Poetry Reponse #7

In the poem “Unveiling” by Linda Pastan, the narrator is walking through a cemetery where all of her family is buried. Their graves are in rows, which reminds the narrator of how “they used to sit around the long planked table at family dinners”. In addition, the narrator feels left out instead of feeling sad. It seems that most of her family is dead and she is the only one left. She feels like they are keeping a “grown-up secret” from her, as she is not old enough, or not ready to understand it. I believe the secret is death and it is something she cannot grasp yet since it is not her time.

I think this poem could be interpreted in two ways. One way is that the narrator is very lonely and misses her family. She feels left out. The other interpretation is that she believes that people should live their lives to the fullest. She walks through the cemetery and remembers about the past and her family. She remembered the good times that made her happy.

Compared to the other poems I have read and commented on this semester, this poem seems the most simply written. There are not that many metaphors or other literary devices. It is only made up of two straightforward sentences. It is very easy to understand and to extract the meaning of it. The meaning behind it is simple: live life to the fullest.

Poetry Response #6

The beauty of the poem “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost lies in its simple poetic form yet it relies on metaphors such as night, rain, and a luminary clock for impact. These devices allow many interpretations as to the meaning of the poem.

One interpretation is that this poem is about a person who is lonely and depressed. It seems that he is distant from society and possibly he has been rejected. He has experienced much sadness in his life as he has “looked down the saddest city lane” and has walked in and out of rain. It appears he is sad and has left home as he has “outwalked the furthest city light”. He might even feel guilty about something he did as he “dropped his eyes” when he passed the watchman and was unwilling to explain why. Perhaps, this person has even contemplated suicide or is running from the law as he “stood still and stopped the sound the sound of feet.” In addition, it begins the Then a cry brings him back to reality and he has hope as he sees a “luminary clock against the sky.”

I liked this poem because I how it had a certain rhythm and flowed. It seems like it could relate to many people as everyone deals with some sort of sadness, loneliness, or depression. It could show them that they are not alone and that someone is also going through isolation. In addition, I really like the style Frost writes in and always love to read his poems such as “The Road Not Taken” or “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening”. I really enjoyed this poem.

Awakening Ch. 35-39 (THE END)

In the last chapters of the novel, I think Edna is as confused as ever. She really wants Robert to show her some sort of affection, but he does not. This causes her to question him and she makes the move on him by kissing him. Robert reacts to this and tells her his feelings towards her. He tells her how he loves her and how he was thinking about her the whole time while he was in Mexico. When Edna has to leave to go help deliver a baby, she asks him to stay until she returned. However, Robert does not do this. Instead, he leaves the house leaving behind a note saying “I love you. Good-by—because I love you.” This is implying that he realizes he can never have her as his wife and that he needs to leave before anything bad happens. Edna is devastated.

The next summer Edna is back at Grand Isle, but she is there by herself. Probably before she arrived, Edna thinks about how she would never giver herself to anyone and would never sacrifice herself for her children. It seems she comes to an epiphany that there is not one thing in the world she wants besides Robert, whom she cannot have (it took her long enough to realize/come to a conclusion about something). She could have her husband, Arobin, her children, or someone else and it would not matter. As soon as Edna gets to the island, she wants to go for a swim. When she arrives at the beach, she takes off all of her clothes and is nude. This is the first time she has ever done it. It is like she has nothing to hide and she felt like a newborn baby that was opening its eyes for the first time. She goes out far into the ocean and starts to get tired. As she is drowning, she once again thinks about how she could not be a possession to her husband or her children. She ends up drowning with the idea that there was no purpose or meaningful role in life for her (outcast).

In the last part of the book, once again there is a reference to a bird. This time is a bird with a broken wing that can no longer fly and it falls to the ocean. This is an image of Edna. She no longer has the strength to fly and is falling just like the bird.

Awakening Ch. 30-34

In chapters 30-34, Edna has her farewell dinner before she moves into the pigeon house. At this gathering, Edna looks regal but she is alone. She starts to get bored and starts thinking of the unattainable Robert. While she is thinking about Robert, Victor starts playing Edna and Robert’s song and this causes Edna to become upset. It seems she is messing with three men. She is having a fling with Arobin while she thinks she is in love with Robert. On top of this, she is not being truthful with her husband since she has two other men. She obviously does not know what she wants. I think she should settle down and think so she can realize what she wants.

In addition, in this section we see how appearance is important to Mr. Pontellier. He hears that his wife is thinking about moving and he wants to stop this nonsense. It seems he is more worried about what society will think of the situation financially instead of sexually. He remodels the house to save appearances and to make his wife stay. However, the pigeon house pleased Edna too much and the remodeling did not persuade her. She can feel herself breaking away from the society because she is forming self-reliance. She realizes that this could make her go down on the social scale, but at the same time is increasing her spirituality. She is now seeing and apprehending things herself.

Also, Robert comes home in this section. Edna expects things to be like they used to be and she even expects more. However, her predictions at the moment are wrong. He says the reason why he returned was because of business, not because of her. Edna learns that Robert had been home for 2 days before she saw him and when she did see him it was accidentally. This causes her to think he does not love/like her the same way she does him. It will be interesting to see if the act Robert is putting up will last or not.

Awakening Ch. 25-29

In chapters 25-29, Edna becomes even more of a rebel. She starts seeing another guy named Arobin even though she is still in love with Robert. She starts seeing Arobin shortly after Robert leaves. They talk and are flirty with each other. They hold hands and at the end of the section Arobin kisses Edna. This awakens her senses, but it also causes her to feel irresponsible. She regrets kissing him because she did not love him and he didn’t mean anything to her. The kiss happened mostly because of her emotions and her sexual desires.

In addition, Edna moves out of her house into a cottage which she calls the “pigeon house”. This shows she is becoming more independent and free. She moves so the place can be hers, not her husbands. She does not want to feel like she belongs to anyone but herself. This will probably make everyone suspicious. Furthermore, this could be a place in the future where she can be private with Robert without having to worry about her husband.

Also, in this section there is mentioning of birds. Edna’s new house is named after a type of bird. In addition, Mademoiselle Reisz checks to see if Edna’s shoulders, or wings, are strong enough. She is comparing Edna to a bird and how a bird would need strong wings to soar. This is showing that Reisz knows that Edna will need to be strong to put with society’s criticism because she will be on her own. She will not be doing what is expected of her and will be going against the traditional customs. She will not be able to be weak or else she will break down.

The Awakening Ch. 20-24

In chapters 20-24, Edna tries to find Mademoiselle Reisz. When she finally finds her, Reisz tells Edna that she has a letter from her friend Robert and that he has talked about her in it. This excites Edna and she persistently asks to see it when Reisz says no. Reisz also tells Edna that he told her to play the Impromptu by Chopin for her and Edna asks her to play it. While Reisz plays the song, Edna begins to read the letter and cries as the music stirs her emotions. In addition to informing Edna about the letter and playing for her, Reisz tells Edna what it takes to be a successful artist. She says that one needs to be courageous and needs to have a “soul that dares and defies”. This could be foreshadowing what Edna will do. She might become even more daring than what she is doing now (might go for Robert).

In addition, in this section we see how Mr. Pontellier is becoming worried about his wife’s behavior. She is no longer fitting into his desired role. He goes to a doctor and asks for advice because he does not know what to do. The doctor tells him to give her some time because she is just going through a “phase”. The two men act like the understand women, but when in reality they do not. They also feel like women should obey men and their husbands. After their talk, Mr. Pontellier asks the doctor to come to a dinner so he can observe Edna. When the doctor comes, he does notice a slight change in Edna. He notices that she is more energetic and she seems happier. It seems like he can tell there is another man in her life (Robert).

The Awakening Ch. 15-19

In chapters 15-19, Edna becomes a greater rebel. She no longer listens to what her husband tells her. When she was supposed to be taking in visitors on the island, she was out doing her own thing which upset her husband. He got upset with her and left the house because it was against the tradition and social convention. It went against their normal routine or business. In result of his actions, Edna threw down her wedding on the ground and stomped on it along with breaking a vase. This shows she is starting to act out against what is accepted in the Creole society and she is beginning to do what she wants. She is no longer being submissive and will not fit into the artificial society. She starts to realize that she wants excitement in her life and does not want a typical relationship with her husband like the Ratignolles have.

Also in this section, the readers learn more about her passion for art. She looks through her sketches and takes a few of them to Mrs. Ratignolle to get her opinion. Edna even tells Mrs. Ratignolle that she wishes to draw her some day and Edna gives her some to keep. The reader also gets more insight in how Edna would never “give herself” for her children or for anyone, but she would give money or even her life. This means she does not want to lose or forget who she is and where she came from. It seems she wants to remain true to who she is.

The Awakening Ch.10-15

In the next section in “The Awakening”, we see how Edna is starting to rebel against her husband and she is starting to become more independent. At the beginning of this section, Edna finds the confidence to learn how to swim and she swims far out by herself. This gives her a sense of freedom and shows how the sea has some sort of power over her. It causes her to have some sort of awakening with her emotions and feelings. When her husband wanted her to go inside at night, she went against his wishes. This is showing how she is becoming less dependent on him and she realizes the power she has. She also feels free from her husband when she sails to the Grand Isle with Robert as it is a symbol of her sailing away from her bond to her family and Leonce.

In addition, to becoming independent, Edna is starting to have feelings for Robert. When he is away from her, she misses him and wonders why he is not there with her. She starts to have a desire for him and even called for him to go with her to a church service, which she had never done before. She also gets very upset when she learns that he is leaving to go to Mexico and he did not tell her about it. (He is probably leaving because he knows he is falling for Edna and knows it is against his culture) This is when Edna realizes she is infatuated by him.

(The lady in the black and the two lovers were mentioned two or three times in this section, and were always mentioned together)