"Infant Sorrow"
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/45951 In the poem "Infant Sorrow" by William Blake, the thoughts and feeling of a newborn baby that is not wanted is illustrated. By having the infant as the speaker, Blake is able to show that the parents actions reflect on the child as it is just discovering the world around him or her. As the baby is born, the unhappiness of the parents is immediately expressed by words such as "groand" and "wept," which imply that most likely the baby was not intended. After this the baby goes on to say that he has been put into a "dangerous world" and even describes himself as being "helpless." Moreover, Blake then uses a simile to say that the birth of the baby is like a demon that has been hidden in a cloud, which can only suggest that the pregnancy was unexpected and terrible to the parents. This shift carries into the rest of the poem as the baby then describes how he wants to break free from his father holding him and the constricting feel of being swaddled. This leads him to feel "bound and weary," which may also be a reflection of how the parents are feeling as a result of the recent birth. The poem ends with the baby then going to its mother to lay upon her chest, and most likely to breastfeed. This line shows that even though the parents have made the baby feel unwanted, he still seeks comfort and nourishment from the mother.
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"So much Light We Could See to the Other Side"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/nyregion/21poet-light.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion In “So Much Light We Could See to the Other Side” Tina Chang crafts together a poem about the history of humankind with all of its faults and victories. The second stanza sets the tone of the poem with, “We were a warring lot, hammered by days,and greedy too,” which explains how over the years of our existence we have fought many wars mostly over our own greed. Along with this, Chang goes on to explain the selfishness we portrayed and how we are always striving for the next best thing. Her line, “We were wanton, selfish, predisposed to constant dreaming,” paints a picture of the world we live in that is filled with human motivation to keep growing. Chang is able to explain and bring light to the amazing, but sometimes dark history of civilization. Overall “So Much Light We Could See to the Other Side” is an eye opening poem to the greed for more our ancestors and ourselves has shown in order to improve mankind. It’s a beautifully crafted poem that is an honest and raw look at the faults of humans. “Duality”
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/duality In the poem “Duality” by Tina Chang, the reader is taken on a journey that explores relationships and the heartaches that accompanies them. The poem introduces Chang as having a slew of relationships with men that last only for a short while before they are obliterated. She expresses how she tends to make excuses for why she ends them, although it appears she may just have a fear of commitment. Chang then goes on to say that by sleeping with these men she feels that she has done them a favor. Although they may look back on her with pain, they will always remember the good memories they shared as well. Overall “Duality” seems to be a reflection of the past relationships Chang has had. She tries to brush them off and seem unaffected, but it’s obvious that she feels for these men that she has been with. However, Chang reminds that even when a relationship is over and we feel the pain of it, the joy that we had in those good moments will always be there to look back on when we need it. “Love”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/57416 Tina Chang’s “Love” is a deeply moving poem that explores the relationships we have with our families and the secrets we keep from them. At the beginning of the poem Chang discusses the relationship she has been keeping from her mother in fear of her disapproving of his skin color. Along with this, she explains how it bothers her how much we as people keep from our mothers, although she does the same. Near the end Chang reflects on memories from her childhood and how she truly is her mother’s daughter. These thoughts lead Chang to believe that we tend to take our families and the relationships we have with them for granted. She says, “Does truth matter when it's floating face up or face down?” The answer to this isn't simple, although it can be agreed the reason we are not always face up with our truths is because we fear the aftermath. Overall, “Love” is a poem that everyone can connect to, which is Chang’s aim all along. From this poem we can all reflect on the relationships we haven't fully appreciated and the face down truths we have given in order to protect those same relationships. “Invention”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/57913 “Invention,” by Tina Chang is a beautifully written poem that delves into the creation of earth and the death that follows. In the beginning of her poem Chang describes a dead animal she spots on the road in Taiwan. This, along with the cracked mussels, symbolizes the death that accompanied the invention of the earth. She describes these things she sees as she reflects back on a story her father once told her of God. This allows the reader to contemplate the simplicity of life and death on Earth. With the decay around her and the her thoughts of creation, it makes life seem very fragile. She ends with her going back to the dead animal in the road and thoughts of her father’s death. In this she finds that she still lives on, doing all of the things she usually does as an invention of this Earth. "The Idea Of Revelation"
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/57417 Tina Chang's, "The Idea of Revelation" is focusing on life and maybe even what's after. She starts off by saying, "It wasn't holy so let us not praise gods," which suggests that we should not always look to a higher being for answers. Instead we should look around us for the answers and comfort we need. She suggests this by saying, "Let us look to the bend of the road that reaches," which implies that in our darkest times we can look to simple things to get us through it. Her inspiration for this poem came to her when she was considering taking her own life, because of the depression she was facing. Chang says that just as she was thinking about it, she received a call from her cousin, which made her decide to not take her own life. This idea can be seen in her poem. it focuses on the small miracles we see in life, and how they are not always because of a higher power. She is ultimately saying in her poem that we can experience moments of grace in our everyday life without having to look to a God for it. “Empress Dowager Boogies”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/57415 This poem by Tina Chang explores the rich history of Chinese culture. An Empress Dowager is the title given to any mother of an emperor. “Empress Dowager Boogies” explores this part of history in a riveting way. It seems as if the women of the poem is going through a change within herself that is expressed throughout the work. At the beginning it sounds as if she is getting ready for a type of ceremony, or perhaps even a ritual of some sort. As it continues she express that she wants to “lose myself” and “let my majesty and birthright go,” making it sound as if she wants to no longer be apart of her culture. Overall, it's obvious that the narrator is going through a transition through the poem. This becomes more apparent as she describes the mask she has to wear. She explains it as a “false glamor,” which shows she does not agree with what she has to wear, because it does not show her true self. It could even be that the the narrator does not agree with the ceremony that is about to take place. In conclusion, this poem leaves room for interpretation of the reader. There are not too many definite answers, making it difficult to distinguish what exactly this poem is about. |
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