Trifles, A Feminist Play

 

 

Trifles

 

 

 

 

Explorations of the Text

 

 

1- What clues lead the women to conclude that Minnie Wright killed her husband?

 

     I assumed that Mrs Hale and Mrs Peter got the feeling that Minnie Wright killed her husband due  

     to their discovery on silly things that man things. As far as I know, women are more detailed with

     small little things that their do. Even the man in the story pointed out about how women used to 

     worrying over trifles. I assumed that small details at the kitchen such as stove, pot and pan,

     kitchen table, towel are not in its best. For me it showed there is something wrong with her

     because you cannot beat women with house chores especially their kitchen. I also assumed that

     Mrs Hale and Mrs Peter also found out that her technique of piecing a quilts are not at her best.

     They felt that Minnie Wright are nervous about something ( murdering her husband).  Besides, her

     dead canary bird are found dead by Mrs Hale and Mrs Peter due to someone who had killed it. As

     for me, the bird itself was something that precious to her ( I assumed it symbolize her freedom)

     because she made  pretty box for the bird. Mrs Peter herself said that she would hurt  a boy who

     took her kitten when she was little girl. As for Minnie, that bird been killed by someone ( I   

     think  her husband.)

    

 

2- How do the man differ from the women? from each other?

 

    In the beginning of the play the women are not judging Mrs Wright or accusing her of

    anything they are defending her at a sad time in her life. On the other hand, we read about the 

    County Attorney talking about how much of a mess the kitchen is and ridiculing Mrs. Wright in

    her absence about how her husband has been murdered and she is worried about her fruit being

    frozen; "I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than preserves to

    worry about," he boasts. The County Attorney has basically claimed her guilty for the murder of

    her own husband and at the same time teases about her fruit. The women immediately go to her aid

    talking of how hard it is to keep a farmhouse in order. With women, once we have to go on the 

   defensive, we will find every way to find the good or bad in something no matter what the cost.

   This is how the women drew their conclusion. They speak about how much of a nice person she  

   was and because of that kindness, they think more of Mrs. Wright's well being and begin to aid he

   in her housework by cleaning the kitchen and thinking of things that will make her comfortable 

   while she is in jail. By doing so they draw conclusions like, if she did kill her husband she had

   reasons to. "She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster," says Mrs.

   Hale. She implies how sweet and outgoing she was until she was married. They characterized Mr.

   Wright as someone with a mean spirit. The men, however, were looking for clues to pin the murder

   on the wife and convict her for murder since they already believed she killed him anyway. The

   women use casual conversation with a bit of being nosey or trying to help out in order  to judge her

   by what they know and her surroundings.

   

 

3- What do the man discover? Why do they conclude " Nothing here but kitchen things"?

   

            I assumed that the man in the story discover nothing unusual accept only kitchen thing like 

    the Sheriff said. They only pointed negative things such as dirty towel and mess kitchen. They

   sarcastically and cynically criticizing the women about trifles and others. However, Mrs Hale get

   irritated and defending Minnie Wright. Here, I think the reason why they cannot find any evidences

   or hints is due to underestimating women and the ignorance to women. Sheriff and County

   Attorney thinks all things at Minnie's  kitchen not useful as evidences and also clouded their

   investigations. As for me also, I think, its show how Glaspell criticizing man on how ignorant they

   are about small things. I think, as a man, small detailed not really important but not to women. They

   care abou small things. That's why, Mrs Peter and Mrs Hale found the proofs and decided to hide it

  from the man world. I think the women assumed that no matter what the man still will accused

  Minnie in killing her own husband no matter they have evidence or not. 

 

    





Susan Glaspell, True Feminist Playwright

Susan Glaspell ( 1876- 1948 )

 

 

 “We all go through the same things - it's all just a different kind of the same thing."   -Susan Glaspell

 

        Susan Glaspell was born in Davenport, Iowa by the married couple of Elmer Glaspell and Alice Keating. She graduated from Drake University in 1899 and works as journalist after that. Glaspell began her career as an author for popular magazines.

 

       However, in  1915, she had turned her energies to the theater especially after she married with George Cram Cook. With him, she helped found a theatrical group called, Provincetown Players which for experimental dramas until later became extremely successful as one of the most influenced on American drama. However, she got divorced with her husband after years of marriage.

 

      Eventhough, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize  for one of her famous play, 'Allison's House' (1931),  that was also her downfall in her personal life. She fell into her first and only period of low productivity as she struggled with depression due to divorce, alcoholism, and poor health.

 

       As for me her feminist work in plays production especially 'Trifle' (1916) has change my mind a little bit about human right against gender. I never thought it was such big issues back then because nowadays people are treated equally. Trifles is a play based on the John Hossack  case, for the group. It has been argued that the play is an example of early feminist drama. "A Jury of Her Peers", was adapted from the play a year after its debut.

 

       On 2nd December, 1900, John Hossack was murdered with an axe as he slept. His 57-year old wife, Margaret, was charged with the killing. Glaspell covered the trial for her newspaper. The jury did not believe her story that she slept through the killing, even though she lay next to her husband as he was murdered and she was found guilty. The story Trifles almost inspired by this cases and also inspired me to look into feminist perspective about the play more thoroughly.

 

       A journalist who worked with her on the Des Moines Daily News described her as "a strikingly handsome young lady with a nobility of character and charm of manner that command more than passing attention."After nine novels, fourteen plays and numerous short stories as well as articles, Susan Glaspell passed away at the age of 72. She remained as an inspiring writer, a dear good friend to all. 

 

 

Youtube link : Susan Glaspell- Trifles

Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe & Death of Salesman

                                                              Arthur Miller ( 1915 - 2005 )

 



         " The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental. It's so much like life."

     Arthur Miller was born in Harlem, New York on 1915 and were raised to middle class Jewish parents. His father, a clothing manufacturer experienced failure in his work. So they had to move from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

    

      He attended University of Michigan where he had started writing plays and won several prizes in drama. His plays include ' The Man Who Had the Luck' (1944), 'All My Sons' ( 1947), 'Death of a Salesman' ( 1949), ' The Crucible' ( 1953), ' A View From the Bridge' and ' A Memory of Two Mondays' (1955), 'After The Fall' (1964), 'Incident at Vichy' (1964), 'The Price' ( 1968), ' The Creation of The World and Other Business' (1972), 'The Archibishop's Ceiling'  (1977), 'The American Clock' ( 1980).

 

      Later, he wrote the plays, ' The Ride Down Mt. Morgan' (1991), 'The Last Yankee' (1993), 'Broken Glass' (1994), ' Mr Peters Connections' (1998), 'Resurrection Blues' (2002) and 'Finishing The Picture' (2004).

 

       He had his first Broadway production, ' The Man Who Had the Luck' although it closed for only a few performances. His second play on Broadway 'All My Sons' however was both critical and commercial success. However, his next and most successful play of him, 'Death of a Salesman' had launched his career and deserved several awards such as Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critic's Circle Award and even Tony Award.

 

     His private life such his marriage had been under people's microscopes. He was married to Mary Slattery but had divorced in 1956. Shortly after that, he was married to one of the famous actress, Marilyn Monroe. However, sadly they are divorced in 1961. Within several months, Miller was married Inpe Morath, the Austrian born photographer.

 

       He died on February 10, 2005 due to heart failure. He was 89 years old. Arthur Miller was one true unique American playwright whose biting criticism of societal problems. As for me he remained as one talented playwright especially, Death of a Salesman.     

 

         " A playwright lives in an occupied country. And if you can't live that way you don't stay."

 

A Date with a Literary Scholar, Refaat Alareer

                                                                  * Refaat Alareer*

 

“Generally, calling it a poem makes it more universal than calling it an article. If you write an idea in a poem, it may make it into the books.”

     On last Monday of 20th October, our Poetry and Drama class was lucky with the opportunity of listening to a wise talk by Mr. Refaat Alareer,  a young academic and a writer from Gaza who blogs at thisisgaza.wordpress.com.

 

     All of my classmate including me were enjoyed with his speeches about Gaza, War and his famous poems. A lot of people concluded his poem's content as war-based poetry but for me it more than blood and war. Its about hope, love and faith.

 

     Mr. Refaat  started the talk with a brief historical review regarding Palestine issues and the occupation of the Jews. As we know, there a lot of misconception about religion between Muslims and the Jews. He were expressing his thought about this sensitive issues to us. For him, put aside the war and lets us talk about how its really has to do with literature and how that inspired him.

  
     We then have the chances to hear and immerse with his underrated poem by others such as I Am You, Freshly Baked Soul, If I must Die. We are lucky to know more about what his poem is all about and the deeper meaning behind those word in his poems. He recommended few notable Palestinian poet such as Mahmoud Darwish, Tamim Bargouti, Susan Abulhawa and some other more.

      Eventhough his speech just for two hours duration, there's so many input and how its inspired me to write a poem. I still remembered his word of wisdom. He quoted " Doesn't matter what language you use to write a poem because that's the magic of poem, people just get related with it." To be able to listen directly from someone who were actually a part of this war of resistance we so often only hear before through the medias. all of us were truly grateful to Mr. Refaat for his time and dedication, and we wish for all the best for him, his fight and his journey.

 

 

                                                                    Refaat Alareer ^^

 

 

 

     

 

    

 

     

 

Refaat Alareer and his poems

  If I Must Die 

  by : Refaat Alareer

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze–
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself–
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale

 

 

Over The Wall

   by : Refaat Alareer

 

‘There,’ points Grandma.

She had a tent that was a home.

She had a goat and a camel.

She had a rake and a fork and a trowel.

She had a machete and a watering can.

She had a grove and two hundred plants.

She had a child and another one and another one.

***

‘There,’ she insists.

I could not see

Because of the wall.

I could not hear

Because of the noise.

I could not smell

Because of the powder.

***

But I can always tell,

I am sure of Grandma

Who always was

And is still

And will always be.

She smells like soil.

And smiles like soil.

And blinks like soil

When touched by rain.

***

She has a house that is a tent

She has a key

And a memory.

She has a hope

And two hundred offspring.

***

Grandma is here

But lives there.

 

Freshly Baked Souls

 by : Refaat Alareer

 

As fire balls and sparks descend,

And the little ones rejoice,

Look up, and cheer, unable to comprehend,

Sooner than they expect

They will be blown

(It’s none of their wishes

If only they had known!)

And more freshly grilled balls of flesh ascend.

And fall on full dishes

And fill the boxes.

And the hollow minds.

The full bellies.

They look down. Rejoice. Cheer.

“Freshly baked!”

“Freshly baked!”

“Who wants freshly baked flesh for breakfast?”

“Throw me a piece. “

“Throw me  four.

I have just eaten but crave for more.”

***

The hearts are not hearts.

The eyes can’t see

There are no eyes there

The bellies craving for more

A house destroyed except for the door

The family, all of them, gone

Save a photo album

That has to be buried with them

No one was left to cherish the memories

No one.

Except freshly baked souls in bellies.

Except for a poem .

 

 

What is War Poetry?

                                           
                                                 Characteristics of War Poetry

 

* The war poetry is introduced by the poets who have experienced the terror of War World I and  

   World War World II. War poetry is considered as contemporary poetry which is authentic,  

   original,revolutionary and free from the classical rules. 

*Lesley Jeffries maintains that modern poets were trying with "new material" and "new methods of 
  writing" (Jeffries 1993:10). 


*Dennis Brown attributes the subject of experimentation in modern poetry to the "disorientation"
  induce by the shock of the Great War, among other reasons (Brown 1989:11). 

*Most of the common themes, like the casualties of war and the inevitable deaths, can be found in the
  most well-known poets like Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon.

*Many of them suffered from psychological problems during and after the war due to shell shock or
  the horrible scenes of mutilated bodies and human parts scattered on the battlefield. 

*War poetry captures the physical and emotional features of modern war: the pain, weariness,
  madness, and degradation of human beings under intolerable strain. 


* It attempts to crystallize the moment as it offers images of young soldiers in action. 

*Some poems of this era highlight the case in which a soldier survives war physically but remains
  obsessed with its bitter horrifying memories which drive him crazy. 

* Samuel Hynes expresses the way the poets were affected by the war.

                                                                Peace, Love & Respect

Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori

Wilfred Owen

Dulce Et Decorum Est

 

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.

GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

 

         This poem was actually my first war-based poem that I read. I like it a lot because it has such strong poetic values in it. It is making this poem memorable. I actually read it 1 years ago but I still remembered this poem and it is about. Dulce et Decorum est actually from Latin word and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right."  In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country.

 

         “Dulce et Decorum Est” is a lyric poem expressing in stark language the poet's reaction to the horror of war. The source of the quotation is the second ode in Book III of Carmina (Odes) by the ancient Roman writer Quintus Horatius Flaccus, or Horace (65-8 BC). The meter pattern of the poem is iambic pentameter, which consists of five pairs of syllables. The first syllable of each pair is unstressed; the second, stressed.

 

         The first stanza sets the scene, a battlefield with war-weary soldiers on the march. The second stanza centers on the central image of the poem: a gas attack in which one soldier, failing to put on his gas mask in time, dies in agony before the speaker of the poem. The remaining lines present the theme.
.



Drama

                                                                            Drama !!


 



 



 



 

Definition

Pronunciation : /ˈdrɑːmə/

1. It's a play for theatre, radio or television. 

2. It's an exciting, emotional, or unexpected event or circumstance:

Drama is an adaptation and reflection of reality on stage. Drama is also the imitation of life. It has a message to communicate to the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 “a plot must have, a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the events of the plot must causally relate to one another as being either necessary or probable.”
(Poetics 23.1459a.) - Aristotle

My own definition of drama :

I defined it as an acting of play for theatre, radio or television that have its genre, theme and style following the elements of drama (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.)



Poetry...

   Poetry

 

 

 

Definition :

 

po·et·ry

noun \ˈpō-ə-trē, -i-trē also pȯ(-)i-trē\

i. the writings of a poet : poems

ii. something that is very beautiful or graceful

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary (2013), poetry is defined as productions of a poet, in metrical writing (verse) or writings that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm. The end product of a poetry frequently embodies the beauty of expression alongside its deep intrinsic meaning. 

 

     Types :    o   Ballad

o   Concrete

o   Confessionals

o   Free Verse

o   Elegies (mourning and lamenting)

o   Epic

o   Epigram

o   Haiku (very short form of Japanese poetry)

o   Sonnet (Shakesperean and Latin)

o   Villanelle ( nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain)

 

 

My definition of poem :

 

 Poem is the way you express something such as love, hate, longing and other feelings that related to you and others  using the elements of poem such as stanza, rhythm, meter and others.

 

 





Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.  ~Plato, Ion



A. Ezzati is my group's leader ^^

Sorry for late updating the blog ^^

Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note

 

Amiri Baraka

 

Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note

 

 

Exploration of the Text

 

 

1- Speaker's mode

 

    Pessimistic due to the line 4 " Things have come to that"  shows how speaker cynically mocking the whole events. Besides, depressed mode have been injected to this poem, line 11 "Nobody sing anymore." Here you can get the essence of mundane and lost the meaning  of speaker's life.

 

2- " Her own clasped hands"

 

       For me, its the contrasts action with the father action in poem. Father's cynical persona or action contrasted with the daughter's gesture of peeking into her own clasped hand. Here's,the daughter gesture almost like praying to God showed how she still believe in hope and faith. When you about to commit suicide, there no hope and faith or meaning in life anymore. So the fathers who is feeling mundane and depressed in life action and reaction contrasted by his daughter's clasped hand.

 

3- Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note

 

       For me the title is quite straight-forward. Why would I say that,during my first glancing at the title of the poem by Amiri Baraka its more like suicide note or diary. "Preface" who are always at the beginning of the book usually, showed the continuing notes regarding suicide. Maybe this just only the beginning to the many, many more to suicide action and confession.

 

4-  Three short lines

 

      For me, why Baraka have three short line separated as stanzas is to act as conclusion to each preceding four and five lines stanza. So, that they convey the message of the poem.

 

5- "Lately, "And now" and "And then"

 

       The first 2 words shows how the speaker felt recently and what he does in the period of time where he had lost hope. the last word shows showed different feeling where the speaker just did something which eventually changed his feeling of losing hope to having hope again.

 

6-   Speaker and the daughter

 

      The contrast between his action and perspective or point of view especially with daughter action really makes him really absurd. This due to his mundane  perspective on life comparing his daughter who stills have hope and faith in life. Speaker look at his daughter who is in pride and a sense of comfort absent from the outside world and he himself.

 

 

 



Turtle Soup, Ideas For Writing

 

 

" Sometimes you're the life, sometimes the sacrifices "

 

 

        When we talk about the immigrant context or point of view, it is really about maintaining your true self, belief, culture, tradition and others. Sometimes in life it is all about making the decision even though not all will take it optimistically. People migrated to get better life or job. Some people just want to ran away from memories or maybe just want to start a new life.

 

       I was intrigued with Turtle Soup's poem by Marilyn Chin due to her experienced as immigrate Chinese girl. In the poem, she wrote " nothing left but the shell" that really making the statement whether you losing your identity due to new surroundings. In other words, assimilating with the rest and leave the culture, tradition or maybe belief to certain things. For me, the immigrant family supposed to be strong when it comes to relationship between family members. I would say that because when you not at you own hometown or country, there is no one to share or care about you than family.

 

      Yes it is true that you will get more opportunity in jobs or maybe prosperity in making money but on the other hand you lose your tradition in order to survive in such new society that maybe have different culture or tradition and against with what you stand for before. Relating back to the quote, you are life because your culture and personal beliefs have made you the person you are today. To scrape that part of oneself off is hard, even impossible. However, there are some ways in oneself that could either make things complicated or have failed to work out in life and therefore that part should be discarded in order to make way for better possibilities. 

    

         Losing identity or culture may due to your own self. Maybe you are embarrassed or start questioning something tradition in your family when you realize you so different to the norm of the new society you live in. This always happen maybe because we are not fully embrace and feel comfortable even though it is in your blood. That's why, a lot of people who are migrated outside from their country usually assimilate with the new places and that's for me the sacrifices that they need to accept and in order to make a living.

 

 

 

 

      

The significant of Marilyn Chin's Poem, "Turtle Soup"

 

 "Turtle Soup"

 

by : Mohd Aizuddin

 

 

Explorations of the Text

 

 1- "Cauldron" instead of "pot "

    

       I assumed that the poet of the Turtle Soup's poem using "cauldron" (line 4) instead of other cook appliances such as stove, pan or pot to show the authenticity or the originality in her family background. Why I assume that due to her background experiences as Chinese's immigrant at United States. Nobody would use cauldron to cook something these days right? Furthermore, cauldron as far as I know is related to a witch to make potions or something unique or witchcraft. So the turtle soup and the use of cauldron must be in her Chinese heritage that show one of her tradition. So why cauldron instead of pot? It easy for me to put that as the differences between tradition or old thing (cauldron) to modernism or maybe assimilation from cauldron to pot. Shows how she the speaker struggle to maintain her heritage identity toward the world or society. In her case, Pasadena, California.

 

 

2-  "the Wei"," the Yellow" and " the Yangtze"

 

               Wei...Yellow.. Yangtze is the rivers in China. So why rivers in China and not other places like India, Egypt or Africa? As for me, I think its about her own heritage and culture that are influenced by China country and history instead of others.  Marilyn Chin (Chinese American ) are author of distinct origins whose identities have impacted on the style and themes of their literary works.  As for me, I assume that the "turtle" in the poem must be related to Chinese tales or maybe heritage because I do know "turtle" in Chinese culture symbolize the longevity or the "ancient wisdom" related to their Chinese history or stories. Did you know that turtle shell and bones are use in the oracles ceremony back then. So the river that been mentioned in the poem shows the long journey since century and the path or the place that the turtle use. Turtle in this must be related to Chinese history, heritage or identity for the speaker. 

        

3- Tone of mockery, cynical, pessimist and clueless toward heritage identity

 

              In my opinion, I assumed that the speaker intelligently mocking or cynically questioning her own culture, heritage or some absurd believes such as in line 3 and line 15. To me, she already assimilating with the culture of the Pasadena. Part of me says that she is quite clueless or less knowledgeable when it comes to her on Chinese cultures and history. Maybe she just want to get along with the society just because she is the only Chinese immigrant there. Even though she looked Chinese physically but her mentally is already assimilating with the rest. She lost her identity as Chinese features and refused to embrace her own heritage uniqueness.

 

 

 

 

         

Turtle Soup?? Interesting...

 Turtle Soup

You go home one evening tired from work,
and your mother boils you turtle soup.
Twelve hours hunched over the hearth
(who knows what else is in that cauldron).

You say, "Ma, you've poached the symbol of long life;
that turtle lived four thousand years, swam
the Wet, up the Yellow, over the Yangtze.
Witnessed the Bronze Age, the High Tang,
grazed on splendid sericulture."
(So, she boils the life out of him.)

"All our ancestors have been fools.
Remember Uncle Wu who rode ten thousand miles
to kill a famous Manchu and ended up
with his head on a pole? Eat, child,
its liver will make you strong."

"Sometimes you're the life, sometimes the sacrifice."
Her sobbing is inconsolable.
So, you spread that gentle napkin
over your lap in decorous Pasadena.

Baby, some high priestess has got it wrong.
The golden decal on the green underbelly
says "Made in Hong Kong."

Is there nothing left but the shell
and humanity's strange inscriptions,
the songs, the rites, the oracles?

 

by: Marilyn Chin

Suicide Note ??

Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note
By:Amiri Baraka

Lately, I've become accustomed to the way
The ground opens up and envelopes me
Each time I go out to walk the dog.
Or the broad edged silly music the wind
Makes when I run for a bus...

Things have come to that.

And now, each night I count the stars.
And each night I get the same number.
And when they will not come to be counted,
I count the holes they leave.

Nobody sings anymore.

And then last night I tiptoed up
To my daughter's room and heard her
Talking to someone, and when I opened
The door, there was no one there...
Only she on her knees, peeking into

Her own clasped hands.

Countee Cullen (1903-1946) - Incident,1925

How I see the poem, "Incident". Is it about racism??

 

 

                                                                Exploration of the Text

 

 

        Poem's "Incident" by Countee Cullen is very deep and meaningful to me because its bring the theme of racism. As we all know, racism is a disease that occurred in our society. The facts that people talks about it lightly and heartlessly is really disturbing and serious. It degrading other human beings by skin color or something uncommon to society. Why we always being judgemental and stereotypical when describing people that are tiny slightly different than the rest. I really don't get that at all. I must admitted that I sometimes can be quite stereotypical but not at the stages that can be considered as racist.

 

          When you read, you can tell the nature of interaction between the boys is likes there's boundaries amongst them due to the tiny differences  like their skin colors. The boy is happy at the beginning  of the poem in the most childish and innocent kind of way.  This showed in the poem by using the word like in the line 2 in the first stanza (Heart-filled, head-filled with glee). However, as you read the poem to the next stanza, you can sensed the different toned in the most condescending speeches. This showed in the use of word "Nigger", which can be such insulting nickname to certain people and can be related to racism. "Nigger" was such strong and sensitive word because it can be defined as "black slave".

 

              But, why does the speaker remember nothing more than the incident, even though he stayed in Baltimore from " May until December "? I assumed that the power and pain of his memories overshadowed the boy's other memories. In my perspective, maybe due to his past experiences. Although you can't sensed any emotion throughout this poem but you can tell it about racism and been looked through innocent child's point of view. Maybe because the treatment that the boy get can be related to racism abused due to skin color. I assumed the other American boy that had called the other boy "Nigger" is the good example of what Baltimore community is all about. I heard that the Baltimore areas full with "white American" communities.

            I don't really have any experience due to the topic of racism, but I do know how it feel when people put you in different categories when God created us the same and equally. I do know how it's feel when people looked at you like you some kind of freak or something and called you with terrible, offensive and sensitive nicknames. It is really hurtful but trust me sticks and stones may break your bones but words makes you stronger. Keep that in mind.

          In term of form of this poem, the structure of piece of writing rather than the ideas it expresses event its described and vice versa. Rhyme in this poem is easy and almost like the story telling kind of feeling. The sound at the every lines at the ends of lines is in irregular patterns but still kept the simplicity of proses.

          In term of using the word "nigger" for me especially is very inappropriate and sensitive because we don't know what kind a life the person we called this horrible name been through. So, why make his or her life much miserable than it used to and who are we to judge. Mind our own business and in the name of humanity stop making any racism statement because its very insulting to any human kinds.

      

 

          

           

"Incident", Racism??

Incident

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, 'Nigger.'

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.

Countee Cullen

Poem In Response To Naomi Shihab Nye, " All Things Not Considered " ^^

 

nobody

 

we are nobody,

why act like somebody?

This land is almighty,

Yet has no power

 with the Holy.

 

If God is exist,

Why there's no one happy?

 

nobody,

That's defined ourselves,

nobody,

why act like somebody?

 

Religion and God,

Almighty,

Hope and Faith

Makes nobody Somebody,

Cause it teach us Humanity.

 

-Aizuddin



The Darker Sides of Resume's Poem

On To and In To the Surface of the Poem's Resume by Dorothy Parker.

 

 

                         

          What can I say about this poem is actually is about the real event that occurred surround the poet herself. If you investigate her personal background, Dorothy Parker's first suicide attempt, which was cutting her wrists, took place in January 1923. Later, she made others, overdosing on the sedative Veronal , consuming a bottle of shoe polish, and taking sleeping powder, in 1932. After 1932, Parker apparently gave up on trying to take her life and settled into a long existence of unhappiness and alcoholism.

      

          There's a reason that we call this poem a dark comedy because it's horrible and awful and strangely funny all at the same time. Let's face it. A whole lot of people (including Dorothy) have thought about suicide at some point – or at least options in death. (We bet that in middle school you were asked the age-old question "Would you rather burn to death or freeze to death?") And death is a scary, scary thing to ponder. Parker, however, manages to do so with a dry wit. She makes death mundane – even boring. And, in a strange way, she manages to make suicide even less appealing than other forms of meditation might.

 

            The poem is fairly obvious in being a laundry list of suicide attempts or more precise, how these various means of ending one's life are annoying. They are such a pain in the ass to achieve, you may as well go on living. The title can refer to a resume of suicide attempts or to resume life because suicide is such a hassle. "Resume" is a classic epigram example from a wit of considerable repute. It is brief and makes it point with a final stinger.

    

            Razors can pain you because cutting hurts. Rivers are damp is you get wet drowning. Acid stains you is leaving behind a messed up corpse. Drugs cause cramp is final moments experiencing a stomach ache. Guns aren't lawful makes no sense and seems a stretch to find a rhyme with awful. Perhaps the liberal minded Parker was experiencing some wishful thinking. Noose give is you can botch hanging yourself if you fail to correctly tie the rope. Gas smells awful is obvious.

          

            "Resume" is not a cry for help or expression of pain. It is not even an exclamation of frustration but a sardonic viewpoint. The poem says 'I may as well give up ending it all because that is harder to do than living so I may as well live.' The irony is Parker tried again after writing "Resume" and settled for the slow poison of alcohol.

 

 

         

       

Resumé?? What's the significant of this title in her poem?

Resumé, Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)

Women In Poetry

        Women in poetry? Some English Literature's student prefer to choose a poet that their likes most. However, not in my cases. I personally despise most of women literature work of art due to their feminism approach. Whereas men in their work are beast or bad persona. They pretty much condemned men like we are some kind of disease or something. I do get that women in their previous eras being oppressed by men. However, it is like an old issues. These days, men and women are being treated equally and respect each other despite the gender. Am I right? Just now, as I hit Enter button for Google search, I am intrigued by one of women poet who wrote Resume.

 

    Resume         

 

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

                                                                By : Dorothy Parker

         Did you know what this poem is all about?? As you read again and again, you can sense the painful memories as she wrote it. All the action that being described in this poem is all consists some kind of suicide behavior. Why wrote such hurtful and painful meanings of poem that can be considered as "suicide" notes? Me personally when I read any literature works whether it is a poem, drama, short story, novel or others, I tend to look at the author, poet, playwright, writer biography or their background. As I go through deeper and further, despite having her finger on the literary and social pulse of the 20th century, Dorothy Parker had a pretty tragic personal life. Actually, her marriages (all three) failed. Then she attempted suicide several times which is, rather unfortunately, probably helped to inform the subject matter of "Resume."

Poetry "Resume" by Dorothy Parker... Is it a suicide notes from the poet itself?

Résumé

by : Dorothy Parker

Razor pain you,

Rivers are damp,

Acids stain you,

And drugs cause cramp.

Gun aren't lawful,

Nooses give,

Gas smells awful,

You might as well live.

     

So what do you think about the poem "All Things Not Considered" by Naomi Shihab Nye? Share your thought with me...

Guys,

For those who are curious who is Asel Asleh and Muhammad Al- Durrah you can know a little bit about them and theirs story by reading through this links :

1-http://www.seedsofpeace.org/?page_id=3922
2-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_al-Durrah_incident
3-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzsCBFhCsyY

Enjoy....zzzzzz

Explatory draft of the poem, "All Things Not Considered" by Naomi Shihab Nye

My assumption and my interpretation of the poem "All Things Not Considered"

 

    As I read it again and again and really try to get what the essence of the whole poem is all about, one thing for sure is the potrayal of the humanity being dissolved in our self. There's no more sympathies and empathies amongst human that corroded the humanity values. I want to highlighted one of her quotes that she said, “Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth." As you read or go through her works and biography, you know what kind of life she been through. As for her, she felt really grateful considering others families and peoples that are very unlucky when it comes to the issues of humanity that hidden or trapped by what people so so called the issues of religion and war. In this poem, you started to process your memory in order to reminisce who is Asel Asleh and who is Muhammad Al- Durrah that Nye had mentioned in the poem. What the significant of the persona and the bitter incident behind the name.There you started to get what the poem is really about. As for me, I was drawn into the issues that been in this world like forever. Its about Palestinian-Israeli sentiment which makes the country into riot. The Jews and Muslims believer are known as enemies since forever. However, is it because of the religion that caused fueled and violent? Is it because differences of ideologies in faith? Is it worth it to fight in war, to die for it, is it only one sided positon that hurt, feel the pain,hatred and the other side feel happy, self fullfilled and please or vice versa? In the end, it just becomes the pain of conflict.For me it is not about religion or God that created all this mess and cruelty but instead is ourself that causes the conflicts and the pain. I do agree that there are distortions in religions in the modern world but however,I rather believe it is the culture of the people. No religion can be pinned for war, rather only a particular group of individuals.At the end, you know it about "humanity" that these modern people try to hide behind "it" when it is clearly there is something hidden agendas or sinister by self proclaimed "human" when the behaviour far from it.And that's how I interpret the poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, "All Things Not Considered".

By : Atan Brown Coffee

Naomi Shihab Nye, All Things Not Considered...What's this poem is all about?

I-Thesis of  Nye's Poem...

When you started digging this poetry, you can sensed the faith in humanity that she try to make it the centre piece of her themes.Most of her poetry is pretty much close to her heart. She been through a lots in her life reflecting her works as a piece of art to the literature student like me. The facts, with her family heritage that close to Middle East's life and tradition makes her feel that she need to voiced her concern and really soil the true meanings of peacefullness and happiness.There's bring us to her next intention as a voice of womens and innocent childs that being involved in what people so called war due to the believe of terrorisms.She “brings attention to the female as a humorous, wry creature with brisk, hard intelligence and a sense of personal freedom unheard of” in the history of pioneer women. Not only that, the sensitive topic like faith in religion, our believes whether you are Muslims, Jews, Cristian, Buddhist or other religions make us think whether all the morality and good deeds that been taught in all religions being practice in our daily life. If there's so, where the heck sympathy and empathy in ourselves? Why there's still war,oppression toward woman and children, misused of power and others displeasure behaviour.Is the more hope or love in this vicious world which what Nye try to say in most of her works?

The essence of her poem, "All Things Not Considered":

I-Faith in humanity

II- Meaning of happiness 

III- Woman and child oppression

IV- Faith in religion

V- Morality and good maral values

Naomi Shihab Nye

This is the second poem by Naomi Shihab Nye that I read.Guess what?I love it!!! Enjoy..

All Things Not Considered

By: Naomi Shihab Nye

You cannot stitch the breath

back into this boy.

A brother and sister were playing with toys

when their room exploded.

In what language

is this holy?

The Jewish boys killed in the cave

were skipping school, having an adventure.

Asel Asleh, Palestinian, age 17, believed in the field

beyond right and wrong where people came together

to talk. He kneeled to help someone else

stand up before he was shot.

If this is holy,

could we have some new religions please?

Mohammed al-Durra huddled against his father

in the street, terrified. The whole world saw him die.

An Arab father on crutches burying his 4 month girl weeps,

“I spit in the face of this ugly world.”

*

Most of us would take our children over land.

We would walk in the fields forever homeless

with our children,

huddle under cliffs, eat crumbs and berries,

to keep our children.

This is what we say from a distance

because we can say whatever we want.

*

No one was right.

Everyone was wrong.

What if they’d get together

and say that?

At a certain point

the flawed narrator wins.

People made mistakes for decades.

Everyone hurt in similar ways

at different times.

Some picked up guns because guns were given.

If they were holy it was okay to use guns.

Some picked up stones because they had them.

They had millions of them.

They might have picked up turnip roots

or olive pits.

Picking up things to throw and shoot:

at the same time people were studying history,

going to school.

*

The curl of a baby’s graceful ear.

The calm of a bucket

waiting for water.

Orchards of the old Arab men

who knew each tree.

Jewish and Arab women

standing silently together.

Generations of black.

Are people the only holy land?