cultural movement has left a strong impact and lasting effect on us because the music, art, literature, and dance from those times are still greatly appreciated today. The video portrayed the music, dancing, lights on the streets of Harlem, the Apollo, Lenox Ave., and many other important sites in Harlem. The words being read by the speaker continued to emphasize the connection between what we were seeing with the Blacks/Negros and kept repeating the connection with this ethnic group, "Ebony hands on ivory keys; black man's soul; negro sing; lazy sway of the negro. The difference that this cultural movement had on African Americans and how the world viewed them was vividly apparent in this video. The Life of Langston Hughes on www.youtube.com strongly emphasizes this, as well, through music and video. The quote by Langston Hughes "Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly" is a beautiful way to sum up what happened during this time period.

Vicki's reaction to the Poe, Dickinson, and Whitman videos

I must say that I did not enjoy these videos at all. They are definately not my style. They are too dark and monotone. I am not an auditory learner so it was difficult to remain focused and follow to gain an understanding of the message of the poem. I prefers pictures with music to gain insight about a message or to read a piece of literature and analyze it. The song with the documentary pictures in honor of Abraham Lincoln was much more my style than the Whitman poem/video. You can find that documentary/song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRVfXBjoT-g&feature=fvw.

On that note, what I did take from it was that there was a common theme of death throughout all three. In the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, he used an end rhyme that contained many repetitive rhyming sounds throughout the poem. Words that rhymed at the end of lines at the beginning of the poem would rhyme again repeatedly in the middle and again at the end of the poem. Some examples of words that he did this with are door, more, Lenore, explore, your, sure, before, store, floor, implore, and adore. I prefer the Fireside poets style where there are many different end rhymes and not much repetition of these sounds. The words "Never more" and "door" were repeated many times for effect but I find this to be irritating. The message of the poem seems to get lost in the wordiness and the play on words with the repetitive ing, en, er, and ore sounds.

The Dickenson video drove me crazy to watch because the woman's lips didn't move with the words which was extremely distracting to me. This was annoying to watch, listen to and follow. What I gained from it was the death carriage stopped for her and slowly drove through town passing things that she maybe didn't take the time to notice before.

Hello everyone

As many others in our class have already posted, I am new to blogging but am looking forward to it. I need to keep up with technology in order to keep up with my children and my students so this will be a great way to gain more exposure to technology. I hope everyone had a great summer and I look forward to getting to know everyone as we learn more about poetry.