Song of Becoming

The Song of Becoming by Fadwa Tuqan was about an effect that occurred during the Palestine and Israeli Conflict. Thousands of life had changed especially those of the children.

In my first reading, images of boys flying their kites pop out my mind. It feels like watching a movie based on a war where children are also featured. The poem was basically about how a war like the conflict between Palestine and Israel could change lives especially those of the children. The children should be playing and have memories of even not a perfect but a happy childhood at least. But what happened, at the height of the conflict children are forced to leave their toys and suddenly grow into a grown-up which should have waited a little later. They are forced to face the sad reality that a child should not be facing. They are forced to end what could have been a fruitful and happy life.

The poem was a slap to the faces of those who are in the authority. They proclaim war without even considering the situations of these children. They are only children for crying out loud. Can't they have at least take that into consideration.

Guests on the Sea

Guests on the Sea written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish was basically about the journey and the settlement of the Palestinians in the land considered to be owned by the Israelite and all the emotions accompanied in their struggle.

The guests referred in the poem are the Palestinians. The Palestinians came not from a country but from pomegranates, from the glue of memory. Pomegranate is a fruit found in several countries. For me, its usage and the usage of the phrase "glue of memory" emphasize the state of the Palestinians. They are a nation but a country. They don't have a land they can call their own. It was also stated that the arrival should have been a visit but only the visit got long. But I think, stating it was a visit was not to convince the reader but the persona himself or herself. He or she knew that it would really take time or shall I say the visit was not a visit at all, but instead there was really an idea to stay in the place.

There were a lot of allusions and metaphor in the story. Biblical allusions like the creation, apple, sacrifice and mercy are present. The third line: 'from what Mediterranean will the creation begin?' for me, means that the persona is asking what place in the Mediterranean will there an event like the creation in the Bible. It seems that the persona if there will be able to have a country somewhere in the Mediterranean. The apple for me symbolizes something that will create the ripples that would prolong their stay. It was stated in the line: 'And the earth is smaller than our visit. We shall send another apple to the waters, circles within circles, where are we to go when we leave?'. Sacrifice and mercy came out on the same line: 'Is there another rock over which to offer a new sacrifice for your mercy?'. The line seemed to be a plea to the Creator. It was like the persona is asking if there's still a rock in which they can offer a sacrifice so that GOD will grant them their wish. Metaphors were also used in the poem. It was used in the fourth stanza of the poem:

'The sea has its ancient craft:

ebb and flow;

woman has her first task: seduction

it is for poets to fall from melancholy

it is for martyrs to explode in dream

it is for wise men to lead a people on towards happy dreams'

The metaphors for me, was like a mere description of the land. Saying that the first task of a woman is seduction, feels like the persona was referring to Eve. Then the next metaphors which are poets to fall from melancholy, martyrs explode in dream and wise men to lead a people on towards happy dreams further described that the land was of Israel especially the last metaphor. It reminded me of how the three king lead the people to the birth of Jesus which is our savior and considered to be our happiness.

A lot of images will also used in the poem. The imagery of distance and alienation were implicitly was the language of the land. People especially Palestinians residing in the land of Israel felt this feeling of isolation and distance.The implication of the images of what is lost and what is desired showed not only what the Palestinians sacrificed and done to have a country and what are their desires, what they wish they should have.

The repetition of the line"Sea, do not give us the song we do not deserve." only showed emphasis that all the things that the Palestinians experiences are so out of the line, how they don't deserve such treatment. They were looking for a country not for an enemy.

All in all, the poem showed the struggles and hurts of a Palestinians whose only goal in the first place was to find a land of his own and how he or she was treated in realizing his or her dream.

The Lamb and The Tyger

Upon hearing the title of the third poem which is the "The Lamb", images of a lamb and a sheperd suddenly pop out in my mind. But as I read it, I realized I was wrong. There's more to it than just simple images of a lamb. The poem was about a persona asking a little lamb if it knew who created it and then later answering one's own question. After I reread it, I realized that the little lamb was not only referring to an animal but also to us humans. The persona somewhat asks us if we knew who made us and who gave us everything we have. In the second stanza, the persona answered his own question. It was stated that we were created by "The Lamb" which is Jesus. For me, he was called the lamb because he epitomize the word innocence and all good like a lamb which is meek and mild. On the other hand, my first impression of "The Tyger" was the opposite with the lamb. I thought the poem was literally about the tiger, something fierce, vicious and all evil. As I read it, I thought this wasn't completely all about a tiger. The persona of the poem was talking about something fierce but not entirely referring to the tiger alone. Also, the persona then asked if the creator of the lamb, so innocent and pure is the same creator of the the tiger which is fierce and fearful.

I think the two poems showed how good and evil go hand in hand. It's like the yinyang where good and evil coexist. For me, the tyger was somehow a necessary evil. Necessary because we, humans need it for our development. It also serves as a defining element of what is good. You can't define good without defining evil, right?

Hanging Fire

"Hanging Fire" was about the anxieties and insecurities of the persona of the poem. She's insecure with her physical appearance. She hates that she's black, that her knees are always ashy, and that she needs to wear braces. She dislikes having to fall for a boy who still sucks his thumbs. She dislikes having a small room and having no say in being on the Math team. She worries about almost everything. She worries not learning how to dance in time for the next party and about what to wear for tomorrow. And lastly she worries about death. In addition, her worry with death is of different degree. In the first stanza, she's worried that she'd die before morning. In the second stanza, she's worried she'd die before graduation and at the same time worried about what might people said about her in her wake. And in the last stanza, she's worried that she would not live long enough to grow. It feels like at first she was just randomly thinking about the possibility of dying. Then, her worry with death heightened including her anxiety of what may people say about her. And at the very end, she's really worried that she might actually die and never be able realize her dreams. The weird thing is as the thought of death continually comes out, the line "and momma's in the bedroom with the door closed" is repeatedly written. The line for me somewhat says that the persona and the mother had a distant relationship, that during the persona's ordeal, the mother seems to have no idea about it. And by stating that "the door is closed but not locked", it may mean that it will only take a knock (communication) for the mother to know what her daughter is undergoing through.

The Fury of Overshoes

Upon reading the poem's title, I thought "The Fury of Overshoes" by Anne Sexton was all about anger in relation with overshoes. But as I read it, I realized it was more of someone recalling his or her childhood memories and a child's wish to grow up fast. Memories like tying one's shoe or overshoe, learning how to ride a tricycle or learning how to swim, giving up one's teddy and nightlight are stated in the poem.

After rereading the poem and discussing it in class, I realized that there's more to "The Fury of Overshoes" than just recalling memories. The poem, in a way, states that childhood is not all sweet and how the world belonged to the grown-ups. Lines 5 to 18 states things that a child can't do. With these, children tend to wish they'd grow as fast as they could so they can do things on their own. I even remember when I was a child I always wish I'm a grown up so that my parents would not scold and spunk me. Lines 28 to 31 states the things we need to sacrifice if we really wanted to grow. We need to do away with things that we consider as our security blanket. Lines 37 to 40 states that it was dark and the persona was looking for his or her security blanket which is his or her thumb and he was looking for the grown-ups.
Lines 41 to 46: when will I get there,
taking giant steps
all day,
each day
and thinking
nothing of it?
for me is about how we, as a child, wished to be where the grown-ups are, taking steps everyday and thinking nothing much. This can be shown by imagining a child and an adult walking in a street. A child takes every step slowly, as if marveled with his or her every move compared to adults who walks briskly and always in a hurry. For me, children sees every detail of his or her taking his or her steps while an adult sometimes overlook some little things.

illusioned RIGHT reasons

Wake up early. Help in preparing the breakfast. Wash the plates. Concentrate on your studies. This is the right way to study. Make your projects properly. Stop being a deadliner. Stop fooling around and meeting those kind of people. They'll push you to your downfall. You'll waste your life fighting for the illusioned right reasons. Eat well. Watch your diet. Grow up. Stop living like I'll be always around. Keep your head in your studies. Make friends but choose the right people. Don't be too idealistic. You'll go nowhere. Follow what the big people say even if it's against your principle. Play it safe. Many had died but what can we do. Maybe this time would be different, maybe we can make a change. Change? What change? You'll waste your life fighting for the illusioned right reasons. Know your priorities. Study, family, friends, people or country. See those peolple on the streets? You'll be like them if you don't stop your foolishness. Shouting in the streets and named as communists. Bringing placards and going into rallies. Do you really think you'll succeed? You'll just waste your future. Do you really want to be like those? Always in fear of dying. Don't give me that reasons. I've been there before and I know where you're going. But if I don't act now alongside with them, we'll be forever doomed. Doomed? Are you sure you really know what that means? You'll live in terror and possibly die. After all my precautions, you let your stubborness drive you and end just what I've feared wasting your life fighting for the illusioned right reasons.

Conformity: Yes or No

"The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself."
~Rita Mae Brown, Venus Envy


The short story "A Hunger Artist" by Franz Kafka showed the story of a hunger artist rising to fame, at the peak of stardom and falling in his downfall. The hunger artist not only featured himself but also the other artists who in one way or another had the same situation with the hunger artist.

Conformity is a common thing among artists. In order for them to survive in the industry, artists have to satisfy not only what the audience wants but also with what the art community dictates them to be. Often, they are caged in a sense that they can't express their own ideals. In the short story, it was shown how the hunger artist was placed in a cage and was left there to fast. He was literary caged. The cage symbolizes the things the hunger artist had to conform with. The same thing is happening to most artists. They are caged in a way that they produce art but lack a sense of freedom. And in the process of conformity, these artists rises to stardom reflecting what the audience thought the real him or her. But constant conformity has its own downfall. It bores the audience which makes or breaks an artist's career. It was clearly shown in the story how the people lost their interest in seeing the hunger artist doing the same old thing. And attempting to revive his old status, the hunger artist joined the circus determined to uphold what his art really is. But the people lost their interest and in a way disheartened the artist. Same is true in reality when finally an artist takes a stand to defend his or her art, people are disinterested. The audience are tired and bored in seeing the same old thing. They want a novelty, something new. Also, new artists are more welcomed by the audience. For example in the ending, it was clearly shown how the dead hungry artist was replaced by a young panther. The funny thing is that the young panther seemed to not miss the wild and instead liked the thought of being held in captivity. But can we blame him? Why would he miss the wild when he can have all his need by just being in that cage plus he was safe from forces of nature?

A Hunger Artist is a good representation of a life of an artist. It clearly stated how artists need to choose; be yourself and suffer the consequences or conform and enjoy what lays before you.