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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Dickinson blog #3
Take at least half an hour to write two separate posts:: one on poem 498, and one on either 107, 425, or 45. Post each piece of writing as a reply to a previous comment on that poem. This way, there should be a total of 4 comment threads on the blog.
Both of your posts must do the following:
1. Identify key metaphors, words, and points of confusion
2. Reference a previous post (unless you're the first to write about the poem)
3. Refer to another poem we've read
Your two posts are due by 8 am Friday.
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498
ReplyDeleteThis poem contains many key metaphors including the jar, the grass, and the sea. These metaphors were pretty difficult to follow. When Dickinson discusses the haunted house and the ghost, it reminded me of her mention of this in 274. However, unlike 274, who's message I found was that your conscious can be your own worst enemy, 498 deals with a woman in the latter stages of her life as she knows people less the closer she is to death because of her aging.
498-
DeleteI think that some of the main metephors in this poem include the neighbor and the jar, the grass, and nature and stranger. I agree with Adam, that these metaphors and this poem as a whole was very hard to follow. This poem reminds me of 115 when she is mentioning nature. Althouhg in this poem she talks about nature being a stranger to her, where as in 115 she refers to the moutians, medows, and the forests as being hers. I did not get the same message out of this poem as Adam, but I like his idea! I'm very bad at interpreting her poems, but I thought it had to do with the way other people see her and the way she looks on the outside, but when people finally get to know her (That those who know her, know her less the nearer her they get) they realize that she is a totally different person that she comes off looking like. In other words, they never took time to understand her personality and realized she was very to herself. It's a long shot...
The key metaphors that I found in this poem were the jar, glass, nature, and grass. The key words mystery, limit, sedge, and ghost. Out of the key metaohors the one that stood out the most was, "The grass does not appear afraid, I often wonder he can stand so close and look so bold at what is awe to me." The grass might be a person who is looking at life, not be afraid of it and Dickinson is wondering how this is possible, which surprises her. This poem relateds to 274, when it mentions the haunted house, becaue human fear is horror which can occur within someone. However, when Dickinson says, "But nature is a stranger yet", she is saying that nature does not have consciousness to understand the horror the mind is going through. I did not see consciousness relating in the way Adam said it did, but i can see how it does! Looking at it from his point of view i also agree with what he said. The only line that did not make sense to me was, "In an abyss's face!"
Deletekey metaphors in this poem are the jar and the lid and the grass. Key words in this are world, limit, bold, floorless, betray, haunted house, pity, and regret. I also agree with adam and victoria on how this poem seems to jump around. This poem reminds me of Dickinson's poem number 274 with the haunted house. That poem seems to be more related to death while this one is more tied to ones inner self. In this poem I think that Dickinson doesnt truly understand herself. I dont understand the regret.
DeleteThis was a very difficult poem, but i found that the key metaphors werethe neighbor, the jar, the lid of glass, the abyss's face, the grass, and the ghost. Some interesting words were "mystery," "abyss, "afraid," "bold," "floorless," "timidity," and "pity." I agree with coco when she talks about the interesting lines when the poet says, "The grass does not appear afraid, I often wonder he can stand so close and look so bold at what is awe to me." I think that this quote means that the grass is someone who is comfortable with nature and all of the mysteries of it. However, even thought many people look at it with confidence, many people can not even begin to comprehend the depth of how complex nature is, and for many people, this is a scary concept. I think that poem reminded me poem 265 because at the end of 265, it talks about the door and the ocean and the ocean is something that is vast and never ending. THis reminds me of this poem because both talk about how vast and endless nature is.
Delete107
ReplyDeleteThis poem, unlike 498, is such easier to understand so I will do my best job not to sound like a complete idiot. Having said that, this poem centers around two key metaphors: the bee and the school boy. Both the bee and the school boy are chasing their respective dreams as well as heaven. However, the poem concludes that heaven and dreams that they want do not exist in the variety they desire. This poem reminds me of poem 290, not just because it also involves school children, but also because it deals with human characteristics of going through life and the desires that accompany it.
This poem, obviously about a bee and a school boy, represents the fleeting nature of human desires. The objects of desire being the fleeting ones, not the desires themselves. The dreams recede, unrealized. This line tells us that Dickinson sees the objects of our desire as difficult to hang onto. They taunt us, and then gently fly away, like the bee. The second line uses the image of 'heaven' as the object that we are chasing. This comes straight back to us at the end of the stanza, when the boy is left, staring, bewildered at the sky. Everything seems to connect in a very roundabout way in this poem. The bee's escape is described as being on a 'Pinnace' or a sea vessel. This gives me a vivid image of a boat setting off to sail, and the boy being unable to chase it through the sea, or in this case, the sky. The poem ends with the realization that dreams are never easy to obtain. There is no dream that 'brews steadfast honey' - there is no desire that is easy to obtain time and time again; everything we desire as humans is fleeting.
Delete107
Deletewords that i dont understand in this poem are pinnace,heedless, and the royal clouds. key metaphors are mocking sky. key words are dream recedes, mocking sky, and rare variety. THis poem reminds me of poem 11 because it shows how one wants and sees what it doesnt have and when something or in this case a dream is reached then it recedes and a knew one develops.
425-
ReplyDeleteI thought this poem was soooo hard to understand!! Anyway, some of the key words here were: sumptuous, which means splendid or expensive looking, gloat, starve, famish, and gallows. This poem really reminded me of poem number 11 and what we talked about in class. I thought that the meaning to this was that you do not know how something great feels until you do not have it. In poem number 11 is talks about not being able to know how sucess feels without first failing, and I think that Emily Dickinson is saying the same thing in this poem (425). One of the main things that makes me believe this is the first couple lines when she is saying that she wants this awesome moment to go by slow because she is never going to know how it feels again. She could also be refering to her past and how you always want what you can't have and everyone wishes they can go back in time. I don't know!!
I thought this poem was more clear than others that we have read! Some of the key words are sumptuous, gloat starve, abundance, famish, and gallows. The metaphors in this are moments. I agree with Victoria when she says it related to poem 11. We talked extensively about that poem and how Dickinson talks about how someone understands something more when they don't have it because they can imagine it and take it for grantit. They find more value in something they don't have. I think in poem 425 the value is in the past moments that Dickinson can't have back. She is longing to maybe have the moments when she wasn't in solitude back. She might miss civilization, or maybe she just like thinking about those moments and never wants to stop thinking about them. I'm not quite sure!
Delete107
ReplyDeleteBoth the Image of the boy and the bee are important to understanding the beginning of life. Both of these metaphors have a sense of inocense and simplicity. There is no real complex thoughts when it comes to trying and reaching heaven. The poem leads to deeper thoughts such as heaven and human desires.
498
Like Adam says I found this similar to 274. It talks about personal torment. There is metaphors about the oceanic feeling and also grass harking back to Whitman's connection to the earth. Dickinson is still talking about the idea of merging.
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ReplyDelete45
ReplyDeleteThe common theme among these poems becomes obvious after reading this. There is very obvious sexual imagery in this poem - the Harebell, a type of flower, has lost its virginity to the bee. These are very basic birds and bees metaphors here, however there is an added twist. Dickinson asks whether the bee will value the flower as much upon its subsequent visits. This is very easily translated to human sexual relationships, and furthermore, to desire in general. Once you have something, you will not value it as much as you did while you sought after it. This reminds me a lot of poem 11, where appreciation of success (the flower) relies on an inability to have it. Dickinson talks about the fact that the garden of Eden was so valued by Adam and Eve only because they were forced to leave it. The notion of original sin roots from this very fact - humans cannot appreciate something without losing it. If we begin life at a net loss, we find motivation to make it up.
I agree that this poem has sexual refrences. The Harebell looses her girdle to the bee, which is a metaphor for a girl losing her virginity. Some metaphors are the Harebell and the lover bee, and the "paradise." This was a confusing poem though because the second stanza is very confusing. SOme important words are "hallow" "formerly" "paradise" and "eden." This was a difficult poem for me to understand, but after reading Matthew's analysis, i definately see a new meaning in the poem. I Agree that it relates to poem 11 because noth talk about appreciation of what you have, and how you appreciate things more before you have them. In this poem, the Harebell and the Bee have a relationship that is valued more before the sexual relationship takes place. The poem asks "would the bee the harbell hallow much as formerly?"In a way, i dont think that the Harebell actually appreciates the bee as much after the relationship, and this idea is similar to poem eleven when it says that people who dont have success want is more, and therefore, they appreciate success more. I really agreed with Matthew's ideas here.
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