Wednesday, March 14, 2012

"Poetry Madness": Dr. Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" (TP-DASTT)

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise. 
T – Title: “Still I Rise” implies that the speaker has already suffered a great deal. One has to be knocked down before rising, and “still” (as opposed to titles like “I Rise for the First Time,” “Learning to Rise,” or even simply “I Rise”) signifies that the reason for her fall has occurred several times.

P – Paraphrase: This poem is a record of Dr. Angelou’s emotional reaction to the pride with which she has learned to define herself (and the resilience of the African American population at large), despite the stigma and hatred that the world uses to “trod [her/them] in the very dirt.” Since this is a lyric poem, there is no story to re-tell (a narrative poem, like “Dinner Guest: Me”). Dr. Angelou addresses the poem to whoever looks down on her or the black people as a race, defying such antagonistic people by asserting her self-confidence.

D – Devices: A common device in this poem is simile. Dr. Angelou’s repeated “I will rise…” statements are often followed by similes: “But still, like dust, I’ll rise” (4); “Just like moons and like suns,/With the certainty of tides,/Just like hopes springing high,/Still I’ll rise” (9-12). By likening her rise to certain and durable images, Dr. Angelou brings a sense of immortality and perseverance to her confidence—her “rise.” Specifically, the simile involving the certainty of tides and human hope brings about nature symbolism (geographical (solar bodies and the tides) and human nature (hope)). These forms of nature are used to solidify the permanent, almost instinctual nature of Dr. Angelou’s/the black people’s sense of dignity. Dr. Angelou also uses hyperbole: “…I walk like I’ve got oil wells/Pumping in my living room” (7-8); “…I laugh like I’ve got gold mines/Diggin’ in my own back yard” (19-20); “…I dance like I’ve got diamonds at the meeting of my thighs” (28). The powerful message the hyperboles express aptly demonstrates the extent of Dr. Angelou’s deep-seated self confidence. Metaphor is also employed: “I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide/Welling and swelling I bear in the tide” (33-34). Dr. Angelou’s metaphor serves a similar purpose to the similes; however, its more direct comparison highlights Dr. Angelou’s overwhelming personal strength in a similar manner to the hyperboles. Dr. Angelou also uses metonymy: “Did you want to see me broken…Shoulders falling down like teardrops?” (13-15). The substitution of her shoulders for her whole emotional state highlights Dr. Angelou’s complete sense of fulfillment that stands in direct contrast to the audience’s attempts to denigrate her. The four-line stanzas repeat in a rhyme scheme of “ABCB,” and so on—reminiscent of someone who has been knocked down, only to re-appear later. Dr. Angelou also uses verbal irony: “Does my haughtiness offend you?/Don’t you take it awful hard” (17-18). Obviously, Dr. Angelou’s admitted haughtiness makes it so that she really could not care less if the reader is offended by her pride. Instead, this irony enforces her overall defiantly prideful tone. Finally, Dr. Angelou uses allusion to get her final point across: “Out of the huts of history’s shame/I rise” (29-30); “I am the dream and the hope of the slave” (40). Obviously, these allusions point to slavery. Dr. Angelou uses them to make the point that what is intended to tear down her people only makes them stronger; racial hatred is not a boundary defining what the black people can do. Dr. Angelou refuses to become enslaved to the emotional trauma that prejudice brings about. All of these devices are rich in imagery, which grants the reader sensory access to Angelou’s figures of speech.

A – Attitude: The attitude in this poem is predominantly colored with Dr. Angelou’s personal self-confidence, and pride in the African American race. At times, however, she is willing to acknowledge what people can do to try to lower her esteem—although she assures the reader that they will fail (1-4).

S – Shifts: Shifts occur between the first and second stanzas, the fifth and sixth stanzas, the sixth and seventh stanzas, the seventh and eighth stanzas, and between lines 32 and 33. Each of these shifts share a similar emotional impact: each time, Angelou’s tone changes from a sense of resignation to the injustices done to her and the black people, to one of hope and proud defiance.

T – Title: After reading the poem, one gains a deeper sense of appreciation for the years of pain, fear and hatred that inspired the emotions behind “Still I Rise.” Before, one could only surmise that the title indicated a long history of sadness; now, the reader knows this for sure and understands the different kinds of emotional responses it can create.

T – Theme/Total Meaning: The overall theme/total meaning of “Still I Rise” is (as aforementioned) that prejudice will never become a fence that subdues the black people, but only amplifies their perseverance. Even if they are trod into the dirt or shot with words, their sense of dignity will always rise back up. Black people will never become defined by stigma. A person who learns to appreciate his or her own worth reaches a level of maturity that empowers him or her to defy any possible stereotypes. Despite its painful past, “Still I Rise” works to convey an encouraging message “Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear” about embracing individuality.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

"Symbolism Poem" Response

ThInk

I lift my fountain pen’s nib to the light of a bulb, preparing to polish.
Soaked from its cleaning, the metal shines smooth.
I look at the work it was used on.
Steel, or gold—which have I made?

My thoughts, on paper.
Had I taken the time to polish them, too?
Or has eighteen-carat Pelikan rapidity crippled me?
No, no…my nib was sharp, and its ideas sharper.
These ideas—have I scratched out steel, or glided out gold?

Across the table. Ballpoints there.
Next to that busywork that I just wanted out of the way.
My hand, flying here and there with the narrow grip—
No discipline in being pragmat-BIC.
May I never steel from gold.

Plucked from pondering by liquid on my hand.
Brown ink cascading, natural thought flowing—
The nib is on my palm. Its engraved sparkle catches
The eye, the spark of inspiration and knowledge.
This fountain of intellectual gold…Steel, where is your sting?

Ornate and ethereal, yet strong enough to forever
Change my legacy. He who knows what I wrote,
Will know me. I have to act like Midas, now.
Clinging to my cross of gold—steel is not an option.

This nib—by bending to my slant,
Taking away from itself, adding to my own work.
This nib—at my command, two roads. My choice.
This power—do I use it to make steel, or gold?

Monday, January 30, 2012

"Death of a Salesman blog" Response

     Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, exposes the ostensible desirability of the American Dream as a mere facade. Instead of depicting the American Dream as providing hard-working Americans with an attainable goal, Miller portrays it more as a grand illusion that dehumanizes those who futilely pursue it. Interestingly enough, though, Miller does present the audience with one character who does not allow his "American Dream" to unravel his life--Bernard. Even though Bernard seems to embody all the success that comes with the Dream (especially to people like Willy), he would be the last person to even consider publicly mentioning his job as a renowned lawyer (Miller, 92). Bernard's modesty reaches all the way back into his childhood, when he is described as "...earnest and loyal, a worried boy" (39). Bernard's earnest side and his loyalty are what ultimately prepared him for his future success; by combining these two attributes with his cautious ("worried") streak, Bernard received the wealth of the Dream--but only as a byproduct. Rather, Bernard's "American Dream" more  emphasizes the value of mastering the art of diligent, honest work (physical or academic). For instance, even though Bernard was one of Biff's biggest childhood fans (Kesey, 86), he risks angering Biff and Willy when he delivers the news about Biff's poor grades, advising Biff to "start studyin'" before wiping his glasses (Kesey, 39; 46). Bernard's characterization as a boring "nerd" far from the charismatic, "well liked," "clean-cut" reputation required to attain the American Dream may at first hinder him from achieving it. Ultimately, however, it amplifes his complex relationship to the Dream. Even though he lacks most of the social qualities needed to grasp the Dream, Bernard does not let this seeming setback disappoint him. He refuses to allow social norms and customs to curtail his natural talents (in Bernard's case, "book-knowledge"). Ironically enough, characters like Willy and Happy are willing to conform to whatever job society tasks them with, as long as they are promised an eventual piece of the Dream. In comparison to these disappointed characters, Bernard's unique "nerd-quirks" add a dimension of individuality to the way he pursues his American Dream. Bernard's tailoring of the pursuit of the American Dream to fit his special abilities is not a perversion of the Dream. Rather, Miller uses Bernard's approach to the Dream to show that adding individuality to the Dream is what inspires a person to fight harder for his or her goals. Therefore, Bernard's determination to apply his knowledge in a meaningful way draws him to his American Dream. Bernard's relationship to the American Dream is complex because his embrace of personal identity over wealth or legacy purifies and authenticates his ambition, which grants him the rare combination of financial riches and inner satisfaction.
     Bernard's path to his American Dream helps illuminate the emptiness and dehumanization that the American Dream adored by Willy (and spurned by Miller) represents. As mentioned before, the complexity of Bernard's relationship to his American Dream lies in the individualistic way he pursues it. Therefore, when he finally does achieve success, he can also live with inner peace and esteem in his ability to work hard. Essentially, Bernard's American Dream is, like Biff's eventual Dream, Miller's theatrical/thematic rejection of the corrupted American Dream that Willy and Happy desire. However, Miller's overall endorsement of Bernard's American Dream is summed up with Willy's respect for it: "I'm--I'm overjoyed to see how you made the grade, Bernard, overjoyed. It's an encouraging thing to see a young man really--really...What--what's the secret?" (Miller, 90).
     The current "American Dream" I see in society today revolves neither around hard work nor a tenacious pursuit of wealth alone. Rather, our postmodern society emphasizes the gain of wealth only as a tool in one's ultimate effort to please his or her self. America's emphasis on "freedom" has been horribly distorted, forcing it to fit the mold of "living in the moment" or for what one may feel is right for his or her self alone. Unfortunately, this selfish way of living has forced its way into what it means to be successful in American society. Traditional morals and cultural values are discarded because they are seen to hinder individual growth (whose definition has also changed--from a sense of spiritual and intellectual progression, to its current meaning--the freedom to practice whatever lifestyle one desires to live). In conclusion, the current American Dream is a mockery of what it means to be a successful person. Its emphasis on pleasing the self can only lead to a permanent cycle of discontent that will lead to social, economic and political chaos.