McCoy's Life Journey曉風

Journal on “Grandparents” By Robert Lowell
Before I read the poem, I look the title “Grandparents’’ and deliberate questions what happen to the speaker’s grandparents. I keep my curiosity and read the poem. The poem is different from other poem because there is one stanza. In the beginning of this poem, the speaker mentions they all passed away now. And he mentions people in the town all attends to their funeral. After he refers the fact “his grandparents all dead now”, the speaker recalls his grandparents. When he was a teenager, his grandpa often waves his stick and his grandma often wears the veil. And he refers a series of things such as a horse was killed for a pierce arrow, the road was become whiten by the leaves, and child who do more jobs in the nineteen century all goes to heaven. After that, the speaker continue to recall a series of things such as the gramophone was racked, the five green bulbs become shaded, and his grandpa’s number three ball to represent his missing for his dear grandpa. In the end of this poem, the speaker everything won’t be happen again.
This poem is an elegy for his grandparents. The speaker misses his grandpa very much so he hopes his grandpa “hold him, and cherish him”. The tone of this poem is sorrow, ruthful, and sighed. The theme of this poem is we should cherish the sweet times of getting along with our families because everything will be end someday in the future. I found metaphors in this poem. I think the Pierce Arrow may metaphor as Death because the arrow likes a Death. He will destroy our life if we touch it. And the leaves, the racking gramophone, five green shaded lights metaphor a cruel fact “creatures and articles will be die someday”. This is a sorrowful poem and it also makes me recall my dear grandpa and the painful experience of I cried a lot and in his funeral. But I have a confusion why the speaker uses “clear” in “the Pierce Arrow clears its throat”. Why the speaker don’t change another word likes stab?

Journal on “My Papa’s Waltz” By Theodore Roethke
Before I read the poem, I look the title “My Papa’s Waltz’’ and deliberate a question who waltz with my father. I keep my curiosity and read the poem. In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker refers he waltz with his father who is drunken. And in the next stanza of this poem, the speaker portrays his mother is unhappy and frowned when he and his drunken father broke dishes in the waltz. In the third stanza of this poem, the speaker refers his ear is harmed when his father miss a step in the dance. And in the end of this stanza, the speaker mentions his father beats him with his thick hand. After that, the speaker refers him still hold his father’s clothes when his father brings him to the bed after waltz.
In my own interpretation, I think the poet manipulates a totally different waltz in his poem. Because I think waltz is a peaceful dance, in this poem the waltz is a little bit dissonant. Since I think waltz is a dance with lover, in this poem the waltz is referred a dance with his father. The theme of this poem, the speaker express he loves his father very much and I guess may be the speaker memories he waltzes with his drunken father when he is a child. Even if the breath of wine may make him die and drunken father hurt him, the speaker still holds his father and dance with his father. I found a metaphor is the speaker’s father’s whiskey breath metaphors death. I found the pans slid from the kitchen shelf may also refer the movement of waltz. Also I found the hand was battered on one knuckle and a palm by dirt may refer his father works hard. I think the poet also portrays masterly the movement of waltz and the events may happen in the waltz such as miss step in this poem.

Journal on “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” By Adrienne Rich
In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker refers Aunt Jennifer raises many tigers as her pets. One day, tigers intrude a screen of the neighbor’s house. Tigers don’t afraid of the people who stand beneath the tree. Even tigers paces to them. And the next stanza of this poem, the speaker mentions tigers are jumping to the Aunt Jennifer’s hand when she knits the wool. In the end of this poem, the speaker refers Aunt Jennifer die because she can’t sustain the heft of tigers after tigers jumps to her. And the tigers don’t feel ashamed, sad or scared after she dies. Tigers continue to prance the panel Aunt Jennifer made.
This poem is a tragic story. I’m confused about why Aunt Jennifer determines to raise these unstrained and heavy tigers which she can’t control. Why she raises a monsters that may kill you someday in her house. In my own interpretation, the theme is human being are fragile than animal. I think it overthrows traditional myth on human beings are smarter and superior than animal. In my view, the poet writes this poem to query the humanism; a concept was popular in the Renaissance period. I think this poem is anti-humanistic and naturalistic. There is a sarcastic and ambiguous condition I found in this poem is “The tigers in the panel that she made, Will go on prancing…” Because I think the panel may like a cage to control the tigers, but why tigers can easily prance. Since the panel is useless. It is a satire. Since the host, Aunt Jennifer doesn’t construct the panel is firm, she die as her deserved punishment. Also I think the poet portrays the importance of making a right decision.

Umbrella

An article with umbrella-shape/

Fingernail

A trifling article likes appendix in human body.

Journal on “Rain Travel’’ By William S. Merwin
Before I read the poem, I look the title “Rain Travel’’ and deliberate questions what is the main idea which the poet tries to tell us and what the journey of rain may infer is. I keep my curiosity and read the poem. The poem is different from other poem because there is one stanza. In this poem, the speaker refers he is awaked by the rain before the dawn. Although his companion doesn’t awake by the rain, the speaker imagines the tree which around them also awake by the rain. Also the speaker states he hears the drop of rain falling on the leaves. And in the ending of this poem, the speaker expresses his confusion when the rain begins to fall and portrays the river shouts in the darkness.
In this whole poem, the poet portrays a view about the rain appears in the peacefulness of the night through uses the personification. The poet personifies the tree, leaves and stream. For instance, the poet mentions “the trees full of night lean hushed in their dream that bears us up asleep.” And the poet portrays the leave is sightless and the stream was portrayed as an animal which can shout. In my own interpretation, the speaker is different from other people. He is a good-tempered person because the speaker doesn’t express his anger and blame on the rain for he is awaked by the rain. He just tries to describe the rain which may destroy the peacefulness of the night. Also I think the rain is described in the positive way because the tree, leaves, and the stream seem to be alive and live again after they hears or touches the rain. So in this way, in my view, the rain may symbolize as the mother of creatures for it gives us life. The tone of this poem is descriptive. When I read the poem, I feels it seems to the speaker tries to tell me about his story or experience on one day he is awaked by the rain. Moreover, I found a poetic line “there is no sound but rain and the stream below us roaring” is ambiguous and paradoxical. Because there is many sound includes the rain, and the stream. Why the speaker refers there is no sound? If there is no sound, why the speaker was awaked?

Journal on “Traveling Through the Dark’’ By William Stafford
Before I read the poem, I look the title “Traveling through the Dark’’. I deliberate who travels through the dark and then what happened to them. So I keep my curiosity and read the poem. In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker refers one day he finds a deer passed away when he drives his car on the narrow road in the dark. And the poet said people often think it is best way to push the dead body into the river for surviving. And the next stanza, the speaker refers his car can’t move and founds his car is tumbled by the doe also passed away who is pregnant, and he hauls it. In the third stanza of this poem, the speaker mentions he touch the dead doe’s body and finds it is warm. For the speaker’s view, her body is warm for her baby still waiting for his born. And the speaker considers he should push her dead body into the river or not. In the fourth stanza of this poem, the speaker mentions he looks the gas from the car become red. In the end of stanza, the speaker make a determination to push the doe’s dead body into the river for it may reduce more death and survive.
The theme of this poem is we may need to sacrifice something in order to survive our life. I think this way is very selfish, arrogant, and unnatural. In my own interpretation, I think the poet try to portray the relationship between men and animal, the relationship between technology and nature isn’t balanced: one has to be sacrificed for another survival in this poem. In my own interpretation, the animal as a victim, and the human being survived for sacrifice from animal. And in this poem, the narrow road may interpret as the passage of entering the Death; the animal may symbolize as the group of scapegoat but the human being may symbolizes as the group of surviving from animal’s sacrifice. I also found a line “It is usually best to roll them into the canyon: that road is narrow” may is sarcastic tone because I think push them to river isn’t best way. I found an ambiguous condition is the doe, recent killing has stiffened already. Why the doe die and become stiffen so fast? Also I found the paradoxical condition is the doe’s side was warm for her fawn lay there waiting. Why the dead doe may have two totally different temperatures in the same body? And why the fawn doesn’t die because the doe is dead now? Why it may still is alive on her mother’s body?

Relationships between Male and Female Act on Plath’s Two Poems
There are many outstanding poets during the World War I and II in American literature, such as Sylvia Plath, Gary Snyder, John Ashbery, and so on. And one of these poets mentioned before is the female poet, Sylvia Plath who famous for writing poems through the way of Confessional Poetry; and chooses two poems which all perform the relationship between male and female by Sylvia Plath. There are different kinds of relationship between male and female whatever the role they play in the two poems. In addition to, I will also talk about the similarities, differences and poetic styles of two poems were written by Sylvia Plath in the following paragraph. Because Plath is a poet who born after the World War I, at that time, Hitler like a devil to put all innocent Jews to the hell: the gas chamber in Germany. In one of the following poem will analyzes in the following paragraph, Plath use the word German and Fascist to describe the character as a devil and bad guy.
In ‘‘Daddy’’, there are three characters were referred in this poem includes the daughter, the daughter’s father, and the villain. It uses second-person point of view to write this poem. The poem likes the daughter would like to tell something to her father. From literal meaning of the poem, this poem refers the relationship between the daughter and the father isn’t well. The daughter is scared about her father. For instances, the daughter tells us she doesn’t have any courage to talk to her father even to breathe or sneeze. The title of this poem is ambiguous because I think “daddy” is a word to mention the relationship between the father and the daughter is so intimated and fine. But the truth is not, the daughter is scared her father, she doesn’t say anything to her father. I think maybe the poet should choose another appropriate word such as devilish father instead. But I think the aim to construct the tension by misplacing another word is successfully to draw attention to the reader even the reader may have an idea about the father is a good father before read the poem. But the reader will know the truth and overthrow their original imagines to the father and their relationship. In addition to, there is another guy who kills the daughter’s father and sticks the girl with glue. The girl misses her father so much and makes the model of her father when her father is killed by another cruel guy. In this poem, the girl always is a victim to her father and the villain. I think Plath condemns the German, Fascist, and war in this poem. Sylvia Plath uses a series of negative words like the German, swastika, Belsen, Fascist, and brute heart to metaphor the father who the daughter is scared. Plath also uses Jew, the victim in the Fascist society to metaphor the daughter. And Plath uses the roller to symbol the war. For example, Plath uses the roller to mention the Poland was destroyed and scraped flat by the war to emphasize the horror and power of the world war. And I also found the ambiguous condition in this poem. The girl misses her father so much after her father was killed by the villain. So she writes the poem and expresses her feelings which she never talks to her father. But she calls her father is a bastard in the end of this poem after she expresses her miss to her father.

Journal on “Nomad Exquisite’’ By Wallace Stevens
Before I read the poem, I look the title “Nomad Exquisite’’ and have a doubt who is the nomad? What is the exquisite mean? Because I can’t get correct meaning on the word “exquisite” from my dictionary. So I keep my curiosity and read the poem. In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker mentions the plant will angry for growth when the dew brings forth. And the next stanza of this poem, the speaker refers people will look all the growth of the plant when the dew brings forth. In the end of this poem, the speaker mentions people bless the crops they planted and grow like the golden side.
The poet expresses the plant’s mind through he uses the personification. For example, “green vine angering for life” is a personification to express them hates the dew brings forth on it. I find an ambiguous condition exists on the whole poem. The plant hates to grow up, but the planter hopes they grow up soon and blesses their crops become golden. It’s very paradoxical situation. I think the nomad may indicate the plant. It seems to metaphor the condition of the plant as a nomad who doesn’t want to settle in the same place. This poem is awesome because the speaker let two kinds of creature includes human being and plants expresses totally different thoughts on the one thing. I think maybe the planter hopes his crops grow up soon and grows in the golden side for making more money and become rich. But the plant would like to lazy on its growth. But the plant become angry for it will grow when it was poured by the dew. And I think the plant symbolizes children, the dew symbolizes the time, and the beholder symbolizes parents. Because children hope they may play toys, watch cartoon, and feel carefree forever. But time is cruel; children have to go to the elementary school when they are seven years old. After all, people all grows up and become elder. And the plants hopes children can grow up pretty soon and children will replace their parents and make money for their family.

Writing Poems in Automatic Writing Way on Three Objects
Highlighter
The crayon is different from other pen. Like other crayon, embodied colorful complexion. Have a magic power to seize weight-bearing point. People can easily understand the focal point. Students use as their coworker. Highlight key words. And get the focus.

Journal on “The Buck in the Snow’’ By Edna St. Vincent Millay
Before I read the poem, I look the title “The Buck in the Snow’’. I deliberate the buck in the snow, and then. Frankly, I can’t found the central idea which the poet will tell us from read this title. So I keep my curiosity and read the poem. In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker refers she watched a buck and his doe was happily to leap over the hemlocks bowed with snow at the beginning of evening one day. And the next stanza, the speaker uses only one poetic line to mention that the buck is dead and his blood melts the snow. In the end of this stanza, the speaker tells us death is strange. It seems to the doe thinks if her buck leaps another way, maybe he won’t die.
The theme of the poem is death is unpredicted and horrible because you don’t know what will be happen at the next moment, so we should do everything with attentiveness to delay the death. In this poem, the speaker describes how powerful death is and both buck and snow symbolizes the victim of death. In my own interpretation, whatever buck, the representative of animal, snow, the representative of nature, even human being all unable to escape the talon of death. And I found the poem is different from carpe diem also mentioned we don’t know when the end of doom is. But the poet tells us to do everything carefully to escape the death instead. And I found a poetic line “shift their loads a little, letting fall a feather of snow” is paradoxical because if the buck knows, he won’t die. But unfortunately, the buck doesn’t know the way is dangerous, how he can escape the death. And I think the poem is fatal. I also found hemlocks, the plant with poison metaphors death. Last but not the least, the tone is descriptive. When you read the poem, you may feel the speaker tell us a story and this poem likes allegory.

Relationships between Man and Woman Perform on Frost’s Two Poems
There are many outstanding poets in the different period of 20th century in American literature, such as Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and so on. And one of these poets I mentioned before is my favorite poets, is Robert Frost who famous for writing poems focusing on the beauty of nature and introspection of human life, using the way of colloquial speech on his poems. I choose two poems which perform the relationship between male and female by Robert Frost. I will talk about the relationship between male and female, similarities, differences and poetic styles of two poems were written by Robert Frost in the following paragraph.
In ‘‘The Subverted Flower’’, there are three characters, the man, the girl who he loves and the girl’s mother. In this poems, it talks about the girl was ruined by a man who she doesn’t love at all. In fact, Robert Frost revealed us the ending of this story we can know from the title of this poem before we read the poem. Frost uses the subverted flower to symbolize the girl was ruined. And use a kind of animal like dog to metaphor the man. In this poem, the man is a demon pursuit to the girl who he crazy love. The characteristic of man is active, forcible, brutal, violent even aggressive likes a beast but the girl is a victim whose personality is passive, forced, and timid. Robert Frost uses following words often are used to describe the animal likes pounce, paw, bark, and so on when the speaker mentions the behavior of man in the poem. Also Frost uses a series of words likes lash, flick, flung, caught, stretch, clasp, sucked to tell the men is violent. Frost dehumanizes the man who ruined the girl. The girl doesn’t love the man so she was blind to his smile for her from the poem we can know. I found a ironical condition because the man doesn’t hope to hurt the girl but he stretch her arm and clasp her. I also found a paradoxical condition from the line “That a flower had marred a man”, but the fact is the man marred the girl. I have doubt about why the girl’s mother doesn’t punish the man who ruined her daughter. The mother just wipes the foam, picks up her comb, and draws her daughter backward home.

Journal on “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter’’ By Ezra Pound
This poem is different from other poems because this poem is also a letter was written to her husband by a young wife. In the first stanza of this poem, the narrator describes about the process of meeting her husband. The narrator mentions that her husband pursued her actively when she pulled the flowers. And they played the blue plums and went on living in the village. At that time, they are happy even the narrator mentions two small people, without dislike or suspension. So in the second stanza, the narrator mentions she married to her husband after they played the blue plums. But in this stanza, the narrator expresses she is so shy that she never laughs to her husband and lower her head at that time. When her husband called her name, she never looks back. In the third stanza, she mentions she changes her attitude to her husband and hopes to live with her husband forever. In the forth stanza, the narrator refers her husband departed her and she feels sorrowful and lonely. In the end of this poem, the narrator mentions that she will come out to meet her husband if her husband will die.
This poem is full of the narrator’s concern and love to her husband. And the tone of this poem can divide three parts. The first part is focusing on before they marry, the tone of this part is happy and happiness. But after they married, the tone turns to shy. In the end, the tone becomes miss and sorrowful. When I read the poem, I found a doubt to consider. The doubt is why narrator becomes so shy after she married her husband. Even her husband calls her name, she never look back and greet. This condition is a little bit strange. Because they play and live together even she feels they love each other before they married. But why the narrator always shy, lowers her head, scowling, and never laughs? Hence, I look the first stanza again when I read this poem. I find this poetic line is paradoxical, likes the narrator said “Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.” If the narrator didn’t feel their marriage has a problem, why she write this poetic line on the first stanza. I also find some symbols on this poem through my interpretation. The first symbol is moss. The narrator uses the moss to express her concern and her loneliness. And the second symbol is the butterfly. The speaker uses the butterfly become yellow to express she become old. I don’t know why I feel plaintive when I read this poem. And the theme of this poem is a young wife expresses her lonely and solitude mood to yearning for her husband. I also think this poem like the poetry in Chinese literature called Poetry of the wife's lament.

Journal on “Storm Fear’’ By Robert Frost
Before I read the poem, I look the title “Storm Fear’’. I deliberate a question whether the title means human being fears storm or not. So I keep my curiosity and read the poem. The first stanza of this poem, the poet focusing on the description how powerful strong wind is. And the next stanza of this poem, the poet focusing on the description how powerless they are. Because their strength only two people and a child. In the end of this poem, poet has a doubt about whether “‘tis in us to arise with day and save ourselves unaided.’’ But probably the answer is not. Because he uses the word unaided, I think it means it can’t save us.
I like these poetic line as follows, the first one is “I count our strength.’’ When I read this poetic line, I feel it looks like the narrator will fight their enemy. Before they fight it, they count their strength and consider they are winning or not. And the next poetic line I like is “how the cold creeps as the fire dies at length.’’ When I read this poetic line, it looks like how powerful strong wind destroys the fire. And I also imagine the setting of this poem. It may be in winter, and a cold day, the narrator and his wife and a child feels so cold in the room, so they burn the fire to make warm themselves. But unfortunately, the strong wind makes the fire can’t work at all. They can’t fall asleep and have a good dream due to the strong wind destroy the fire in the end. I feel the tone of this poem is somewhat hopeless. Also the theme is nature is strong and powerful, and human being is powerless and slim. Human being can’t do many works to conquer the nature like the poem mentions the narrator burn the fire to make them warm, but the fire are died by the strong wind in the end. I think this poem is naturalistic.