Mowing

The class' favorite poet, apparently, was Robert Frost. Who would've guessed? I recited "Mowing," which has invaritably become my favorite of Frost's poems. The consonance of the repeated "s" sound throughout the poem, as well as the isolated imagery, give this sense of hushed, calm tranquility. The poem really shouldn't be read aloud. Whispered, only half-spoken, maybe. Frost has the uncanny ability to take something as boring as mowing (with a scythe) alone in a huge field, and turn it into a poetic masterpiece.
The poem also teaches us that only humans would do work for some kind of reward (he mentions rest and money), whereas the scythe takes its only pleasure in the work itself. "The fact is the sweetest dream that labor knows." Truer words. By the end of the poem, the speaker has adopted the scythe's philosophy, and he takes pleasure in his work, not for thought of reward, but in the fact that his work is done.

Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening

This poem is chilling. Haunting. I really like it. It seems to me that the woods represent death. The speaker, who has perhaps had a long, trying life, is tempted to stop in the woods--to rest (eternally). But he has promises to keep. From this line, we can say that there is someone for whom he must stay alive. It could also mean he simply has things he needs to finish before he "sleeps."
I feel like there are times in everyone's life when we wish things would just slow down, or even stop altogether. Like the weight of the world is bearing down on us, and it gets difficult to breathe. In these times, the woods are thoroughly tempting. But we cannot give up. There are always those who need us, things that we must complete before resting. Frost says through this poem "We all want to give up sometimes, but we must press on with our journey."
Beautiful poem.

Y: The Last Man

So, I guess this doesn't technically count as something we read during the quarter, but I thought I'd post the information for Y: The Last Man in case anyone was interested in reading the series. It's currently available as a 60-issue individual magazine series, but you can also get the trade paperbacks. There are 10 volumes of trade paperbacks (all of which are available through Dayton Metro Library), collecting all 60 issues. If they had a rating, it would be R. No question. There is a ton of swearing (seriously, it's like Scarface...), bloody violence (bullets, axes to faces, etc.), and nudity (both male and female). So if you're offended by any of that... Well, don't read it, obvisouly. The author of the series is Brian K. Vaughan, who also wrote the Ex-Machina series, if any of you are familiar with it.
Also, another great comic series that deals with what it means to be human is Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. I know what you're thinking: Zombies? Well, it's got zombies, sure, but the humans turn out to be scarier in most situations. Also rated R (violence, language, some nudity).
Also anything by Alan Moore. He's a great socio-political comic writer, and he's explores the psyche like you wouldn't believe. His work is also geared toward adults... Wow, I sound like a weirdo, reading all these "adult" comic books... Erm, well...
Enjoy!

A Streetcar Named Desire

So, this was interesting. First of all: Blanche, totally off her rocker. I feel like if I found out my wife was gay, I'd be like "Well, nothing I can do. Time to move on." I don't know, I don't think I'd have had the same inadequacy issues Blanche had. Which makes me suspect some sort of pre-existing condition of psychosis (bi-polar, manic depressive, something).
Also, Stanley's a dick. And Stella's an idiot. Anybody read Twilight? That's this relationship. Or Jane Eyre. It's just the animal magnestism. (By the way, Twilight and Jane Eyre both suck. A lot. And that's not a vampire joke). Anyway, marriage for sex is stupid. Sex for sex is waaaaay smarter. Casual, noncomittal sex. Cuz that way you can just leave and go have sex with other people.
But I digress.
I typically like stories where I hate all the characters, so I think that's why I liked this. Even Mitch. Freakin' Mitch, you thought he was a decent, stand-up guy (unlike the rest of the animal pack called Stanley's friends), and then he's all like "Well, Blanche, I won't marry you... But let's get it on." Dick.
Also, the last line makes me smile. At the end, Stella and Stanley are back together (so to speak), and the guys are playing poker in the next room. Then, one of the guys at the poker table (I can't remember who) says "This game is called seven card stud," or something to that effect. Seven card stud is a risky variation of poker. So Tennessee is basically saying "Stella and Stanley's relationship is risky and dangerous." Clever, Mr. Williams. Very clever.

We Wear the Mask

I know we went over and over and over this poem in class, so there's not a whole lot to be said about it (other than the fact that it's incredible and so emotionally powerful). However, prior to readign the poem, I didn't really have any knowledge of Paul Laurence Dunbar. I don't know if anyone else knew more than I did (I think maybe I've heard the name before...). Anyway, the main thing I'm trying to get across is that I didn't know he was black. That changes the meaning of this poem significantly.
If he was white, he might be talking about society's outcast in general. The odd assortment of misfits that this wonderful world has to offer. They attempt to wear this mask and fit in with regular society (occasionally successfully, often times not so much). But since he's addressing African Americans, the poem's tone shifts drastically. Before, he could have been joking around a little, like "Dude, society totally thinks I'm some weirdo cuz I write poetry... What's up with that?" But it becomes all the more serious when you know the history of the poem and its poet. Anyway, I just thought I'd point that out. It's almost comical if you take it out of its context. Almost.

Free

I liked "Free" because of 1) the narrator, and 2) the fatalistic aspect of it. There's a part where the narrator says something to the effect of "Shouldn't men and women be loyal in marriage, whether they are happy or not?" Just when you think he's passing judgment, he says "The churches said so. Public opinion seemed to agree." It's like he wants to suggest the (im)morality lying in the story, but he leaves it to the reader to determine whether or not Haymaker is a good or a bad person.
Then there's fate. Ah, naturalism. No matter what happened in the end, Haymaker would've been miserable. He's is also kind of stupid. If you're not in love with someone, don't marry them. I don't care how many promises you made. Anyway, regardless of the character's stupidity, it was a very well-written story.

I Saw a Man Pursuing the Horizon

I really like this poem. It definitely says something about humans that is nearly universally true: We chase after pipe dreams, things we can never hope to achieve (sometimes knowingly). When people try to talk sense into us, tell us that we won't be able to do it, we become defensive. The speaker obviously has some sort of prior, outside knowledge that the man pursuing the horizon does not possess. But the man cannot and will not give up his futile efforts--just like most people.
I read a review of this poem that actually states the opposite, more light-hearted opinion of my own. It was about never giving up, and how even when people tell us to give up, we have to keep on striving toward our goals... I don't know. I think the fact that he's chasing the horizon kind of debunks that theory...