#281-The Death Of a Soldier

In the poem, The Death of a Soldier, by Wallace Stevens, knowing who the speaker is helps understand the meaning of the poem. The speaker is not the soldier in the poem like how many war poems are, but rather the speaker is Stevens himself. He is using an unnamed and unrecognized, fictitious soldier to relate his ideas to the audience. He is writing the poem as a way to express his opinion on war, but more importantly religion. The poem has an overall tone of sadness and finality without celebration. There are numerous works of Stevens's that challenge common idea of religion in a way that appears atheistic. It is not so much that he is writing against the idea that these things actually happened, but he sometimes criticizes the ideas of the Christian faith. Knowing that Stevens has a history of atheistic views present in his writing helps the reader understand some of the references he makes in the poem. When you first look at the physical format of the poem, it appears as if there will be a structured rhyme scheme and meter. However, upon analyzing the poem I was unable to conclude any specific form. There are few words that rhyme with any other word in the poem and the pattern of the syllables yields no formal type of meter. This free verse is very representative of the poem, though. The overall message is that the soldier is laying down his life without making a big deal about it. There is no ceremony or service. These things would imply structure. Without, the poem having a formalized structure, it shows that the soldier's death also lacked the normal, structure of death.

One interesting literary device Stevens chooses to use is repetition. In the first and third stanzas, the line "As in a season of autumn." (2 and 8) is present as the second line of the stanzas. Now at first I was challenged to figure out the meaning of the repetition, but I eventually came up with a response that may seem a little unexpected because of its simplicity. I focused on the type of season autumn is. To me, it is the ending of summer, the ending of warm weather and sunny days. It is the transition to the cold darkness of winter. In my mind, fall is the unrecognized and undistinguished season. Instead of people seeing fall as still offering some warm days, many see fall as the ushering in of winter. It is almost as if fall is blamed for being the precursor to the worst season. And you can say I'm looking too into things, but if you think about it fall is a lonely set of three months. For example, there is no major holiday or event that occurs in the fall. Now some could argue that Thanksgiving takes place, but that is only an American holiday. Around the world you have Christmas in winter, Easter in spring, and just the joy that summer is here during summer, but there is no celebration of fall. This portrays the soldier perfectly. He is just another soldier laying down his life without a big deal being made about it. This presents a sad view of the futility of war because his life is valuable, but is not being recognized. Perhaps the most important and obvious device used in the poem are the biblical allusions. Stevens writes, "He does not become a three-days personage" (4). This is a direct reference to the death of Christ. Christ died and rose again three days later. For many Christians, those three days before Easter are very solemn and filled with ceremony. This is where the atheistic tone is present in the poem. Stevens takes a shot at Christianity saying that Christ died and everyone makes a huge deal about it. He is not saying that a big deal shouldn't be made, but does not see how it is fair that the dead soldier can so easily be forgotten. Stevens argues that Christ was supposed to come and die for all of us, but it seems a bit ironic that Christ receives all the big to-do while many people he was supposed to save just die. They die alone and are not recognized. Stevens wonders where the love of the soldier's life is.

This poem was intriguing in many different aspects. Stevens is making quite a big statement in the poem. I can't agree with his views on the irony of people celebrating Christ in ceremony, but I can see his argument on behalf of the unknown soldier. Is it too much for all of us to expect some sort of recognition of our lives when we die? I don't think it is too much. It deeply saddens me that the soldier just gives up his life and does not receive any recognition. I thought Stevens has a creative message about war. He is obviously against it, but it is in a more subtle way that he expresses his feelings. He is able to delve into the religiousness (or lack thereof) of the lack of recognition for the average soldier. It was a simple poem, that held a complex message.

#209-Good Times

In the poem, Good Times, by Lucille Clifton, the speaker of the poem is tremendously important. It appears that it is a little girl relating the poem to the audience. Clifton either uses the girl to represent herself and her childhood. So in essence, the speaker of the poem is the author, she is just speaking through a created character. Knowing Clifton's background helps understand her reasons for writing the poem. She was African American and faced many financial and family hardships growing up in an age where it was hard enough on African Americans without having to worry about personal issues. In the poem, Clifton is relating personal experience to the audience. The last line shows that the poem is a message to perhaps her own children as her family may be facing hard times, and she is trying to tell them that things will get better. While structured rhyme scheme and meter are not present in this poem, the freeness and unstructuredness of it add to the overall meaning immensely. Not only is Clifton writing about difficulties in her family, but she is also rebelling against a society that has not yet accepted the equality of African Americans. By not having a structured, organized poem, Clifton is able to rebel against a society dominated by white tradition and ideals. Many consider her to be one of the great Black Aesthetic poets who focused on creating her own style of writing through unconventional structures. Another trademark of Clifton's in the poem is the lack of capitalization in places where capitalization would be expected. For example, in line 4 uncle is lower cased despite it being a title and the only lines that begin with a capital letter are the first lines of the first two stanzas. All of these aspects help make Clifton's poem very unique and personal, which support the meaning of the poem.

Lucille Clifton makes use of two simple, yet extremely effective literary devices to add to the meaning of the poem. The first one she uses is diction/syntax. The style of her writing is very colloquial, which gives the audience the sense of the poem being authentic and based on real life. She names family members using childish titles such as Daddy, Mama, and Grampaw. These names are important because it shows that the poem is a recollection of the author's. Clifton uses the little girl as the speaker to make poem appear to be in real time. If Clifton had written it as a memory, but used words like Dad, Mom, and Grandfather, the experience of reading the poem would have been lessened because it would not feel like it was coming straight from real life. She also writes using improper grammar at points to again show that the poem is from her point of view as a child. For example, she says, "they is good times" (line 7). If, instead, Clifton had wrote 'they were good times' the effectiveness of having the child speaking would have been lost. The word were would have been more matter of fact that personal. Another device utilized by Clifton in the poem is repetition. In the first two stanzas, good times is repeated three times at the end. This added emphasis is key because it shows the attempt by Clifton to reassure the reader that there are good times even though things may be difficult now. Another repeated word is kitchen in the second stanza. Generally good things happen in the kitchen. Food is made, laughs are shared, and memories are made. A kitchen is generally a joyous place and by repeating the word it just adds to the message of the poem.

On the whole, I thought Clifton's poem was a very creative piece. She tastefully relates a childhood experience while rebelling against white society that has yet to grant equality to African Americans. I enjoyed how Clifton paints the image of financial hardship by saying, "My Daddy has paid the rent/and the insurance man is gone" (1-2). I could see the scene being an inner city with Clifton's family trying to make ends meet. The poem was uplifting, though, because despite their money problems, they made the best of what they had when they had it. I also was fond of the style Clifton wrote in. The dialect and structure helped put me in the scene so I could really appreciate what Clifton was writing about. It was also great how she was using the poem as a sign of hope for good things to come during bad times, and on the larger scale perhaps equality of all people in society.

#263-A Work of Artifice

In this poem by Marge Piercy, there is no specific speaker as the poem is told in a third person omniscient point of view. However, it is obvious that Piercy is this omniscient narrator. Many works by Piercy are about oppression of women. She is easily considered a feminist. The entire poem is a portrayal of struggles of women. The narrator relates the story of women with describing a bonsai tree being pruned so it stays small instead of growing to its full potential. Knowing the narrator has the perspective of a feminist helped the reader to understand many of the symbols used in the poem. There was no rhyme scheme or specific meter in the poem. The poem was free verse. The physical structure of the poem is important, though. Most of the lines are kept short to represent the bonsai tree and in turn women not being able to grow to their full potential. The free verse is actually used an ironic way. It is showing exactly what women cannot do; be what they want. If the poem had a structured rhyme scheme and meter, it would have added to the structured lives of what were expected in women's' lives. However, Piercy uses the free verse to represent the goal of freedom for women.

One literary device Piercy uses is diction. Many of the words she uses effect the message of the poem greatly. Perhaps the most relevant example is a word in the title-artifice. You first look at it and see the word art. This arouses beauty and picturesque images in your mind. However, the word artifice is deceiving. It in fact means dishonesty or untruthful. This is representative of the entire poem. On the surface it looks artistic with a bonsai tree as the subject of the poem. However the poem is not about bonsai trees, but women being oppressed. Because of the trickery in the superficialness of the poem. Key words such as artifice add much to the overall effectiveness of the poem. Another literary device utilized by Piercy is the use of symbols/allusions. The poem itself is one big allusion. It is telling the story of a bonsai tree, but is symbolic of women's' struggle for equality. The last five lines of the poem contain numerous allusions to negative stereotypes placed upon women. The bound feet refers to an ancient Chinese custom of women's' feet being broken to appear small and dainty. Crippled brains refers to the fact that men were believed to be stereotypically smarter than women. Hair in curlers gives the image of a housewife doing the duties of a woman. And finally, the hands you love to touch are alluding to the stereotype of women being seen as sexual beings. Other lines that stereotype women include calling the trees (representing women) small and cozy and domestic and weak. The gardener symbolizes men suppressing women. These allusions and symbols make the poem everything it is. They add incredible meaning and without them the poem would be useless.

Overall, I enjoyed this poem. It sent a clear message without being too over the top. This poem was obviously inspired by the women's' movement for equality. For ages women have been considered to be inferior to men. Piercy's poem lashes out at this belief in inferiority. She does it with a sense of grace though. The analogy of the bonsai tree was a masterful creation. The effectiveness of the poem is greatly enhanced by the fact that Piercy is not writing a full out criticism against the treatment of women. She is not accusing, demanding, or ranting. Instead, she uses imagery to persuade the audience. I have never read such a tastefully done piece of literature that made such a statement.

A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man

One of the most important symbols in the novel
was one of the characters herself; Emma. She is never really a main character, but is present from the beginning to the end and often on Stephen's mind. She is a symbol of purity and perfection; everything Stephen is not. Stephen sees Emma as an angelic creature, free of all sin and impurity. For much of the novel, Stephen places Emma up on this untouchable pedestal. She is above sin, above sex, and above him. It is not until chapter 5 that Stephen begins to rationalize his image of Emma. It first begins with the scene when he picks a louse off his neck, but crystallizes once he has a conversation with her at the university. Through talking with her, Stephen realizes that she is an ordinary individual, not the saint he imagined her as. She was still special to him, but no longer was above him. This transformation of Stephen's opinion regarding Emma symbolizes his struggle with religion. His religious extremism, from prostitutes to perfect piety, is portrayed by his realization Emma is not an angelic being. Stephen seeing her as an ordinary individual, instead of placing her on the pedestal is just like how he eventually sees a more middle of the road path with religion. He knows he does not want to live in continuous sin, but at the same time the life of perfect piety is no for him. He searches to find a balance with his religious life he finds it, just as he sees Emma for who she really is.


"Hell is a strait and dark and foul smelling prison, an abode of demons and lost souls, filled with fire and smoke. [...] There, by reason of the great number of the damned, the prisoners are heaped together in their awful prison, the walls of which are said to be four thousand miles thick: and the damned are so utterly bound and helpless [...] They lie in exterior darkness. For, remember, the fire of hell gives forth no light. [...] It is a never ending storm of darkness, dark flames and dark smoke of burning brimstone, amid which the bodies are heaped one upon another without even a glimpse of air. [...] The horror of this strait and dark prison is increased by its awful stench. All the filth of the world, all the offal and scum of the world, we are told, shall run there as to a vast reeking sewer when the terrible conflagration of the last day of purged the world. The brimstone too which burns there in such prodigious quantity fills all hell with its intolerable stench; and the bodies of the damned themselves exhale such a pestilential odour that as Saint Bonaventure says, one of them alone would suffice to infect the whole world." (128-129)

This extensive quote is only a small part of Father Arnall's powerful speech on hell and death. I choose this quote because this whole passage describing Father Arnall's description of hell is one of the most descriptive pieces of writing I have ever read. I know Stephen was greatly influenced by the speech, and I could relate to his reasons why. Nearly all the senses were touched in the description. It was difficult to even fathom the horror and terror the Stephen was being exposed to. Joyce's brilliance was extremely apparent in the way he was able to make his words touch the reader's senses. The exaggeration used was vastly effective in making the reader feel exactly what Stephen was feeling. The analogies Joyce uses to describe the smell and other senses are truly unbelievable. The descriptions drove the point home in a way that was nothing short of genius. I don't blame Stephen for being scared into confession. There is nothing worse that I can think of in this world than the horror of how Father Arnall's hell sounds. Hell is always described as a wretched place, but no description can come close to this one. Reading it was quite an experience.


When I read Invisible Man, I thought that was the most complex novel of the year. Well, there is a new novel that can claim that title now. Like Invisible Man, many messages and hidden meanings can be discovered by close reading of Portrait. I have never read a stream of consciousness in a novel of this length and complexity. I have mixed feelings towards it. At times, it was so confusing and complex that it seemed to in-depth. I almost felt as if I was reading Hawthorne; it was like I know Joyce was trying to say something, but felt that I had to wade through paragraphs to figure out what it meant. I also had trouble deriving what everything was supposed to mean on my own. Once we discussed things, they made sense and I could see what the symbols meant and were supposed to represent. On the flip side though, the novel contained some of the most descriptive passages I have ever read. The ability for Joyce to make me feel what he felt was truly awe inspiring. It was great to read Joyce's recount of his own experience. He was able to superbly describe what he had felt. The detail of Stephen's life, which is really Joyce's life retold, shows the excellent use of stream of consciousness. Overall, I enjoyed the novel because of the writing ability of Joyce. There may have been complex parts, but the insight Joyce gives into Stephen's mind made for a fantastic novel.

Poem 200-"Woman Work"

In the poem, Woman Work, the speaker is the author of the poem. The author, Maya Angelou, is writing about her situation in life. Angelou is a very famous writer who was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Knowing this, the poem she writes takes on a much greater meaning than when read as if it was just about a housewife (not that a housewife doesn't have difficulties too). The speaker in the poem has all this responsibility to care for the children, the house, and the garden. Knowing the speaker is the author, the reader realizes that she is doing all of this in the face of extreme diversity. When I first read the poem I thought it may have been about a slave (yes, I know you are shocked Mr. Klimas). Upon doing research about the author it gave me a clearer picture that she was not a slave of early America, but still a captive of conservative times. The rhyme scheme and meter also add value to the poem. The poem utilizes an AABB rhyming pattern in the first stanza (tend-mend, mop-shop). The pattern of the pairs of lines and the flow that is created as a result give the poem a very measured effect. This represents the daily pattern of the speaker's life. Each day, they go from one task to the next without a rest. When the patterned, rhyming part of the poem changes after the first stanza so does the attitude of the speaker. Instead of discussing the work she must do, she is able to take a moment for herself and wish for help; just a small break in the routine to give her strength to continue on.

One literary device that adds a great deal to the poem is the use of interruption between the first stanza and the rest of the poem. There is an extremely apparent shift between the tone and message the author is sending. As discussed earlier, the first stanza is measured and patterned. Stanzas 2-5 are quite different. They are all four lines long and lack an obvious rhyme scheme. Though these four stanzas are similar with each other, they differ from the first stanza. The first stanza is all about what has to be done and what the speaker does regularly. When the interruption occurs, the speaker's thoughts shift to selfish ones. This sounds bad because being selfish is stereotyped as being bad. However, everyone needs sometime to themselves where they can just wish for the best. There is no crime in that. The four stanzas contain the thoughts about what the speaker yearns for. She wants to feel relief from her work and responsibility, she wants to be calm and relaxed, and most of all she wants all of her work to result in something. The last stanza of the poem is the most important part. It says, "Sun, rain, curving sky/Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone/Star shine, moon glow/You're all that I can call my own." (26-30). This line portrays another literary device in the poem-irony. How can things such as the sun, rain, and moon belong to one person? I thought they were there for everyone? The irony of the speaker believing these vast objects are the only thing she owns reveals the hardship of the situation she is in. She does all the work mentioned in the first stanza, but it does not appear to reap any benefit or reward that she can wrap her arms around. Even though, the sun, moon, and stars are not her personal possessions, she can call them her own because they represent her freedom and hope. She may work long hours, doing laborous work, but she can always recede to the comfort of the vast sky and its possessions and know that at least she is able to work for a better living.

I really enjoyed reading this poem. It sounded so personal and heartfelt that it was like Angelou was telling me her story in person. In the second stanza it says, "Shine on me, sunshine/Rain on me, rain" (15-16). By saying me, Angelou personalizes the story and the actions she asks for. Telling the sun to shine on and the rain to rain on a specific individual is a high demand. It appears that the speaker is asking for alot, but the speaker just wants to have some of the simple joys of life. I sensed that it was such a heartfelt request from a working mother that it was touching. I liked the structure of the first stanza with the short phrases that gave me a sense the speaker was frustrated from working so hard with little reward. I thought Angelou did a fantastic job at putting me in her shoes. I could feel her tiredness and sense her wishes. Angelou is obvious a very gifted writer because of these abilities to make her audience feel what she is saying.