Dover Beach- Blog 4

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold uses the descriptions of three large bodies of water to eventually give a lesson to the world to hold on to what we do have in this world- each other. Nothing else is as it seems, as we see in the images of the bodies of water. The English Channel is my personal favorite of the stanzas because of its contrast of the calm setting in sight but destructive and loud sound. The " Glimmering and vast, out in tranquil bay" (Line 5) is the opposite of the "grating roar" (line 9) of the sea. Then the second stanza describing the Aegean Sea as the "turbid ebb and flow of human misery" (line 17-18) is a way for the speaker to prove that he is not the only one who notices the misery of the sea. Sophocles, too, noticed this about the Aegean Sea. Lastly, the Sea of Faith- a figurative sea- used to be full and bright, but now there is so much less of it in the world because it is being drained. The misery still does not go away. The images of misery in all of these bodies of water were building up to the fourth stanza where the speaker maintains that they need to hold on to each other. Surrounded by a world of destructions, they have to rely on each other for a constant.

Sorting Laundry- Blog 3

"Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie is like an insight into the mind of a woman. She uses creative poetic style by making the poem organized like a pile of laundry and imagery and diction that gives us details of her relationship with her partner. She begins with images of larger pieces of laundry like "king-sized sheets like tablecloths" (Lines 4-5) and moves all the way "a broken necklace of good gold" that was found in a pocket. Each one reminding her of her love. The shift in the poem occurs at line 41 when she is folding a shirt belonging to a man from a previous relationship. The shift of sweet memories to serious fear is what really defines this poem. Simply being reminded of an old heartbreak gives her immediate fear of what might happen if the relationship she is in now fails. Women overthink, worry too much, and never want to be lonely. Just the thought of it is enough to have the speaker nervous about what might happen if she "were to fold only her own clothes" (Line 44-45).

I taste a liquor never brewed- Blog 2

Drunkenness on nature and life become prevalent in Emily Dickinson's "I taste a liquor never brewed". The speaker's "alcohol" is summer and nature and it is apparently intoxicating to her- "inebriate of Air" (Line 5). One of the more symbolic scenes is "When butterflies- renounce their 'drams'- I shall but drink the more!" (Lines 11-12). When others are finally having their fill, she continues to soak up the joy and happiness. Nature and the happiness of the out doors is something she can never get enough of. Also, this poem gives an unexpected attitude toward the "drunk speaker". Drunkenness is looked down on in our society for the most part. Being publicly intoxicated is even a crime; however, the speaker in this poem is respected and revered for his behavior. Both the "Seraphs" and "Saints" are running to praise the speaker for being drunk on nature. This is definitely a different take on the subject, and I think the purpose is to portray that there are things in our world that are beautiful and we should take the time to appreciate more.

Convergence of the Twain- Blog 1

A reference to the Titanic- a ship that sunk in 1912- "Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy really hits hit on the negative effects of both human vanity and riches. Using descriptive imagery like "the sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent," (Line 9) and "Jewels in joy designed to ravish the sensuous mind" (Line 10-11), Hardy expresses that the Titanic horror occured because of human vanity and an obsession with material riches. People and their "Pride of Life" (Line 3) set into motion a "plan". That is referenced in the first stanza and later explained in the sixth and seventh stanzas. There is an "Immanent Will" or a higher power that was preparing for this tragedy to occur to try and show that this lifestyle and the things that people are caring for are not right. Then, the poem goes on to describe how the iceburg and the ship had the same path all along, so that on that fateful night, tragedy would strike, and we the people would be punished for the way we were living our lives. The higher power says "Now!" (Line 32) and just like that the ship sinks after hitting the iceburg. Then all of those riches, jewels, and the "mirrors meant to glass the opulent" (Line 7-8) that were supposed to show off wealth and class ended up at the bottom of the ocean where no one could see them. The poem in itself was written to be both a point made and a lesson learned. Material goods and human vanity are not what life is about, but if we treat life as such, we need to be warned of what might happen if we do.