Fadwa Tuqan's Song of Becoming is a poem about growing up and morphing to become legends of time. Gone are the days of childhood naivety and careful laughters.
Gone also are the youthful dreams for slowly they are coming true. Time passes almost unnoticeably for the children have finally grown in life.
When they became of age to the time when they are already the ones who build s nation, their voices became those who "reject, that knock down, and build anew". It is now their time to carry on the cry of their forefathers against those who limit their freedom.
The song of Becoming reflects the cycle of life for after the children have grown and experienced the prime of their life, they now face its polarity which is death. They were once young, they were once adults. Now they are history, a thing of the past who lives on to become legends of time.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Guests on the Sea
Like a nomad who do not have a place of their own, Mahmoud Darwish's Guests on the Sea depicts the cry of the Palestinian people about a homeland who was never theirs. It is a poem carrying their sentiments and hopes about a land taken away from them and a part of them who went away with it also.
The images of "pomegranates" and the "glue of memory" evoke a feeling that they never were a part of something and that they thought that they were castaways in the country of their ancestors . That is why the journey implied in the story is the voyage of the Palestinian people to make their land the rightful place for which they can rear their children and remember their forefathers.
They have become guests on sea- floating and drifting here and to. Once, the sea carried their hope that they will return to their promised land but as miserable as it was for them, their short visit has grown long and the sea kept them from nearing the shore. Sea, do not give us the song we do not deserve- a phrase where they are reminded of the sad distant song heard from the country which they want to call their own. These are the words of a people who are tired of the uncertainties and illusions of having their nation back to be their rightful place and home.
The images of "pomegranates" and the "glue of memory" evoke a feeling that they never were a part of something and that they thought that they were castaways in the country of their ancestors . That is why the journey implied in the story is the voyage of the Palestinian people to make their land the rightful place for which they can rear their children and remember their forefathers.
They have become guests on sea- floating and drifting here and to. Once, the sea carried their hope that they will return to their promised land but as miserable as it was for them, their short visit has grown long and the sea kept them from nearing the shore. Sea, do not give us the song we do not deserve- a phrase where they are reminded of the sad distant song heard from the country which they want to call their own. These are the words of a people who are tired of the uncertainties and illusions of having their nation back to be their rightful place and home.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Tyger and The lamb
There's really not much that I could say that has not been discussed in class yet I feel the necessity to put my learnings into writing and I hope that in so doing expand my realizations of the poems.
Upon reading the title of the Lamb, I thought that the whole poem was about a description of a lamb or a personification of some sort. Still later, I thought that it was talking about the "Lamb of God", a very spiritual reflection of a person inspired by a lamb and a shepherd. At first, it seems to me that the poem is very mystified but reading a poem over and over again opens avenues for a better understanding of it, so now I come to my most recent understanding of William Blake's The Lamb.
Detaching myself from my former notions of The Lamb, I think that the poem is about an offering of a vulnerable lamb, untainted of its purity and innocence. As I hear in mind its "tender voice" that makes all the "vales rejoice", I think of an unknowing prey that is being targeted by a predator- which brings me to another of Blake's poems The Tyger.
The Tyger for me represents fury and fierceness- like that of a predator always ready to strike its prey. The prey, in this case may be the lamb. It is interesting to note that these two poems contrast each other so that to create a totality of effect, they must not be understood in isolation of the other.
The Tyger and The Lamb signifies the polarities that make up the whole world and even the human psyche.It is in the existence of one that the other finds its meaning as it also holds true that we cannot understand the other fully if the other is not fully understood. It is in the greatness of the Creator who made the opposites not to negate each other but to create harmony out of this seemingly contradicting world.
Upon reading the title of the Lamb, I thought that the whole poem was about a description of a lamb or a personification of some sort. Still later, I thought that it was talking about the "Lamb of God", a very spiritual reflection of a person inspired by a lamb and a shepherd. At first, it seems to me that the poem is very mystified but reading a poem over and over again opens avenues for a better understanding of it, so now I come to my most recent understanding of William Blake's The Lamb.
Detaching myself from my former notions of The Lamb, I think that the poem is about an offering of a vulnerable lamb, untainted of its purity and innocence. As I hear in mind its "tender voice" that makes all the "vales rejoice", I think of an unknowing prey that is being targeted by a predator- which brings me to another of Blake's poems The Tyger.
The Tyger for me represents fury and fierceness- like that of a predator always ready to strike its prey. The prey, in this case may be the lamb. It is interesting to note that these two poems contrast each other so that to create a totality of effect, they must not be understood in isolation of the other.
The Tyger and The Lamb signifies the polarities that make up the whole world and even the human psyche.It is in the existence of one that the other finds its meaning as it also holds true that we cannot understand the other fully if the other is not fully understood. It is in the greatness of the Creator who made the opposites not to negate each other but to create harmony out of this seemingly contradicting world.
Audre Lord's Hanging Fire
Bluntly speaking, I have had a hard time figuring this poem out especially because of the lack of commas and the abrupt shifts of thinking by the speaker. Remarkably enough, it taught me patience and to never give up upon something which initially doesn't make sense.
The poem Hanging Fire is about an adolescent who is confused of the world and of herself. She has so many things in her mind but "nobody even stops to think about (her) side of it". Added to the confusion is that of her being black and female which really affected her self-image. This is detrimental to her for it is in this age that she wants self expression but is limited by the society who tells her that being black entitles her with no place in this world.
This is the reason why she often speaks of death. She may consider it as the only way out when nobody even seem to care- even her mother.
Momma's in the bedroom with the door closed signifies that her relationship with her mother is not that good and its as if her mom always turns her back on her. A sad thing really for a young black lady who seeks for someone to guide her when everything seemed wrong.
The poem Hanging Fire is about an adolescent who is confused of the world and of herself. She has so many things in her mind but "nobody even stops to think about (her) side of it". Added to the confusion is that of her being black and female which really affected her self-image. This is detrimental to her for it is in this age that she wants self expression but is limited by the society who tells her that being black entitles her with no place in this world.
This is the reason why she often speaks of death. She may consider it as the only way out when nobody even seem to care- even her mother.
Momma's in the bedroom with the door closed signifies that her relationship with her mother is not that good and its as if her mom always turns her back on her. A sad thing really for a young black lady who seeks for someone to guide her when everything seemed wrong.
Learnings on The Fury of the Overshoes
I stand in plain amazement as I now open myself up into the world of poetry and to the many more worlds that present itself to me through the poems I read. Today, as I take my obligation to write a blog about the poems the class has already tackled, it seemed to me that as I reread all these poems over and over again, they no longer become an obligation but a tribute to the artists who in their greatness of articulation and wonder, opened for me a lens wherein I can see their view of the world.
Let me begin with Anne Sexton's The Fury of the Overshoes. The poem immediately gave me the notion of "colors" for which the first thing that we associate with childhood and that sense of freedom and spontaneity when every child looks at the world with curiosity and fun. The poem gives me thoughts of cute little dresses, small shoes and those heart melting smiles of little children implying that they still have much to learn about the world.
But then childhood isn't all that fun. The shift in the poem reflects a child's helplessness early in life when she realized that she still depends upon older people to teach her and do things for her. It tells us of how big people modify a child's view of the world and how adults influence their way of thinking.
The overshoes on the other hand symbolize security and protection from the cold, which when placed in the context of the poem may signify that the child's parents or the adults around her treat her with coldness and apathy and that she needs warmth and care from them. The fury of the overshoes then reflects the anger of the speaker for those who left him out in the cold, so to speak. On the line where she is looking for the "big people", maybe she is looking for someone who can help her make sense out of this confusing world but then she has observed that big people do not realize how meaningful each step they take in the journey of their lives.
Let me begin with Anne Sexton's The Fury of the Overshoes. The poem immediately gave me the notion of "colors" for which the first thing that we associate with childhood and that sense of freedom and spontaneity when every child looks at the world with curiosity and fun. The poem gives me thoughts of cute little dresses, small shoes and those heart melting smiles of little children implying that they still have much to learn about the world.
But then childhood isn't all that fun. The shift in the poem reflects a child's helplessness early in life when she realized that she still depends upon older people to teach her and do things for her. It tells us of how big people modify a child's view of the world and how adults influence their way of thinking.
The overshoes on the other hand symbolize security and protection from the cold, which when placed in the context of the poem may signify that the child's parents or the adults around her treat her with coldness and apathy and that she needs warmth and care from them. The fury of the overshoes then reflects the anger of the speaker for those who left him out in the cold, so to speak. On the line where she is looking for the "big people", maybe she is looking for someone who can help her make sense out of this confusing world but then she has observed that big people do not realize how meaningful each step they take in the journey of their lives.
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Artist: Reaching Out
In terms of it being pursued as a profession, I can say that I am never an artist myself. Yet in our mundane living, I believe that each one of us is an artist in ways as ordinary as it may seem. For example, the passion and creativity for which we derive schemas on how we live our lives are expression of the artist within us.In one way or another, we so desperately want to to express ourselves to others that we go to such extremes just because we wanted to be understood. Yet more often than not, other people can be so naive that they fail to grasp the message.
In part, I agree to how Franz Kafka portrayed the artist in the short story as one who has once enjoyed the attention he gets in demonstrating to others that he can break records in his fasting, and it was only after many years that he realized that "no one would take his trouble seriously"; the artist who eventually became past his prime, no longer at the height of his professional skill because of the change in public interest.
I often see artists like the one a hunger artist symbolizes. They so desperately want to prove and express themselves that it seems to me that they don't stop and ask themselves if they are really sending the right message that they want to give. It is sad to know that after their share of the spotlight, their audience looks forward to the new and fresh artists for whom they avidly want to know if there is something they can give. Now the new artist represents a change of time and interest because as time goes on, the public's interest inevitably change with it also.
The artists, who have now been by-gones retreat themselves to the world, suddenly realizing that anyone who has no feeling for his craft cannot be made to understand it. If I were one of them, I would also have to find a way to console myself with the fact that most people will see craft merely as a form of entertainment and not as something more. This is a a sad fact and it is just as futile if I dwell on it much.
Now the new artists takes their chance to make the people understand them. They hone their talents and improve their skills to manifest what they've got. They adjust to the demands of the public and to the face of time so that like the others who preceded them, they will take that long shot in instilling to the people's minds of the nobility of their cause.
On the other hand, I think that the artists who live to please others cannot find autonomy for himself. I believe that one doesn't need the approval of others to measure his art's worth. In the short story, I find it very frustrating to know that the man wasted his effort for people who doesn't give a damn on what he is doing. An artist, in whatever field he may choose to dwell, must strive for the realization of his own potentialities and pursue excellence, not bearing in mind the people who know nothing of his craft.
In part, I agree to how Franz Kafka portrayed the artist in the short story as one who has once enjoyed the attention he gets in demonstrating to others that he can break records in his fasting, and it was only after many years that he realized that "no one would take his trouble seriously"; the artist who eventually became past his prime, no longer at the height of his professional skill because of the change in public interest.
I often see artists like the one a hunger artist symbolizes. They so desperately want to prove and express themselves that it seems to me that they don't stop and ask themselves if they are really sending the right message that they want to give. It is sad to know that after their share of the spotlight, their audience looks forward to the new and fresh artists for whom they avidly want to know if there is something they can give. Now the new artist represents a change of time and interest because as time goes on, the public's interest inevitably change with it also.
The artists, who have now been by-gones retreat themselves to the world, suddenly realizing that anyone who has no feeling for his craft cannot be made to understand it. If I were one of them, I would also have to find a way to console myself with the fact that most people will see craft merely as a form of entertainment and not as something more. This is a a sad fact and it is just as futile if I dwell on it much.
Now the new artists takes their chance to make the people understand them. They hone their talents and improve their skills to manifest what they've got. They adjust to the demands of the public and to the face of time so that like the others who preceded them, they will take that long shot in instilling to the people's minds of the nobility of their cause.
On the other hand, I think that the artists who live to please others cannot find autonomy for himself. I believe that one doesn't need the approval of others to measure his art's worth. In the short story, I find it very frustrating to know that the man wasted his effort for people who doesn't give a damn on what he is doing. An artist, in whatever field he may choose to dwell, must strive for the realization of his own potentialities and pursue excellence, not bearing in mind the people who know nothing of his craft.
Boarder
Pay your rent before the due date. For you, that would be every 15th day of the month. Inform your visitors the visiting hours. Beyond that, I would have you to take the responsibility of sending them away, or else I will. Don't let your boyfriend enter your room. I have you parents' number, you know what I can do; but I don't have a boyfriend. The curfew time is on 10 pm. Inform me if you'll be back later than that. Do you have a laptop? You have to pay additional 200 pesos for the electricity. Do you want to connect to the Wi-Fi? You would have to add 200 pesos more. And the laundry, yes, your dirty laundry, put them on the rack which I will give you later and place them on the washing room on Saturdays. You wash you underwear, don't even let me teach you how. The drinking water on the dispenser costs 40 pesos; you divide the amount among your roommates. Ah! Your roommates, they are all working so among the three of you, you are the student.
If you are all too busy or too lazy to clean your room, call Linda. Ask her to do it for you and pay her as the two of you has agreed. Don't play any loud music so as to disturb the others. I don't think that you need any reminding but I'll say it nonetheless. Don't leave your shoes outside the room. I don't want anyone complaining about a lost shoe. And by the way, did I tell you that I am very particular with regards to payment? Yes. So you have to pay your dues on time. Wait, I'm gonna call my mom. But she just left you here an hour ago.
If you are all too busy or too lazy to clean your room, call Linda. Ask her to do it for you and pay her as the two of you has agreed. Don't play any loud music so as to disturb the others. I don't think that you need any reminding but I'll say it nonetheless. Don't leave your shoes outside the room. I don't want anyone complaining about a lost shoe. And by the way, did I tell you that I am very particular with regards to payment? Yes. So you have to pay your dues on time. Wait, I'm gonna call my mom. But she just left you here an hour ago.
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