“Solomon’s Song of Songs”

“Solomon’s Song of Songs”  

            The Song of Songs was probably written by King Solomon around the tenth century B.C. The speaker is a young woman referred to as Beloved.  Editorial material in the New International Version Study Bible (1995) describes this chapter as part of what is known as wisdom literature.  It is a poem that describes an amorous relationship between a man and a woman.  The poem intimates that this kind of love is a gift from God and is a normal, expected part of married life.

            As a Christian I enjoyed this poem and believe that others will also.  God means for us to be happy.  Some of the imagery used is hot!  Examples include his fruit is sweet to my taste and you two breasts are like fawns.  So anyone who has a stereotypical view of Christian life as boring should read this beautiful poem.  It describes not only a sensual physical relationship but also a powerful emotional bond.

Works Cited

Barker, Kenneth, ed. The New International Study Bible.

Grand Rapids: Zondervan 1995.

“March” Wyatt Prunty p 875

 “March”        Wyatt Prunty        p 875

I love this poem because it reflects on the energy of the season we are currently experiencing. I also like the observation the poet makes about nature. The changes of nature will continue to occur in a certain rhythm regardless of what we as humans do. I think these two things, the energy and the reflection on nature make the poem worthwhile for all of us to read .

The author uses alliteration to give the words movement and make the poem enjoyable to read. For example the poet uses a W in Where, We, Who, Were, and What at the end of the poem. This creates a flow that ends the poem with us thinking about how nature smoothly goes on without us. The poem is also written as one sentence. This creates movement and flow of the words just as seasonal changes also flow.

“The Fish” Marianne Moore pp 745-746

“The Fish”           Marianne Moore       pp 745-746

I like the poem because of the stanzas look like a fish! This visual image alone is a good enough reason for everyone to read and enjoy this poem. I also like the rhyming words and how each line ends at the beginning of the following stanza. This creates a continuity that reminds me of waves coming onto the beach. The author uses descriptive adjectives to paint a vivid picture. Examples include turquoise sea and crabs like green lilies. Moore is truly an artist.

“A Blessing” James Wright pp 717-718

“A Blessing”          James Wright            pp 717-718

I like this poem because I am a horse person. The poet paints a vivid picture of how the ponies act and look. I can imagine being in this scene. My own horses have come up to me the same way late in the evening when I go to check on them. Reading the poem gives me the warm comfortable feeling that I get at those times. I would like for everyone to know about the therapeutic benefit of horses; I want others to read this poem and perhaps gain some insight into this phenomenon.

“Bonny George Campbell” Anonymous pp 687-688

“Bonny George Campbell”         Anonymous      pp 687-688

The reason I chose to read this poem is that my mother’s family is of Scottish decent. I like it because of the speaker describes the sadness of the wife and mother. The poem makes you feel the sadness with the words used (wringing her hair). Everyone should read this poem because it does make strong emotions even though they are sad emotions. The stranger that tells what Bonny George left behind (corn unshorn… babe is unborn) sounds like a great beginning for a ghost story.

“Neighbors”

Rather than describing Bill and Arlen’s sexual encounters in great detail, Carver simply writes that “grabbed for her awkwardly” and “unfastens his belt”

When Arlene says “I found some pictures” no description is given of the photos. The very brief dialogue between Bill and Arlene let the reader know exactly what kind of pictures she found.

“A Jury of Her Peers” / “The Story an Hour”

While both Minnie and Louise had to do what their husband’s wanted, it seemed that there was no unkindness in the Mallard’s relationship.  Mr. Wright was a “hard” man.  The home in which Minnie lived was austere and not cheerful.  The cruel killing of the one thing that brought pleasure to Minnie caused her to act against her husband.  Minnie was forced to live in an unhappy life.  Louise was not particularly, unhappy but just did not like marching to her husband’s drummer rather than her own.

When Louise thought her husband was dead she grieved briefly then felt free, alive and vibrant.  She was already thinking about her future without him in a positive way.  After Minnie’s husband was dead, she just sat down and acted like she didn’t know what to do.  Rather than grieving she was confused and had no thoughts of how her future might be without her oppressor.

Minnie was described as a formerly beautiful young woman who had become plain and worn.  Louise was described as young and fair.  Minnie took action.  Louise was affected by the actions of others (mistakenly told her husband was dead then saw that he was still alive).

“The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”

Sister (Mabel)

·        Short, sullen, 27 year old

·        Face impassively fixed kept her from being pretty

·        Sullen

·        Felt a sense of pride due to the family’s wealth

·        Loved her mother who died when she was fourteen

·        Cared for her family and home

·        Used denial to handle poverty

Joe

·        Eldest sibling, 33 year old

·        Shallow, restless eyes; black moustache

·        Engaged to be married

·        He was a person to be controlled

Jack Ferguson

·        Young doctor

·        Medium build, pale, long face with tired eyes

·        Contact with his rough patients excited him

·        Spell bound by Mabel cleaning her mother’s grave

·        Saved Mabel from drowning and fell in love

Joseph Pervin

·        Father

·        Uneducated, successful horse dealer

·        Died and left the family in debt with servants and horses gone

Fred Henry

·        Second eldest sibling

·        Erect, alert, “clean-limbed”

·        Brown moustache

·        Personality of a leader

Malcolm

·        Youngest sibling, 22 year old

·        Perky, not excessively smart

·        Few details given

"The Black Cat"

Poe describes the “spirit of perverseness” as one of the basic human instincts. This means the innate desire to do something wrong or evil just because it is wrong. An example of the spirit of perverseness coming over myself occurred when I was several years younger. I found a wallet at a gas station that had fifty dollars in cash in it. The wallet contained id as well. The gas station was open with an attendant whom I could have turned the wallet into. But I didn’t. I kept the cash and destroyed the other contents in the wallet. I knew this was wrong. I know what I should have done, but for once I wanted to NOT do the right thing. I did not keep the money because I needed gas or food. I kept it simply because I knew it was the bad thing to do. At the time I felt guilty and afraid. I was afraid someone would find out what I did. I felt like a really bad person and that was the appropriate feeling. Now that I am older I realize that the desire to do wrong comes over everyone. Just because we have those desires does not mean we are evil. But acting on those on them is a different story!

“The Curse”

I typically get “ran over” often by people. I guess I’m easy to take advantage of because I’m so nice. Well my friend moved in with me because she was financially unstable I told her she could stay with me a while. Well I guess she thought that meant I will keep her up while she does nothing it seems like it has became my responsibility to work and pay my bills and hers while she does nothing to help.

“Blue Winds Dancing”

I am a member of the Alexander County Rescue Squad I love being a member there are tremendous amount of things I have got to experience. Running calls adrenaline rushing as you race down the road as people sleep at night just you and the red light in the dash as the person on the radio guides you to where you are needed. Then arrive on scene and help someone that is in dire need of your attention. As you send them off to the hospital you look at their face and you know you’ve made a difference in their life.

“Luck”

This is a hard one I can’t really think of a time I have truly lucked out when they shouldn’t have. I have found a scratch off ticket in the parking lot of a gas station one time and cashed it in with the cashier and received ten dollars which I kept.

"Cathedral”

 My life lesson was things can change, very fast. My ex-stepfather was becoming very close into our family I began to accept him as one of us, although it was hard for me. We had a great life my mother is a nurse practitioner therefore we were “well to do” no money worries what so ever. We had nice cars, nice home and all the great amenities you could imagine. My mother’s ex-husband which took over the finances of the house began to buy drugs instead of paying the bills. We began to plummet into debt. With it getting worse each day he “ditched” my mother and I. leaving us with seven dollars in the bank account and a tremendous about of debt and being behind on bills. My mother and I had to leave our nice house and move to a shabby duplex to be able to catch up which took us a long time. I went from having whatever I desired to what we could afford which wasn’t much. So I am very thankful for everything in my life.

Enroached

"A Rose For Emily"

“But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps an eye screaming eye sore” (pg 89)

They over came, over the others.