I decided to comment on Ezra Pound’s critical piece, “A Retrospect.” He strikes me as a very intelligent individual. This piece actually reminds me of George Orwell’s piece, “Politics and Education.” I am inclined to think that Pound may have had some influence on Orwell.
I enjoyed the way he criticizes "vers libre.” I especially enjoyed the part where he says, “Indeed vers libre has become as prolix and as verbose as any of the flaccid varieties that preceded it. It has brought faults of its own. The actual language and phrasing is often as bad as that of our elders without even the excuse that the words are shovelled in to fill a metric pattern or to complete the noise of a rhyme-sound.” I could not help but laugh when I read this. There have been times when I have read poetry and I cannot make out what the author is trying to say. As I recall, I had a teacher in grade school that would recite some poems that did not make any sense, but because they rhymed or sounded good, she would read them to us. We never really liked the poems she read, but we always asked her to recite them so that we could kill time.
One of the passages I found most striking is when he says, “Be influenced by as many great artists as you can, but have the decency either to acknowledge the debt outright, or try to conceal it.” Usually all writers are influenced by other writers. Pound suggests that whether they are past or present writers, one should acknowledge their talent and give credit where credit is due. However, you may pass a piece off as your own as long as you don’t sound exactly like the artist you are influenced by.
I find it interesting that Pound criticizes the principles of Imagism, a method he once used to write poetry. I wonder what may have happened to turn him against Imagism. Perhaps his work did not do so well. It could also have been that he learned more through experience and he and the other two poets who made the three suggestions (“demanding direct treatment, economy of words, and the sequence of the musical phrase”) were trying to find a rebirth for old poetry. Perhaps, it was frustrating to them that, because of the superfluity of Imagism, poetry was becoming so abstract that it was not as enjoyable.
Although Pound speaks of poetry, this piece nevertheless made me reflect on my writing and how I may be using superfluous words. I know I sure don’t like it when I have to read something so difficult that I need a dictionary to make sense of it! So, from now on, I will try to check my writing to make sure that every word counts.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Robert Frost's "The Wood-Pile" pg. 1399
I decided to comment about Robert Frost’s “The Wood-Pile” because he comes across as a very creative individual. I was aware of his son’s suicide and his daughter’s mental collapse from the introduction. Knowing this information helped me to formulate a comparison about his life’s trials and tribulations and the unfolding of his scenic poem “The Wood-Pile.”
From the first part of the poem, I was able to draw the conclusion that Robert Frost has been met by indecision throughout his life, and that although life has been fair he has had a few setbacks. Frost writes:
I paused and said, “I will turn back from here.
No, I will go on farther—and we shall see.”
The hard snow held me, save where now and then
One foot went through.
As I continued to read I was able to infer that the little bird he encounters is his son, who was distant and kept to himself. Frost thought it was foolish to think of what was going through his son’s mind. However, he may have saved his son from suicide if he had tried to guess what his son was thinking or going through. Frost continues to write:
A small bird flew before me. He was careful
To put a tree between us when he lighted,
And say no word to tell me who he was
Who was so foolish as to think what he thought….
One flight out sideways would have undeceived him.
Frost further explains that he forgets about the little bird due to a wood-pile. He writes:
And then there was a pile of wood for which
I forgot him and let his little fear
Carry him off the way I might have gone,
Without so much as wishing him good-night.
From this I was able to deduce that he is talking about his daughter. He used to think about his son all the time and all of a sudden he had to shift his focus to his daughter’s mental collapse. The perfect wood-pile is his daughter. He shows how this illness starts to affect her and that she just lets herself go. The tree holding the pile on one side and still growing is the part of him who wants to stay strong. The stake and prop that are holding up the wood-pile on the other side, and is about to fall is the side of him who is not taking it very well and wants to give up. Frost continues:
The wood was gray and the bark warping off it
And the pile somewhat sunken….
What held it, though, on one side was a tree
Still growing, and on one a stake and prop,
These latter about to fall
From the first part of the poem, I was able to draw the conclusion that Robert Frost has been met by indecision throughout his life, and that although life has been fair he has had a few setbacks. Frost writes:
I paused and said, “I will turn back from here.
No, I will go on farther—and we shall see.”
The hard snow held me, save where now and then
One foot went through.
As I continued to read I was able to infer that the little bird he encounters is his son, who was distant and kept to himself. Frost thought it was foolish to think of what was going through his son’s mind. However, he may have saved his son from suicide if he had tried to guess what his son was thinking or going through. Frost continues to write:
A small bird flew before me. He was careful
To put a tree between us when he lighted,
And say no word to tell me who he was
Who was so foolish as to think what he thought….
One flight out sideways would have undeceived him.
Frost further explains that he forgets about the little bird due to a wood-pile. He writes:
And then there was a pile of wood for which
I forgot him and let his little fear
Carry him off the way I might have gone,
Without so much as wishing him good-night.
From this I was able to deduce that he is talking about his daughter. He used to think about his son all the time and all of a sudden he had to shift his focus to his daughter’s mental collapse. The perfect wood-pile is his daughter. He shows how this illness starts to affect her and that she just lets herself go. The tree holding the pile on one side and still growing is the part of him who wants to stay strong. The stake and prop that are holding up the wood-pile on the other side, and is about to fall is the side of him who is not taking it very well and wants to give up. Frost continues:
The wood was gray and the bark warping off it
And the pile somewhat sunken….
What held it, though, on one side was a tree
Still growing, and on one a stake and prop,
These latter about to fall
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Booker T. Washington's "Up from Slavery"
I chose to write about Booker T. Washington because not only is he a very interesting writer, but a very influential man. What I liked most about him is that he was a very persistent person and never gave up hope in realizing his dreams. Not only did he accomplish his educational goals, but he surpassed them.
In his writing, Washington uses a variety of symbolic figures to express himself. For example, he writes “My mother, I suppose, attracted the attention of a purchaser who was afterward my owner and hers. Her addition to the slave family attracted about as much attention as the purchase of a new horse or cow” (666). Washington later states, “On the plantation in Virginia, and even later, meals were gotten by the children very much as dumb animals get theirs. It was a piece of bread here and a scrap of meat there. It was a cup of milk at one time and some potatoes at another” (668). In these two quotes, the comparison to the purchase of he and his mother to that of a horse of a cow and the way they were fed, demonstrates that slaves were not only seen as animals, but also treated like animals.
Another piece of Washington’s writing that is very symbolic, is when he was in the “big house” and the white ladies are having ginger-cakes. Washington explains, “At the time those cakes seemed to me to be absolutely the most tempting and desirable things that I had ever seen; and I then there resolved that, if ever I got free, the height of my ambition would be reached if I could get to the point where I could secure and eat ginger-cakes in the way that I saw those ladies doing” (668-669). I believe that, for Washington, the ginger cakes were a symbol of freedom. Only the free would ever be able to eat ginger-cakes, and upon his freedom he would do just that.
The paragraph that I found really striking was when he writes about being young and envying the white man for having everything handed down to him. But, now that he is older he realized “that success is measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed” (679). I agree with Washington’s philosophy. Having to overcome poverty and racial inequality is no easy task, and should therefore be merited and measured as success. Not only does one appreciate what one has accomplished, but the skills one develops through one’s struggle cannot be handed down to you.
Finally, the last piece that I found interesting was when he states, “It will become apparent that the white man who begins by cheating a Negro out of his ballot soon learns to cheat a white man out of his, and that the man who does this ends his career of dishonesty by the theft of property or by some equally serious crime” (687). I think this could be applied to any race. These are words of wisdom. I remember my mom used to tell me when I would hang around with the wrong crowd, “those that run with wolves, learn to howl.”
In his writing, Washington uses a variety of symbolic figures to express himself. For example, he writes “My mother, I suppose, attracted the attention of a purchaser who was afterward my owner and hers. Her addition to the slave family attracted about as much attention as the purchase of a new horse or cow” (666). Washington later states, “On the plantation in Virginia, and even later, meals were gotten by the children very much as dumb animals get theirs. It was a piece of bread here and a scrap of meat there. It was a cup of milk at one time and some potatoes at another” (668). In these two quotes, the comparison to the purchase of he and his mother to that of a horse of a cow and the way they were fed, demonstrates that slaves were not only seen as animals, but also treated like animals.
Another piece of Washington’s writing that is very symbolic, is when he was in the “big house” and the white ladies are having ginger-cakes. Washington explains, “At the time those cakes seemed to me to be absolutely the most tempting and desirable things that I had ever seen; and I then there resolved that, if ever I got free, the height of my ambition would be reached if I could get to the point where I could secure and eat ginger-cakes in the way that I saw those ladies doing” (668-669). I believe that, for Washington, the ginger cakes were a symbol of freedom. Only the free would ever be able to eat ginger-cakes, and upon his freedom he would do just that.
The paragraph that I found really striking was when he writes about being young and envying the white man for having everything handed down to him. But, now that he is older he realized “that success is measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed” (679). I agree with Washington’s philosophy. Having to overcome poverty and racial inequality is no easy task, and should therefore be merited and measured as success. Not only does one appreciate what one has accomplished, but the skills one develops through one’s struggle cannot be handed down to you.
Finally, the last piece that I found interesting was when he states, “It will become apparent that the white man who begins by cheating a Negro out of his ballot soon learns to cheat a white man out of his, and that the man who does this ends his career of dishonesty by the theft of property or by some equally serious crime” (687). I think this could be applied to any race. These are words of wisdom. I remember my mom used to tell me when I would hang around with the wrong crowd, “those that run with wolves, learn to howl.”
Friday, February 5, 2010
Charlot's "He has filled our graves with our bones"
Although this speech was translated and then revised, I feel that the author has successfully done a great job of relaying its message. I really like this piece because I have heard the story about the Indians being driven out of their land and forced to live on reservations, but never from an Indian’s point of view.
The tone in this piece is clearly that of anger. Charlot expresses his anger towards the lying white man who broke his promise and who greedily took away their homes. First, his tribe was driven away from their land and forced to live on reservations in Washington and Montana. Then, they were forced to leave the reservation in Washington and take up residence exclusively in Montana. Furthermore, when the white man was in need of money, the Indians were forced to pay taxes. Charlot says, “… he wants us to give him money-- pay him more. When shall he be satisfied? A roving skulk, first; a natural liar, next; and, withal, a murderer, a tyrant.” It is clear to see why Charlot developed such hatred for the white man.
I think that the passage that serves to prove a larger point outside of itself is when Charlot communicates, that “Yes, they say we are not good. Will he tell his own crimes? No, no; his crimes to us are left untold. But the Desolator bawls and cries the danger of the country from us, the few left of us. Other tribes kill and ravish his women and stake his children, and eat his steers, and he gives them blankets and sugar for it. We, the poor Flatheads, who never troubled him, he wants now to distress and make poorer” (387). What Charlot may be speaking of is the unjust consequences of revenge. Due to the acts of a few (other tribes), he and his people are being exploited and unfairly punished.
The passage that I find striking is that of the aged Indian. He, his wife, and his daughter take in the freezing white men out of the cold. They help them with their ailments and make sure that they are safe. The men refuse to stay and they leave only to return later that night and murder the whole family for a few skins and a couple of horses. It is sad to hear that they had to kill the whole family for so little, especially after the hospitality that was provided to them. I think that the possibility of the white men being able to steal what little the harmless Indian family had could have been easily accomplished without taking their lives.
I think that, in order to see the big picture, you have to read both Charlot and Cochise’s speeches. In Cochise’s speech, he talks about the arrival of the white man. He mentions how he and his people accepted the white man. They fed him and showed him how to roam and live off of the land. The white man then turned around and did the Indians wrong. They were then forced to live on reservations or face extinction. Charlot’s speech picks up where Cochise left off. He talks about the way the white man treated his people once they were living on the reservations. Although the accounts of these Indian men have to do with two distinct tribes, the reader can get a very good picture of the sufferings that the white man inflicted on all Indian tribes.
The tone in this piece is clearly that of anger. Charlot expresses his anger towards the lying white man who broke his promise and who greedily took away their homes. First, his tribe was driven away from their land and forced to live on reservations in Washington and Montana. Then, they were forced to leave the reservation in Washington and take up residence exclusively in Montana. Furthermore, when the white man was in need of money, the Indians were forced to pay taxes. Charlot says, “… he wants us to give him money-- pay him more. When shall he be satisfied? A roving skulk, first; a natural liar, next; and, withal, a murderer, a tyrant.” It is clear to see why Charlot developed such hatred for the white man.
I think that the passage that serves to prove a larger point outside of itself is when Charlot communicates, that “Yes, they say we are not good. Will he tell his own crimes? No, no; his crimes to us are left untold. But the Desolator bawls and cries the danger of the country from us, the few left of us. Other tribes kill and ravish his women and stake his children, and eat his steers, and he gives them blankets and sugar for it. We, the poor Flatheads, who never troubled him, he wants now to distress and make poorer” (387). What Charlot may be speaking of is the unjust consequences of revenge. Due to the acts of a few (other tribes), he and his people are being exploited and unfairly punished.
The passage that I find striking is that of the aged Indian. He, his wife, and his daughter take in the freezing white men out of the cold. They help them with their ailments and make sure that they are safe. The men refuse to stay and they leave only to return later that night and murder the whole family for a few skins and a couple of horses. It is sad to hear that they had to kill the whole family for so little, especially after the hospitality that was provided to them. I think that the possibility of the white men being able to steal what little the harmless Indian family had could have been easily accomplished without taking their lives.
I think that, in order to see the big picture, you have to read both Charlot and Cochise’s speeches. In Cochise’s speech, he talks about the arrival of the white man. He mentions how he and his people accepted the white man. They fed him and showed him how to roam and live off of the land. The white man then turned around and did the Indians wrong. They were then forced to live on reservations or face extinction. Charlot’s speech picks up where Cochise left off. He talks about the way the white man treated his people once they were living on the reservations. Although the accounts of these Indian men have to do with two distinct tribes, the reader can get a very good picture of the sufferings that the white man inflicted on all Indian tribes.
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