Free Verse and Line Breaks

T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", has some good examples of line breaks and poetic rhythm. Line five says, "The muttering retreats", and then cuts off and picks up again at the beginning of line six. I think this is one of the best examples from our readings of a line break. The word retreat means to leave or take a rest away from normal. Retreating is leaving your musy normal life, pausing to restore forcus and peace. The line break is trying to actually imply the meaning of a retreat. By pausing, even if its just mentally, our imagination retreats with the lovers Eliot is talking about. I said "even if its just mentally" because I often read poems by punctuation. Even if a line breaks or a rhyme scheme is normal ABBA....I would still read and breathe with the placement of the commas and periods. Again, in line forty-five, Eliot has placed an important break. "Do I dare", he says, "Disturb the universe". The break between those two fragments has great value. This is obviously a very big deal. When someone asks "do you dare" or "do I dare" there is often a pause of silence to follow. Both people, the speaker and the hearer are probably thinking about the dare or the issue very strongly. Therefore, Eliot's break is valid. I think that most line breaks, especially in T.S. Eliot's poems, are relevant and help to connect the reader to the piece.

Victorian to Modern

I am very interested in the literature from this particular period. There were so many changes going on in the world. I believe that the artists and authors of this time were the most accurate and true recorders of history. One of the changes that I saw present in this weeks reading versus theose prior came from Thomas Hardy's works. There was a negativity about his poems that was unique. They had a totally different feel than the Romanic period poems. ALthough those still had some negative messages and gloom about them, his works seemed bitter. Particularly in refernce to religion or God. Earlier poems showed a reverence or apreciation for faith. But Hardy's poems, "Channel Firing" and "Hap" almost spoke agianst God or religion in a sardonic way. In "Hap", Hardy talks about a "vengeful god" that brings about pain and sorrow instead of beauty and life. And "Channel Firing" is about dead ministers or preachers that are now looking back on their lives wishing they had spent their time doing something else. Apparently, there is a war going on above where they are fallen. The dead men say that nothing will help, those fighting for a cause are wasting thier time fighting for "Christes". It sounds to me like Hardy had a few bad experience wth religion or God. On a lighter note, I really liked Edwin Arlington Robinson's pieces; particularly "George Crabbe". I thought the rhyme scheme was unique and suiting. After reading Emily Dickinson last week and other peots who write in free verse without rhyming, this poem was refreshing...even given its context. I enjoy A B B A rhyme. (I think I said that right??!!!) The rhymth is more natural when I hear it in my head. Yet, I know from trying myself it is not always that easiest rhythm to make flow. Concluding, I enjoyed Robinson's poems a great deal.

Emily Dickinson

Although Emily Dickinson showed differences in structure and rhyme than some of the other Romantic poets, I think she generally spoke the same language. That was, in fact, the distinct dialect of truth. One thing I have lived about these last few weeks of reading and commenting has been the raw truth that each author laced into their beautiful and inspiring pieces. I remember some of our first readings from Blake, "Songs of Innocence" & "Songs of Experience", with there resounding honesty. Although these poems were more brutal in comparison, Dickinson still strove to reveal the easy stuff and the hard stuff...so to speak. Particularly, in #1263, the last two lines were profound to me. She writes, "The Truth must dazzle gradually or every man be blind-" I read this as a lesson in vision or foresight. Some people can handle the big picture, but most people cannot. I think that life, or even God, will sometimes only show us exactly what we can handle. Then, once we have conquered that or embraced that with purpose, we begin to see the next step. And each time, these sweet revelations "dazzle" as Dickinson explained. It is always the best idea or the biggest step of faith we have ever taken. Then we see our success and are able to move on and do much more. One other similarity I noticed between Dickinson and the other Romantic's we studied previously, she made several references to faith or eternity or God. Even one poem, #1577, talked about the Bible. #1793 made remarks about heaven and hell. I think these themes or symbols have to do with the Romantic author's respect for nature. They were so in-touch and responsive to the depth that nature brought. I feel a great relation between my faith and nature. I believe that my God created the Heavens and the Earth as it says in Genesis. I can only hope that there is a thread of that conviction in these Romanitc works as well.

Ode on Melancholy

I chose this poem because it spoke to me. Although I am sure we all interpret things differently from time to time, I thought this piece was about not dwelling on the negative even when it is all you can see. The speaker is either trying to console someone who is hurting, possible suffering some type of loss, or they are trying to comfort themselves. I believe the speaker wants to make each day important and new. In lines 9-10 he says, "For Shade to shade will come too drowsily, and drown the wakeful anguish of the soul." To me this said that days will come and go quickly while we wallow in our depression and eventually that sorrow will overtake out souls. I see the speaker as a reliable source only because it seems like he is wise on the subject. From the tone and order of the poem, I gather that he has already overcome the sorrow or "melancholy" seasons that life can bring. Towards the end, the speaker begins to allude to the goddess Melancholy. In these lines, it almost sounds like he/she is warning someone to come of what Melancholy can do. The speaker does not want the next victim, so to speak, to be diminished to a pawn or defeated.
The images in this poem are powerful and important. The picture of a grave is painted and many allusions are presented to help the reader understand the darkness this piece is referring to. I really like line 5, "Make not your rosary of yew-berries..." Yew-berries are a symbol for grief often grown in cemeteries. The poem also talks about her mouth like it is poisonous and has the power to sting whomever it kisses. These images and allusions connect beautifully. Each is relevant to the other and they all turned very helpful for me as I read.
The picture that this piece painted in my head was one from the animated film "Hercules." Due to the references to Hades and goddesses and Lethe, I thought of the scene where Hercules has to go into Hades to retrieve the soul of his lover. I understand that this story does not exactly tie into the poem properly, but that is where my mind went.

Nature is Necessary

The Romantics are very intriguing to me. It is not everyday that you can read works that are soaked with so much passion and life. Even though most of these poets topics were reminiscent and even jealous, their works were bright with imagery and color. William Wordsworth stole the gold for my favorite out of these three poets. I heard a greater truth in his words than the others. "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey " is absolutely beautiful. Wordsworth is thinking back on long walks and times with his sister whom he loved dearly. He is clearly trying to recall old times. It also sounds to me like the sister has passed away due to his references to death. Lines 45-46, "We are laid asleep in body, and become a living soul;" make me think that the sister is now dead and burried. I must say though, that is one of the most sincere ways to approach the subject of burial. I have lost a sister and always try to think about the good times and lovely memories we have. In the midst of mortality and death, it is hard to keep my focus upward. But this passage moved me and had my attention for several minutes. I will admit that I read these lines at least 10 times! Then, Wordsworth continued to impress me. In lines 89-102 he writes, "For I have learned to look on nature, not as in the hour of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes the still, sad music of humanity, not harsh nor grating, though of ample power to chasten and subdue. And I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, and the round ocean and the living air, and the blue sky, and in the mind of man: a motion and a spirit, that impels all thinking things, all objects of all thought, and rolls through all things." This statement really sums it all up. He clearly depends on and desires nature to inspire him. He claims that all thought and knowledge flows through the natural world. You can feel anything and everything you could ever want if you can just breathe it in. "A motion spirit that impels all thinking things...." is such a powerful statement. Without nature and this Abbey's wonderful scenery, Wordsworth writing would have been much less tasteful. Lastly, concerning this poem, he talks again about his sister by saying in line 116, "My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch the language of my former heart..." I related with this statement as well. In moments when I am down or missing my sister too badly to sit still, I know I can go to one place and always feel comfort. There is a small lake that she loved very much. I often go sit quietly with my eyes closed and just listen. In the waters ripple and break I can hear her voice; see her face again. I love that nature can carry you away. In "London, 1802" Wordsworth writes about another friend that is greatly missed. He says in lines 9-10, "Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart; thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:" Nature has once again been Wordsworth's refuge from loss and loneliness. He can hear his friend in the sea and think of him as he looks to the stars. This imagery is amazing. And what a compliment to his dear friend! It is easy to say that nature and our world were awe-inspiring to the Romantic period's poets. For me, I am still inspired daily; as I read about it and experience it for myself.