Garp and other things

The AP Lit school year is wrapping up, and there are just a few loose strings to tie up before we are finished.

I would like to start my blog by thanking Mrs. Clinch for nominating me for an AP Lit honors night award. I enjoy your class very much and think you are one of the most amazing teachers I have ever had so the nomination means a lot to me.

I also would like to say that I am enjoying Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead very much. A few scenes drag on, but I enjoy the humor as well as the attempt to connect the play back to Hamlet. The author does a clever job of playing off of Hamlet's wording and incorporating important thematic questions into the dialogue.

Despite my appreciation of the play, it does seem odd that we are reading it now. I don't think it appears very often on the AP Literature open question, and because we are so busy, it would seem more appropriate to save the play until after the testing, when we have time to relax. Right now, it would be helpful to have a few days in class to work on our review packets and read our lit circle books. It is also a little stressful that the lit circles are right before AP testing as well. Again, it would be much nicer to do this after testing simply because I doubt I will use Garp (even though I love it) on the open question, and we are so busy preparing for this exam and our other ap exams, that attempting to finish a novel amidst all of our review activities seems a little excessive.

Furthermore, I am a little frustrated that we have an allusion test in the middle of AP testing week. I know I and many other students will not be there many mornings because of testing. In fact, I have a test every morning next week except for Thursday or Friday morning, which means, by the time I make up the allusion test, the AP exam will have passed and the review will be slightly unnecessary. Thus, I think the test is a little superfluous and just extra stress when many of us want to focus more on the actual AP lit exam.

Despite my complaining, I am still enjoying The World According to Garp which I am attempting to finish in my little spare time. Helen is an interesting character to me. She always seemed incredibly loyal and intelligent, and yet she betrays Garp in her affair with Michael Milton. The affair seems odd considering Michael is so arrogant, a usual sign of insecurities. Furthermore, Helen consistently expresses love for her husband, so why would she seek shelter in another man’s arms? Her motives seem blurry. Also, how does Garp court Helen through her writing and why does he seem stuck in an artistic rut? While the book is so straight forward, it is often times hard to understand the motives behind characters actions, a mystery that adds substance to the novel.

Garp

I started reading The World According to Garp, and I love it! It's interesting, thought-provoking, and exciting, so obviously just a great book. I also noticed a lot of interesting patterns and points in the novel to this point.

First of all, I am not sure I completely understand why Jenny completely rejects her family and wealth. I understand her desire to break free of society's expectations and what not, but I feel liker her aversion goes even deeper than that. Why does she want to "unknow" her family as is occurring on page 6. I noticed how she never opens the package her parents give her, although it is interesting that the packages reveal her mother's lack of trust in Jenny. I think that is another reason Jenny estranges her family--to escape distrust and misconception.

Furthermore, I think it is very interesting that Jenny desires almost an immaculate birth, without a mate or a "peter" as she calls him. At the same time, the original Garp (her son's father) consistently masturbates, which is in a sense, intercourse without a partner. Thus, it seems that both desire the product of sex without a partner, and thus come together. It's hard to put into words, but it is an interesting connection between them which may be another reason she chose him as the father of her child. However, I am confused in that she rejected many men for their physical deformities when they originally offered to help her make a child. And yet, in this case, she consummated with a fetal, dyeing man--one of the most physically deformed creatures on the planet. Why did she lose her original superficial restrictions for Garp? What made him different? Was it their no-partner sexual drives?

Quotation to consider: “A baby with no strings attached, thought Jenny Fields. An almost virgin birth,” (page 14). Consider Mary, mother of Jesus. Does this make her son Garp a Christ figure?

Moreover, Garp is born in an almost incestuous setting. On page 22, she says about his father Garp, “She knew he was only a baby—he needed some distraction.” Her emotions were both “maternal and sexual,” (page 24). Thus, as she saw father Garp as a child, Jenny wanted to care for him and breast feed him. At the same time, thought, Jenny desires a real child, and this desire overpowers anything else. As a result, she ends up having the child of a man she originally viewed as a child, her own child. The incestuous beginnings of life T.S. Garp suggest that he will suffer from some genetic defect that results from such activities. Furthermore, it is interesting that he is never really given a first name. Why would the author do such a thing? Does it take away the boy’s identity or strengthen it?

Such questions must be considered when reviewing this section of the novel. It is interesting to analyze Garp’s relationship with his mother as well as her opinions which are dispersed throughout the section.

Invisible Man Chapter 5

It’s so interesting going back through Invisible Man and noticing all the crazy things the author does with imagery, symbolism, language, ect.

When I was rereading chapter five, I noticed that Barbee’s white collar separates his black head and black body, symbolizing that white people have cut him off from his head or prevented him from clearly thinking. This is supported by the fact that Barbee is blind, as revealed later in the chapter.

I also noticed that the Founder might be the original invisible man. For one, like the narrator, his name is not revealed in the novel. Furthermore, both have many Christ-like characteristics and seem to be crucified or sacrificed for one reason or another at some point in the novel. The main difference I can’t pinpoint is whether or not the Founder support collectivism or individuality. The novel describes how he brought many people together, but did he believe you should ignore the individual for the collective? Notice that the main point of the narrator’s invisibility is that he felt that individuality was lost in society. Thus, the answer to the question could determine whether or not the Founder was truly the original invisible man.

Another thing I considered was his discussion about Susie Gresham. The discussion is in italics and seems to have a much different tone and attitude than is expressed elsewhere in this section. This shift makes me think that the narrator’s future, invisible-self is speaking at this point in the novel. Considering this never happens again, why does the author choose to implement this method here? What is the importance? What is the significance of Susie Gresham? I think part of the answer lies in the fact that she blindly accepts the white man’s mandates, thus epitomizing the loss of individuality in society. Also, consider the author’s treatment of women. Many times he highlights the mistreatment of women; however, the narrator often expresses his belief that women destroy male success. With these opposing viewpoints, what is the author’s true opinion of the “women question?” Does he believe women prevent success?

Also, there was a lot of seasonal and Biblical imagery in this chapter. At the very beginning of the chapter, the author uses the difference between summer and winter to distinguish between the birth and death of Christ. Thus seasons bare a large importance at this point in the novel. Furthermore, the author depicts the Founder as a Christ figure who leads a large group of people and is eventually crucified. He also references Saul, a group of men who survived after being thrown into a fire, Moses, and in general, religious tendencies, visions, and profits important to the Christian faith.

Barbee is also described as a Buddha character, which is ironic because Buddha means “the enlightened one” and Barbee is both physically and figuratively blind. The irony might dramatize this difference, although it could also highlight a more knowledgeable side to Barbee that most do not see when initially reading the novel.

Sonnet Paper and Museum Project

I have started thinking about my museum project for Invisible Man, and I am seriously considering doing a food medium, i.e. baking some type of cake, muffins, ect. That would represent the book. I like the idea of doing a baking medium because the book is focuses on the battle between the group and the individual, and a cake or cookie could represent these differences. For example, a bunch of different ingredients comprise a cake/cookie just like many individuals create a society. The difference could help highlight the struggle between individual and society in the novel.

When reading the book, I felt that this struggle encompassed many of the themes throughout the story. For example, many stereotypes demeaned the value of an individual, instead forcing all women or all black people to conform to one group. Thus, entities such as the Brotherhood and the narrator’s school didn’t see individuals, but rather large groups of people. In the end, the narrator’s choice to become invisible and live in a hole is his way of trying to escape such thinking. He wants to celebrate his individuality; however, society doesn’t see individuals so he is invisible.

In creating my project, I might try to contrast the final cake with the many ingredients used to create the cake, presenting both in a relevant and symbolic manner. The cake would be decorated in a manner that would reflect smaller themes in the book related to the demeaning of the individual, and the individual ingredients would be represented in a way that reflects the narrator’s final individualistic thinking. Such a presentation will also present the narrator’s final point that you can’t completely avoid society. In the final pages of the novel, he says that he would like to reenter society. Society isn’t all bad, just as the cake is delicious. However, you cannot create the cake without the ingredients, and the narrator wants to enforce this thinking around Harlem and elsewhere.

This weekend, I also worked on my sonnet paper but am having trouble organizing my ideas. I wrote my rough draft as kind of an idea splurge, just putting on paper everything I was thinking. Now I want to organize these ideas in a logical manner that is analytical and connects to the so-what of the poem.

Some things I noticed about the poem:
I did Shakespeare’s sixtieth sonnet, which appropriately is about time (60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute). I noticed that he uses a lot of dualities. For example, the “Wave” imagery at the beginning of the poem can reference a hand motion that could signal either hello or goodbye. Furthermore, he describes Time as the creator and the destroyer. Finally, he contrasts the infinite nature of time with finite moments in time (final couplet). However, I am not quite sure what these dualities represent or how they connect to the so-what of the poem. I know that time is the couplet tie, and he uses both the finite and infinite reference of time, but to what end, I am not sure. If you have any suggestions on how I should proceed with this paper, please let me know.

Invisible Man Observations

While I definitely see the literary value of Invisible Man, it is nonetheless a very difficult book to get through. There are a lot of images to notice, and frankly, the plot moves relatively slowly. Thus, in the midst of attempting to index/annotate everything important while also attempting to stay awake, the reading process is slow. Although, I have discovered a process that really helps me get through the book quicker. If I sit down with the book and force myself not to annotate, only highlight words to index, and read for an hour, I get through the book much quicker. Then, for about 15 minutes, I go back and annotate the sections I read. This helps me read the book quicker while also covering the necessary material. It’s a good tip for anyone struggling with the same thing that I am.

On a side note with Invisible Man, it is interesting that the narrator introduces a lot of blood imagery and Biblical references. With these images, I cannot help but think that the narrator is, in a sense, a Christ figure and maybe even a tragic hero. Of course, I have not read enough of the story to speculate, but from the prologue, it appears that he sacrifices his personal freedom and desires in order to infiltrate white society, and basically destroy it from the inside-out. This is similar to the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. However, while many doubted Christ’s holiness, he was a well-known figure in his area, far from invisible. Thus, that slightly breaks his connection with the Invisible Man. Also, the man’s irrational act of violence during the prologue seems far from Christ-like, although he makes it sound like this loss of control is an anomaly, not a regularity.

Also, there is a lot of fruit imagery, connecting the story to Adam and Eve and the fall of man. This connection would make sense considering the book focuses on many of man’s faults including discriminatory attitudes.

As I have read the book, I have begun to question the purpose of the school the narrator attends. It appears, as the narrator seems to slowly discover, that the school is enslaving it’s students in yet another manner. It is forcing them to believe the white man’s views, thus enslaving the students in their minds. As a result, the students feel inferior to the white men and are thus emotionally enslaved.

With this idea, one must consider the purpose of the headmaster. He seems to have power, but puts on the appearance of inferiority when white guests come to visit. This seems similar to the narrator idea to infiltrate white society wearing a cloak of invisibility. Thus, is the headmaster the initial invisible man? Did he give the narrator the idea to live apart from society?

One other question I have is when does the narrator become invisible? It appears that, at the start of his life at college, that he is not invisible, but rather one of the favored students. What changes this?

Working on Poem Presentation

Today I worked on my poetry presentation for William Carlos Williams’s “This is Just to Say.”

I started by completely annihilating a tri-fold board in my living room. I tore both of the side pieces off so I could use the center as my platform. It’s kind of ironic that the poem is about the destruction of relationships/the fall of mankind, and in order to make the project, I had to destroy a board. I see a common theme here. Just a little AP Lit irony for you.

I then drew a leafless tree (to the best of my abilities) using a printed picture of a dead tree. Much to my surprise, the picture actually came out decently, which is good considering the tree is central to my entire project. The tree connects the poem to the Garden of Eden and the fall of man. Furthermore, the death of the tree references the death of relationships and the coolness referenced in the poem.

Then, much to my mother’s and the environment’s chagrin, I tore up a bunch of brown construction paper so I could color the tree with various shades of paper. The fragmentation of the tree further references the gap between the narrator and whomever he is referencing. The many different colors of construction paper come together to form a tree just as the narrator and the center of his interest, whom are very different according to the poem, come together in a relationship. Similarly, the tree then dies just as does their relationship.

Hanging from each branch is a torn heart that replaces the leaves that would normally hang from the tree’s branches. Again, the broken hearts correspond to the broken relationship. Moreover, the hearts replace the leaves, and thus the tree takes on an unnatural form, as it becomes adorned with a foreign substance. Similarly, the narrator alienates his lover/friend/relative by destroying their sense of communion (eating their plum) and continuing to demand (not ask for) forgiveness, demonstrating that they show little to no remorse for their actions.

I also picture a leaf falling to demonstrate the fall of man, and I have some leaves lining the bottom of the poster as another reminder of the replacement of leaves with hearts as well as of the death of the tree.

Although I have yet to add these features to the poster, I also want to depict a snake wrapped around the tree, referencing the form Satan took in the Garden of Eden and thus referencing the fall of man. Furthermore, as plums are the center of the original poem, I want to depict some rotting or eaten plums at the base of the tree with the leaves, although I do not know how I am going to do that yet. The eaten plums will demonstrate the many layers of a human being—one being sweet (like the meat of the plum) and the other very cold and heartless (like the pit of a plum).

On a really quick English language side note: Today, I was reading my history text book, and I noticed that the author used “till” instead of “until” numerous times. Also, one of my newspaper writers tried to get away with a similar feat. So sad. If texting lingo takes over this planet, I’m moving to Mars.

Poem Presentation

I began planning my poem presentation last week for the poem, “This is just to say.” Although the poem only discusses the narrator eating someone else’s poem, various poetic and structural devises demonstrate that he is actually talking about the coldness and lack of communication in his relationship with the unnamed person. In order to communicate this coldness and pain, I decided to center my presentation around a leaf-less plum tree.

To begin with the tree will be bear. In the poem, the narrator discusses how the plum is both sweet and cold. The contrasting images demonstrate how his companion appears sweet and caring on the outside (like the tender meat of a plum) however actually has a cruel, cold soul (like the pit of a plum). Similarly, when a tree is covered in leaves, it appears beautiful and gentle. But it’s true, cold core appears when fall rolls around and all the leaves fall off. Thus, the bear tree demonstrates the same idea of a cold inner core as does the image of a plum.

Furthermore, the poem has a lot of references to the fall of man. By focusing the presentation around a tree, the presentation will indirectly reference this fall of man, as Eve ate from a fruit tree, as the story goes. To further draw this connection with the fall of man, I will have a snake slithering up the trunk of the tree, referencing the form the Devil took in order to trick Eve.

Burned, wilting love letters will be hanging from the bear tree limbs. The outdated, destroyed nature of these letters will demonstrate the loss of love and inability to communication in the narrator and his companion’s relationship. I also might hang a few divorce papers from the limbs of the tree, as divorce is obviously the epitome of a destroyed relationship. Although, in both of these cases, I will have to stress the fact that the narrator does not specify the type of relationship he is speaking of. While he may, very well, be referring to his lover, he could simply be referencing a friend or a family member. No evidence exists either way, and thus no assumptions should be made.

Dead leaves and squashed plums will be lying at the base of the tree. The dead leaves will symbolize the death of the relationship, or the death of the life of the relationship just as the leaves died. Furthermore, the fact that the leaves fell from the tree references the fall of man. On top of this, the leaves fell away from the tree as the narrator falls away from his companion. Thus, the fallen leaves demonstrate the destruction of the relationship. Similarly, the dead plums, or maybe I will do eaten plumbs, will represent the death of the relationship. If I do eaten plumbs, I can have the pits resting at the base of the tree, demonstrating that the narrator has seen through his companions fluffy exterior to her cold soul, thus the pit of the plum is exposed.

Women in Invisible Man

I have noticed a very interesting trend in Invisible Man involving women. I guess it started with the title, which, among other things, speaks of a man’s inability to be recognized by society, primarily because of his race. However, in the title, as elsewhere in the story, the fight for recognition and dignity does not involve women. The author generally depicts them as battered souls or distant entities, making their wants and desires appear both unimportant and unexpressed.

It all begins with the narrator’s dream (another interesting image!) in the prologue, where, while high on drugs, he meets a woman who fathered the children of her slave master who, as a result of these births, both hates and loves the man. Like the women introduced later in the novel, she is sexually abused by men. The female’s connection with sexual abuse in this novel is no coincidence. Although the author could be highlighting their plight, the fact that he gives them little voice in the novel, as of yet, evidences the women’s lower societal position during the time period.

Another sexually abused women is the stripping-dancer in chapter one, in whose eyes the narrator saw “terror and disgust.” Even as a white woman, she is victimized by the watching men, who chase her around until she runs from the room. This episode demonstrates that, during that time period, women were faced with sexual pressure and indecency, no matter their color. Again, the author seems to high light the problems in their life, but gives them little voice, in an effort to symbolize the fact that women had no say in the social or political world at that time. Their mouths were effectively taped shut.

The third female introduced, the beautiful daughter of the school’s founder, appears different than the other female characters; however, evidence exists that her father may have sexually abused her as well. He seems obsessed with her beauty and her memory, and when Trueblood explains how he rapes his daughter, the founder is engrossed and even excited about the story. He asks Trueblood if there is anything he can do for him, suggesting that the founder feels compassion and understanding for the rapist. This affinity could possibly arise from the founder’s undiscussed relationship with his daughter who, if this is the case, is as much a victim of the male-dominated world as the other female counterparts.

Possibly the two most victimized women are Trueblood’s wife and daughter, as evidenced by the fact that he impregnated his daughter. However, despite his horrific act, the white men protect Trueblood, and even send men to study him. Throughout this time, they take little care to ensure the safety of the victimized daughter and wife. Even when the founder comes to visit, he ignores the daughter, listening to only Trueblood’s side of the tale. This story is probably the best evidence of the victimization of women in Ellison’s society, which he symbolizes by giving the women no voice and a sad story in his novel.

Patterns in Invisible Man

I began reading Invisible Man this past week, and I found that there are a lot of really interesting patterns. It kind of reminds me of Winesburg, Ohio in the way the author connects many different ideas throughout the novel.

One interesting pattern I noticed was the idea of dreams or nightmares. The first time the narrator discusses this is on page 4, when he talks about beating up a man who verbally attacked him. He says, “The man had not seen me, actually; that he, as far as he knew, was in the midst of a walking nightmare!” Later, on page 7, he discusses a nightmare that a beautiful girl kept having where “she lay in the center of a large dark room and felt her face expand until it filled the whole room, becoming a formless mass while her eyes ran in bilious jelly up the chimney.” Again, on page 9, the narrator descends into a dream or nightmare while listening to Louis Armstrong’s music, although this dream is drug-induced which might set it apart from the other dreams. Finally, on page 33, he dreams that he is with his grandfather and he receives a letter that reads, “Keep this nigga-boy running.”

Another pattern I noticed was the animal imagery throughout the novel. Often times, the narrator uses animals to describe human beings. He probably does this in order to highlight the worst, most primal qualities of mankind. On page 19 he describes the naked dancer as a “fair bird-girl,” and on the next page, he describes on of the white men as “an intoxicated panda.” He also compares the room full of white men to “a dark room filled with poisonous cottonmouths,” and the boxing ring full of blindfolded black men to “blind, cautious crabs” and “hypersensitive snails.” On page 26 his blood pools in the shape of a butterfly, an interesting comparison considering butterflies are usually gentle creatures and blood is a symbol of violence. Finally, one of the electrocuted boys is describes as “a circus seal,” on page 27.

Other than animals and dreams, the narrator consistently references eyes, especially as a window to the inner soul. The first page references the “inner eyes” which are “those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality.” Later, when describing the naked dancer again, he said that, while her face was fixed in a smile, “I saw the terror and disgust in her eyes.” Thus, her eyes give away her true emotions and feelings. Later again, when describing one of the fighters, he says, “his face was a black blank of a face, only his eyes her alive.” These two examples demonstrates mankind’s attempt to conceal their true feelings but their ultimate failure because their eyes give away so much. On page 28, he says the fighter was “looking at me with soberness dead in the eye,” again demonstrating the highly intimate nature of eyes. Finally, on page 33, he says his grandfather’s “eyes seemed to follow everywhere I went.”

Other patterns I noticed where darkness, juxtaposed opposites or oxymorons, boomerangs, dancing, and obviously invisibility.

A Divine Image

A Divine Image
By: William Blake

In his beautifully written poem, Blake pokes fun at the supposed “divine image of human beings.” According to the Bible, God made humans in his image. However, Blake calls the “human heart” cruel and “the human face” jealous. Furthermore, his ample use of fiery imagery suggests that humans appear more like the devil than God. This message is both an insult to God and to humans for their horrid qualities. The following are some literary devices I noticed in the poem.

Anaphora: In the second stanza, Blake begins each line with “The Human,” emphasizing the imperfect rather than “divine” qualities of humanity.

Antistrophe: Each line in the first stanza ends with a reference to “the Human” or “a Human” for a similar reason as above.

Personification: Cruelty, Jealousy, Terror, and Secrecy are all personified in the poem in order to underscore their domination of the human psyche and the problems with human nature.

Alliteration: The speaker references the “fiery Forge” and later uses alliteration by juxtaposing “Face” and “Furnace” as well as “Heart” and “Hungry.”

Homonyms: Many words throughout the poem have various meanings, many of which would fit in the context of the poem. Thus, there are a variety of ways to interpret the meaning of some lines, making areas of the poem very ambiguous. Some homonyms are forged, forge, and gorge.

Connotation: In order to understand Blake’s attack on human nature, people must contemplate the various connotations of “heart,” “Face,” “Form,” “Divine,” and “Dress.” For example, the heart symbolizes love, life, emotions morals, and the core of the human body while divine could reference the heavenly, celestial or the lovely and the excellent. Face could also refer to a façade, a physical appearance, or the five senses.

Irony: The title is ironic because it suggests that humans are in fact made in the image of God, while the body of the poem highlights human corruption. Thus, Blake uses verbal irony to say something he doesn’t truly mean.

Apocope: Blake emits the “e” in “seal’d” probably to reduce the length of the line.

Some notes on structure: The first and third line in the first stanza begin with a dactylic followed by three trochaics and finished by an elision of the unstressed vowel in the final trochaic. The second and the fourth line in the same stanza are similar except their lone, unstressed vowel occurs at the beginning, not the end of the line. All lines in the second stanza are iambic tetrameter, except for the first line which is iambic trimeter followed by a trochee.

Some structural questions:
1. Why would Blake offset the first line in the second stanza with structural oddities?
2. Why do the second and fourth lines of the second stanza rhyme whereas no other lines in the poem rhyme?
3. Why does Blake employ such a structured format? Does it illuminate his purpose in writing the poem?

These are some things I noticed while mapping the poem. If you notice anything else or can answer some of these questions, please say something.

Sylvia Plath's Morning Song

I chose Sylvia Plath’s “Morning Song” for my first poem in the poetry journal. It is an incredibly interesting, seemingly simple, but actually highly complex poem that centers around the birth of an infant and the relationship between that infant and his mother.

The first stanza:
Love set you going like a fat gold watch.
The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry
Took its place among the elements.

In this first stanza, Plath personifies life in order to depict the creation of this child. I think it is interesting that the creation of the child is compared to a “fat gold watch.” A gold watch is obviously very valuable, so it would appear that the creation of the child is a prized, memorable moment. At the same time, a watch is a simple, material object, thus how could it be compared to something so precious as a child’s birth? This discrepancy requires further analysis to sort out. Furthermore, the image of the watch similarly evokes the image of time. With time in the picture, it is almost as if, when the baby was born, the clock started clicking, and she started losing life immediately. In a less grim picture, you can view the image of time as a symbol of how much life the baby has yet to live.

Continuing into the second stanza:
Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.
In a drafty museum, your nakedness
Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.

This stanza attempts to depict human awe at the birth of the child; however, the imagery creates a very cold, unwelcoming mood. The baby is compared to a “new statue,” something to be put onto display and admired. Yet, when you think about it, statues have no human qualities. They are forced to be perfect, given no chance to experience mistakes, emotion, or change. They are also constantly on display for anyone to critique. It appears that Plath is insinuating that the baby will live his/her life under the critical eye of the world, constantly subject to nit-picking and insults. The idea that the baby’s new home is a “drafty museum,” furthers the idea that those around the statue baby are cold, heartless people. I have difficulty comprehending, “your nakedness/ shadows our safety.” Does shadow mean to cover-up or to mimic? Also, safety in what? Maybe safety in normalcy?

Stanza 3:
I'm no more your mother
Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow
Effacement at the wind's hand.

This stanza continues to evoke a very distressing tone. Plath paints a very ephemeral image, a cloud being pushed away by the wind, as if the relationship between the mother and her child is constantly growing more distant.

Stanza 4/5:
All night your moth-breath
Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen:
A far sea moves in my ear.

One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral
In my Victorian nightgown.
Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square

For me, the mood changes dramatically in these stanzas. The speaker, instead of feeling distant from the child, now appears to be connected with it. Although, the child’s cry, when compared to a “far sea,” does appear very distant. Plath depicts a mother, laden with milk in her breast (“cow-heavy”) caring for her distressed child in the early hours of the morning. Presumably, it is this child’s cry that is the morning song.

Stanza 6:
Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try
Your handful of notes;
The clear vowels rise like balloons.

It’s interesting that the only time Plath splits a sentence between two stanzas is between stanzas 5 and 6, although I am not sure the purpose of this enjambment. Here, Plath describes the sun awakening (“The window square/ Whitens and swallows its dull stars”). She describes the breaking of the dawn from the perspective of the child’s room, making the world seem incredibly small.

On a final note, I am still struggling with defining the purpose of the poem. What is Plath really trying to say? To me, it seems like a bitter-sweet message, for she describes some very sentimental moments between a mother and child, but at the same time, she sees a grim future for the child. It almost seems like a comparison between innocence and experience, as in Blake’s poetry.

AP Lit Resolutions

So begins another semester in AP Lit, and the class is already in full swing! With a final quote journal for Frankenstein, another poetry journal, an allusion project, and two books on file due, there is no shortage of work to do in AP Lit, but it is definitely not unmanageable. A new semester means better organization and more preparation, or at least that's what we can tell ourselves, and I am going to try my best to follow my new AP Lit Resolutions in order to happily accomplish my assignments painlessly and punctually.

1. One poem a week, with two weeks to do my own personal poem. (I mostly did this last semester, though I did have to finished two poems on the last weekend, and even that was a little much.) If I follow this schedule for the poetry journal, I will finish it before my birthday (March 28 if anyone cares ) and before spring break (because no offense to the poets, but I'd rather not read poetry while on the beach, no matter how handsome the poet). I have even picked out for of the poems I will due and their accompanying critical articles: Morning Song by Sylvia Plath, A Drop fell on the Apple Tree by Emily Dickinson, A Divine Image by William Blake, and Morning at the Window by T.S. Eliot. I am attempting not to show favoritism towards modernist poets, but I may be miserably failing. Please let me know. If it helps any, I plan on choosing a romantic poem for my last one.
2. Blog every week. I pretty much did that last semester, except for the last blog, I sort of lost my motivation there. Don't worry, though, I put my senioritis on the back burner considering my New Years Resolution is to graduate...
3. As I explained in #1, don't wait to do anything until the last minute. I have already picked out my critical articles for the Books on File and started my research for the allusion project. Doing a little work everyday means a lot less AP Lit-induced stress, which may be more difficult to deal with when senioritis takes control of me.
4. Read all the books, which, for the record, I have always done. (Except I never finished Peace like a River, please don’t tell on me.) This is something that I would like to continue doing, not start doing.
5. Keep working hard on analysis, especially on time writings. I really want to get a “9” one day, if that is even possible. I will continue to work hard on my analyzing skills and attempt to improve my style in time writings, which occasionally falls apart when I am a little rushed.

I figure if I can follow all of these rules, I will do well in my 2nd semester of AP Lit, and not turn into one of Mrs. Clinch’s horror stories. Then, I can fulfill my New Year’s Resolution and Mrs. Clinch can happily watch us graduate.