Poetry Response: "Lilacs in September"

The poem that I read for my poetry response is titled "Lilacs in September" written by Katha Pollitt. I personally think that this poem does not make sense. I did not like it, mainly because I do not think that its point was not a big deal.

The image I got of this poem was a hurricane coming into an empty area and tearing up the lilacs and then at the end there is the question for the human life. The question is "What will unleash itself in you when your storm comes?" I think the point is that during this hurricane, the colored blossoms, the lilacs, were being lifted high from the ground as they were being broken up by the hurricane. I get the impression that there is a connection between the (talking) lilacs and actual human beings. The lilacs are the ones asking what would you (the human) do if a hurricane or some kind of tragic situation came into your life. Basically, how would you deal with it if you were the lilacs? What are you going to do when the storm comes? How would you react?

Overcoming many obstacles in life are like outdoing and getting through the hurricanes for weather or trying to be like the lilacs (in this particular poem) and warning others that they should have a plan for handling the storm when it comes their way.

The Awakening: Chapters 5-9

In this particular section of reading, we get more into information about the Creole society. We have already established that Edna is not a Creole and that she is an American from Kentucky. Edna is an outsider in the Creole society. In the Creole society, there is this ideal mother and what a mother is "supposed" to be like.

Madam Adéle Ratignolle is the ideal womanly Creole figure. Madam Ratignolle is brought up in the Creole society and taught that it is right to take care of your child. Not knowing anything other than being a good wife and mother, she lives her life with complete attention to her family. She is a loving mother who is fully devoted to her three (soon to be four) children. As a "mother-woman", her children come first in her life even if it means putting herself in danger. She displays the imagery of white with purity and innocence. In addition, Adéle wears white clothing.

When it comes to comparing Madam Ratignolle and Edna, it is obvious that Edna is not like Madam Ratignolle. Again, Edna is not Creole and we know she is an outsider. The women in the Creole society basically do not understand why Edna is not happy. They say that she should be happy because she has the best husband and that she is a woman.

The Awakening: Chapters 1-4

Between chapters one and four of "The Awakening" we met many characters and were introduced to their relationship with Edna Pontellier. Edna is Mrs. Pontellier, who is the main character in the story. Edna's husband, Léonce describes and criticizes her as a mother who is not "mother-women". He does not like how she does not seem to show empathy and care much for her children. On page 7 it says, "Mr. Pontellier returned to his wide with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after." Edna was quite sure that Raoul did not have a fever and just wanted to remain sleep in bed. It would make since to me in today's society that since the wife was already asleep, the man would care for the child. However, she later gets up and cries her eyes out without even knowing why she is crying. Many of the women say that she has the best husband. Mrs. Pontellier can not even argue that these women are wrong because she can admit that she has the best husband. However, it does not make sense that she knows she has the best husband, yet she is still unhappy.

In contrast with Edna, the lady name Adéle Ratignolle is the representation of the "mother-woman". She is the type of mother than have to be involved in all her children's life. This mother basically lives for her children and her children come first in her life.

In the beginning of chapter one, we hear more about the bird's imagery than other other chapter in this specific section that we had to read. The bird in the cage "could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood". I took this as an symbol that Edna's seemed engaged and that no one understands her. (Although, I do not think that she even understands herself).

Poetry Response: "Evening Concert, Saint-Chapelle"

A couple things to mind while reading this poem. I was getting an image of a euphonic sounding orchestra. There is this emphasis made on the beautiful sound of the violins. For example, Updike says; "seemed to such with their passionate sweetness", "The music surged; the glow became a milk, a whisper to the eye, a glimmer ebbed until our beating hearts, our violins were cased in thin but solid sheets of lead." I would explain milk as being a pure mixture with a smooth flow when poured. Thus, the sound of the violin seems pure, smooth, and flowing. The sound is nice and pleasant to the ear. I remember when I was a viola player. I loved the sound of it and even the look of it. But with the schedule I had, I was not able to keep with playing it.

Oddly enough I thought of University High School athletics while I was reading this poem. Updike mentions "the blazing blue". Knowing that our "mascot" is the blazers and that one of our school colors is (navy) blue, I found a connection. This is rather corny, but I thought of like how we are the Blazers and that we (the girls basketball team) were blazing through the tournament last season.

HOD Response #6

This blog is going to be reflecting on some key points that we said in Tuesday's class. The question the class was asked was 'what is the darkness?'. The darkness is the corruption of humanity. With this definition, we can say that Kurtz's sense of humanity has been corrupted. Kurtz also has this inner darkness, which is the darkness that can affect man's inner soul. This makes me think about what type of person that you would NOT call crazy has some heads facing his house (let alone the fact that he ordered his workers to go and get these skulls of the rebels).

Marlow is finding himself being affected by the darkness. He is losing himself in this darkness as well. Although that Kurtz has no self-restraint regarding the darkness, Marlow still looks up to him and admires who he is. I think that Marlow can see this darkness inside of Kurtz, yet, in the story, he still has this urge to meet him and talk to him. I can honestly say that if I knew of a person with a corrupted humanity, I would not want to meet him. This kind of makes me think about the Holocaust and how Hitler also had an evil spirit. I would not want to meet Hitler and talk to him. That is crazy.

HOD Response #5

During this part of the book, we have some pretty interesting things happen. Marlow stops and takes some times to look at the heads and skulls on the post. The heads are facing towards Kurtz house to remind him that he is in charge and has the authority over these people and skulls. These skulls are from the rebels that did bad things and Kurtz ordered that their head be chopped off because of their disorderly conducts. I find it pretty that the faces on the skulls are smiling. They are smiling as a remembrance that they have escaped the sufferings. The skulls have escaped from Kurtz through death and death is supposedly better than suffering.

The natives are not a part of the darkness. However, the darkness acts upon them just as the darkness acts upon Kurtz. The Natives are not ashamed to have grown up in the darkness and thinking that the darkness is not frightful. The darkness is something that the Natives have grown up in. Anything different from the darkness is new to the Natives. In class, Mrs. Pfanschdmidt said that the only reason it is dangerous to us is because we have hearing it from the whites point of view, who are afraid of it because it is something that they are not immune to and it is something that they cannot control.

HOD Response #4

In this particular section of the book, we are actually getting somewhere (literally). Marlow’s ship is on its way to Kurtz Inner Station and they finally find the hut, which means they are getting closer to Kurtz. Marlow wants to keep on going, but the Manager tells him to wait for some light because of the large danger of the water in the area. But as they have waited for this daylight, fog arises. With this fog, the men on the ship hear this loud cry followed by many voices and then it is silent. The whites on the ship are very afraid, while the Africans prepare to get ready for an attack.

Later on in this section, Marlow even admits his faults of ignorance. Marlow laughs at the man that has been so used to the small town that he never had any contact with Africa. This man did not really know anything about Africa. Marlow knows that he should not have laughed and is rather disappointed in his very own actions. In response to the Helmsman’s death, Marlow throws some shoes overboard. He wants there to be some connection of respect for the Helmsman. He is rather sad to not be able to meet that man.

HOD Response #3

The title of this section is “Into the Heart of Darkness”. In class, we discussed how there is both the literal and symbolic meaning to this title. Literally, Marlow, along with others, are on their way to the center of Congo. The symbolism part of this title is that everyone has a heart of darkness and they darkness of the human soul is being explored.

Major events within this section include Marlow hearing his Uncle and the Station Manager discussing Kurtz. He overhears the Station Manager say that Kurtz intends to come to Congo to make some changes like turning the stations into these places for civilization and for improvement. Kurtz also wants to take the manager’s position. He goes on including that Kurtz may even die because of a disease. The Uncle and Station Manager actually want Kurtz to die so he does not take over the Station and put in his so called “moral” improvements.

Later on in the section, Marlow has these reflections of his Uncle because he has gone into the forest without having a good explanation of why he is going. Marlow says, “It was so startling that I leaped to my feet and looked back at the edge of the forest, as though I had expected an answer of some sort to that black display of confidence” (Conrad, 33). Conrad allows Marlow to refer to his Uncle with the use of the black theme because his Uncle (in Marlow’s opinion) has became a person with an evil spirit.