The poem “Annabelle Lee” makes me feel sad that the time these lovers had together was cut short by Annabelle Lee’s illness. The poem talks about a love that even the angels covet. Even though Annabelle Lee is now dead, the author of the poem still loves Annabelle Lee just as much as when she was living. The fact that Annabelle Lee’s lover sleeps by her grave every night makes me wish I had someone who loves me that much. The author is so determined to stay with Annabelle Lee that he says neither angels nor demons can keep him away from his lover. The poem makes me think of a quaint village somewhere in Europe on the shores of the sea because the author keeps mentioning a kingdom by the sea. Since the author mentions that he was a child and Annabelle Lee was a child, it seems the two met as children, fell in love, and remained together for the rest of their lives, marrying when they were of age.
The poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” makes me think of a young man begging his father not to die. The last stanza talks about the author’s father and begs him not to go “into that good night” and to “rage against the dying of the light.” This young man does not want his father to die. It seems the author is encouraging every kind of man to fight against death whether the men are wise, good, wild, or grave. Something in the author highly values life. The author believes that even if a person is old, they should still fight death. No matter what men have accomplished in their lives, it is not enough when death comes to call.
“A Supermarket in California” makes me imagine families in a grocery store because the author mentions families. Maybe the families split up and go to different departments to make the shopping go quicker. The author imagines the famous poet Walt Whitman in a grocery store and talks about how Whitman would act. Whitman probably wouldn’t know what to think of a modern day grocery store. The poem’s author, Allen Ginsberg, is obviously a fan of Walt Whitman. Is Ginsberg a fan of Whitman’s beliefs, his work, his life, or all three? Perhaps Ginsberg was running out of inspiration for writing and was looking to Whitman for inspiration.
“The Love-song of J. Alfred Prufrock” conjures up confusion in me. What does it mean that “evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherized on the table?” Where does the poem take place because the women are talking of Michelangelo?
Does the poem take place in Italy where Michelangelo worked? What is the yellow smoke T.S Eliot refers to? Is it fog? Is it tobacco smoke?
The poem, “What She Said to Her Girlfriend, and What Her Girlfriend Said in Reply” makes me think of an arranged Indian marriage. It seems like the girl was with her boyfriend the night before the wedding. Her parents weren’t supposed to know. Her Mom finds out when she comes home with his headband in her hair. I wonder if her Mother knew she was seeing the man she was going to marry. I wonder if the daughter knew her boyfriend was actually the man her family wanted her to marry. Was the Mother, the daughter, or the young man surprised at the wedding? Were none of them surprised?
“A Chinese Banquet” makes me think of a woman who is lonely. She is lonely because she goes to family functions alone. She goes alone because she is gay and her lesbian girlfriend is not welcome by her family. She misses her girlfriend at these family functions. At twenty-six, she is expected to be married already. The author is an outcast in the family because she is unemployed in addition to being unmarried. The author feels more at home with her girlfriend than with her own family.
“Lot’s Wife” is interesting because I do not know how many other people consider Lot’s wife. Why did she turn around? Did she still have some family or friends there? Perhaps she was concerned about them. Maybe she just remembered good times with her family and friends and wanted one last look because she knew she would never see that city again. Did it hurt when she turned into a pillar of salt?
“There is No Word for Goodbye” makes me wonder what it would be like to live in a culture who doesn’t believe in goodbyes. I would like to live in a culture that doesn’t even have a word for goodbye. It is a beautiful thought to believe that we will always see each other again. It is a sad thing to think we will never see somebody again. This Native American culture is wise to believe that if we don’t see each other again on earth, we will see each other in another life. This Native American culture also values the elderly, which is the way it should be. The author of the poem seeks out the wisdom of her elderly aunt.
