Identity Unit- Poem Three

Hazel Tells Laverne

Katharyn Howd Machan

“Classic fairy tales do not deny the existence of heartache and sorrow, but they do deny universal defeat.” This phrase of wisdom published by Greenhaven Press suggests the theme of Machan's poem, Hazel Tells Laverne. For, Machan in the words of LaVerne, questions "me a princess (Lines 13, 24-25) throughout the entirety of the poem. 

The idea of the "frog prince" is satirized throughout the course of the poem as the attainability of a fairytale is questioned and challenged by LaVerne who laughs at and does not believe in the prospect of becoming a princess herself. As a simple madden in the Howard Johnson Hotel chain, LaVerne suggests that, for the uneducated and working class, fairy tales can have no greater meaning than a dreamy story as she must be realistic in her goals and aspirations. Yet, how can she ever know without trying? Stubborn and firm in her disbelief, LaVerne flushes the from down the toilet. The openness and informality of the poem helps to satirize the unatainability and falseness of fairy tales  by making LaVerne's story humorous. Machan mocks the idea of the "frog prince" through characterization of LaVerne as a disadvantaged product of social restrain in which moving beyond one's class is a joke. For, LaVerne, with her incorrect grammar, lack of social manners, and working class past is as close to a princess as the frog itself.

Machan's craftily humorous poem suggests that, in fairytales, there is heartache and sorrow, but that the true happy ending is that such can be defeated. While there may be no "frog prince" or "fairy godmother," there can be happy endings. Whether a person becomes rich and successful or attains happiness from the pleasantry of everyday life, fairytales can come to life through imagination of identity. 

Identity Unit- Poem Two

Mr. Z

By: M. Carl Holman

In Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman, society is satirized through the use of irony. From the diction to the use of metaphors in lines 16 and 22, the irony of society and its influences on individuals is presented through the characterization of the unnamed and mysterious Mr. Z. Irony, thus, becomes a crucial literary technique directing the full meaning of the poem. 

As a poem about one man's goal to create his own identity, separate of race, one sees how such a dream can be ironically attained yet never fully achieved. For, Mr. Z, implied as a biracial minority who's life goal is to be seen unconnected from race becomes "One of the most distinguished members of his race (Holman, Page 848)." This simple phrase, initially presenting the idea that Mr. Z attains his dream by becoming a distinguished human ironically displays that the dream of personal identity is never achieved as Mr. Z is still seen as a "member of his race." For, Mr. Z is "An airborne plant plant, flourishing without roots" as presented in the metaphor in line 22. This phrase suggests that such a goal of escaping race is like taking away the roots of Mr. Z. These roots are his heritage, his culture, and part of his identity. In the poem, the irony presented leaves the phrase "I am...?" unfinished for Mr. Z. While he has become a distinguished member of his race, his identity as an individual still remains unclear. 

In the poem, Holman uses metaphors, diction, and irony to satirize society and its classification of people by qualities rather than individual characteristics. Additionally, it satirizes individuals as people searching for identity, but denying it in their past. With such irony, the idea of identity as an element of both past, present, and future qualities and aspects is fully presented. 

Identity Unit- Poem One

Dream Deferred

Langston Hughes

Rhetorical questions serve as powerful literary techniques that present the reader with dilemmas and uncertainty. The questions allow the reader to look at aspects presented in an open light and analyze the different qualities. In this short poem by Langston Hughes, the entire piece is composed of rhetorical questions. Masterfully though, these questions act not only as dilemmas to be analyzed, but as answers to themselves.  

In the piece, Hughes presents the question, "What happens to a dream deferred (Page 805)?" With this simple phrase, Hughes presents the dilemma of what becomes of unachieved dreams. With every following question, Hughes presents a possible result in the form of similes. From drying up "like a raisin" to festering "sores" or "rotting" and "crusting", Hughes suggests that dreams decay and become irreversibly damaged and unattainable. Most importantly and with the greatest  emphasis as it is italicized, Hughes suggests that dreams "explode," becoming so large and unrealistic at times that any attainable part or element holding it together simply falls apart and is shattered. Additionally, Hughes emphasizes these unstained goals as "heavy loads" in the only sentence which is not phrased in rhetorical question format. This suggests that dreams can become weights that restrain a person from other dreams, holding one back like the bars of a jail cell. 

Identity Unit- Short Story Two

Interpreter of Maladies

By: Jhump Lahiri

Identity as seen through the eyes of others is often formed by their observations and connected to past memories. It is the way in which characteristics are presented, in how observations are related, and by the words used to illustrate such qualities that define the identity of characters within a story. Narration then becomes the crucial aspect of perception, controlling a reader's thoughts and opinions.

In the short story, Interpreter of Maladies, third person limited point of view objectively reveals the identities of the characters and displays their evolution as individuals throughout the course of the narrative. The narrator has a limited insight into the thoughts of Mr. Kapasi as the narrator relays his inner feelings as in the phrase "...Mr. Kapasi used to believe that all was right with the world, that all struggles were rewarded, that all of life's mistakes made sense in the end (Lahiri, 156)." This aspect is crucial to the plot development as it connects the reader to Mr. Kapasi's changing opinions of Mrs. Das from an irresponsible and somewhat rude American, to a woman of mystery and beauty, and finally a woman of secrets and inner-conflict. Additionally, it controls the reader's perceptions of the characters, challenging the reader to form the character's identities on their actions and relationship with each other. The reader's disconnection to any single character allows the reader to see the puzzle from the slowly connecting pieces. For, the reader is able to see the similarity in Mr. Kapast's marriage and life with that of the Das's, the connection between culture and social practices, and the power of dreams and the ease with which they can slip away.  

As the note with Mr. Kapast's address flies away forever into the wind, so does part of Mr. Kapast's identity. The short encounter with the Das family permanently changed his view of life, himself, and others leading him to rely on personal objectiveness rather than concrete images and aspects. For Mr. Kapast, identity becomes an aspect of memory.  

Identity Unit- Short Story One

Everyday Use

By: Alice Walker

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." This famous phrase from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet addresses the fundamental literary technique of symbolism used by Walker in her piece, Everyday Use.  In her piece, Walker takes the "everyday use" of names and instills within it a deeper meaning of identity. 

In Everyday Use, names represent a person, their past, their characteristics, their social group, their profession, and their traits. Names represent the changes in society and social movements (Page 177, Dee's name change) as well as a past. Alice Walker uses names in her writing not just as identity, but as a quality of characterization (Maggie is a static character as her name does not change, but Dee is dynamic as her name does change), a source of humor (Page 178, contemplation of Hakim-a-barber as a barber), and an allusion to culture or traditions (Page 179, quilt names). The connection of names to other aspects other than the individuality of a person is visible in Dee's explanation for her name change as she states, "She's dead. I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me (Page 177)." For Dee, her name represented a person and by detaching herself of that person, she became a knew character under a new persona. She undergoes a change in character type by becoming separated from her past and connected to a new identity. Name, as a symbol, represents the major themes of the short passage as it is an element of heritage passed down within families and possessive of family connections and meaning. 

As William Shakespeare so masterfully stated in Romeo and Juliet, a name is simply an element of classification that does not complete an object, but simply identifies it. An object could be called by any name, but it is the name that it is given that forms an association and connection in our minds. Thus, names become symbols of an object and an element of deeper meaning. For, a name tells and associates character, but most importantly, identity. 

Perrine Poetry

"The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry"

By: Laurence Perrine"

"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word." This powerful quote by Emily Dickinson represents the theme of Perrine's article about the interpretations of poetry and literature. For, Perrine sees the value of interpretations in illustrating the depth of understanding as, while there may be many possible meanings, there is often one that is most correct. I agree with such an approach as Perrine supports his argument by stating, "...any interpretation is acceptable which lies within that are (of meaning)..." but that the best interpretation "...is that which most fully explains the details of the poem without itself being contradicted by any detail..." and "...which relies on the fewest assumptions..." The poet guides the reader to certain thoughts, opinions, and interpretations through the use of expansions, but also challenges the reader to find their own meaning by using symbols and analogies so as not to limit its depth. Like Perrine, I feel that there can be many different interpretations for a poetic peace, but that a poem can not mean absolutely anything as some topics are simply not connected. With such being true, Perrine wisely explains that the most satisfactory interpretation is that which fills every corner of the piece. While it is often easy to make assumptions and conclusions, the interpretation that uses the most literal and direct meaning is the most accurate and precise. 

Upon first reading Perrine's article about the interpretation of poetry, I was struck by the idea he presents in the phrase "No poet..likes to be caught in the predicament of having to explain his own poems." This sentence describes the source of the topic of the article as it is the poets indirectness that leaves the reader to find their own meaning in a piece. Although I think poets often have an intention and purpose in their writing,  I think they also allow others to find their own inspiration and meaning in their pieces. It is this mastery and inability to sate what the poem means "without admitting failure" that gives poetry its value as an artwork with countless different angles all of which present a different picture that even the artist didn't always intend or see. Thus, I found Perrine's strategy of taking apart each poem and looking at the diction and imagery for more detailed meaning very helpful and wise. In interpreting poetry in class, I can use Perrine's advice as a guide in working to look at every aspect of a poem as a clue to solving the mystery of its meaning. I can look at diction to understand the strength of a symbol, each individual word as a description of the topic, and the context as either a confining or expanding aspect of a poem. It is the power of words that create new worlds. 

Reading Picture

A Step Back in Time

With both books taking place in the early 1900s, my summer reading came to life for me as I dressed in 1920s flapper clothes and visited places around Indianapolis that had been built or stood in the early 1900s. Such places included Fountain Square, Walker Theartre, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and the Indiana Statehouse and Capital Building. 

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” -Soren Kierkegaard

As in the reading, by taking a step back into past culture, the reader was able to look into the future.