Ezra Pound's "A Retrospect" p. 1506

Ezra Pound is the absolute authority and expert on how poetry should be written. Just ask him. The tone of “A Retrospect” is very preachy and arrogant. I believe that the author realized this as he wrote it because he felt it necessary to ask for the reader’s pardon right up front. He did recognize though that not everyone who reads this would necessarily agree that he was qualified to make the claims that he did so he felt the need to drop the name of another person, Richard Aldington, to lend credibility to his case or perhaps to deflect a portion of the blame in the event that this work did not enjoy the reception he was hoping for.

Moving into the 3 commandments which he postulated would enrich the world of poetry I find myself torn. The first one, to treat the “Thing” directly, is what I both like and dislike about reading this stuff. On one hand, there is great value in just coming out and saying what you mean rather than dancing around it, but on the other, I believe that if all poets just said what they meant and wrote literally at all times that poetry would be very boring to read, not to mention that classes on literature would become very dull and potentially obsolete.

The third commandment, preceding the second for reasons later explained, of metonymical abstinence farther reduces the appeal of poetry to me. While I am not a huge fan of the art of poetry, one of the things I have learned to appreciate about it most is that it provides many levels for the consumer to enjoy. Students get to enjoy the dual meanings of the ideas presented. Scholars and Philosophers get to massage deeper meaning from the words still. On a very basic level, one enjoyed by anyone with language, the cadence and rhyme of poetry can be enjoyed.

The second commandment I saved for last because it is the one that cannot stand on its own. The minimal use of words seems ridiculous for tradesmen who use words as tools. I certainly would not prefer a contractor to build my home with that attitude. The author says that words should not be used unless they contribute to the presentation but he fails to recognize rhyme and meter as valid contributions. Poetry has from its inception been a form of art. While art does not have to be beautiful it should invoke some emotion. If all poets adhered to the commandments of Ezra Pound then the only emotions people would pull from consuming poetry would be boredom and longing for something beyond boredom.

Frost's "Neither Out Far Nor in Deep," p.1406

On first reading I thought that this was a fun little grass is greener on the other side type of poem, but upon closer examination, I determined that while that may be true on one level, it is just a few moments contemplation away from being a captivating 450 word blog post.

Robert Frost begins by painting a picture of the inherent curiosity of people as they turn to pay attention to the sea. I don’t believe that it was by accident or necessity of rhyme that he is speaking about “people along the sand.” The ones along the sand are those who notice the sea most prominently, thus they are the ones tormented by it. It also should be noted that I read the land as being what we have or may have and the sea being what we may not. As people “turn their backs on the land,” they are ceasing to appreciate the things that they do have or can obtain. Then as they “look at the sea all day,” they covet the wives of their neighbors.

I suspect that when Frost mentions the ship continuously raising its hull as it passes by he is talking about the flaunting of what the people on the beach desire, as well as the duration of their obsession. Perhaps this is even a reference to envy that people feel as they see the ship indulging itself on the glass-like wetter ground that they lack the buoyancy to enjoy. I have to admit that I fail to see the symbolism of the standing gull being reflected in the water. Maybe the purpose for including this line is to show that the reflection of the gull standing on the pier gives the illusion that the water is in fact just wetter ground and not impossible for the people to inhabit.

Regardless of whether or not the people have more options and opportunities on “land” then they do at “sea” the temptations (waves) of the things that people may not have persist indefinitely and in response they will always lust for those things.

The final section of the poem addresses the mystery of the desire. “They cannot look out far” and “cannot look in deep” to learn more about their dream. The mystery of the ocean is largely responsible for the appeal it possesses. An adventure with a known end is not and cannot be as exciting. The last two lines of the poem further confirm my suspicion that the poet is describing a yearning for what cannot be obtained. The sea is just one example of the flirtatious unknown. Those people who are not on the shore are finding their own objects of affection to channel their desires.

Booker T. Washington's "Up From Slavery" p.665

Booker had a very different way of seeing the world then any other I have heard of from his time. When others resented the white people for their sins against the slaves, he recognized the troubles that slavery had caused the white people. He states that "not one, so far as I know, ever mastered a single trade or special line of productive industry." He actually feels that the very fact that his race had been forced to perform manual labor in the service of the white people had given them an advantage.

Despite the advantage that he felt his people had in that they were skilled laborers and craftsmen, the author coveted the whites ability to read and write. "I determined, when quite a small child, that, if I accomplished nothing else in life, I would in some way get enough education to enable me to read common books and newspapers." This today is something that we all take for granted in that we are all expected to be able to do such things long before adulthood. In the time shortly after slavery such an achievement must have seemed to be nearly unattainable for the author to say that he has no greater goal.

Unfortunately as we progress through the Text for this course I am finding more and more that it is just a tease of many works rather than a complete set. "Up from Slavery" skips several chapters and drops the reader of this book right into the Address at the Atlanta Exposition. This was truly an inspired speech. I hesitate to break it down and analyze it because it was so well written to begin with. I enjoyed his call to his race to "Cast down" their buckets. This was a message to establish themselves and to root themselves in the culture which they were already a part of. It was also a call to the white people in the South to fill the buckets of the former slaves with fresh water when their buckets were cast down. It seems as if the author believed that there was a mutual respect between the people of the South of both races. He believed that the white people had grown to love the Black due to the mutual dependence on each other and that they needed to continue to depend on each other and work together in their new capacity as free people of two separate races.

Dunbar's "We wear the Mask" p. 1043

I wanted to write about "We Wear the Mask" because it is short and it rhymes. I also enjoyed this poem because it reflects one of my own little rules of life albeit from a completely different perspective. Dunbar, having been born into so new an idea as freedom for African Americans, must have been one of the first to enjoy the ability of expression through written language.

I love the reference to supressed emotion as a mask worn by African Americans in that time. I believe that this small poem may well have lent inspiration to Amy Cunningham for her short essay "Why Women Smile." Both Dunbar and Cunningham feel like they are wearing the masks to keep their emotions secret but for different reasons. Cunningham seemed to feel that she had to maintain a positive outward appearance out of a sexist stereotype that had to be supported, while Dunbar protected his "Tears and Sighs" out of pride.

I too think about the artificial smiles and causual niceties that many people practice but my take on the issue is completely different. I see a friendly smile as the most selfless offering any one person can bestow on another. How often do we pass and exchange casual words such as "How's it going?" A simple smile can often alleviate the need for that exchange. When someone asks how someone else is doing they often could not care less about the well being. That is why I find it incredibly rude to be honest in these types of situations. The odds are that I have my own issues and that your bad day is the least of my concerns. That is why I wear the mask! I smile because I realize that my concerns are mine alone to bear. I didn't sleep well last night. I have been fighting a cold for a few days now. I am very stressed out with my school work right now. My migranes are coming more and more frequently but I don't have health insurance. Of course these are all legitimate complaints that I don't volunteer when asked. The fact of the matter is that my meager complaints do not hold a candle to the terminal brain cancer my friend's husband has. I doubt that when she asks about how I am doing she is that concerned that much with my fatigue.

That is why I wear the MASK!

Mark Twain's "Letters From The Earth," p. 307

I have enjoyed the stories by Mark Twain since I was very young. First having them read to me and later enjoying them on my own accord. His dizzying intellect and quick wittiness always manage to keep a light hearted feel in his writing. I recently discovered that there is also a wealth of wisdom available in quotes he wrote. "Letters From The Earth" delivered the same quick wit and sarcasm that any who have read his work before have come to expect, but it did so in a much more abrasive fashion.
In the opening the speaker is a narrator who is casually observing God and the archangels as they attempt to entertain themselves. The tone in the opening seems to me to be matter of fact and indifferent. God says to his angels, "I have a thought. Behold!" Although this occurs early in this work I believe it may be the most significant indicator of the overall message that Mr. Twain was trying to convey. Following the thought the creator mentioned he created the universe. Not because he had always wanted to do so or because he loved mankind or any other reason other than it was a passing thought.
In the next section, "Satan's Letter" the speaker changes from a casual narrator to the voice of Satan. I particularly enjoyed this idea. Having been indoctrinated constantly though out my childhood and since, I thought it was refreshing to hear the other side of the story. Mark Twain paints Satan as the smart ass who was just misunderstood. In Satan's correspondence he explains about man, "He believes the Creator loves him; has passion for him; sits up nights to admire him..." I am sure that this strikes a very dissonant cord for many religious people but I thought it was hilarious. The author is pointing out that the very act of showing humility and worshiping God is evidence of the narcissism of mankind. Every time a person whispers a prayer to god they do so under the assumption that he cares about what they have to say and that the creation of the universe was more than just a passing thought or experiment.
The tone of the Letters seemed to become more and more sarcastic. By letter VII the author favors us with a hymn sang by the microbes inhabiting the impacted colons of the men and women onboard Noah’s ark.

Constipation, O Constipation,
The Joyful sound proclaim
Till man’s remotest entrail
Shall praise it’s Maker’s name

It seems like the author is really upset when he wrote these letters. They seem to be coming from a position of frustration that could only be felt by a person who felt abandoned by their Creator. Of course there is always the possibility that this is just Mark Twain goofing around and ruffling feathers.