"Domestic Work, 1937"

In “Domestic Work, 1937” Natasha Trethewey uses diction and a defiant but happy tone to convey the necessity of taking every moment and owning it. In the beginning, the poem is written with very monotonous words. The speaker can see her face in a copper bowl, copper has a very dull sheen to it. However, once the speaker decided to make a change on Sunday and make it hers. The poem then transitions to become bouncy in a sense. “A record spinning on the console, the whole house dancing.” The poem becomes upbeat and the reader can tell that the speaker is finally content with her life now that she owns it. As Meghan Trainor said “Better When I’m Dancin’” with the diction used in the final three lyrics, everything is better because everything is dancing.

"Wheels"

“Wheels” by Jim Daniels uses a reminiscent tone coupled with symbolism to remind his readers that the biggest part of life is to stick with what one loves. Almost every third line is the word “waving”. This shows the reader that no matter what the speaker’s brother was doing, he was happy and waving. The line following that is a type of car. There is big significance in this because the speaker says that their brother ”kept in a frame on the wall pictures of every motorcycle, car, truck.” Every car corresponds to a period in his life. The rusted Impala convertible shows that coming out of high school, he was not at his polished prime however, he was open to everything. In contrast, his “shiny new rig” is symbolic of a fresh new start after real estate did not pan out. He had a car for every time in his life because cars are what he loved. The fact that his sibling could document his life through cars shows real dedication. The poem ends with the brother riding off helmetless while still waving. This is symbolic of the brother’s death and shows that even until the last moment, the brother was happy and with what he loved. Jim Daniels masterly combines cars and symbolism to tell the reader the biggest part of life is to stick with what one loves.

"Radio"

“Radio” by Laurel Blossom shows how people don’t appreciate what they have using repetition and a despairing tone. The words “no radio” are repeated eleven times throughout the poem. When someone repeats that they have nothing of something multiple times, they are normally mourning that fact. The speaker is devastated over the fact that the radio was “stolen 3X.” There are no valuables, no tapes and no telephone in the vehicle. Laurel Blossom is essentially saying that there is nothing left in the car. However, she writes multiple times that there is none of something in the car. She emphasises the car through repetition and reminds the reader that even through the speaker is distraught about their radio as can also be seen through repetition, they still have the car and that is valuable in itself. Laurel Blossom reminds her readers to appreciate what they have through repetition of both ‘radio’ and ‘car’.

“The Farewell”

“The Farewell” by Edward Field combines a reluctantly accepting tone with symbolization to depict the troubles of being a leader. The ice that the speaker is stepping onto symbolizes the risks that a leader has to take because they are the first to action. Even though “they say the ice will hold”, the leader has to trust them and decide to take the risk. A leader also needs to be unflappable because they do not want their followers to panic. The speaker slides erectly into the water which symbolizes that there is nothing wrong because normally someone would be flailing around trying to save themselves. This is the reason that Edward Field chooses this moment to point out that the speaker is “wearing my captain’s hat.” While sliding into the water, the speaker is still being a leader and showing that all is well. Being a leader is a full time job, even while one is falling into the water, one needs to think of one’s followers. Even when the risks that the leader took are backfiring and the ice is closing over their head, they need to be waving to their followers and assuring them that all is ok. Being a leader is a hard and unforgiving job as Edward Field shows in “The Farewell”.

"Did I Miss Anything?"

Tom Wayman uses poem structure and a disappointed but sassy tone in his poem “Did I Miss Anything?” to emphasis his point that one should take all of the opportunities that they are offered and all the ones that they are not offered as well. The poem switches off answers alternating between saying that the student missed everything in class or nothing in class. This structure shows that there are always two sides to an issue. Even if something seems like a ‘nothing’, it may very well be an ‘everything’. Just because one does not see opportunity in a situation does not mean that there are no opportunities. The poem also gets more fantastical as it progresses. It goes from conceivably true to clearly false in the span of four stanzas. This comes to show the reader that an opportunity may seem crazy but they should still take it. You never know, an angel may appear and reveal the meaning to life. Tom Wayman finishes with a line that is out of place from the rest of the poem but sums up the poem, “And you weren’t here.” This enhances the poem because it is a break from the structure. It shows that one should not always fit the mold and being outside of the mold might just have all the answers. Tom Wayman uses poem structure to its full effect as he reminds everyone to take all the opportunities that they can see.

"Neglect"

In “Neglect”, RT Smith reflects on how everything needs some TLC using imagery and a regretful tone. He says that if one does not care for a tree, one will skew the sap, blacken the leaves and dry the bark and heart. Every one of these adjectives are harsh and bring up images of death and wrongness. Skew for example makes the reader recall something crooked or bad. He should have given more care into the tree and patched up it with medicinal pitch. Patching up is reminiscent of someone helping another person out and medicinal just strengthens that image. When he was “too enchanted by pear saplings, flowers and the pasture,” he was distracted by fantastical ideas as the mixture of enchanted and flowers bring fairies and other fantasy creatures to mind. He should have been caring for his tree but instead he got distracted. The fact that the applewood was not just being burned it was feeding the stove, brings images of something being devoured by fire and the care that could have been used to prevent the fire were just words wasted by Smokey the Bear. RT Smith looks back on when he gave the tree tender loving care with wonder. Bees are not attracted to the pollen, they are dazzled and ice only adds to the elegance of the tree. “Neglect” shows that everything needs TLC to live by showing what happened to the speaker when he did not give his apple tree TLC through intense imagery.

“At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border”

William E. Stafford uses satire and a peaceful tone to write about the Canadian border in his poem, “At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border”. The first two lines are extremely ironic and basically say that this is the field that nothing happened in. There was no battle and no one died. Nothing heroic happened as the sky, normally a silent onlooker, is now the heroic figure by giving life to the field. Everything is quiet and “birds fly here without any sound.” This seems like William Stafford is describing a pretty clearing with flowers and so deep in the forest that “people celebrate it by forgetting its name.” It is one of those places that are so tranquil that they are hallowed because g-d had to have been there. William Stafford’s satire here is showing that not all borders have to be fought about and no one has to die. He is not satirizing the Canadian border but he is satirizing all other borders that people are fighting over.

“Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?”

For all of you asking for advice, listen to the motivational Ron Koertge and his build in “Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?” He starts out sounding very downtrodden and tells the reader to take baby steps, to get up and get out into the world. Then, he acquiesces to the reader’s desire to always carry a writing utensil but says at least spice it up and “on the front, a kitten or a spaceship.” Next comes some advice that turtlenecks and idyllic houses, or other things that stand for rich people, are not to be trusted. Libraries are good places to write in the cheap notebook that the reader is allowed to carry and the best place to write is by the biography shelves or “ranks of the dead” where there are almost no people. The only distraction would be a child who is making a tower out of books while his mother browses. Ron Koertge then recaptures the reader’s attention saying “You who asked for advice, listen…” He is saying focus here, your attention span is so short that you cannot even focus for the duration of this poem but you can do it! “Be like that child…” be so carefree that the best known rule, keep quiet in a library, is nothing to you! Be the trendsetter, let the world say no but “then start again”, don’t let disapproval stop you, make sure that you continue being your own person and not just another turtleneck. The poem builds into this climax and Ron Koertge uses this build up to whip the reader into a frenzy, ready to go out and tackle the world.