"Bright Star" John Keats

This is a poem of direct address, because the speaker is talking to the star; therefore, it is an apostrophe. He speaks of the things he likes and dislikes about the star. He likes how "steadfast" and permanent the star is. He also likes how the star can see all, but at the same time he does not like how it is so lonely. By saying these things, he is saying that he wants to be unchangable, but he does not want to be alone. He wants to just lie there with his lover "pillowed upon... [her] ripening breast" forever. If that is not possible, he would like to be "swooned to death," which does not sound like a bad death. It reminds me of the question,"Would you rather have loved and lost or never love at all. His answer would definitely be loved and lost. I think "Forever" by Ben Harper captures his feelings quite well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o96r6qr9CEw

"Those Winter Sundays" Robert Hayden

Most people interpret this poem as a boy who is afraid of his father, because of a rough life at home, but I got a completely different idea when I read it. I took it from a religious standpoint. Sunday is a holy day of obligation for Christians. I received the father as God, because God is our Father. The first stanza tells of all this work that the father does for everyone, but then says, "No one ever thanked him." I took that as His people being ungrateful for the many gifts he gives us. Stanza two tells of the fear the boy has of his father and "the chronic angers of that house," which I saw as hell. When Hayden says, "speaking indifferently to him," I thought that was referring to prayer when people never thank God for the many blessings he bestows upon us, yet, instead, we ask for things. It may be a stretch, but I am pretty sure that nothing is contradicting my theory. I did a little research on Robert Hayden, and he was raised a Baptist, which is a Christian denomination, but later converted to Baha'i faith when he married his wife. Baha'i faith is a monotheistic religion emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind (wikipedia).

"After Apple-Picking" Robert Frost

I think that apple-picking represents life, and after life is death; therefore, I think that this poem is an extended metaphor for looking back at one's life after death. I think that climbing the ladder represents time in purgatory while God looks over one's life and decides whether this person should go to heaven or hell. The "two or three apples... [he] didn't pick" are experiences he never had. Frost says in line 6 that he is done with apple-picking now, which means he has passed away. I think in saying "The scent of apples: I am drowsing off" is saying that he is losing his memory. But this man is old in age, because he said that he is "well upon... [his] way to sleep before it fell." I believe that the "magnified apples appear[ing] and disappear[ing]" are different scenes from his life flashing before his life. I think Frost describing his foot aching and the pressure of the latter further exemplifies my theory of purgatory, because he has to wait for God's decision. The "ten thousand thousand fruit to touch" are the many opportunites of life. When he says to cherish every apple, even if it's bruised, he is saying to learn from one's own mistakes. Finally, I think that he compares this sleep to the sleep of a woodchuck, hibernation, because it is an extended amount time that he is sleeping. This could also be time in purgatory.

"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" Emily Dickinson

This poem can be interpreted in different ways, but I think that it is extended metaphor of someone that is going insane. Dickinson uses the sense of sound throughout the work to give the impression of being inside a coffin during a funeral; I think that she is actually trapped inside her own mind with all of these thoughts running through it. The "mourners to and fro" would be the people in her life, but doesn't communicate with because they don't understand. They "kept treading" and going on with their lives while she couldn't. In the second stanza she refers to the beating of a drum, which could be the consistent pains that she has and cannot control. She comes out and says "My mind is going numb" in line 12. She hears "Boots of Lead" lift "a box," her coffin, and "creak" across her soul in stanza 3, further exemplifying the use of sound. Still in stanza four, she refers to the Heavens as a bell. She says she is in "some strange race" with silence. I think this is her trying to fight the thoughts inside her head. "And then a Plank in Reason, broke," AKA she loses the fight and snaps falling into the insanity.

"The Widow's Lament in Springtime" William Carlos Williams

I feel like many people can relate to this poem, because the central theme is sorrow being so overbearing that one can't focus on anything else. Even if one hasn't lost a loved one, most everyone has had a time where he/she is overtaken by anguish. It seems as though she cannot find happiness in anything because everything reminds her of deceased husband when she says "sorrow in my own yard" and "though they (flowers) were my joy formerly, today I notice them and turned away forgetting." It's almost heart breaking. I, for one, can understand where she is coming from to a certain extent. I have been lost in heartache to the point where I couldn't sleep and when I was alone I thought of nothing else. It's a terrible feeling. I think Williams gets this feeling across well with his tone. He even says "I feel that I would like to go there" after her son tells her about the place in the meadow. It is as if she cannot even force herself to do anything, but mourn his death. I have never been to this point of depression by any means, but one can almost feel the pain.

I think that this poem is an easy read; I like the format. Williams uses juxtaposition when describing how the widow wants to "fall into those flowers and sink into the marsh near them." The flowers give a sense of happiness, while the marsh has a negative connotation. I interpreted this as the widow wanting to die to be with her husband, which would be bitter sweet indeed.

"Spring" Gerard Manley Hopkins

While reading "Spring," I began interpreting that this poem was about pregnancy. I may be completely off, but I tried making everything match up so that nothing was contradicting my theory, as Perrine said to do in his essay. It is common for people to say that pregnancy is beautiful-"Nothing so beautiful." "Thrush's eggs" refer to the fertilized egg. The "rinse and ring" could refer to a woman's cycle. In saying the "peartree leaves and blooms" could mean the baby is growing. I interpreted line 11, "In Eden garden. --Have get, before it cloy," as the innocence of the mother in father before they conceive the child. The "cloud" and "sour sinning" could be the man and woman getting lost in the meaning or the hardships of the pregnancy, such as morning sickness, mood swings, and whatnot. I thought that line 13, "Innocent mind and Mayday boy and girl," was ironic, because the boy and girl are now having their own innocent child. Then line 14 talks about the "choice and worthy winning" of the "maid's child," which I interpretted as the baby being born, and the parents being pleased with their decision to have the child. Like I said, that may be all wrong. Just throwing it out there!

Perrine Poetry

I believe that Perrine has an interesting approach to determining "correct" interpretations of poetry, but I believe that it is his opinion. Although he makes valid points, I do not fully agree with him. He thinks that there are certain poems that have only one exact meaning, but others that can be interpreted in different ways as long as the meaning is similar. How are we supposed to know which one is which? On the other hand, the idea that no can explain the meaning of their own poem struck me, because it makes great sense. Perrine said it was like "admitting failure." I can agree with that, because the poet is supposed to have created this image for us to interpret, and if he/she has to explain, the different assimilations of readers are ruined. For me, it has been a long time since I have dealt with poetry. This article makes me realize that interpreting a work is much more particular than I remembered. I will try to make my analysis fit every detail of the poem as best as I can. This article makes me feel dumb, because I feel like I would never think of those things on my own sometimes.

The idea that "if it is contradicted by any detail it is wrong" somewhat confuses me. I feel like there are ways in which anyone can say that you are contradicting yourself, but to you it makes perfect sense. It's interpreting a poem, not solving a math equation. Contradicting Perrine, I feel that poems can have different meanings, but math equations have just one answer. I do agree, though, that the most satisfactory interpretation "relies on the fewest assumptions not grounded in the poem." However, I feel that this statment makes shallow interpretations seem okay, instead of digging for something deep. I think it is kind of annoying how he goes through and matches plurality versus singularity, but it makes me think to do the same thing from now on. I think Perrine presents accurate points, but, at the same time, this article should not be a rubric for how our interpretations should be graded.