The Mother- Gwendolyn Brooks

"Abortion will not let you forget" the first line of this poem, but yet this statement rendered in my mind throughout the whole poem. Such a strong way to start a poem. A poem which i believe is a daunting memory of the author. I feel the author has gone through this abortion ordeal and has yet found a way to cope or deal with it. I feel this poem is a way for the author to apologize, if not on her behalf then on the behalf of women across the world who faced such a drastic decision as abortion, " Believe that even in my deliberateness i was not deliberate". When the author says "Since anyhow you are dead, OR RATHER, OR INSTEAD you were never made. But that to I am afraid is faulty" that signified guilt, as if she was a criminal a thief in the night. She felt she took something away before it even had the chance to be its own self. However the author stands confused not knowing if shes a murderer or a person taking away something that was never really there to begin with. A feeling i believe many women struggle with. The poem ends with a sense of closure and realizationthe, the authors says " how is the truth to be said , you were born, you had body, you died. Its just that you never giggled, or planed or cried"

Barbie Doll

Marge Piercy created a poem called "Barbie doll" i believe this poem depicts the abnormal social values of the American society. She starts the poem telling a story and describing a fairly normal young girl. At a young age the girl is exposed to what society deems correct for a "women", "she is presented with dolls that did pee-pee.. lipstick... and a stove". The girl was thought of not by her smarts, health, strength courage or spirit but rather on her appearance , it all turns sour when she is pointed out as having a big nose and fat legs. The young Girl goes throughout life never feeling like shes good enough encountering harsh realities of not meeting those expectations of her society. The author describes the extent one will do to try and fit a mold of perfection or better yet to fill the mold of "Barbie". The need to live up to the worlds idea of beauty fuels years of sever bullying and scrutiny. The author talks of one girl , however this poem is for all women/girls and what they suffer with. Trying to be what everybody else has set out for you to be is a struggle. The author goes on to explain the extent and willing sacrifice the girl did to be a "Barbie Doll", "So she cut off her nose and legs". the girl who Piercy is writing of has become unsure, self concerned, and depressed. she sees the image that society has enforced upon her, and realised she is incapable of fitting that mold. Ultimately this leads to her suicide. This girl is unable to see her pros but was fixated on the cons or what people convinced to her as to being a con.

homework Allen Ginsberg

This poem called "Homework" by Allen Ginsberg is in my opinion very clear and to the point. I believe the author is clearly conveying his opinion on what the world /earth has turned into and how if he had the chance to make all things right again, make all things back to the way they were, he would. He states all the things he wish he could do like "i'd wash dirty iran" clearly he uses figurative speech throughout the whole poem. you cant really put iran into a washing machine. I really like the way he wrote this poem it was clear to me that the author had some sort of animosity towards what the world has turned into and wishes he had the power to make change. However i have the idea that he isn't only talking about the world but also all the things in his life that if he had the chance to change and repair them to their original state he would.

Li-Young Lee "The Gift" 2

The author in my opinion has received a gift and has given one. I do believe that he received something worth remembering and in exchange has learned a method in which he now uses on his wife. The narrator, painlessly removing a splinter from his wife's hand, recalls the scene when he was boy seven years old and his father removed an "iron silver" splinter from his palm. The father had skillfully distracted his son by telling a story in a voice reassuring and low. When the narrator says " a well/of dark water, a prayer " that assured my thought of how his fathers words had an effect of making him feel less anxious and worried. The narrators wife now has a splinter and he is using the same solemn method to remove it from her palm. That gift that he received as a child he is now reiterating. Being able to take someone's mind away from a place of pain is a gift that is greatly appreciated and learned. The two gifts are 'one in the same', though different time periods and occurring with people of different relationships i.e. father and son, husband and wife. I still feel the same theme of love and true caring for the one in pain is major part of the gift. The son gained more than a painless splinter removal, but he gained skills as well. I feel the author is trying to send a message, that the best gift you can ever give some one is showing that you care, In the darkest times having someone calm and focused through any situation can bring a comforting light through anything. Methods like the father used is something that transcends through eras. The son doesn't even remember the story but yet remembers his feeling.

Robert Frost "AFter Apple picking"

After taking time to read Robert Frost's poem "After Apple Picking" i am almost certain that he isn't really talking about apples. I think he's using the apples as a metaphor to represent his life and struggles. I get from this poem that he's tired of life , work and everything else. He sounds as if he's declaring that he has paid his dues to this life. He wants a break from life seems as if he's ready to die and walk right into heaven, but just like every body's life there's obstacles and hurdles in our lives that we must accomplish before we can get to that place of peace and tranquility. He express that he doesn't have control over his path into heaven because there's a barrel waiting to be filled with apples. this poem essentially is that reality of a lot of things in life yo can be so close to where it is you want to be whether physically or mentally but there's thing beyond your control in your way.

Robert Frost "After Apple Picking'

After taking time to read Frost poem "After Apple Picking" I am almost certain that he isn't really talking about apples. I feel he's using the apples as a metaphor for life and work. He says he has a ladder pointing up to heaven but still a barrel there waiting to be filled. That to me shows he's ready to die. However nobody is ever ready no body has controll on their life and when their struggles shall end. He's showing how we don't have control of our lives we don't know when we can have our break and just walk into heaven because there's still things and responsibilities that need to be done such as filling that barrel with apples. However he's tired he feels he has paid his dues in life I think that's what he meant when he said i'm done apple picking. "Essence of winter sleep is on the night"He declares that his time to rest is now."I'm drowsing off" I feel he's saying i'm finished i'm coming to the end of my line. Even though he is tired and wants this hard life to end work keeps piling on"The rumbling sound of apples coming in"

Facing it by Yusef Komunyakaa

The speaker as I see him is a man who once was in war and who no longer was in it but yet still suffered from the stresses and the unforgettable trauma of the Vietnam War. I was able to gather this info from the words he choose to use and how he put them together. I can get a sense of how he didn’t want to feel the pain and didn’t want to feel the sadness when visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but yet the feelings overcame his wishes. When he says “I said I wouldn’t: no tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh “ he’s talking to himself telling his self not to cry you’re not suppose to cry he’s giving himself a characteristic of a rock that refers to the “I’m stone “, but yet still remembers that he is still human with human feelings that refers to “I’m flesh”. He goes to the memorial hoping to hide his true feelings but his own self won’t let him hide. In the begging of the poem he states that his “black face fades, hiding inside the black granite.” He soon realizes that he can’t hide from himself or his conscience when he say ”My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey”, u can see this clearly. It’s ongoing struggle beyond his control. when he says”depending on the light to make a difference”, nobody controls light therefore he can’t control his memories and his feeling towards the war. He goes on to mention a name and just as quickly as he mentions a name that name is gone and in its place is a visual of what he seen during the war “I see the booby traps white flash”