Analysis Speech about English Poetry

The speaker’s grandmothers were strong women who worked tirelessly.

Line 2: The speaker is expressing her belief that her grandmothers do not use profanity or speak negatively about others in line 10.

The poem’s conclusion implies that the speaker lacks assurance, resulting in a somewhat sorrowful tone.

Reflection: Despite finding it interesting, I couldn’t relate to this brief poem. Nevertheless, I valued its concise nature. The speaker appears to grapple with self-esteem problems.

My mother possessed a great amount of courage.

The speaker aspires to emulate their mother who is depicted as a brave and resilient person in this poem.

Do Not Have To Do.

The daughter was given a golden brooch by her mother, which was a mixed blessing. However, she yearned for something more valuable than an object – the strength and fortitude to be as unwavering as a rock.

Both poems “Lineage” and “The Courage That My Mother Had” express the sentiment that the speakers do not consider themselves as remarkable as their ancestors. The poems revolve around the admiration that daughters and granddaughters hold for their mothers and grandmothers.

5. It would not make a significant difference if these poems were written about grandfathers and fathers instead.

As men, it is expected of us to possess bravery and strength, a quality which I admire in my ancestors, as described by the speakers in the poems. Personally, I consider myself to be equally courageous compared to my ancestors. Despite living in different time periods and facing different challenges, we all approach difficulties with the same level of bravery.

Reflection: The speaker in the poem, just like in the other poem, appears to have issues with their self-esteem. It is possible that both speakers could benefit from gaining more confidence.

My Papa’s Waltz

1. The poem was hard to comprehend. It seems like a child is dancing with her drunk father.
2. The father’s behavior made me think he was drunk.
3. I think the boy might be a little scared or excited because his dad is romping” him around and he doesn’t want to drop anything or hit anything.

Reflection: I found this poem to be confusing and the portrayal of the dad made it seem as if he were intoxicated.

Grape Sherbet

1. The setting visualized is a happy memory for a child of her father; towards the end, it got a little sad.
2. The speaker’s reactions as a child are different from what they might be now because children might not understand much of what their parent is saying.
3. The father bothered because he wanted to bring back memories to his daughter.

In my opinion, both poems convey contrasting emotions towards their fathers. One speaker appears to be content, while the other seems sorrowful and let down. Using the word “victim” to describe the boy in My Papa’s Waltz seems overly severe as he did not deliberately put himself in that position. The depictions of both fathers in these poems do not align with my personal perception of my own father.

Reflection: The length of the poem was excessive.

The poem’s content about making ice cream in the morning doesn’t seem logical to me, and I found it difficult to comprehend its overall meaning.

Theme for English B:

1. The speaker enjoys eating, sleeping, drinking, and being in love.
2. The speaker is a young man of 22 years old who has attended multiple schools and takes pride in being a person of color.
3. I believe that the poem accurately reflects what the instructor intended when he instructed his students to write from themselves. The poet was honest with himself and expressed his pride in his racial identity to his instructor through this work.

I disagree that the speaker and the instructor are interconnected since, without the class, they would likely be unaware of each other’s existence.

Reflection:

I found this poem to be good, interesting, and relatable as it tells a captivating story.

The Writer

1. The writer is good at writing poems. The daughter of the speaker is writing a story about her life, and the narrator wishes her a lucky passage.
2. I think the narrator is reminded of the starling because it was in the same room as where the daughter was.
3. I think stanzas help to organize this poem, making it easier to understand.
4. Not applicable

Both the writer and the artist strive to do their best in their respective crafts, and I find these creative processes to be similar to my own writing.

Reflection: The poem is excessively lengthy, highlighting a sense of distance between the daughter and her parents. It suggests that the daughter may have unresolved issues, as indicated by the speaker’s mention that “her life is great cargo, and some of it heavy.”

The Sharks:

• The speaker is depicted as a young woman.
• It’s likely that she doesn’t get out of her comfort zone often since it’s mentioned that this is the first time she dared to swim out of her depth.

She appeared displeased by the close proximity of the sharks, as they ventured only 6 feet deep into the water.

Upon seeing the sharks, the speaker becomes frightened and wonders if it is still appropriate to continue playing in the same sea.

Although it is unclear whether sharks are evil, the speaker initially perceives their fins as innocent and later portrays them as sinister.

Reflection: Although I enjoy the poem, I hold the view that sharks are not inherently malicious. It is possible that the girl is overemphasizing her fear. Moreover, I question the authenticity of this poem as I find it hard to believe that sharks venture so near to the coastline.

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass

The speaker appears to be afraid of the snake as indicated by the clues in the text. The speaker mentions that when the snake moves through the grass, it splits apart like a comb, which suggests that the narrow fellow is indeed a snake. Additionally, the speaker expresses fear by mentioning that their breathing becomes constricted. This encounter with the snake is significant because it is the first time the speaker has come across this particular creature. While the speaker has encountered other beings in nature before, this is their first encounter with the narrow fellow. It seems that no poem in this collection portrays a positive perspective towards animals; both speakers seem to experience fear.

If the speaker had encountered the sharks during daylight, she would have been less frightened because she could have returned to monitor their proximity. Conversely, if the boy had come across the snake at nighttime, he might have experienced heightened fear and likely would’ve fled.

8. The attempt to create a chart for animal responses was not successful.

Upon reflecting on the speaker’s encounter with a snake, it proved challenging to discern their authentic feelings – whether they were frightened or joyful – given that it was their initial experience with such an encounter. Furthermore, the poem lacked relatability.

A vocal expression

1. When the mother went to give her speech at the state capitol, she got nervous and felt out of place, so she faked hoarseness and did not speak.
2. The mother felt self-conscious about giving her speech at the state capitol because she looked around and realized that she was the only Mexican in attendance.
3. The daughter credits her mom’s failure as a success because she learned to speak up and probably received encouragement not to be self-conscious.
4. I interpret her mother’s breath ‘moves through our house like wind through trees’” as meaning that her mother’s failure is something that their family learned from and passed down through generations.

The poem lacks relatability for me since my mom didn’t have to give a speech at a state capitol.

My family has established certain practices as a result of errors made by specific individuals within the family.

The Journey:

1. The subject of this poem saves themselves.
2. In order to find her own voice, the subject must distance herself from the voices of others crying for help. She can’t assist others if she hasn’t helped herself first; it’s like the blind leading the blind.
3. There is no obligation to do anything.
4. The subject made the correct decision by prioritizing their own needs because they require time to discover themselves before they can aid others.
5. The personal qualities fostered in The Journey” are self-worth and remembering that helping oneself is crucial before assisting anyone else.

The poem “A Voice” and its depiction of the qualities of a voice share similarities with the speaker, particularly in terms of not considering oneself and surrendering. If faced with a similar situation as the speaker in “A Voice,” the theme would remain unaltered. Choosing to flee from a challenging circumstance is not the most courageous response; rather, it signifies giving up. It demonstrates greater maturity to confront past experiences, gain new knowledge, and take accountability for one’s mistakes. On careful examination, this poem proves to be highly relatable as it highlights the significance of prioritizing oneself. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for your own well-being; thus, maintaining a positive mindset becomes crucial.