Page 419
"As the cat
climbed over
the top of
the jamcloset
first the right
forefoot
carefully
then the hind
stepped down
into the pit of
the empty
flowerpot"
Reflection:
When first reading this poem, my initial thought was to skip over it and find a new one. Then, I read it again, and again, and each time I became more and more intrigued. I think that this poem is an extended metaphor for many peoples' cautious approach to life. The cat in this poem is carefully stepping over the top of a closet, in which he cannot see the other side. Although he was cautious and careful, he still stepped into a "pit" of the flowerpot. The words "empty" and "pit" provide a sense of dark depth in which it will be hard to get out of. This tells of cautious life, I believe, because no matter how careful people are, there are always times that they cannot see what they are stepping into. The simple structure of the poem, short words and short lines, adds to its simplicity to the metaphor.
This poem tells people that perhaps they shouldn't be so cautious about life, because they never know what is over the next jamcloset. So, what's the use in planning out your every step and every move, if you don't know what the outcome will be?
Devices:
This entire poem is a great example of imagery. Description such as "first the right forefoot" and "carefully, then the hind stepping down" help the reader to see the cautious nature of the actions in the poem. Cautiousness is what this poem is surrounded around. This carefulness continues as the cat steps into the "pit." This image shows how often times, people are so worried about how carefully they will live, and how each muscle movement will move, that they don't always see what they are moving into. The image of a cat in a flowerpot provides a sense of confinement, the type of confinement that most creatures do not like to trap themselves in. This further shows how blind actions can really be.
In addition, the lack of punctuation in the poem adds to its imagery. No commas, hyphens, or periods are used, not even at the end. This leaves the reader without time to pause, providing a rhythmic flowing feel to the poem. Thus, the cat is presented as continuing to slowly move throughout the poem. The short words and stanzas also provide a sense of rhythm, as they flow in a similar way throughout the poem. This mental flow of words helps the reader to see the motions of the cat, and how there is no room for a change in speed, intent, or emphasis on any one action, as sentence variation often provides. Each movement is equally done.
Symbolism is also used in this poem. As a whole, the cat symbolizes people. His movements symbolize choices. Just as the cat carefully moves, people carefully chose what they will do next. The top of the jamcloset represents the future. The cat cannot see over the top of the closer, just as people cannot see what is coming next. That is why caution is used-to approach the unknown. The pit of the empty flowerpot shows that no matter how careful one may be in his or her choices, there could always be something unknown in the future. Without this symbolism, the extended metaphor would not be achievable or easily understandable.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Portrait - by Judith Wright
Page 424
"It was a heartfelt game, when it began-
polish and cook and sew and mend, contrive,
move between sink and stove, keep flower-beds weeded-
all her love needed was that it was needed,
and merely living kept the blood alive.
Now an old habit leads from sink to stove,
mends and keeps the house that looks like home,
and waits in hunger dressed to look like love
for the calm return of those who, when the come,
remind her: this was a game, when it began."
Reflection:
Personally, I found this poem rather depressing. It speaks of the typical stay at home mother who cooks, cleans, sews, and stays home doing the chores of the house while her husband goes out and works. In the beginning, this was good enough for her, as "merely living kept the blood alive." But, halfway through the poem, a shift is presented in which she is no longer happy about what she does; it became an old habit. I think that it speaks to the social issue of women's rights and expectations in society. In this poem, the woman's sole purpose is the home. In the beginning, that is pleasing to her, but later on, you see almost a 'waste of life,' as she is no longer happy with what she is doing. This poem, in my opinion, does a good job of speaking to the stereotypical portrayal of women, and how that vision is not okay.
Devices:
One literary device that I noticed was the connotation and denotation of the words "game" and "home." I'll start with the word "game." The denotation of this word is an amusement or past time. At first, this game of staying home is presented as "heartfelt" and it provides a sense of enjoyment to what she is doing. This game, however, turns into almost an imprisonment half way through the poem. In the last line, the phrase, "this was a game, when it began," remind us that her duties at home are no longer fun and heartfelt, but rather that she is trapped in a never ending cycle of housework. Games also always have a winner and a loser. Perhaps here, the woman has the job of the loser, and the man, the winner. The word "home" also uses both connotation and denotation to provide emphasis on her misery. The phrase "the house that looks like a home" uses two words-house and home- that have the same denotation, yet very different connotations. House and home are both buildings in which a family lives. However, house provides a cold, objective connotation, whereas home gives a sense of warmth and love. These words were put in the same phrase to show that the home that was created in the beginning of the poem is no longer welcoming her work, but it is not simply what she must do, and she is trapped there.
Another device that strongly helped me to reach my conclusion was personification of the "old habit." The "old habit leads" her to do her duties in the home. An old habit is an abstract idea, yet here, it leads her to do the things that no longer provide her with joy. It shows, in a way, that she no longer has control of what she is doing, but rather that it is controlled by her past actions and choices. The control in this statement has been given to the old habit, which led me to believe that she was not happy with it now as she had been in the past. In the beginning, she moved from sink to stove, but then, the habit moved her from sink to stove. This shows that it is not what she wants to be doing, but it is what she is used to doing, so she does it, without question.
"It was a heartfelt game, when it began-
polish and cook and sew and mend, contrive,
move between sink and stove, keep flower-beds weeded-
all her love needed was that it was needed,
and merely living kept the blood alive.
Now an old habit leads from sink to stove,
mends and keeps the house that looks like home,
and waits in hunger dressed to look like love
for the calm return of those who, when the come,
remind her: this was a game, when it began."
Reflection:
Personally, I found this poem rather depressing. It speaks of the typical stay at home mother who cooks, cleans, sews, and stays home doing the chores of the house while her husband goes out and works. In the beginning, this was good enough for her, as "merely living kept the blood alive." But, halfway through the poem, a shift is presented in which she is no longer happy about what she does; it became an old habit. I think that it speaks to the social issue of women's rights and expectations in society. In this poem, the woman's sole purpose is the home. In the beginning, that is pleasing to her, but later on, you see almost a 'waste of life,' as she is no longer happy with what she is doing. This poem, in my opinion, does a good job of speaking to the stereotypical portrayal of women, and how that vision is not okay.
Devices:
One literary device that I noticed was the connotation and denotation of the words "game" and "home." I'll start with the word "game." The denotation of this word is an amusement or past time. At first, this game of staying home is presented as "heartfelt" and it provides a sense of enjoyment to what she is doing. This game, however, turns into almost an imprisonment half way through the poem. In the last line, the phrase, "this was a game, when it began," remind us that her duties at home are no longer fun and heartfelt, but rather that she is trapped in a never ending cycle of housework. Games also always have a winner and a loser. Perhaps here, the woman has the job of the loser, and the man, the winner. The word "home" also uses both connotation and denotation to provide emphasis on her misery. The phrase "the house that looks like a home" uses two words-house and home- that have the same denotation, yet very different connotations. House and home are both buildings in which a family lives. However, house provides a cold, objective connotation, whereas home gives a sense of warmth and love. These words were put in the same phrase to show that the home that was created in the beginning of the poem is no longer welcoming her work, but it is not simply what she must do, and she is trapped there.
Another device that strongly helped me to reach my conclusion was personification of the "old habit." The "old habit leads" her to do her duties in the home. An old habit is an abstract idea, yet here, it leads her to do the things that no longer provide her with joy. It shows, in a way, that she no longer has control of what she is doing, but rather that it is controlled by her past actions and choices. The control in this statement has been given to the old habit, which led me to believe that she was not happy with it now as she had been in the past. In the beginning, she moved from sink to stove, but then, the habit moved her from sink to stove. This shows that it is not what she wants to be doing, but it is what she is used to doing, so she does it, without question.
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