A Poem Conversation - Improvised

The poems “Design” by Robert Frost and “God's Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins talk about the same theme: the environment, the nature, and the animals. But are these two sonnets sharing the same point of view? To find the similarities and distinguish what the differences are, one can juxtapose the two poems to see what Frost and Hopkins have written for the readers.

Frost's and Hopkins' sonnets are connected like chains with each other leading the readers into one world. It is as if Hopkins display one whole scenery while Frost gives little details from the whole. For instance, Hopkins also describes how the world “gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil/Crushed” and in Frost's sonnet, he writes about the small things, such as the spider and the moth that are gathered as a whole to create a nature just like the seeds to make the oil.

Both of the authors explains how the animals are involved in the natural world. For instance, Frost takes a spider and gradually talks about how it eats the moth by trapping it with its web. Hopkins' sonnet brings up about the humans and how the humans are using the nature for their need. As Frost says he “found a dimpled spider,” Hopkins' sonnet say how the humans and other creatures live together in one environment.

The sonnets also share a similar characteristic of the nature: instinct to survive. Both of them tribute how different animals in different environment try to survive in their own special ways. For instance, Frost describes what a spider does for its living. The spider builds its web and catches its prey with the web. The nature has made the spider to utilize its home as a weapon and a shield. This is “God's Grandeur.” Hopkins also gives the same example with humans. As Hopkins wrote, humans use seeds, soil, and the nature itself to provide shelter and food, just like the spider. These two distinct animals that don't have any similarities in their survival rules, they both share the fact on how to find their necessities and to live by coexisting with the nature.

Two authors also show appreciation of the environment throughout their sonnets. In Hopkins' poem, he wrote how the “world is charged with the grandeur of God” and “nature is never spent” even after the humans use up all the good from the nature. He believes that as long as there's God to protect over the world, no creatures are able to end the cycle of the nature. In Frost's sonnet, he views the spider and the moth with awe. The way he questions the existence of the creatures and how he compares them with delicate flower let the reader know that he is viewing the sight of the normal animal behavior with an extent of gratitude.

Yet among the similar ideas, both sonnets tend to go on opposite directions. In Frost's sonnet, the spider is “fat and white” that kills a moth that was “like a white piece of rigid satin cloth.” Throughout the whole sonnet, Frost describes how a beautiful colored spider eats the weak, light, and defenseless moth. It's a natural habit for the spiders to eat other insect species in order to survive. But the first impression that the reader gets is the grossness and disgust. Natural as it is, the spider is portrayed to be carnivorous. It is not so easy for all the people to enjoy watching a scene like that.

Frost also wrote some dark images in his poem. Just as he finished talking about the white moth, he talks about “death” and “blight.” He catches the readers with how the people would think when they see the spider at first sight. One would assume that Frost would make the “snow-drop spider” into a marvelous living creature because of the way he writes about it. But then he brings back the negative images of the spider, just like how people imagine them.

Hopkins' sonnet take the other way around. As written in his sonnet, he wrote that the world “wears man's smudge and shares man's smell.” But is it really natural for the nature to have human smell on them? Although it seems wrong for the humans to destroy the nature that is “charged with the grandeur of God,” one can easily say that it doesn't seem too wrong because the humans are trying to survive, just like the spider from Frost's sonnet. Humans “have trod,” walking on top of the nature, ruining the beauty of the nature. Hopkins even repeat the phrase “have trod” to give the readers a meaning that people have ran over the nature over and over for many years. Nevertheless, this point of view can be taken as granted because people are adapted to this kind of environment.

Hopkins also writes that prove that people just use up all the goods, not noticing how the nature is created. He wrote how the “soil is bare” that not even “can foot feel.” The soil is used up so much that there is no more of nature to step on. But this is taken seriously when the whole world can see it in front of them. The soil is the base of everything in the world and if it doesn't exist anymore, what would? Nothing would grow and it would just “being shod” as what Hopkins wrote.

Spider eating moth or humans walking over the nature, which one would you think it's more crucial? As for me, both of them are all natural no matter how one looks wrong than the other. There's no way one can look better than the other. If we, humans, cooperate with the nature, we can live forever with it, just like what Hopkins says. “Nature would be never spent.”

A Poem Conversation

The poems “Design” by Robert Frost and “God's Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins seem to be sharing some similarities: talking about the environment and the nature. But are these two really sharing the same points of view? To distinguish the difference, one can juxtapose the two poems to see what Frost and Hopkins have written for the readers.

In “God's Grandeur,” Hopkins explains the beauty of the world by presenting God and how the Holy Ghost looks upon the world in its arms. Frost gives a very vivid image of the “fat and white” spider. It is as if Frost's sonnet gives more details of what Hopkins wanted to show to the audience. For instance, Hopkins says how the world “gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil; Crushed” as Frost describes the small things, such as the spider and the moth that are as small as the seeds for the oil, is what the world is made out of. This example can be read in vice versa: As Frost tells what one small creature does, Hopkins lead the readers to the idea that the world is full of small activities yet big when they are seen as a whole.

The sonnets also share a similar characteristic of the nature: instinct to survive. Both of them tribute how different animals in different environment try to survive in their special ways. Just like how the spider would catch the moth in its web and feast on it, Hopkins describe how the human beings survive with the nature's resources. Frost and Hopkins are saying that these two animals, no matter how these two creatures look unlike or what each one does to survive, they both share the fact on how to find their necessities to live by coexisting with the nature.

Yet among the similar ideas, both sonnets tend to go on opposite directions. In Frost's sonnet, the spider is “fat and white” that killed a moth that was “like a white piece of rigid satin cloth.” Throughout the whole sonnet, Frost describes how a beautiful colored spider eats the weak light moth that was defenseless. It's a natural habit for the spiders to eat other insect species in order to survive. But the first impression that the reader gets is the grossness and disgust. Natural as it is, the spider is portrayed to be carnivorous. It is not so easy for all of people to enjoy watching a scene like that.

Hopkins' sonnet takes the other way around. As written in his sonnet, he wrote that the world “wears man's smudge and shares man's smell.” But is it really natural for the nature to have human smell to them? Although it seems wrong for the humans to destroy the nature that is “charged with the grandeur of God,” one can easily say that it doesn't seem too wrong because the humans are trying to survive, just like the spider from Frost's sonnet. This point of view can be taken as granted because people are adapted to this kind of environment.

Spider eating moth or humans walking over the nature, which one would you think it's more crucial? As for me, both of them are all natural no matter how one looks wrong than the other.

Bruce Wayne's Other World

When I first read the poem "The Other Universe of Bruce Wayne" by Bucky Sinister, I was amazed how a poem wasn't like any other poems. The poem starts off by telling the readers the name of Bruce Wayne, or Batman, and this actually made me get excited to read rather than Shakespeare's sonnets. The poem then leads onto the world where Bruce Wayne isn't a heroic, rich man and readers find out that he is an alcoholic man. We all, well almost all of us, know that the real Batman is quite the opposite of that. The Batman we are used to is more of a lucky man who is looked upon by the people for his courageous acts and intelligence. We have a strong image of Batman as the superhero that roams around the city in the dark to protect the weak and defines justice for his people. We often see the usual superhero characteristics from him.

But what happens when the superhero we know is just the opposite? The poor man gets dumped by girls all the time and can't even go to sleep properly. We actually feel sympathetic for the man and try to give him hope. The Bruce Wayne that Sinister wrote about can be seen as the real Bruce Wayne who is just as ordinary as the other people in this world. He is someone the readers can actually relate their lives just like with their friends and family. The readers can see that even a superhero needs a hand from others around him.

I found this poem really interesting because it is so different than the other poems we have went through in class. I generally like these kind of poems because they just don't look like one. It is more of literary work because of the way the poem is structured, like a short story. It also sounds like one, too. I didn't have to think deep enough to hurt my head, like those Shakespeare ones or one of those poems with Em-dashes. I don't see why this could be less of literary work because to me, it's quite brilliant.

My Villanelle
(This Villanelle is just about my favorite fictional character, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy Seven, who goes through the most tragic event in his life: the death of his real close friend.)

I saw myself with the sword in hands.
These filthy hands of mine, I tell you.
I just wanted to save her, not to end.

It was those dangerous commands,
Couldn't fight with the one who knew.
I saw myself with the sword in hands.

What was that, that sound from long land?
It was he, the madman, out of the blue.
I just wanted to save her, not to end.

He glanced down with his evil plans.
Those eyes, those glares, I knew.
I saw myself with the sword in hands.

Kick, punch, out of my demands.
Then he went away, away he flew.
I just wanted to save her, not to end.

Please don't let her misunderstand.
These things I've done to you isn't true.
I saw myself with the sword in hands.
I just wanted to save her, not to end.

Em-dash

In Emily Dickinson's poem "I dwell in Possibilities", one can see and notice the unusual amounts of the dashes that she has used. One might think she was trying to censor out something or one might think it's just something that she was obsessed with. But, these dashes are used to be much meaningful than that.
Dickinson's em-dash does a trick of sewing the lines of the poem all together. For instance, the first part where she wrote "I dwell in Possibility--; A fairer House than Prose--; More numerous of Windows--; Superior--for Doors--," she introduces the readers her world of thoughts by leading the readers from whole view of the world zooming to the details of the "House". The "Possibility" would be a name for that imaginary place where she likes to wander and dream because unlike the "Prose," her "House" has more options of "Windows" to seek out beyond the reality. There are no limits in her "House".
Then, she continues this process by continuing the description of the house. She connects the last phrase of the "Doors" with the "Of Chambers as the Cedars--; Impregnable of Eye--; And for an Everlasting Roof; The Gambrels of the Sky--." The house's chambers would be containing very important and precious to her behind the doors, which can be opened only by her. The doors that are made out of cedars suggest that the author treasures:ideas and dreams. The "Everlasting Roof" shows again that there's no end to this "House". There's no closure. It's all opened up for anything and everything that can come in and out. The gambrels would be someplace she would hang her thoughts just in case of losing them.
The last part of her poem is really focused on her but in the world she's been talking about. She continues with "Of Visitors--the fairest--; For Occupation--This--; The spreading wide my narrow Hands; To gather Paradise--." This time, she uses the dashes to lead the readers what she does and how she reacts to the event. The "Visitors" she welcomes by "spreading wide [her] narrow Hands" would be her new thoughts that are brought in to her "House" just as how she would welcome visitors in the real world. She gladly welcomes them with no hesitation because they are the same thing as "Paradise" for her. At the end of the poem, she leaves the dashes as if for the word to echo.
Overall, the poem contained the dashes to continue and make connection with each other in their parts and make three different parts into one whole piece of artwork. The end of the poem is just left to hang to make the reader assume that there's more than what she has mentioned in her world of thoughts.

Design by Robert Frost

The poem Design by Robert Frost has interesting images in his poem. One imagery has specifically pointed out the white, fat, dimpled spider carrying a white moth on its mouth. The picture of the spider carries out through the whole poem, but Frost brings it up by questioning why the spider had climbed up so high with the moth. Though it's not seen very clearly, small pictures of death are described after each description of the spider and the moth.

Frost has given a description of the spider, which seems to contain a contradictory image. The image of color "white" with the meaning of pureness and beauty is put side by side with the word "fat", which gives the image of greed. This could be seen as how the society was in Frost's daily life. For instance, the rich people could have been taking away the poor's goods, such as money by taxing the poor a lot, leaving them lifeless and hopeless. Frost even questions what is the purpose of "darkness to appall" even if the target "[is] a thing so small." It was the death that was brought upon the weak.

The death that Frost kind of alludes can be seen in different way. For instance, one can see why the spider obviously has captured the moth but he got the moth and turned it into an innocent thing which its "dead wings [were] carried like a paper kite" by the spider. Just like a paper kite stuck between the tree branches, the moth was helpless from its predator. This tells how one cannot be so free or freedom itself will be caught by a strong force, such as death. Frost also described how the spider was holding the moth "like a white piece of rigid satin cloth." Just like how easily the spider held the moth in its mouth, one's life can end like picking up a piece of cloth.