281. The Death of a Soldier

Life contracts and death is expected,

As in a season of autumn.

The soldier falls.



He does not become a three-days personage,

Imposing his separation,

Calling for pomp.



Death is absolute and without memorial,

As in a season of autumn,

When the wind stops,



When the wind stops and, over the heavens,

The clouds go, nevertheless,

In their direction.



Wallace Stevens

-This poem has no rhyme, but that does not mean there isn't a certain rhythm to it. I think that the poem's structure has a lot to do with the significance of its meaning. The poem is about the expectance of the death of a soldier and how it affects few people. The poem does not have rhyme and the stanzas are short and simple, however this reflects the death of a soldier. Their burials are not littered with ornate pomp, and they are very cut and dry, however this should not take away from the very personal side of their death, in that they were human too. I think that the speaker of the poem is Stevens however and he is trying to make a personal statement of the value we place on the lives of soldiers.

-One literary devices Stevens uses is repetition. The lines "as in a season of autumn" and "when the wind stops" are both used twice. I think that one reason Steven's may use repetition in the poem and especially these two lines is that a soldier's death is commonly expected. Soldiers risk their lives for that which they fight for, however because of their choice and the dangers that are included with it, we have come to regard their deaths as just another one of the many. Just as the season of autumn will repeat from year to year so will the death of soldiers. The repetition of "when the wind stops" may have been used for dramatic effect. Using the line back to back emphasizes the stillness of the world as "the clouds go... in their direction."

The diction Stevens uses is also very interesting. In the first line the use of "contracts" I interpreted to mean that, as a soldier, with each passing day your life expectancy decreases; their life is slowly contracting and seceding from their grasp. The use of the season autumn is also significant and symbolic. Autumn is the season where life in nature begins to die, as winter moves in. In autumn the leaves fall from the trees and this leads me to the next interesting word the poet uses... falls in "the soldier falls". This compares a soldier to a leaf, and just as leaves fall every autumn, so do soldiers fall on a daily basis. By comparing soldiers to leaves it really does emphasize the author's opinion on the value we place on life in society.

-I liked this poem despite how troubled I was about its message. I think that in today's society we do not hold life with such high value, not only for soldiers but for anyone. Although I am sick to think that human life has become so devalued I cannot deny its apparent truth. Steven's life spanned both WWI and WWII and from the opinion presented in the poem, it seems as if he was deeply connected with fallen soldiers, and angered by their treatment at one point. The poem paints a depressing picture of taking soldier's lives for granted even though they are the ones risking their lives for the protection of our country.
As a side note this poem's perspective of a soldier's death as just another daily happening reminded me of 117. Apparently with no surprise by Emily Dickinson, a poem we read earlier.

Just an Idea...

So Mr. Klimas... how about after the AP test we compare poem 212. Money, with There Will Be Blood? Yes, no? Think about it :)

232. Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins

Too long to type but an interesting poem...

-The rhyme scheme in this poem is simple; your common A B A B. Although simple I think it fits the poem very well because I think it's supposed to sound like a nursery rhyme or a children's story... even the title "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins" is a play off "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". The poem is about a loss of innocence and although the rhyme of it sounds somewhat... childish, the poem has a much deeper meaning. The speaker may be the poet or it may be anyone who has witnessed the loss of innocence in a girl and the overall corruption of innocence in people. Although the poem focuses on a female, the loss of innocence is not solely limited to women.

-One literary technique that Gwynn uses effectively is the personification of the seven deadly sins. Although they are comparable to the seven dwarfs from the title the personification is more meaningful than simply connecting them with an innocent childhood story. The seven deadly sins are able to exist because they can live through her; she personifies them in a sense. This makes the poem's meaning much deeper because as she cries after seeing who she's become, it is really because she has been able to be manipulated by Gluttony, Avarice, Envy... etc. Capitalizing each one, along with Male and Handsome Prince represents the fact that this woman's husband has also been some of the reason for her corruption. She associates the destruction she sees within herself, the seven deadly sins, with the male sex.

Another device the author uses very well is allusion. Not only is there the one in the title, that being "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," but also a few biblical references as well. As I mentioned before the title of the poem being so similar to the child's tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reflects the message of the poem and that is the loss of a young girl's innocence by the corruption of society. The biblical references are also important to the poem. As the poem progresses we see that the woman stays at home and takes care of the house, while she awaits for the arrival of her husband, a daily process not uncommon for when the poem was written. In the beginning of the poem when the young woman questioned her faith she was referred to "Peter's First Epistle, chapter III". In this section of scripture it relegated women to a lower level than men, and basically set the guidelines for a patriarchal society. Because her youth as well as adulthood was set by following men, it may have led her to her leaving at the end of the poem. St. Anne, another religious reference was the mother of Mary. Anne promised to dedicate Mary to God's service. Like St. Anne doing such with her daughter, she is the one who calls back the woman in the poem, returning her to religious service.

-I liked this poem because of how the seven deadly sins were used to show the loss of innocence. I think that the poem is strong in it's message, and I think that the loss of innocence is a completely real and somewhat tragic level of human behavior. Corruption can be seen in today's society in those that are most innocent... children. Images of children holding automatic weapons not only make me question where our ethics have gone, but it also makes me fear of what the world is becoming. Even though Gwynn wrote the poem 60 years ago, innocence lost is still prevalent, and quite possibly worse in today's society.

253. Offspring

               I tried to tell her:
                              This way the twig is bent.
                              Born of my trunk and strengthened by my roots,
                              you must stretch newgrown branches
                              closer to the sun
                              that I can reach.

               I wanted to say:
                              Extend my self to that far atmosphere
                              only my dream allow.

               But the twig broke,
               and yesterday I saw her
               walking down an unfamiliar street,
                              feet confident
                              face slanted upward toward a threatening sky,
               and
                              she was smiling
                              and she was
                              her very free,
                              her very individual,
                              unpliable
                              own.

-The speaker of the poem could be the poet, however, in any case, I believe it to be a mother. It could really be either parent, a mother or a father, but I assumed it to be a mother. Due to the poem's title I reached my conclusion. There is no rhyme to the poem however I think it works in its favor. The poem is, in essence, about parents letting go of their children. By not including any rhyme scheme, as well as breaking up the stanzas into unregulated sections the poem is wholly unpredictable; this may reflect the mother's confusion and anxiety as she chooses to let her daughter go and become her own person.

-The symbol of the tree is used as a representation of the mother's life, and well as the life she has built up for her daughter. Trees are a sign of life in general, part of a symbiotic circle that keeps us alive, therefore it is only fitting that the speaker compares life to a tree. She relates herself to this tree, the foundation of her daughter's life. "Her roots" are like her own morals and beliefs that she has instilled in her daughter.

There is also a break in the poem and this shows us, as readers, a shift in the piece. In line 10, the third stanza, the speaker is no longer recollecting what she said to her daughter and what she wanted to say; stanzas three and four rather become the change she sees in her daughter. In the first two stanzas the speaker is telling her daughter she is a branch, only bending in another direction; a branch that is still attached to the giant tree. However, in line 10 "the twig broke". This is the daughter's transition into maturity. The diction used after this break is interesting. Walking down an "unfamiliar street" is representative of the daughter walking down a path that is different from her mother's, her own display of individualism. Also "her face slanted upward toward a threatening sky" Threatening is a way to say that the daughter is no longer under her mother's protection and is now out on the world on her own and must face its troubles on her own as well.

-I enjoyed the poem because not only was it about the coming of age for a young woman, but also the transition in a mother. However I liked how the poem concluded with the statement that, even though the daughter is "walking down an unfamiliar street" with her "face slanted upward toward a threatening sky... she was smiling and she was her very free, her very individual, unpliable own." I think that this really showed both the daughter and the mother's transformation. The daughter has left her mother's nest to become an individual; and the mother in return can look at her daughter and see her for the individual she has become, however still maintain her motherly instincts.

212. Money

At first it will seem tame,
willing to be domesticated.

It will nest
in your pocket
or curl up in a corner
reciting softly to itself
the names of the presidents.

It will delight your friends,
shake hands with men
like a dog and lick
the legs of women.

But like an amoeba
it makes love
in secret
only to itself.

Fold it frequently;
it needs exercise.

Water it every three days
and it will repay you
with displays of affection.

Then one day when you think
you are its master
it will turn its head
as if for a kiss
and bite you gently
on the hand.

There will be no pain
but in thirty seconds
the poison will reach your heart.

Victor Contoski

I thought I'd put the poem up too, it's not that long.

-The speaker of this poem one can assume is the poet, being that no one else is mentioned. One may also believe that Contoski is speaking from the mouth of experience. There is no rhyme to the poem but that can lead to it's meaning. The role money plays in a person's life and the relationship one may build with wealth may have little rhyme or reason, however this is what makes its poison so painful. A person's lust with money can grow and grow the more they make, however, in a stock market crash, where people can lose all their money, sometimes that comes with little warning, with little rhyme or reason. Therefore I think Contoski was trying to create a poem that didn't have a rhythm par say because life also does not have a rhythm; things happen at random.

-One technique that the poet uses cleverly is personifying money. In the third stanza he refers to money having the quality to "shake hands with men and lick the legs of women". I think this is a very powerful line. By giving money human qualities, Contoski gives money power. By giving money power, Contoski gives money the ability to overtake a human... its "master". I drew that money, personified, may also be referencing the greed living and breathing within all of us. We are the reasons we become so attached to money. Money is not, in reality, a living thing. Therefore, by personifying it Contoski may be saying that the evil money can cause is only able to do such by living through us.

Another literary device Contoski uses is simile. Money is ... "like a dog" and "like an amoeba it makes love in secret only to itself". I think that smile is used well in the poem. By using the dog reference, money appears to be "domesticated" like an animal, under the control of the human who has the power. However comparing money to an amoeba in the next stanza makes the reader very aware that this isn't some domesticated creature that is subject to the control of others. More so money or greed is an organism that functions on its own, replicating and growing stronger until it consumes you.

-I really liked this poem. One could probably assume that because I chose it for my blogs, however it really made me consider the question of "can money buy happiness?" To me, this answer is no. I don't think that superficial things can bring happiness... but this is solely my opinion. I liked the poem though because I believe Contoski agreed with me. Money, while you may seem to have it under control can amount to greed, and this greed can consume a person. I think that money if not used wisely is a root to all evil. The ending of this poem I thought was very good. "There will be no pain... [but] the poison will reach your heart". I liked this so much because I feel that this is how greed corrupts a person. They can't feel it but it consumes them, and the poison that comes with it will reach your heart, symbolic for the soul of a person.

Flight Motif in Portrait

One of the recurring motifs throughout the novel is that of flight, representing Steven's possible flight from Ireland, but also his flight from a young boy into a mature young adult. From the beginning of the novel Joyce gives us reference to the flight motif. Steven's last name is Dedalus. This comes from the Greek mythology and the story of Dedalus and his son Icarus, who attempt to escape from their prison after constructing two pairs of wings. Because made of wax the wings are vulnerable to the sun and Icarus, in a moment of overconfidence, flies too close and plummets to his death. Dedalus, however, survives. Although Steven's last name is Dedalus we cannot assume that he is the representation of the triumphant Dedalus from the myth wholly. Steven is also the son of his father, whose last name is also Dedalus. Therefore Steven comes to represent both Icarus and Dedalus in a sense. Icarus, because Steven must not become too overconfident in his own abilities, and Dedalus because he eventually survives the journey into manhood. Although birds and the idea of flight is mentioned throughout the work it especially comes into full light in Section V of the novel. Steven's most mature state. In section five Steven sits on the steps of the library looking up at the birds signifying his own willingness and readiness to leave Ireland. Steven finds comfort in the "inhuman clamor" of the birds cries, however he does have a moment of hesitation when realizing his own desire to fly away. "A sense of fear of the unknown moved into the heart of his weariness, a fear of symbols and portents, or the hawk like man whose name he bore..."(244). Although Steven goes through a moment of doubt and consideration he once again becomes transfixed on the birds flying over him. This signifies that Steven is mature enough to consider the possibilities of flight and is ready to embark on his journey.

Aside from flight representing Steven's possible leaving Ireland as well as his journey from a boy to a man, flight can also come to represent Steven's transition from a boy who was fascinated with words into a artist who embraced them. The events in Section five prove that Steven is now fully formed artist ready to take flight.

Quote. Portrait

This is one of my favorite quotes from the novel:

"So he had passed beyond the challenge of the sentries who had stood as guardians of his boyhood and had sought to keep him among them that he might be subject to them and serve their ends" (178)

This is Steven's moment of revelation; the moment where he embraces who he is. His true coming of age, if you will. The reflection of his past and his realization of how those in his past have sheltered him is one of truthful sincerity. I liked this quote for much of the same reason I enjoyed the book as a whole. As the book progresses Steven becomes a man, and this quote is a defining moment for him.

I think Joyce's diction in this passage is important to look at to determine Steven's feelings about figures in his past, figures he depended on in his youth. Steven refers to them as sentries. A sentry can be defined as a guard at a gate or other point of passage. I believe the sentries Steven refers to are not only his parents, who at this time in the novel he feels himself distanced from, but also professors, priests, and students that Steven has admired up until this point in his life. Steven's childhood was designed around fitting into the mold of convention. Steven's father even says to him at one point, "When you kick out for yourself, Steven.... remember, whatever you do, to mix with gentlemen"(97). Even from a young age Steven's parents have tried to guide him in a socially acceptable path. By mixing with gentlemen, Steven's father hopes him to give up individuality for acceptance. This is something that Steven cannot do and we see this through his relationship with his peers. He is never a part of a group and cannot establish a true closeness with any one of his fellow students. However, as a young boy, he wanted to be accepted and like, as to follow and obey social convention. After Steven's revelation here he comes to see that he does not and cannot fit in. Passing a Jesuit house, he cannot see himself ever wanting to live in that sort of environment. Steven does not want to be a servant to anyone else, only to himself. He doesn’t want to be limited by a social order and by realizing his own intrinsic drive Steven knows that others in his life have only been holding back the artist within him.

My thoughts on Mr. Dedalus

Although the book gets increasingly more difficult as it progresses I enjoyed it for the most part. I liked Joyce's style and the progression of the novel as a whole. I thought that his use of diction while he portrayed Steven as a young boy, and then how he changed that diction as he grew older I found really enjoyable. Steven's maturation through the novel was done in a unique way, and I think that Joyce was unbelievably able to capture the emotion and experience of a boy coming of age. The way he described Steven's childhood and his experience at Clongowes is horrifying but it is also a fairly true depiction of a boy's fear of being away from his family. I know as a child I had to go to summer camp and the thought of leaving my parents to be with people I didn't know for a day was horrifying to me. Steven's experience as a young boy is one of despair, and this is in part due to his own internal instability. Steven's thought that his sexual feelings are wrong and sinful is just another part of that coming of age process. All humans question their own motives and feelings and emotions at one time or another and Joyce accurately portrays the struggle of man coping with himself. Although Steven is only a boy he is trying to find an answer to his 'awful' thoughts. As Steven matures though we, as readers, really see a change in him. Steven finds his own identity after becoming devout to his religion. I think one of the reasons I liked the book so much is because we all go through I period of finding ourselves. There comes a point where we discover who we truly are. Joyce's portrayal of Steven's realization was far from perfect, however as a budding adult Steven came to rationalize his own thoughts and actions.