Images - American History Looks for Light - A Prayer for the Survival of Barack Obama by Roger Bonair - Agard
by Roger Bonair - Agard
Discussion Questions:
Identify the images used in this poem. You may refer to chapter 2 of Imaginative Writing and your class partner (s) for assistance.
- Consider how to the images in this poem appeal to the senses of the reader.
- Identify at least two concrete, significant details.
- Identify one figure of speech that enhances the ways this poet used images.
Be "Reader of a Writerly Kind"
In the comments box below, write about one of your favorite images in the poem and why it appealed to you as "a reader of a writerly kind". This answer should only be 2-3 sentences. Best practices include drafting the statement using word software and posting the revised answer into the comments box below.
“Most of the dead floated, traveling with the help of their own invisible wind.”
ReplyDelete“ Those ants pushing and pulling away the smallest pieces of her cracker.”
“I wanted to bring her back, to have her arrive from wherever she was inside herself and see me at the table, across from her, waiting patiently.”
“But it was HERS, and she cried out, but the ants ignored her.”
"im so fast I take off the switch and be in bed before the lights come off"
Delete- I liked this imagery, because I remember growing up I would turn off the lights and try to jump in my bed as fast as I can.
"neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me."
- This imagery really put emphasis on what the author is trying to state, which is why I like it.
"not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness"
- I like this imagery, because it shows how flat the snow is
^ - Anthony Nguyen
DeleteThe third poem taught me that repetitiveness sometimes is not bad. I tend to think that if i use a word too much it is bad, but this poem used repetitiveness beautifully.
DeleteMy favorite image in the poem was in Snow Day, "its a white flag waving over everything" I can just picture the thick snow covering everything. I am not used to seeing snow during the winter times so to read about how others see it and picture it makes me excited for the winter season.
ReplyDeleteHow I want to use imagery is to be more open with it and explore my thoughts with the use of images instead of being literal be more figurative.
DeleteAvery Gulgren
ReplyDeleteSome Imagery that stood out to me in this poem was, "neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me." I think this gives some great imagery and you can really see a clear image of what the author is talking about. This poem is very passionate and lines like this really allows for the poem to come to life.
They are amazing fish fanning their steel gills, their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly like a school and miniature fighter planes built for such an idealism as yours. I think these all really make your mind imagine the fish with the steel gills and see how sharp they are. And they all relate because they are all making your mind imagine many different ways of lines like school and the fish and steel with the fish and planes as your idealism.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the poem, talking about why trajectory is important. It talks about how one inch can end a life, it will hit the rib cage or it will hit the organ.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite images in the poem is the phrase, "I'm so fast I dodged a circus of bullets". The word circus creates an overwhelming feeling of chaos and pairing that word with bullets, a very negatively connotated word, allows the reader to see this picture in their brain and really sets a message.
ReplyDeleteEven further, as a writer, it helps to read other peoples crafts that use lots of figurative language. It teaches me to get a little more creative and to play around with different phrasing and making of points.
Delete"Trajectory is everything the difference between a kiss off the ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ"- I like the way the opening is phrased. Rather than graze he used a kiss, a soft action, and contrasts it with the "blood of a ripe organ."
ReplyDelete"see how bullets bury what they can't kill," I thought it was an interesting use of personification, giving the bullets life.
"See how marvelous my entrances, how devastating my exit wounds" I like how this flows and paints the path of the bullet, and also carries eating about the author himself.
“They are amazing fish fanning their steel gills like razors, their fins peeling back…”. This really stood out to me because of the harshness of image he’s portraying, like nothing about the steel gills are soft because the things that the speaker faces aren’t soft, and therefore he has to also be strong and harsh to battle against them.
ReplyDeleteThat powerful imagery that puts you in the mindset of the writer is important depending on the message that you want to convey. The speaker here is wanting to convey that he is a powerful being and no matter what he faces or goes up against, it can’t compare to how incredible he is. The words he uses to describe things are harsh, he’s not pulling any verbal punches with his speech and combined with the way that he performed it, you’re really able to understand how he feels about himself and his security in the world around him. But if you wanted to go for a more softer approach to describing something, you would have to find softer words and phrases in order to portray the gentle tones of your writing.
DeleteCamden Hedrick
ReplyDelete“Their fins pulling back
Formation neat and orderly like a school”
- a school of fish
- Schools keep people in line
- Their fins pulling back could refer to the hammer of a gun
- Could also refer to people being ready to spout invectives, taking a breath in and getting ready to stay their piece
"...the difference between the kiss off the ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ.", this sounds really good and flows well, "They are amazing fish, fanning their steel gills like razors, their fins peeling back...", this has good imagery, and then I liked the repetition of the lines 23-33 how they all start with "I'm so", this probably had the greatest effect on me because of the importance placed on the successes of Obama, example "I'm so slick not even Bill could sink me.", "I'm so fast I dodged a circus of bullets."
ReplyDeleteThis poem taught me how versatile you can be with imagery when using someone else's perspective. While the narrator isn't Barrack Obama, he used lines 23-33 with the repetition of the "I'm so...", to use his perspective.
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the imagery from the line “a kiss off the rib cage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ”.It exemplifies how delivery can impact those around you in different ways. It could lightly touch one person and completely destroy another.
ReplyDeleteI believe this improves my skills as a writer by showing me the importance of concise, beautiful words. Imagery helps to entertain and perplex a reader, which helps them engage in your art more. I tend to over describe in my work, and I believe imagery could help me make my work less wordy and more interesting.
Deletethe imagery from Malcom pulls Obamas Coat is lively talking about Malcom someone who played a huge part in the African American movement is standing besides Obama telling him people will follow him around like a school of fish and harass him with their razor fins.
ReplyDeleteDonovan B
Deletemy favorite text of imagery was in snow day "THE government buildings smothered, schools and libraries buried, the post office lost under the noiseless drift" just because i can actually see what was being said not just by the words but by the fact ive experienced things like that.
ReplyDeletei think that this poem taught me to open my mind up to different things seven when you think you don't understand it.
DeleteI like the image, “it’s white flag waving over everything, the ground vanished”. In my mind, it’s like you can picture the snow all over the ground.
ReplyDeleteNeither a disease nor plane crash nor disaster nor a knife or hurricane is as dramatic as me
ReplyDeleteThese things are shown on the news as the most dramatic things that can happen, but even they are more dramatic than that
Im so fast I dodged a curcuit of bullets
The image of someone just doing the matrix bend and dodging bullets really puts an visual in your head
Like a loaned Muhammed the butterfly and the bee
The visual of Muhammed getting these skills of boxing is super imaginative
^^ I like the image, “it’s white flag waving over everything, the ground vanished”. In my mind, it’s like you can picture the snow all over the ground.
ReplyDelete"Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me" I really liked this one because its giving you many events in life that could happen that rare a pretty big deal and he's still saying he's more dramatic
ReplyDeleteI really like how he used imagery and personification. He had lots of repetition within the poem . "im so fast I take off the switch and be in bed before the lights come off" I really like this because this is so relatable and definitely something I did as a kid.
ReplyDeleteGrace Dickherber
DeleteOne of my main favorite imagery that stuck out to me was when it said "Barack I legacy you Me - like I loaned Muhammed the butterfly and the bee we stay vested". I think thank Barack is seen as big as Muhammed legacy which was very interesting. I also like it was incorporated with a butterfly and a bee.
ReplyDelete"Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me." He is comparing himself to all of these huge life altering events, but he is more impactful than them all. I think that this line is really cool just because we get to see how highly he thinks of himself.
ReplyDeleteReading this poem taught me that I do not have to use super fancy descriptive words to obtain good imagery within my writing. I can still get my message across while using imagery with clear and concise words.
Delete"see this river flow, bones see how butterflies bury what they can't kill"
ReplyDelete"Miniature fighter planes built for such idealism as yours."
"the difference between a kiss off the ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ"
The last one stands out the most to me. As a reader we can see the gentle impact of a kiss on the rips, where no one is hurt or broken. We can also picture a bleeding organ, after being ripped out. we are presented with two juxtaposed images of someone who's been hurt, but to two different degrees.
charlie pesek^
DeleteListening and reading this poem I realized is should add a deeper metaphorical meaning to my writing. Leaving more things up to interpretation, adding a more artistic touch to my writing. Being able to add in the imagery that could be interpreted different ways.
DeleteCharlie Pesek
The images in this poem create a vivid picture of what the writer is attempting to portray. The way it is delivered in the video with such passion and gusto drives home the point. Two specific phrases are "fanning their steel gills like razors," and "steel be hard like stone." One figure of speech used is allusion. He speaks about loaning Muhammad Ali the bird and the bee. I would say one of the clearest images is "see how i live ecstatic --fly jumpsuit dramatic..." This sticks out to me because It uses consonance and creates an image of energy.
ReplyDeleteThe images in the poem "the bullet takes the bait" displays how the author is powerful with his words like a hurricane or bullet would be. The lines 35-40 show how he is more dramatic than all of the traumatic events that were listed
ReplyDeleteThis poem taught me how to use our past and how we've overcame troubles and that nothing is able to get in the way of our thoughts and how we want to be confident as writers
DeleteThe line "Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me." This line has colorful imagery and clearly shows the passion of the writer. Essentially, they are saying how important and influential they are in comparison to these other extreme and horrible events.
ReplyDelete"The difference between a kiss of the ribcage or blessed blood of a ripe organ" this line stood out to me because a kiss is normally seen as gentle and reliving but in the poem it is being related to a bullet brushing against the rib cage. Also ripe is not a word I would use to describe an organ but I enjoyed the word use to put this picture in the readers mind.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite image in the poem is “The brain protests the most neurons firing over and around the holy landing trying to make sense of it” and I found this the most interesting because I’m studying psychology. The neurons in our brains do play a crucial role in trying to assist us makes sense of life and the events that occur in our life.
ReplyDeleteThis poem taught me how to be more poetic and real with my writing and that its ok to be poetic and use raw material. In the past, I have used a more influential type of writing but I have been wanting to change it to a style with more flow. I want to use image to describe events or feelings because I feel like imagery is used best that way.
DeleteThe line that stood out to me was “Trajectory is everything the difference between the kiss off a ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ”. They used imagery to get you to know how trajectory is such a different route.
ReplyDeleteReading this poem taught me that my own writing style is not as complex as I thought it was. I have to be more understanding when I read these poems and how it makes me feel. I want to use imagery so people can actually relate to what I’m talking about.
DeleteA line that stood out to me the most was, "how bullets bury what they can't kill see how I live ecstatic" I took from this that he could be shot, but he can't be killed since he is so amazing.
ReplyDelete"They are amazing fish fanning their steel gills like razors their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly as a school barreling toward the abdomen..." I think it shows how sharp and orderly the planes were and this line just really stuck out to me from all the others. It also shows how the planes were orderly but they were still making havoc and chaos just as school children sometimes tend to be chaotic. But it could also be about how school children are told to be in a neat and orderly line when moving
ReplyDeleteThis poem taught me to be confident in my writing no matter how much critique there is sense so many things can come at you or hit you but you can still be confident. Also the way you say or write something can affect the way the poem or writing is perceived
Delete“Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me” appealed to me very much. I say this because it shows how strong and how ominous he is.
ReplyDeleteGabriel Roman
This poem made me realize how important imagery is and how to use it to better express emotions and feelings about settings and characters. An example of this is how the writer shows the character in a ominous tone by comparing him to a hurricane or plane crash.
Delete"Neither disease nor plane crash/not knife or hurricane or freak accident/ is as dramatic as me". Him using these tragic events as a comparison to how dramatic a human can be really stuck out to me. This comparison is very effective in getting his point across because it used examples that everyone reading would know the consequences of -like a plane crash or hurricane- just to show the amount of "dramatic" that he is. This shows that to get your point across you can use contrasting events to emphasize your point, but use ones that the audience will know or relate to in order to make it more effective
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of impact in the way you present your work. Each writer has a unique presence and it is important to make your mark in your writing. This allows your personality and passion to flow through your story.
ReplyDeleteReading and listing to the poems taught me that not only the way you write something but the way you listen to it can affect the meaning of the poem. It can affect how you feel about it.
ReplyDelete“ I’m so fast I'll be gone by trigger time
ReplyDeleteI'm so bad I beat Hillary by 30
I'm so slick not even Bill could sink me
I'm so badass my name is Barack” appealed to me because it repeated traits about him that makes him strong and impressive.
"neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me."
ReplyDeleteHow this affects me in a "a reader of a writerly kind," is that I realized that in my own writing that I can be emphasizing things more. Using imagery can help bolster what I write and clearly explain what I am trying to show.
^ Anthony Nguyen
DeleteThree instances of imagery that I noticed were (1) when the speaker says "their fins peeling back/formations neat and orderly as a school," in poem ii, (2) when the speaker says "see the body begin to decompose/in an instant" in poem iii, and also (3) when the poet titles 3 of the 5 poems with the word "bullet." The image of fighter planes lining up like a school gives me an image of not only an organized group, but a massive one. I related this image to the death in my second example of imagery. It is easy (unfortunately) to visualize a mass of fighter pilots pouring down a rain of bullets and bodies beginning to decompose after a strike. The last example of imagery that I found especially interesting was the use of the word bullet in the titles. The bullet, through the titles, first "speaks of purpose" then "takes the bait" and finally is known by Bruce Lee. A bullet is a very fast-moving, very powerful object and that image is connected to Obama and his actions as president and thereon after.
ReplyDelete_
This poem taught me that my writing is usually very bland or simply descriptive. This poem almost seemed to jump off the page because of how vivid the descriptions were. I could work on adding more abstract details and metaphors when writing for fun or in certain classes.
Two concrete details I found in the poem were (1) "I'm so fast I dodged a circus of bullets" from poem iii and (2) "See this fist/this quick a capella kick/kung fu" from poem v. Both of these details we know as readers through our senses.
Delete-
One example of figurative language in American History is hyperbole. In poem iii, the speaker says "I'm so good I shook up the world." Obama can not literally shake the Earth, but his actions and words may cause a shift in thinking and/or revolution of thought or action.
"fish fanning their steel gills like razors, their fins peeling back"
ReplyDeleteI really liked the imagery because it was talking about the people that are against him lining up like fish and coming against him. It brings together the poem and why this man is writing a "prayer" for Obama.
"neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is dramatic as me"
This highlights how powerful his decisions can be and no matter what comes his way he will do his best to stop it.
This poem taught me as a writer, to be dramatic in my writing and use strong comparisons that will bring to life the meaning I am intending. My own writing needs to have more comparisons and imagery within it, and I need to use more imagery to describe feelings or thing to the reader better.
"don't you ever think steel is hard like bone" "don't you ever think steel is hard like home" I like the idea that this paints in regard that despite the destruction that a bullet may cause there are things that remain stronger than steel
ReplyDelete"Neither disease nor plane crash, not knife or hurricane or freak accident, is as dramatic as me" This is my favorite images in the poem because it describes events that happen that I can picture in my mind and it helps me compare. He is very proud of himself and it is apparent through this quote. All of these things are very dramatic and life-altering so it helps us imagine the power he creates. Reading this poem has made me realize how when writing poems or any sort of writing, I need to incorporate more imagery but take it a step deeper. Make the imagery less surface level and try to make the reader really think about what the author is trying to say.
ReplyDeleteI think it teaches us as a reader how you can turn real life things into a poem and it symbolizes how we can turn different aspects of the world can be turned into our own writing. It shows us how we can relay our feelings through real world things and being open minded with the reading
ReplyDeleteThis is Olivia
DeleteHaley Kolinski
ReplyDeleteI learned that I should not exactly focus on what makes sense. I am allowed to write how I feel and why certain things make me feel different ways.
After reading the poem I learned that I should be more descriptive in my writing so that readers can see what I am trying to show them.
ReplyDelete"I dodged a circus of bullets" I liked this line of imagery specifically because it can mean so many different things literal or figurative. For example this could mean Something of the matrix or it could mean he has dodged many figurative bullets in his life time. These figurative bullets in my eyes are situations he could've been apart of at the wrong time but somehow continued to avoid the consequences that came along with it. I also think this could mean I dodged a circus of verbal bullets.
ReplyDeleteAnother Image I really liked was "There is no doubt in my mind, they will come for you, dozens at a time". I liked these lines because it provided a clear image to what seemed to be the intention. But it also made me think who is coming for you and why do they need to use such force. Why Is the victim in this poem the target of such a force to be reckoned with, who needs twelve men to take them down.
This poem taught me how to be more descriptive with less words. Using short powerful words to enlighten the reader to the intensity of the situation. I also learned about the delivery and how important it is to produce imagery with a proper delivery. I also think this poem provides a proper structure. I say this because the transition between the normal content and the real emotional content was smooth, it kept the reader engaged and emphasized the real emotion within the poem.
It taught me about using more imagery and being specific and using figurative language to create a story and meaning
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(Quote): fish fanning their steel gills like razors their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly as a school barreling toward the abdomen heart spleen kidney anywhere there is light
ReplyDelete(Quote): I'm so good I shook up the world I'm so fast I dodged a circus of bullets I'm so fast I take off the switch and be in bed before the light comes off
These quotes from the poems have taught me as a writer that imagery is not always through how descriptive a word may be but also the emotions that the word may carry with it in that situation. Also these poems have taught me to think in a more outside of the box type of way and when describing things maybe use terms to make people think rather than something that instantly gives them the image.
The images in this poem appeal to the sense of the reader because it creates such a vivid thought and expression for what he’s trying to say. It creates emotion and rawness that cannot be found anywhere else. A few images this poem brings to light, “the wailing the vivid snapshots”, “miniature fighter planes built for such idealism as yours… there is light”, and “see the body become tendrils of impressionist thought”. One figure of speech that the poet uses is metaphor in the entire third stanza from lines 23 to 33. These lines appealed to me as a reader of a writerly kind is to say the poem in how the poet would say it, with all the intonation and inflection to be in their shoes, to feel the same power, raw emotion, they did and then analyzations of the poem can commence- it’ll help you then understand the poem overall. The imagery created such a reaction as me akin to kinship, it was powerful, it provoked feeling and if you say the poem out loud to yourself as the the poet himself did, you get swept up in the same intonation and feeling that the writer intended it to have.
ReplyDelete-Bella Hardin
¨The brain protests neurons firing over and firing over and around holy landing¨ I felt that what he meant was that his brain and intelligence is so powerful that is body and spirit is almost holy.
ReplyDeleteHaley Kolinski
"...see how bullets bury what they can't kill."
ReplyDelete"Barack I legacy you..."
"Don't you never think steel is hard as bone..."
The imagery used here stood out to me because it helps me better understand the poet's purpose of writing a "prayer for the survival of Barack Obama." For example, the poet describes how bullets only take away a physical body. Bullets do not diminish a person's impact. When someone passes they are survived by their supporters and the legacy that they left behind.
This poem taught me that the use imagery is a great way to connect the reader more deeply to the text. Imagery asks the reader to use their senses/ feelings in order to interpret a text. When I use imagery in my writing, I am going to ask myself how I can describe human sensations through my words.
Delete"Fish fanning their steel gills like razors their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly as a school" This created an image that they were strong and uniform and stuck together as a team.
ReplyDeleteJessica Welch
Delete"trajectory is everything, the difference between a kiss off the ribcage or the bless blood of a ripe organ" stuck out to me because the slightest change of aim can decide the fate of where the bullet lands and the effect it will have. They made it easy to visualize the difference.
ReplyDeleteava culligan
Delete"Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me"
ReplyDeleteThis line appealed to me the most because he is listing off some of the biggest accidents that could happen to someone, but yet he is still more dramatic than those. It puts how dramatic he believes he is into perspective for the reader.
This poem taught me that it is good to go into detail about some ideas that I write about but not all of them. I can go into detail and create imagery for the bigger important ideas in the writing but the other smaller ideas don't need detail. It also taught me to let the writing go with the flow and not force it.
Delete"As neat and barrelling as a school" : when you think of an elementary school especially you think of kids being in a single file line and being silent walking from class to class. "I'm so badass I'm Barack" : as an African American male reading this poem, it makes a big impact that he was talking about Barack Obama that way. "So fast I flip the switch and be in bed before the light turns off" : it shows he's as fast as lightening.
ReplyDelete"They are amazing fish fanning their steel gills like razors (simile) their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly" stook out to me as a piece of imagery. I have learned that imagery takes one's writing to another level. It is crucial to keep readers' interested, entertained, and focused. Imagery also helps create ways for readers to figure out what something means.
ReplyDeleteRepetition/listing and allusions to other cultural icons creates an aura of power and respect. Even if you did not know who the poems were about, the reader can easily tell it is about an important and significant figure.
ReplyDeleteDescriptive poetry and changing the point of view are two ways to better resonate with your reader. Reading Bonair-Agard's poems helps further remind me that truly great writers do not limit themselves to one format or style.
Delete"Neither disease nor plane crash, nor knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me."
ReplyDeleteThroughout the poem, he speaks with such swagger that it makes him seem not better than Muhammad Ali or Barrack Obama, but as their prodicessor. He is ready to take on the mantle and continue their excellence through him.
These poems have taught me to open my mind to different points of view. Also, their language and tone in the poems have taught me to understand that my experiences may be credited to the people who have come before me and use their history as a catalyst to help expand the expressions I am able to make in my writing.
“They are amazing fish fanning their steel gills like razors their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly as a school” This stood out to me because he uses a metaphor that creates a very clear image/mood. Steel and razor are such cold, harsh words which I think delivers his point clearly but in a new way that generates more thought and creates more clarity for the readers. This teaches me that as a writer I could try to find more creative ways and words to get my point or idea across.
ReplyDelete“bones see how bullets bury what they can’t kill” (line 60). This poem speaks on the human body using imagery such as the image of a bullet stuck in a bone that didn’t go all the way through it. The bullet being buried in the bone represents how strong the interior skeleton is in the human body that we will not die from a gunshot if the bullet hits a bone. It represents how strong we are as people too, not just physically but mentally/emotionally as well.
ReplyDelete"They are amazing fish fanning their steel gills like razors their fins peeling back formations neat and orderly as a school barreling toward the abdomen heart spleen kidney anywhere there is light" I like the juxtaposition he uses when compares something like a beautiful animal to something so destructive like a bullet.
ReplyDeleteI liked “Neither no disease nor plane nor knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me” I really enjoyed how he compared all of these big dramatic events or objects, and said he was more dramatic than them. It really appealed to me because most people would never admit that they are dramatic let alone say they are more dramatic than a plane crash or hurricane.
ReplyDelete(My comment is above I forgot to put my name) Reading this poems really taught me to open my mind to new concepts and ideas that I never. Had thought of before.
DeleteThis poem showed me how powerful creating imagery and being descriptive can be. Even though it can be dramatic, it really helps to get your point across more effectively to the reader and create a visual for them. Which can make it more enjoyable for the reader.
ReplyDelete"Trajectory is everything the difference between a kiss on the ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ" This quote uses its imagery of a bullet to represent how important trajectory whether that be for an actual bullet or just in any aspect of life almost like a mindset of speed and efficiency. This really appealed to me because of the way he describes the analogy, knowing that an actual bullet slamming into another living being is almost always seen as a negative thing but instead the author spins this ideal on its heady by saying words like "a kiss on the ribcage" and the "blessed blood of a ripe organ".
ReplyDeleteThis poem definitely taught me to not be afraid to think outside of the box similarly like how the author takes a lot of negative things and spins them on their heads turning things that are considered a touchy subject and writing it in such a way that is strictly figurative molding it into whatever I see fit.
Taught me: imagery can be really powerful, this poem compared really powerful things to really simple things like comparing fighter planes to schools of fish, and comparing being shot to a “kiss off the ribcage” helps the reader to make connections and use their imagination to understand the writing
ReplyDelete“Trajectory is everything the difference between a kiss off the rib cage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ” Right off the bat this drew me in, I thought I had to search and interpret lines to find it but with this it helps set the tone for the rest of the piece. Imagery is present in writing’s to help readers visualize, analyze, and interpret things in their own way. This line alone makes me think of how your body reacts to certain environments, like your heart pumping(kissing) in your chest or the blood flowing through you.
ReplyDeleteThe poems taught me that no matter what forms I write in I can get a message across. Imagery can be used to display the purpose and extent of feeling I can put behind a piece. Changing the flow of words throughout can help make certain points at certain moments which can help drive for the message I want to convey.
“Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me”
ReplyDeleteAll of these things are traumatic and life alternating so he is proving how much he means to the world and how impactful he is to everyone he touches.
“Don’t you ever think steel is as hard as home”
The comparison of steel and home is meaningful because he emphasizes that they are completely different: a home should be soft and welcoming unlike the hardness of steel
“I’m so fast I dodged a circus of bullets”
He is showing that he does the unthinkable because realistically no one can dodge the quickness of a series of bullets, but in this case he states that he can.
“Trajectory is everything the difference between a kiss off the ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ.” This to me is saying that in life, the littlest things and details matter so much. The littlest details could have the most drastic impacts. This poem taught me that some of the best writing is when you mix in writing like a writer and being very personable. I feel like when there’s a good mixture of those two, I find reading very more enjoyable. It made me want to be more personable when I write.
ReplyDelete“The brain protests the most neurons firing over and around the holy landing trying to make sense of it the wailing and the vivid snapshots metal tendrils reaching trying to block the light”
ReplyDeleteIt taught me that imagery can be an integral part of a piece. It can elevate it and have just as much, if not more meaning as normal writing. It taught me that imagery is more than just describing setting, and that I can use it for portraying thoughts and feelings.
“Neither disease nor plane crash not knife or hurricane or freak accident is as dramatic as me.” This is one of my favorite images in the poem because of how it’s so vivid and descriptive. I think this really gives the reader an insight to the author’s thought process and to how they view themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite image from this poem is when the writer said “There is no doubt in my mind they will come for you dozens at a time.” This stuck out to me as “a reader of a writerly kind” because it holds so much value to how I am feeling as a freshman in college. It seems as though the writer perfectly captured a sense of life taking its course. This signifies a sliver of how I often times feel going through tough times. It appeals to the reader because he then follows this line with “miniature fighter planes built for such an idealism as yours.” This speaks so much volume to how real life becomes and truly speaks to the readers as trials and tribulations can overwhelm us. This teaches me that within my own writing it’s okay to express difficultly. It’s okay to let go and write what feels right whether it’s sad, happy, angry, or even emotional thoughts. Being a reader of a writerly kind is so important because it allows you to truly think about what you are writing and to re-read, listen, and feel what thoughts you brought to the page. The figure of speech that I enjoyed was the figurative language used when he mentioned the fighter jets coming all at once. Although this is not literal, it adds depth and a true image was placed in my head to understand what point the writer wanted to get across.
ReplyDeletePart V is a very confrontational and upfront tone, there is nostalgia for those who have not seen Bruce lee or Chuck Norris in years with the change of TV over time. " Barack I legacy You- Me- like I loaned Muhammad the butterfly and the bee". Another instance of nostalgia for readers who are old enough to remember the boxing legacy of Muhammad Ali. confrontational and upfront aspects come from the end saying " don't you ever think steel be hard as stone" this is a metaphor due to the fact steel and stone are both strong in a physical manner. I feel like I learned that the upfront manner can give the reader almost a voice in their head when it is attached to something, like bruce lee in this instance, from their past that they relate to.
ReplyDeletesorry, Wesley Coffman^
DeleteMy favorite was “There is no doubt in my mind they will come for you dozens at a time.” I picked this one because I very much relate to it given the struggle I feel with everyday problems. I think why I like the quote so much is because it is so applicable to struggles constantly felt by everyone. I think I will utilize this as a writer, because while the poem is about something hyper-specific, lines like this are something that everyone can relate to even if the specific content isnt something that is particularly applicable.
DeleteMy 3 favorite lines of the poem are listed below.
ReplyDelete- "A kiss off the ribcage or the blessed blood of a ripe organ"
- "The brain protects the neurons firing over and around the holy landing"
- "The amazing fish fanning their gills like razors"
I like all of these lines and they spoke to me because of the diction the author uses. He uses specific and impactful diction that grabs the attention of the reader and leaves a legacy in their mind about what they just read. It taught me that in my writing, I should use more diverse and specific words with an impact. It also taught me to write with confidence in my skills and abilities. Also, I learned to repeat a specific piece of my writing in order to leave that legacy with the reader and want them to remember the impact your story had on them.
My favorite imagery is “kiss off the rib cage or the blessed blood” because I like how it shows the vulnerability of the body parts. I can see it vividly and sets the mood, and shows strength. It makes me feel pulled to wanting to read more because the story isn’t flat, it has dimension.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the lines talking about the gills of steel on the fish and referencing them to a bullet. These lines really get you thinking about the comparison. These poems taught me that you can reference things that originally you might think dont compare but through creative writing almost anything can compare.
ReplyDeleteAbby Ford