The Gift...Li-Young Lee

When reading the poem "The Gift" by Li-Young Lee you immediately are able to see the message the author is conveying with each line.  Without wasting time Lee begins by telling the reader a story about his father pulling a splinter out of his palm.  I believe that this is a great example as i feel it symbolizes not only a moment where children are very vulnerable, but anytime a child is in pain, their parent, in this specific case his father, being there for him in his time of need.  It is a topic that most people can relate to because many of us have gotten splinters before and at a time where we are too young to take care of it ourselves, we rely on the knowledge and help of our parents to aid us.  The message from this poem i feel is much deeper than just easing the pain Lee faced in that he goes on multiple times to tell the reader just how wonderful his father is.  Saying that he "watched his lovely face" referring to his father, to then go on to say how he learned from him and was able to use that to help his wife the same way his father helped him.  Although i felt picking out the splinter symbolizes much more than what it blatantly says, it is common that a specific memory such as the one the author speaks of will remain in our memory even when we become adults.  By not panicking, Lee was able to get past the pain, get the splinter removed, and then finish off the poem ever so sweetly with a really meaningful message that shows he thanked his father for his help by kissing him.  The bond between a father a son is everlasting and stronger than anything and i really enjoyed the way Li-Young Lee explored his feelings about his own father. 

Facing it by Yusef Komunyakaa

I found this poem to be extremely insightful and interesting.  It gives the reader a first hand look inside the mind of what seems to be a Vietnam War veteran who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.  This style of poetry that Yusef  Komunyakaa uses in his poem "Facing it" is very close to that of my own.  He is very direct and does not get sidetracked with any crazy diction or similes.  He is abstract in his writing but also makes sure to provide enough information so that the reader does not get confused by the complexity of the storyline.  The poem is not very long but it packs a large punch and certain lines like 3 and 4 really are able to drag the reader in to the emotional aspect of the piece.  Referencing the narrator not wanting to cry is a common thought among soldiers while at the same time they are still human and with that insight it is not forgotten.  Lines 25-28 refer to how someone sees that narrator and looks through them and then it jumps to him remembering a man with one arm.  It was especially meaningful to me the way that the author chose to end the poem.  Humans are aware it is our nature to have a thought process which could contain a hundred thoughts in a matter of seconds and that is exactly what were are being shown in this piece.  But throughout all the negative scenes the author describes, using imagery that is almost to vague or weird to actually imagine, he finishes it all off with a woman brushing a boys hair.  I found this to be very sweet and i appreciate the fact that the author chose not to focus solely on all the horrors of war but instead was able to incorporate a much nicer image to lighten the mood of the very serious and touching poem.

The fish

Though i may be completely off the mark, but when reading the poem "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop i couldn't help the feeling that the fish represented a man.  Playing off of the old saying "there are plenty of other fish in the sea" i felt as though i was reading "in between the lines" and caught a glimpse of a hidden symbol throughout the piece.  I saw a story unfold between the author and a man who she had lured into her life "caught" and was now breaking him down in her head as can be seen in the first 20 lines.  Each line more offensive then the next, really focusing on the physical features that cause you to feel bad for the fish, which is common for a person to do when selecting someone to be with.  Then, over the next 20 lines or so as if the man or the "fish" began to understand her hurtful comments she begins to feel bad for just how dreadful he looked, the same appearance she was mocking a few lines before.  I felt after this the tone of the poem completely changed.  Elizabeth Bishop began using words like medal, ribbon and rainbow, much more positive words.  She even went as far as to say she admired the fish.  At this point it seemed to me that when she stopped being shallow and looked past the exterior she began to appreciate the personality or in this case all the fish has had to endure.  Repeating the word rainbow in the second to last line gave me the feeling that she has had a mood swing and now is beginning to see a much brighter world.  In the beginning she had this man as i see it, in the palm of her hand, no pun intended, with complete control over him and she began degrading him.  But the longer she held him out of his comfort zone the more lifeless he became, and the closer to death he got, the more she began to understand him, and the more she began to understand him the more she sympathized with him which ultimately led to an epiphany causing her to let go because she was abusing her power.  I think it relates to women being more understanding of men and even though it is common that a man may take advantage of a woman, the writer speaks of a time where even when in complete control, she was in her right mind enough to do the right thing. If that makes any sense....