Identity Unit 1 (Mr. Z)

"Mr. Z"
M. Carl Holman

A major theme in this poem is overcoming racial adversity.  Mr. Z was "Taught early that his mother's skin was the sign of error" (Holman). This quote expresses two important points. First, this quote allows for interpretation of Mr. Z's race. Because the quote only mentions his mother's skin color, the reader could guess that Mr. Z is biracial. Second, the quote above sets the tone for the rest of Mr. Z's life to be narrated in this brief poem. Mr. Z worked his entire life to escape from and overcome the racial tension and discrimination that he faced. He was well educated and well known. "And so he climbed, unclogged by ethnic weights, an airborne plant, flourishing without roots"(Holman). This quote seems to be paradoxical. Plants cannot flourish without roots, yet Holman uses words like climb and flourish, which make this quote sound positive. Even though Mr. Z could soar above members of his race, he still could not truly soar due to discrimination. He was considered "One of the most distinguished members of his race" (Holman). This quote serves to display his inability to truly flourish. By placing him in a class with just his race, people inhibited Mr. Z from gaining the recognition he deserved.  Had discrimination not been a factor, Mr. Z would have been considered 'one of the most distinguished humans'. Mr. Z worked throughout his life to overcome adversity, but even after his death, people still discounted his abilities.

Identity Unit 1 (Interpreter of Maladies)

"Interpreter of Maladies"
Jhumpa Lahiri

As this short story continued to unfold,  the reader learned more about Mr. Kapasi. This weekend tour guide also worked in a doctor's office as a translator. Mr. Kapasi interpreted the ill symptoms expressed by the patients who could not communicate directly with the doctor. This interpretation of their illnesses served to provide the title of the short story "Interpreter of Maladies".  Later on in the story, Mrs. Das sought the help of Mr. Kapasi to interpret a problem of her own. After waiting through the regular tour, Mrs. Das confided in Mr. Kapasi that her son Bobby was not her husband's child. This scandal weighed down on Mrs. Das as an illness would on a sick patient. Mrs. Das sought help, but she only found the suggestion to tell the truth. What Mrs. Das failed to understand about Mr. Kapasi was that he only translated the messages to the doctor. "He found nothing noble in interpreting people's maladies, assiduously translating the symptoms of so many swollen bones, countless cramps of bellies and bowels, spots on people's palms that changed color, shape , or size" (Lahiri). Kapasi did not diagnose and treat the problem himself. Mrs. Das sought out a solution, but she only found a meager piece of advice, which she probably already considered herself.

Identity Unit 1 (Everyday Use)

"Everyday Use"
Alice Walker

Through first person narration from the mother's point of view, Walker characterized the two daughters in the short story. Dee, the older daughter, is the type of person who always gets what she wants. "...that 'no' is a word the world never learned to say to her" (Walker).  This statement shows that people agreed to Dee's demands. Never learning the meaning of no led Dee to become a selfish person. She looked down upon her mother's house because it did not satisfy her wants. Dee's selfish behavior was also displayed when she argued with her mom about the quilts. Dee rejected the quilts in the past and eventually learned during the argument that the quilts were meant for Maggie; however, Dee continued to argue her point that she wanted the quilts. Another way that Dee displayed her disgust for her family was when she explained her name change. Dee chose to change her name to Wangero to escape from being named after those who "oppress me" (Walker). This African name was meant to take her back to her heritage, but what she did not realize is that she was just as much of an American as she was African. Changing her name only served as another way display her disapproval of her family and to reinforce her self-centered character traits.

Identity Unit 1 (Hazel Tells LaVerne)

"Hazel Tells Laverne"
Hatharyn Howd Machan

An obvious observation of this poem is its lack of punctuation. This greatly reflects the character Hazel. She seems uneducated and rather gruff. She uses words such as "sida", "flushm", "hitsm", and "talkin" among others. This diction displays poor grammar, and along with the lack of punctuation, Hazel's diction leads the reader to surmise that she is uneducated. In addition, Hazel's poor display of grammar lends humor to the poem.

This poem is a parody of "The Frog Prince". Hazel refused to kiss the frog even when offered royalty. Hazel seemed to be in need of money because she worked cleaning toilets. The situation was ironic because where most women would seize an offer of royalty, Hazel did not. By not kissing the frog, Hazel missed out on an opportunity for an easier life. Perhaps a message that Machan wished to convey was that hard work will open opportunities in life , but we must be wise enough to recognize them.

Identity Unit 1 (Dream Deferred)

"Dream Deferred"
Langston Hughes

Hughes begins this poem with a rhetorical question asking "What happens to a dream deferred?" (Hughes). This question stimulates the thought process in the reader, who examines his or her own conscience for dreams that have been postponed. Hughes continues this thought process in answering his initial question by posing more rhetorical questions. In his questions, Hughes uses similes to convey a negative feeling towards postponing one's dream. He compares a deferred dream to a raisin in the sun, a festered sore, rotten meat, a crusted over sweet, and a heavy load. These comparisons provide a negative feeling toward deferring from one's dreams. Hughes continues this negative feeling by using adjectives like fester, stink, crust, and rotten. These adjectives maintain a negative meaning, and by using these words, Hughes steers the reader away from delaying one's dreams and towards acting upon his or her dreams. Hughes ends the poem stating the possibility that a dream may explode. This explosion could refer to an individual frustrated with himself for not pursuing his dream, or it could refer to a group in society that erupts after a long period of suppression. Instead of holding onto a dream that may explode or become like a rotten meat, Hughes calls for his readers to act upon their ambitions in a timely manner.

Perrine's "The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry."

After reading Perrine's article, I neither agree nor disagree fully with Perrine. As is any student's wish, I would love if any interpretation of a poem would be correct; however, this is not the case. Some interpretations follow closely to the implied meaning, while others stray in the wrong direction. My problem with deeming an interpretation incorrect is that sometimes poets do not have an intended meaning. As Perrine quoted Yeats, "I shall not trouble to make the meaning clear... The meaning maybe different with everyone". This exemplifies that some meanings are determined by people other than the poet. How can someone other than the poet decide what the writer meant in a poem? In everyday life, this would be like putting words in someone else's mouth. Others can only speculate what the poet meant by his/her writing. Despite this, people still feel as though their interpretation is correct and indisputable. Sadly, many poets do not dispute the interpreted meanings because this would be "admitting failure" that their poem has less meaning that what others found. I agree with Perrine in his statement that "Any interpretation is acceptable which lies within that area [of meaning]".  Certainly some interpretations can be outlandish and without foundation, but sometimes the "correct" interpretations do seem outlandish and without foundation to students. As students, our job is to learn to look deeper into the poems without losing the details directly in front of us.

After reading this article, I will definitely take a different approach to studying poetry. Even though I did not completely agree with Perrine, I think that he offered good insight into interpreting poems. Previously, my interpretations were based on whatever came to my mind first, and I would try to make sense of my scattered thoughts. This led to a complex and unfounded meaning, which was probably incorrect. Before, I had not thought that poems contained facts, so I accepted my random views of interpretation. I like patterns and structure, so Perrine's comparison of interpreting poems to judging a new hypothesis really helped me to accept his view on interpretation. Not all interpretations will be spot-on correct, but by keeping Perrine's article in mind, I should be able to more correctly interpret poems. After reading this article, I will interpret based on the facts within the poem and will remember to keep my interpretation as simple as I can while still accounting for all the facts in the poem.

Pictures!!!

Here are some pictures that I took while reading The Great Gatsby at Ball State's Campus. Some are in front of the iconic statue Beneficence also known as Benny. This statue was completed by 1930. I also took some pictures in front of Lucina Hall, which was built in the 1920s.