Poetry Journal
A Certain Lady
Love relationships tend to be emotionally sensitive and the failure to attend to a partners emotional needs leads to feelings of pain and rejection. Parker presents a woman who reflects on her relationships with a man that he is deeply in love with. She experiences immense emotional pain but puts on gay pretense in order to make the man believe that she really loves him. She “Marvels rapturous eyed” while he “rehearses his lists of love” (6, 13). The woman can be blamed for this state of affairs because of the fact that she fails to make the man understand her true feelings of pain. This is a common incidence especially with young and adventurous ladies who would go to great lengths to keep the man that they love regardless of the fact that the feelings between the two are not mutual. This is especially common with women who are desperate for love and would therefore endure all pain in order to keep the men to themselves. This theme has been explored by the media industry through time. Young women in most movies tend to be more susceptible to such scenarios than their older counterparts. In the long run, such mannerisms lead to abusive relationships that are counterproductive. The resultant emotional pain and suffering is however self deserving.
After a Great Pain
A painful experience is often characterized by different stages that Dickinson describes as “First chill—then Stupor—then the letting go” (Line 13). After a great pain that is usually experienced after the death of a close person, the formal feeling that follows this pertains to the funeral. Emotions that stem from the extreme painful feelings are always responsible for making us experience numbness. Dickinson’s process is essential for one to be able to get over the pain and regain normalcy. It is ingrained in a person’s psychological wellbeing and skipping one stage usually culminates in serious medical conditions. It can basically be likened to suppression of certain feelings as opposed to overcoming them. Emotional pain always makes one heart to feel as though it is dead. The death of a close person is particularly hurting. The pain that is experienced tends to be extreme but once the person goes through the entire procedure, painful feelings tend to cease and s/he returns to normalcy. However, in most cases, such incidences are seldom forgotten. The impact of this has been expressed by the author through line 12 “As Freezing Persons recollect the snow”. Basically, this implies that frequent remembrance of the dead persons also reminds the living of the similar experience that they would undergo during their lifetime.
Those Winter Sundays
Sunday is considered a day of rest and most persons always do that- rest. During my childhood, winter Sundays were particularly just suitable for sleeping. The author seems to capture the description of the situation well when he states “I would wake and hear the cold/ splintering, breaking” (Stanza 2). In this poem, the author presents to the audience an extra ordinary man whose Sundays were not always times of sleep. He wakes up before the rest of the household to address their comfort needs and ensure that they do not experience a similar difficulty as he did when he woke up. However, the entire family treats him with indifference; disregard and “chronic angers” are typical of the home environment. They fail to appreciate the great effort that the foster father makes. I wonder how many a times we fail to be appreciative of the little yet significant favors that various persons accord us. I understand at times it is human nature to disregard certain activities but the value system stipulates that it is virtuous to acknowledge the efforts that certain individuals make to enhance our comfort. Failure to do this often culminates in feelings of guilt that undermine the quality of life of our entire being.
The Ruined Maid
The current societal value system prescribes that humans uphold certain virtues that are aimed at enhancing good behavior. Although no human is perfect, it is important to emphasize on the need to do good and avoid evil. Despite this recognition, I love the way Hardy presents sin tin The Ruined Maid. He manages to portray the life of sin to be very attractive as compared to a sinless life. In this Audrey lives a grubby life in the countryside. By comparing her to Amelia who experiences great leisure and lives a life that is fun filled, hardy underscores the fact that virtuous behavior has a great price. This is exemplified when Amelia tells her sister “My dear—a raw country girl, such as you be/ Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined”, said she”. It cannot be disputed that most individuals admire the material benefits that are associated with sin. However, attaining such a status involves compromising of important virtues and values that are intrinsic in nature. One s left to wonder whether Audrey would be compelled to take after Amelia and follow her footsteps. This is undoubtedly a personal decision that requires great thought and an objective analysis of the pros and cons that are likely to stem from the given decision.
My Father’s Song
The inherent attributes are typical of my father who worked desperately to ensure that we led a quality life. He was exceptionally talented and gifted in the sense that despite lacking credible education and training, he still made us proud by providing effectively for our material and emotional needs. He was indeed a role model, a mentor and a great inspiration that impacted positively on my life. His life can be likened to Wills “…Thin slice of life…” (Line 16). Have you ever wondered why the best persons in our lives tend to live short lives? I usually attribute this to the proverbial plucking of the best flower form the garden by God. Even in adulthood, it feels nostalgic to think about the great responsibilities that this man shouldered. Many a times I used to take for granted his presence and overall contribution to my life. Only after his demise did I realize that I miss his help and support. Of great importance however are the values he instilled in me since childhood. Undoubtedly, they are important in facing the current emergent challenges that I grapple with in my adult life. Will’s assertion “Gone Dreams” (Line 28) however brings me back to reality.
To His Coy Mistress
No other poet provides a distinctive explanation of the feelings that men experience during courtship. The cycle of events that has been presented in the poem is a typical presentation of the experiences that women always have to deal with during courtship. It is true that most men begin by telling the women that they would wait forever for the woman to make the decision. However, with time, impatience and feelings of insecurity creep in. According to Marvel, this is exemplified when the men think “Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault shall sound” (Line 25-6). During my teenage years, I found it difficult to keep up with my boyfriend’s demands to take me to bed on the premise that this would strengthen the relationship. This is a representation of the extent that men can go to make excuses geared towards taking their women to bed. Once they have mentioned this idea, they tend to get obsessed with it and failure to attain this can lead to the dissolution of the relationship. Just as Marvel puts it, such men always think that this is the best feeling that they could ever experience. However, it should be appreciated that this is immoral and does not offer the best option for having a woman.
Mr. Flood’s Party
Human beings require each other’s company for them to be able to cope with their day to day challenges. In Mr. Flood’s Party, the author explicitly underscores the different negative implications of loneliness and desperation. Since all his friends have succumbed to death and the townspeople tend to shun him, the old man lives alone. Notably, time passes fast and the intrinsic events are well beyond his control. He is an intelligent person whom despite his loneliness, he makes the best out of the situation. In this respect, when he realizes that he is likely to succumb to death very son, he decides to hold a drinking party.
“Well, Mr. Flood, we have the harvest moon
Again, and we may not have many more;
The bird is on the wing, the poet says,
And you and I have said it here before.
Drink to the bird.” (Lines 9-13)
The inherent theme that the author explores is a true reflection of our day to day life. In most instances, we would always want to utilize our time well in order to benefit maximally from a given situation. For instance, whenever I go visiting my grandparents for a day, I can still up until late to talk to them and ensure that I have quality time.
I Knew a Woman
It is widely contended that beautiful women tend to be appreciated and acknowledged by the entire society. Physical beauty is defined differently by varied societies. Regardless of this, it is widely agreed that such women often have likeable characteristics. My sister is a very beautiful woman who is very social and interacts with people of different backgrounds. As a result, she is loved and adored by the entire family as well as the public. This can be likened to the poet’s “I knew a woman, lovely in her bones” (Line 1). This implies that the beauty of this woman is both internal and external. These are exemplary attributes that not all beautiful women tend to have. In the modern society, pride influences such women to disregard other people. While this was uncommon in conventional societies, its incidence was comparatively on a lower scale than it is today. The charm that characterizes the beauty of a woman is a conception that has been lyrically explored since historical times. To date, there are different songs as well as poems that are composed in praise of the physical attributes of a woman. The poem I Knew a Woman is an exemplary exploration and appreciation of the beauty of a woman. Regardless of the fact that the poem is not entirely sexual in nature, I find it interesting because of the remarkable choice of words that make the entire poem arresting.
What Lips My Lips Have Kissed and Where and Why
Ever heard of kissing a dozen frogs before meeting a prince? Well, the author of this poem ascertains that it is a common incident that in most instances occurs because of our mistakes. She sounds apologetic to the past lovers as she wronged them in different ways. Breaking from a love relationship is always emotionally disturbing and draining especially if the degree of attachment was very high. It ultimately culminates in feelings of loneliness and immense distress. Although the persona in the poem does not remember her past lovers, she ascertains that she had some and lost them. She is currently lonely and laments;
“And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:” (Line 6-11).
Broken love relationships are seldom remembered with fondness. My personal experience can attest to this. Whenever I break up from a love relationship, I always develop feelings of resentment if the break up was caused by the particular person. However, in cases where I am the cause, I tend to struggle for a long tem with feelings of guilt.
My Last Duchess
Hatred and compulsive feelings of possessiveness often have far reaching implications on the holistic welfare of the individuals. In the last Duchess, the duke is compelled by these feelings to kill his wife because of her alleged flirtatious nature. He complained that the last duchess always flirted with every person and failed to appreciate the “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name” that he gave her. Although such incidences are not popular in modern times, hatred and possessiveness has been a major cause of relationship break ups. This has in result led to incidences of divorce that undermine the credibility of the institution of marriage. The negative psychological impacts that children from single families suffer undermine their ability to compete favorable with the rest of the children who enjoy the material and emotional support of both parents. This is particularly painful when such children have intense love for both parents. My cousin was forced to be taken in foster care after her parents divorced and her mother failed to provide for her material needs. Since then, her grades have dropped significantly and her social life has also been affected. Despite the fact that the foster family provides for all her material needs, she still misses the emotional needs from both parents. This is a classic illustration of the implications of divorce that are increasingly being contributed to by hatred and possessiveness in love relationships.