ENGLISH 2201: Poetry Journal #1

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1 ENGLISH 2201: Poetry Journal #1 Constructed Response Questions: Experience Dorothy Livesay "For your own good" they said, And they gave me bread Bitter and hard to swallow My head felt tired after it, My heart felt hollow. So I went away on my own road Tasting all fruits, all breads: And if some were bitter, others were sweet-- So I learned How the heart is fed. 1. What is the format of the poem? How do you know? This is an example of a lyrical poem that is also free verse. It is clearly lyrical because of the fact that it communicates strong emotion. The speaker addresses his/her feelings about pursuing typical experiences compared to those that are unique. Initially, s/he describes feeling tired and hollow from trying to live the kind of typical life that others are inclined to live. In the final two lines, however, s/he says that by pursing experiences that interested him/her,... [s/he] learned / How the heart is fed. By suggesting that his/her heart is fed, the speaker implies that s/he feels satisfied and fulfilled as a result of becoming independent. This expression of feeling is part of what helps to characterize this poem as a lyrical poem. In addition to this, the poem is also free verse; despite featuring some words that rhyme ( said, bread, swallow, hollow, etc.) it does not feature any consistent meter or rhyme scheme. 2. Who are "they" referenced in the first line? Why is this a reasonable inference? The people referenced as they in the first line are meant to represent authority figures, people who are likely older or more experienced than the speaker. This is a reasonable inference because they ve given the speaker advice for [his/her] own good, implying that they ve made suggestions on how the speaker should live his or her life. Generally, only authority figures who have had more life experience would feel compelled or qualified to offer advice to another person on how his or her life should be lived. 3. What does the "bread" symbolize in the first stanza? Why was it bitter and hard to swallow? Why did it make the speaker feel tired and hollow? The bread referenced in the first stanza is meant to symbolize common, mundane experiences in life the idea of doing the same kinds of things that most people do. It was bitter and hard to swallow for the speaker because those kinds of experiences weren t what s/he wanted in life. As a result, s/he found that kind of life tired and hollow, suggesting it was both draining and unfulfilling because it wasn t what s/he wanted. 4. What does "my own road" symbolize? Why were some fruits and breads bitter? Why were some sweet? My own road symbolizes varied, different experiences sought out by the speaker. Some fruits and breads are described as being bitter because not all experiences in life are good experiences some are uncomfortable, some lead to heart ache, others to feelings of regret. The experiences that are good, however, are sweet because they re fulfilling; they re experiences the speaker has sought out for him/herself.

2 5. What point of view is used in the poem? Why is it effective? This poem is written in first-person point of view. This is an effective choice because it helps to both develop and reveal the nature of the speaker. Readers are given a direct account of what the speaker thinks and feels. For example, the speaker describes how s/he felt after being told how to live his/her life: My head felt tired after it, / My heart felt hollow. These lines tell the reader, directly, that the speaker felt drained and unfulfilled from living the kind of life that other people deemed appropriate. As a result, the reader is given a clearer perspective on the kind of person the speaker is; a person who is independent and needs to pursue the kinds of unique experiences that are of value to him or her. Clearly, first person point of view is effective here because it helps to develop and reveal the nature of the speaker. 6. How is the poem an extended metaphor? (Hint - consider the title!) What is being compared? Why is this comparison effective? The poem is an extended metaphor because it makes a continuous comparison between experience and food. Typical, or mundane experiences are compared to bread, whereas experiences that are unique or different are compared to all breads, and all fruits. This comparison is effective because it helps to create contrast in the poem. On its own, regular white or brown bread is fairly mundane. Most people consume it on a daily basis; it doesn t have a particularly strong or distinct flavour. As such, it effectively symbols experiences in life that are typical or expected, like the expectations to attain steady employment, to buy a house, to get married, etc. Bread on its own, however, is not representative of all the different types of bread that exist in the world. As such, the speaker goes away on his/her own road and finds opportunities to taste all breads and all fruits, which are meant to symbolize the abundance of diverse experiences a person can potentially encounter. This suggests that once the speaker embraces his/her independence, s/he has a chance to experience things far beyond what is expected or typical. All breads and all fruits, therefore, stand in stark contrast to bread on its own, as they help to show the difference between pursuing diverse experiences compared to mundane experiences in life. This comparison is further developed at the end of the poem when the speaker expresses the satisfaction s/he feels as a result of pursuing this independence by suggesting his/her heart is fed, implying that pursuing diverse experiences in life is more fulfilling than falling in line with what the majority of people choose to experience. It is evident, then, that the comparison between food and experience is an effective extended metaphor within the poem. 7. What is the theme of the poem? Support this theme with TWO references to the text. The theme of this poem is a life lived to satisfy the desires of someone else is an unfulfilling life. One reference to the poem that supports this theme is, And they gave me bread / Bitter and hard to swallow. This helps to develop the theme because bread is used to symbolize the typical, mundane experiences that characterize the lives of most people. The suggestion is that the speaker was encouraged by others to pursue a typical, mundane kind of life. The speaker, however, found those experiences distasteful, or unfulfilling. This quote, then, helps to support the idea that when a person lives his or her life in accordance with what someone else wants or values, it may not be a reflection of what that person truly desires. As a result, that person may be left feeling like the speaker of the poem; bitter and unfulfilled. Another example from the poem that helps to develop this theme is, So I learned / How the heart is fed. These lines help to develop the theme because the metaphor comparing experiences in life to food has been extended. This time, however, the speaker describes his/her heart as being fed as a result of eating all breads and all fruits, which is meant to symbolize the satisfaction the speaker feels as a result of pursuing varied and diverse experiences in life. This shows that s/he has lived a life to satisfy his or her own desires, which leads to feelings of fulfillment as opposed to feelings of dissatisfaction. Obviously, then, the theme a life lived to satisfy the desires of someone else is an unfulfilling life is suitable for this poem.

3 Weakness by Alden Nowlan Old mare whose eyes are like cracked marbles, drools blood in her mash, shivers in her jute blanket My father hates weakness worse than hail; in the morning without haste he will shoot her in the ear, once, shovel her under in the north pasture. Tonight leaving the stables he stands his lantern on an over-turned water pail, turns, cursing her for a bad bargain, and spreads his coat carefully over her sick shoulders. Constructed Response Questions 1. Identify TWO similes in the poem. For each, identify the comparison being made and explain why each comparison is effective. 2. What can you infer the father does for a living? Explain your inference with TWO references to the text.

4 3. How are the father's actions contradictory? What does this tell us about his character? 4. What is the mood of the poem? Give TWO examples from the poem to explain your mood choice Reach out and Touch Maxine Tynes baby girl, baby boy behind me on the bus reach out and touch the curly electric of my hair your fingers dipped in the brown skin magic of my neck to see if it comes off your mama slapping your hands away hush-up of your questions and wondering out loud why it doesn't come off. I turn and smile for you, but you're already lost in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in. I should have sat beside you snugged up my big warm self up close held you while your mama juggled parcels. then you would know it's o.k.

5 Constructed Response Questions 1. How does each woman on the bus react to the young child's actions? Explain with TWO reference to the text. 2. What is the tone of this poem? How is it developed? Explain with TWO references to the text. 3. What does the speaker mean in the last line when she says, "the you would know it's o.k."? How does this help to develop the poem's theme?