Getting Through- 265

"Getting Through" by Deborah Pope uses mostly imagery and diction to get her point across. The poem is an explaination of her love for a man in which seems to annoy her, not pleasure her, yet she can't seem to stop loving him. She is trapped behind a barrier and cannot seem to escape. The poem has no ryhme scheme at all, and uses many dramatic, negative similies to get her point across, which adds to the contrast of love and its true meaning. It is basically one very long stanza.

The author uses diction very wisely. She doesn't state anything positive. The words, stuck stupid, gone, ratcheting, moved away, dust, deepening, spilling, and closed, are all negative. The title "Getting Through" infers that she is trying to overcome the hardships of all the negative words used. She uses chicken too stupid, people moving away, and a train off its track. She simply uses similes about nonessential aspects of life. This love is now merely an annoyance to her. The similes put a very bold image in the readers mind : A headless chicken, phone ringing, muscles spilling out of her body and a train driven off its track. All of these similes allow the reader to think about such things and wonder how they relate to her being in love. I think that is what makes the poem interesting, her word choice. There appears to be two senses that are focused in the poem which is sound and feel, or movement. The sound section would be "or sound ratcheting on long after the film has jumped the reel, or a phone ringing and ringing in the house they have all moved away from." The speaker states this to assist the fact that she knows she wants to say more, yet cannot. Her sense of touch or movement occurs with "the car stuck in gear, a chicken too stupid to tell its head is gone" A car is for transportation and essentially is moving all the time...now that it is stuck in gear, it cannot seem to move, just as her voice. A chicken with its head cut off generally runs around in circles, just as her thoughts are in her mind.

I think that this woman doesn't want to love this man anymore however she has no choice, she is weak and cannot think for herself. She allows the reader to feel bad for her and think of love as a somewhat negative power. In which can happen, yet isn't the full meaning. I enjoyed the poem because Deborah Pope uses such imagery that it makes you feel as if your not just reading a poem. I think everyone has had a moment in their lives when they felt scared of intimidated to say what's on their mind, and the way it is put on paper, all of her scattered thoughts, is very impressive. I think the author is trying to make a statement that if your in love with someone just as she is, you're wasting your time if you don't tell them and express your feelings.

Good Times-209

Good Times

In the poem "Good Times" by Lucille Clifton, she uses repeatition and diction repeatedly. The poem is very simple, and clearly is representing the others life as a child, and her happiness. According to the author, bread, being financially stable, and having the family together is what a good times mean to her.

The author repeats "good times" throughout the poem, proving that what she is describing is truely the good times and that it meant a lot to her. In the last two lines, Clifton states "Oh children think about the good times" (16,17) I think Clifton was trying to feel good by thinking about the good times while having to deal with the hard times.

The author uses interesting word choice and diction throughout what seems to be a very easy- read poem. She uses happy and positive words such as paid, light, dollar, bread, drunk, dancing, singing, and children. Once reading these words it is very simple to create a picture of what exactly is happening. One pictures a lit up house, a very cozy living room and kitchen , the smell of bread and noise of laughter and the entire family together. The words she chooses allow the reader to create great images in their heads.

By seeing the date the poem was written in, it is easy to infer that this was written during the times of the Great Depression, where times and money were hard. I think whats interesting about this poem is that its setting is in the kitchen which is usually a hectic place, yet all of the family members are singing and dancing drunk around the kitchen. The lights turning back on allow the reader to see the setting as night time where the lights are brightening up not only the house itself but the mood of the family.

I think that beyond the literal interpretation this poem not only shows happiness but it proves that even the little things in life matter. Sometimes its not where you are or what the weathers like, but who is there spending time with you, that actually matters.