In My Ex-Husband the wife is speaking to a new lover. In the poem she tells
how her ex husband was too good to be true. She seems tos still have feelings toward him.
The tone in the poem switches from almost admiration to complete disgust "He had an attitude-how should i put it-smooth self satisfied, too good for the rest of the word."
Something you catch from reading this poem is that he was unfaithful "and he flirted fine, but flirted somehow a little too ardently"
She insults him throughout but also herself when she says "Who wold lower herself to put up with that shit". It appears through the poem that she is almost trying to talk herself into keeping the feelings she has for him.
Toward the end of the poem the tone switches again. After telling us she "made some calls and filed some claims. All kisses stopped together" she becomes more care free exclaiming "Shall we go? I'm in mood for Chez Pierre's, perhaps tonight." But in the last few lines of the poem she again brings up her ex husband.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
My Ex-Husband Analysis- Allison Geviss
Throughout the poem of "My Ex-Husband" by Gabriel Spera the Ex-Husband is going about with affairs in both a secretive and obvious way. " That passionate, earnest glance he struck, meanwhile WHISPERING the sweetest things". In this description it appears as if he is being secretive while whispering in other women's ears trying to assure that no one else knows he is doing so. "Reserved an intimately dim-lit place half-hidden in a corner nook". The Ex tried to be secluded away from onlookers who may recognize him and tell his wife. So he hid in the corner while having a romantic dinner with other women. However she also claims "and he flirted-fine! but flirted somehow a bit too ardently, too blatantly" meaning he did not care who saw that he was flirting so often. He was willing to flirt openly as if he did not care who knew, even his wife. Also she describes "how slobbishly he carried on affairs". Even though his affairs were "well rehearsed" he carried them on slobbishly, not trying to hid it. The Ex-husband is portrayed as being both secretive and open about his affairs. This openness leads to the downfall of their relationship and thus being the solution to the paradox.
Blog Post #1, Question #1, Kristyn Gumienny
Kristyn Gumienny
English 201
Analysis of Gabriel Spera's "My Ex-Husband"
★ "My Ex-Husband" can be read here!
English 201
Analysis of Gabriel Spera's "My Ex-Husband"
★ "My Ex-Husband" can be read here!
In the poem "My Ex-Husband," it is quite obvious that the woman still has feelings (both love and hate) for her ex-husband. From the first couple lines of the poem, the reader can assume that she is speaking to someone; a friend, or more likely a new love interest. In both cases she could be telling a story of their past...even calling herself a fool.
Does the woman still love her ex-husband or not- it could easily be both. The way she speaks about him (along with the symbols) in some parts of the poem suggest that she might just be having a hard time moving on (the frame.) The possibility of the new love interest in her home might tell the reader that she's trying to forget about him. While out on her "date" with her friend or new lover she does not want to sit at any checkered tables, reason being she is probably trying to move on by going on this "date." And if this dinner at Chez Pierre works out the situation of "Since I haven't got a photograph of you" would be resolved and she would be on her way of moving on.
The overall tone of the speaker seems to be passive, sarcastic, and disgusted. Passive in the sense that she went back and forth between remembering the good qualities in him, along with the bad. "He seems like any woman's perfect catch, what with his ruddy cheeks, the neat mustache, those close-set, piercing eyes, that titles grin," making herself feel somewhat lucky for her "catch." "But snapshot's don't show what's beneath the skin." It seems almost like she still has feelings for him as she begins reminiscing. Her husband was a tricky man, "well rehearsed" with his "passionate, earnest glance...reserving an intimately dim-lit place half-hidden in a corner nook." She never really blames him for anything, saying "It's all your fault!" but it seems more as if she's calling herself a fool for all that has happened.
Each time she beings talks about her husband, she has this sort of innocent tone, like nothing ever happened until she remembers the bad things about him. Her disgusted tone becomes more powerful toward the middle of the poem when she talks about his affairs. "How slobbishly he carried on affairs...who'd lower herself to put up with shit like that?"
There are several symbols in the poem which remind both the speaker and reader of the ex-husband. One being the frame, which instead of taking down she's decided to keep up. "Kind of a shame to waste it on him, but what could I do? (Since I haven't got a photograph of you.)" It's like she still wants to look at that photograph of her ex-husband and remember the past she had with him. She could have easily tucked the photo away from sight, yet she decides to keep it up. Another symbol could be the champagne flutes from Italy which Claus got in the settlement for her. It might be a warning from the woman to the unknown person that they had better watch out because if this were to happen to her again she would "make some calls, files some claims" until kisses stop altogether.
Rachel Greim, Post #1: Characterization and Symbolism in My Last Duchess
Robert Browning's My Last Duchess is a poem about a duke speaking to someone about his "last duchess," who is, for unknown reasons, now out of his life. The conversation begins when the duke shows the listener a painting of his last duchess, and he goes on to describe his relationship with her. It is heavily implied the duke believes his wife cheated on him, but we are never given enough detail to easily discern what exactly happened. The paradox in this piece of literature is whether the wife is dead or alive, and what happened to her. This paradox can be solved by examining the characterization and symbolism in the poem.
In the very beginning of the poem, the duke says the artist of the painting's "hands worked busily a day." This suggests the duke believes something sexual happened between his wife and the artist. This immediately demonstrates the duke's bitterness about the situation.
In line 10 of the poem, the duke tells his companion that he is the only one who draws the curtain that covers the painting. This statement provides both characterization and symbolism. The duke is pointing out his authority and power. Because the duke controls the curtain that allows others to see the painting of his wife, the curtain symbolizes the duke's control, or want for control, over his wife. As we discover later in the poem, the duke had difficulty controlling his wife, and now he is able to completely.
Immediately following this line, the duke's self-importance shines through when he says, "they would ask me, if they durst." He holds himself high above all others, and is used to being respected and feared by those below him in class. This personality trait suggests that the duke would not take kindly to his wife not treating him with the respect he thinks he deserves.
Throughout the next section of the poem, it becomes fairly obvious that the duke strongly suspects his wife of having at least one, but probably multiple, affairs, even though he has no proof. For example, when again mentioning the artist, he says, "perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say," which shows his lack of actual knowledge about what the artist and his wife discussed or said. He later says "I choose never to stoop." This statement is yet another example of how highly the duke holds himself. He does not blame himself for any tension in his relationship and does not want to receive any less than he deserves in his relationships.
In perhaps the most menacing line of the poem, the duke says, "I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together." Once again, the duke is exercising his authority. This statement also directly corresponds to the paradox. Previous to this line, the duke complains that while his wife smiled at him, she also smiled the same way at everyone else. After his commands, she no longer smiles. This implies that the duke gave the orders to kill his wife.
The last few lines of the poem are about the duke's next wife. He is preparing to discuss the dowry for the girl he wants to marry. The duke is further characterized when he acts as though he cares about the girl, but seems to be more interested in the money she will bring him through her dowry. As the duke and his companion leave, the duke points out a statue of Neptune taming a seahorse. This second piece of art is another symbol of the duke's desire for control. In this instance, the duke views himself as Neptune and the seahorse as the woman he attempts to reign in.
 |
| http://sosaloha.blogspot.com/2011/10/aloha-to-gabrielle-kimm-and-his-last.html |
In the very beginning of the poem, the duke says the artist of the painting's "hands worked busily a day." This suggests the duke believes something sexual happened between his wife and the artist. This immediately demonstrates the duke's bitterness about the situation.
In line 10 of the poem, the duke tells his companion that he is the only one who draws the curtain that covers the painting. This statement provides both characterization and symbolism. The duke is pointing out his authority and power. Because the duke controls the curtain that allows others to see the painting of his wife, the curtain symbolizes the duke's control, or want for control, over his wife. As we discover later in the poem, the duke had difficulty controlling his wife, and now he is able to completely.
Immediately following this line, the duke's self-importance shines through when he says, "they would ask me, if they durst." He holds himself high above all others, and is used to being respected and feared by those below him in class. This personality trait suggests that the duke would not take kindly to his wife not treating him with the respect he thinks he deserves.
Throughout the next section of the poem, it becomes fairly obvious that the duke strongly suspects his wife of having at least one, but probably multiple, affairs, even though he has no proof. For example, when again mentioning the artist, he says, "perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say," which shows his lack of actual knowledge about what the artist and his wife discussed or said. He later says "I choose never to stoop." This statement is yet another example of how highly the duke holds himself. He does not blame himself for any tension in his relationship and does not want to receive any less than he deserves in his relationships.
In perhaps the most menacing line of the poem, the duke says, "I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together." Once again, the duke is exercising his authority. This statement also directly corresponds to the paradox. Previous to this line, the duke complains that while his wife smiled at him, she also smiled the same way at everyone else. After his commands, she no longer smiles. This implies that the duke gave the orders to kill his wife.
 |
| http://poemshape.wordpress.com/tag/fra-pandolf-by-design/ |
The last few lines of the poem are about the duke's next wife. He is preparing to discuss the dowry for the girl he wants to marry. The duke is further characterized when he acts as though he cares about the girl, but seems to be more interested in the money she will bring him through her dowry. As the duke and his companion leave, the duke points out a statue of Neptune taming a seahorse. This second piece of art is another symbol of the duke's desire for control. In this instance, the duke views himself as Neptune and the seahorse as the woman he attempts to reign in.
Blog post #1 (1075) Jovana Gama
"So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from Americans"
I've heard this ambiguity occasional times that Mexicans are taking jobs from Americans. Now the title already contains ambiguity, the title can imply that this poem is going to be about Mexicans stealing Americans jobs and the negativity of it, or perhaps that Mexicans are so mast in their population that they are beginning to uphold the positions that some Americans could of had. The word "taking" when used in this title could either mean that they are stealing these jobs forcefully or physically taking them or its second meaning could be that they are possibly filling up the position that is open due to their quality of work ethics and determination to succeed.
One phrase from the poem "We aren’t giving the children a chance to live." has a double meaning in which the denotative possibility of this sentence is stating we are not allowing children to live but instead are literally killing them. The connotative meaning perhaps is that we are not allowing opportunity for children of different ethnicity to grow and become something more of themselves. When stating we are not allowing a chance for them to live, it could mean we are not allowing them to be raised with adequate necessities, giving them a setback in life.
One last phrase "Below that cool green sea of money,
millions and millions of people fight to live," has a major connotative meaning. The cool green sea of money is similar to that of our small percentage of wealthy within America. The millions and millions of people "fighting to live" are the lower class and minorities of America. They are not literally physically fighting others to live, but fighting the economic struggle to support a family and maintain a life by barely making ends meet financially.
-Jimmy Santiago Baca
I've heard this ambiguity occasional times that Mexicans are taking jobs from Americans. Now the title already contains ambiguity, the title can imply that this poem is going to be about Mexicans stealing Americans jobs and the negativity of it, or perhaps that Mexicans are so mast in their population that they are beginning to uphold the positions that some Americans could of had. The word "taking" when used in this title could either mean that they are stealing these jobs forcefully or physically taking them or its second meaning could be that they are possibly filling up the position that is open due to their quality of work ethics and determination to succeed.
One phrase from the poem "We aren’t giving the children a chance to live." has a double meaning in which the denotative possibility of this sentence is stating we are not allowing children to live but instead are literally killing them. The connotative meaning perhaps is that we are not allowing opportunity for children of different ethnicity to grow and become something more of themselves. When stating we are not allowing a chance for them to live, it could mean we are not allowing them to be raised with adequate necessities, giving them a setback in life.
One last phrase "Below that cool green sea of money,
millions and millions of people fight to live," has a major connotative meaning. The cool green sea of money is similar to that of our small percentage of wealthy within America. The millions and millions of people "fighting to live" are the lower class and minorities of America. They are not literally physically fighting others to live, but fighting the economic struggle to support a family and maintain a life by barely making ends meet financially.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Rob Mondello- Blog 1, Question 4
Rob Mondello
Amy Bolaski
English 201
“So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from Americans” by Jimmy Santiago Baca : Exploring Ambiguous Phrases
I chose this piece because it is often a dinner table discussion around my family, many of whom are mexican, including my daughter and little sisters, though I am not. Some of them came here illegally, although have gained citizenship since then. In the poem " So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from American's ", Jimmy Santiago Baca utilizes ambiguity to allow versatility in the target audience he is writing to. What this does is allow the poem to appeal to an even wider range of political and cultural beliefs than the issue of immigration and naturalization would have reached on their own. There is no doubt this is still a subject of heated debate, maybe even more so now than during the time the poem was written in 1977. I believe this writing's is still so strongly relevant because of the techniques of the author speaking in generalities.
The first phrase that really stood out to me having possible double meanings was "Below that cool green sea of money, millions and millions of people fight to live, search for pearls in the darkest depths
of their dreams, hold their breath for years trying to cross poverty to just having something". This line seems like it was referring to illegal immigrants struggling to make a living within a capitalist system after they have survived a life of poverty in another country, but upon further inspection it seems very possibly to be appealing to all immigration pasts that most Americans share, after all the only race that was native to this land was the Native American, in which we took our land from.
The next phrase that struck my attention was the when the author says "on TV, in the streets, in offices, should be saying, 'We aren't giving the children a chance to live.'" This is true well beyond the issue of immigration. With epic multigenerational problems such as genetically modified foods, water fluoridation, unsafe vaccination campaigns, air pollution caused by dispersed aerosols and industrialization, and the destruction of our environment. The grim future awaiting the consequences of such planetary and generational neglect, encompass a much larger radius than just immigrants.
A similar line that is equally vague states "The children are dead already ". This cynical attitude about the future generation set to inherit the problems of the planet gives little hope. One is left imagining the incoming obstacles as being insurmountable and solutionless in the same manner as that of someone purchasing a used car they are barely able to afford, later discovering a long list of expensive engine repairs they must fix. For the sake of our children I hope this opinion of the author is inaccurate.
Another part of the poem that rings of mystery is " I've gone about trying to find them, asking just where the hell are these fighters. " The writer does not specify who these 'fighters' even are. Are they fighters against inequality, or people fighting against cultural integration, one is left wondering as I believe was intended by the author. Not only does Baca not identify the meaning of the usage of the word fighter, but further re-enforces its uncertainty by not disclosing their location.
The final example of ambiguous phrase usage I single out from the the work are the words " I hear only a few people got all the money in this world ." While this is true only in relation to the scale one compares their fortune to. The group this statement signifies as having unfair ownership of planetary resources in relation to everyone else, also seems to isolate their greed as the source of our lack of prosperity.
This radical work of social commentary can seem slightly extremist at times, but it is easy to be upset when we witness injustices by classification happening to the young and helpless. Many protests are still happening to this day about economic fairness and logical immigration policies. It is unlikely to find any one answer that will satisfy all crusading for equal rights, without destroying the sovereignty of either Mexico or America. As long as both sides are willing to hear each other out and compromise, I think we will all eventually reach a solution that everybody can live with.
of their dreams, hold their breath for years trying to cross poverty to just having something". This line seems like it was referring to illegal immigrants struggling to make a living within a capitalist system after they have survived a life of poverty in another country, but upon further inspection it seems very possibly to be appealing to all immigration pasts that most Americans share, after all the only race that was native to this land was the Native American, in which we took our land from.
The next phrase that struck my attention was the when the author says "on TV, in the streets, in offices, should be saying, 'We aren't giving the children a chance to live.'" This is true well beyond the issue of immigration. With epic multigenerational problems such as genetically modified foods, water fluoridation, unsafe vaccination campaigns, air pollution caused by dispersed aerosols and industrialization, and the destruction of our environment. The grim future awaiting the consequences of such planetary and generational neglect, encompass a much larger radius than just immigrants.
A similar line that is equally vague states "The children are dead already ". This cynical attitude about the future generation set to inherit the problems of the planet gives little hope. One is left imagining the incoming obstacles as being insurmountable and solutionless in the same manner as that of someone purchasing a used car they are barely able to afford, later discovering a long list of expensive engine repairs they must fix. For the sake of our children I hope this opinion of the author is inaccurate.
Another part of the poem that rings of mystery is " I've gone about trying to find them, asking just where the hell are these fighters. " The writer does not specify who these 'fighters' even are. Are they fighters against inequality, or people fighting against cultural integration, one is left wondering as I believe was intended by the author. Not only does Baca not identify the meaning of the usage of the word fighter, but further re-enforces its uncertainty by not disclosing their location.
The final example of ambiguous phrase usage I single out from the the work are the words " I hear only a few people got all the money in this world ." While this is true only in relation to the scale one compares their fortune to. The group this statement signifies as having unfair ownership of planetary resources in relation to everyone else, also seems to isolate their greed as the source of our lack of prosperity.
This radical work of social commentary can seem slightly extremist at times, but it is easy to be upset when we witness injustices by classification happening to the young and helpless. Many protests are still happening to this day about economic fairness and logical immigration policies. It is unlikely to find any one answer that will satisfy all crusading for equal rights, without destroying the sovereignty of either Mexico or America. As long as both sides are willing to hear each other out and compromise, I think we will all eventually reach a solution that everybody can live with.
"Ese gringo, gimmee your job ....Take off your ring, drop your wallet on the blanket, and walk away"
full poem here- http://iamthelizardqueen.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/jimmy-santiago-baca-so-mexicans-are-taking-jobs-from-americans/
Friday, January 25, 2013
BLOG #1 QUESTIONS
*I will be posting notes that contain sample thesis
statements, terminology we’ve covered thus far, and some solid class
observations made. These may help you with your analysis for the first blog
assignment. Choose one (1) question below to answer thoroughly – just one question, but it requires a good amount of
thought and some writing, so one is enough.
(If you wish to do more, by all means . . . .)
**While you will answer one, you should respond to two
(2) of your peers. Your responses should go beyond casual compliments (“good
job!”) and invite further conversation.
Since many people won’t post until the deadline, you don’t have to post your
responses by Monday (1/28). Responses are due by the following Friday (in this
case, 2/01). This will be the typical pattern during the weeks we do blogs –
Monday deadline for the post, Friday deadline for the responses.
***This information will also be posted in a Word
document in BB’s “Content” should you want it all in once place/wish to print
it out, etc.). This document also contains detailed instructions for accessing
the blog,
1. Using “My Ex-Husband”, come up with a
statement of paradox and its resolution (thesis statement). Having done so,
provide several textual examples (evidence) of diction and/or tone and irony
(ones that we didn’t explore or explore fully in class) that support the
paradox you’ve identified.
2. Using “My Ex-Husband”, come up with a
statement of paradox and its resolution (thesis statement). Having done so,
provide several textual examples (evidence) of symbolism that support the
paradox. Remember that symbols are typically concrete things
that have a literal function
in text but also suggest something more abstract (and usually more
complicated). For instance: the picture frame operating as a simple frame for a
photograph as well as a figurative frame for a whole existence with someone
and/or the framing of the past as it’s no longer (a man in love). (Don’t use
the frame but other symbols.)
3. Using “My Last Duchess”, discuss elements of characterization,
symbolism and/or point of view (choose two of these) to discuss as elements
that contribute to the establishing of and sustaining/eventual solving of a
paradox. For this question, provide a statement of paradox (thesis) so that you
can tie your examples to it. This question asks you to explore the poem
somewhat outside what we already covered in class, so I’m not asking you to
deal with diction, denotation/connotation, or irony here.
4. Using “So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from
Americans”, a poem that we haven’t yet discussed, choose five to seven
words and/or phrases that are immediately ambiguous. Explain the denotative and
connotative possibilities for each. You don’t have to write a statement of
paradox for this one, but you should explain where/how these small tensions are
resolved. (I chose this poem particularly
because it definitely provokes an emotional reaction in readers – as such, the
poem poses a challenge for New Critics. You’ve got to approach it without
giving into those emotional responses (at least in written analytical form,
that is).
5. Using “So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from
Americans”, come up with a statement of paradox and its resolution (thesis
statement). Having done so, provide several textual examples (evidence) of tone
and irony. Again, you don’t have to provide a statement of paradox for this one
but should explain where/how irony is working as thoroughly as you can.
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