Essay 3 Part 2-- starting with Timothy Liu

Timothy Liu, "Romance" (Please note: There are sources for this poet, and one is an interview that just came online at the zine Dichtung Yammer.)
Does the fact that this poem refers to the speaker's gay male relationship change the psychological, social, or political content of the poem? If so, what clues do we get from abstract language, tropes, images, or allusions that tell us this? Is "gorgeous fake" a negative judgment on the "romance" or something else?



 notes on Timothy Liu's "Romance" by Aaron

Timothy Liu's "Romance" is looked at as a homoerotic poem, as it details a man expressing his love towards another. Something that is immediately present in the poem is the constant amount enjambments. The poem follows a stanza form of 2 then 1 lines, or a couplet followed by a monostich. The word "see" used in the first line can be in reference to the man seeing his lover, but is shifted to represent the speaker comparing themselves to the "Mona Lisa". This reference to the Mona Lisa could be viewed as beauty, but a Eurocentric one at that. The use of the phrase "Stones throw" shows the distance of the squatter to the "Louvre", which is where the actual Mona Lisa is located. In line 5 the speaker proclaims that the artwork located in the Louvre are copies or fakes. This entire poem can be looked at as an extended simile between the speaker and other lovers, to the artwork and their copies. In line 8 the use of the "basement vault" could represent the closeted relationship of homosexuals. The use of the words "Withheld" and "from view" being separated shows the reader a sense of distance of the "Venus de Milo" being out of view. The use of the word "Flash" could represent exposure in terms of the art as well as the lovers relationship. The copies mentioned within the poem could represent other lovers to the speaker's significant other, while the original artwork itself is the speaker. The use of the term "Gorgeous fake" literally defines the sculpture described, but can also relate to the romance of the lovers.

         

Harryette Mullen, "Any Lit"


Notes by Alegna:

“Any Lit” By Harryette Mullen 

-Mullen is an African American professor at UCLA 

The poem is an anaphora, as well as a catalogue poem because it speaks of different thing that “you are”.  

Ex: You are a ukulele beyond my microphone 

       You are a union beyond my migration  

This is repeated through the entire poem.  

The “u” and the “m” sounds are followed by one another for each line. As well and how new forms are able to create new theories and thoughts.  

Mullen was clear with what she meant by locations and objects but many times throughout the poem she did many unusual comparisons what cause the reader to wonder what exactly she was trying to compare.  

On the second line she speaks of “Micronesia” as in the West pacific area but not from Australia.  

Right after that line she speaks of “meiosis” as in cell division being beyond a “union”. 

One clear comparison she made was on the seventh line when she speaks of a “euphony” as beauty and her “myocardiogram”. The “myocardiogram’ is a muscular measurement of the heart's tissues. I believe she is addressing this someone's beauty is a beautiful as her heart.  

She also speaks of a famous jazz trumpeter “Miles Davis” and religious element, the “eucharist” as in the body of Christ.  

Then she returns to a comparison of a drink that gets you drunk, “maitai” and “eureka”. I believe she expresses how this person can see different sides of her. Such as being drunk and not viewing it as a flaw but more of a highlight.   

Mullen then continues her poem and we come across an odd comparison with “Ukranian” being “beyond her Maimonides”. Maimonides is a Jewish philosopher and from her information she is not Jewish. So why speak about herself as a Jewish philosopher?  

She then uses another geographic feature 6 line before the end of the poem, “Mysore”. Mysore is a town in India and is mentioned after “urethra”. Why urethra and Mysore? What is she trying to say about the two?  

Before her final line she creates suspicion if this person she refers to as “You are a” is a male because she mentions “Urinal” as in what men use at public bathrooms. Followed by “Midol” a drug used for cramps when women are on their menstrual cycle.  

Pablo Neruda, "A Dog Has Died"

Notes for “A Dog Has Died” by Pablo Neruda:

- Neruda had a dog

- He had movies about him in the U.S.

- Neruda spends a lot of time at different countries 

- Is a communist (doesn’t believe in religion afterlife

- Is from Chile 

- “Mans best friend”

- Connotations of servile (someone who over serves)

- He’s sad over the fact that his dog didn’t act like an average, regular dog.

- One side is kind

- Neruda wants to hide his feeling about his dog but he can’t help to feel hurt

- He sees his dog differently

- Only dogs know how to be happy

- “Shameless spirit” dogs don’t know what pain people go through. They don’t have a connect with us like humans have.

- He sounds a bit disappointed because maybe they had great memories together and he’s suddenly gone.

- Half of Neruda’s work is political & the other half is very similar to this.

Notes by Nadeen Gonzales based on the class discussion of “A DOG HAS DIED” By Pablo Neruda.

Background Knowledge of Neruda was given to connect his personality and beliefs to the tone and overall themes of the poem. Neruda was a communist from Chile who believe in economics, government but not religion. Throughout the poem the speaker seems to speak fondly of the dog yet rejects sentimentality. Neruda doesn’t believe in a heaven for himself yet believes that all dogs go to a heaven. It can be seen as a bittersweet poem. The speaker says the dog has “eyes purer than mines” and “paid me the attention I need” suggest that in his very special way he might be honoring the dog and their friendship like a eulogy, but without being sentimental. That speaker seems to be ambivalent and wants to hide his caring side. Ironically the way he tries to downplay his feelings is what illustrates what the dog meant to him and his true feelings. Towards the end of the poem the speaker reiterates this composed tone by suggesting that it is what it is, the dog has died and there's nothing he can do. The tone can be interpreted as disappointed in the sense that he might not have many feelings because he wasn't expecting this. The group of dog owners in class, agreed that the speaker seems to be very nonchalant and less emotional than what can be or is expected of a pet owner. Questions left unanswered to think about or perhaps answer shall you chose this to write on in Essay #3. Does the dog have feelings? Can the description of the dog be seen as personification? During certain parts of the poem is the speaker saying the dog is loyal as a cliche? Perhaps the dog has basic instinct and survival traits that are interpreted as friendly, loyal or happy?

Amiri Baraka, "Short Speech to My Friends" (Sasha's notes)

part 2:

• In the first stanza he answers the question "is power the enemy" by stating the "destroyer of dawns". Power destroys new beginning. 
• kicking literal evil continually down filmy public stairs = waste of time
• a hero doesn't compromise or stay silence. 
•  "as proper placement of verbs and nouns" = nouns comes before verbs
• "to freeze the spit in mid air... at some valiant intellectual's face" the intellectual isn't valiant / doesn't have the courage to curse the intellectual
• last stanza first line = there would be an excuse for someone not to be a hero. 
• Last line of poem =  George Armstrong Custer fought in the Indian war and lost destroying his cavalry
• sudo-heroism = false heroism 
• This piece is able to communicate before it is fully understood because it is an easy piece to read, there is also odd words can bring forth imagery.

Maria's notes

Amiri Baraka was a very pronounced individual, protesting for equal rights. He used his poetry to usually oppose mainstream political views in the U.S.. The title ‘Short Speech to My Friends’  indicates that the poem's tone is more relaxed than usual. It’s more open because it’s a change of his beliefs with his friends, a conversation. He starts off by saying “political art, let it be” which is a funny because this poem is a type of political art. Baraka uses  projective verse creating natural space for natural speech pauses. In line 6, “you’re in, who to talk to; what clothes” he plays on the perception of society. They he goes on to “I address/ the society/ the image of/ common utopia / The Perversity/ of perversity, isolation” ( lines 7-12).  This is a short speech as he says I address to then saying in lines 8-10 that there is a common usually associated to society. In lines 11 to 12 Baraka then contradicts a blissful utopia with what he believe true society is corrupted, separated meaning no equality, and a lonely world when he says isolated. Line 13 Baraka tries to show that for years he’s tried to “enter their kingdom” which mean accepted by this deeming white society. In line 14 he says, “now they suffer, these others, saxophones whining” he’s adding a tone exemplifying the grief of years on white male dominance with the saxophone playing in the back. 



Natsuko Hirata, "The Final Place"

low stakes writing

With the first stanza, it sounds like a rainy afternoon in the city; everything is going calmly and then Venus arrows a bow at the speaker. I'm assuming she is now in love.

Adagio means slow tempo which is usually the tempo you're at when in love

Paganini was a very romantic violinist.

The theme of the poem is death and about the speaker reaching heaven. The strophe lines are 6, 1, 3, 5.

Hirata speaks of a heavy rain: cats or waves."


Notes by Kalifa:

• Concrete Poetry: first introduced in the 1940s-1970s. Now referenced as "Visual Poetry".
• First stanza is about the setting, specifically rain.
• Hirata started writing poetry 6-7 years prior to this. Native Japanese speaker -- translations from Japanese to English.  
• Lines 3-4 can be interpreted as when we were independent and strong. 
• Lines 5-6 potential lovers.
• Adagio: performed in slow tempo.
• Line 8 "body" is a trope for her emotions. 
• Paganini was a romantic violinist.
• Second stanza, if it were to be related to death the music could be a near death experience. Or in terms of romance, it is a sense of falling in love.
• Last stanza: not a trope for heaven or ascending, "slope's top" Mt. Fuji, "gate" trope for a new beginning.
• Emblem Poem: emblem of Venus's bow (shape of poem looks like a bow). 
• Could be both a death poem or love poem. Love & Death?

Notes by Melissa:

Notes on “The Final Days” by Natsuko Hirata:

- Native Japanese speaker so she has the advantage of using English syntax and vocabulary in a fresh and potentially innovative way

- This poem can be interpreted in two ways: love or death 

- “Venus drew a bow” Cupid is the son of Venus & is usually in control over who he shoots with his arrow. It seems like Hirata was a challenge to shoot so Venus took charge and hit her with her arrow of love.

- “Adagio” stands for slow tempo. When you’re in love, everything seems slower & in rose-colored glasses.

- “Pagenini’s violin, nobody’s heard” romantic violinist from the 1800s. She’s the only one who can hear this romantic song being played over and over.

- “We met, a quite gate” Japanese gates are very different from American gates

- “At a scorching, slope’s top.” Sounds a lot like hell which could mean that love is hell for her but the slope top that she can be referring to is Mount. Fuji

- Visual, Concrete and Emblem Poem