Genre Blog: Poetry; Diving into the Wreck

The theme that plays on throughout the poem is illusion. Many poems have that sense of illusion, but I think this poem does especially. It is a confessional poem so the actual meaning of the poem is going to be something personal or a topic that was rarely talked about at the time. I think a quote that really shows the illusion within the poem is "There is a ladder. The ladder is always there helping innocently close to the side of the schooner. We all know what it is for, we who have used it. Otherwise it's a piece of maritime floss some sundry equipment (2)."  Without research or digging deeper into our own minds, it's not straightforward and ultimately, it never really will be. All those objects can have different meanings to different people. That goes for the entire poem as well and I think that's part of the illusion, no one will really ever know without asking Adrienne Rich what the poem was actually about.

I researched about Adrienne Rich and this poem as a project and through that research I gained knowledge about confessional poetry. I learned that it's usually about a personal experience and Rich was a mother of three boys before the age of 30 (Poets.org 3). After that period in her life she began to write about the Vietnam war and women's rights (3). Some will argue that the poem is about gender identity or just the struggle of identity in society. It makes sense because women weren't really allowed to be outspoken and they didn't really have much of a role in society at the time the poem was written. It was also unusual for women to speak out publicly about wanting to have a better and bigger role in society. Also at that time it would've been completely outrageous for a woman to speak about gender identity.

The quote above could take on so many meanings depending on who's reading, but personally I think it's talking about the ladder being the choice to be outspoken. The ladder is close to the schooner, the boat, because they're all in the 'same boat' and some people in the boat have chose innocently to climb down that ladder and be outspoken and that ladder leads to wreck of what comes from being outspoken as a woman. Without the ladder being used, it's just there until someone else decides that they no longer want to sit around and they want to fight for equality with the rest in the wreck.

With this thinking about the poem it gives too much definition to the poem. I think poems are about having that sense of illusion, that way there can't be just one strict meaning, even if the author intended one, because it doesn't appeal to a wide variety of readers. Confessional poetry is about things that aren't talked about publicly, feelings, death, dark subjects and no one ever really knows what one is going though so even Diving into the Wreck can be thought of in some other way with some other situation and that's okay because that's poetry. Even with knowledge of Rich's past I think it's okay to take her poem that she intended to have a meaning for and put your own meaning to it. The meaning doesn't even have to be a woman experience. Some writers are working hard to make confessional poetry not so feminine. I think that it is important because some readers generalize confessional poetry which isn't fair to the writers who don't fit into that generalization.

Baym, Nina. The Norton anthology of American literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008. Print.

"Adrienne Rich." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 02 Aug. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017

Confessional Poetry

Confessional poetry according to poets.org "is the poetry of the personal or 'I' (para. 1)." This type of poetry started in the 1950's and 60's. The topics were typically about topic that were regularly accepted or talked about in public, such as, death or suicide (1). An aspect of this type of poetry is the way they talk about their emotions with the word choice and how things are said (3). Some critics of the style of poetry say that it's self-absorbed or attention seeking.


Lady Lazarus written by Sylvia Plath draws write from her own life. The poem sounds like it is about suicide. Various stanza make it sound like she is her own enemy, "Peel off the napkin. O my enemy. Do I terrify?- (Plath 4)" In fact, in Sylvia's own life she faced suicide twice, this first time is what sparked this and many other works. She called on that experience to help her write poems. From the poem itself you can tell that she was unsuccessful in her attempt to kill herself, "And I a smiling woman. I am only thirty. And like the cat I have nine times to die (7)." That line does, in fact, reflect on her life. When she was 30 is when she committed suicide was successful. I believe that Plath wrote this poem as a form of therapy. An article title Seeking Solace: Confessional Poetry by Krista L. Klanderman gives details about how she used confessional poetry to help her fight depression after she tried many other forms of therapy, "After days of panic attacks and body numbing depression I sat alone in my room and wrote the following words:

Life has its ups and downs.

And that’s just it.

When we’re happy it seems nothing can bring us down.

When we’re sad it seems nothing can cheer us up.

But in the end we prove to ourselves

we’re wrong

because,

Life has its ups and downs.

Those short, clichéd sentences drew me out of my funk (Klanderman 4)." In Klanderman's case writing down what she calls "'words to live by"' were more powerful than talking to doctors and other kinds of therapies (4). Although Plath's and Klanderman's writing styles weren't exactly the same, it shows the different dimensions to confessional poetry. It can be dark and talk about personal things, but it can also be truthful and help to end dark times.

Another poem that is also considered confessional poetry is Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich. The poem is more open to meanings. Taking into account Rich's background and writing style of Vietnam War era and women's rights movement, Diving into the Wreck could be, generally speaking, about the identity of some type whether that's gender identity or just finding oneself in society. It's like she's diving into unchartered waters in the poem, "First having read the book of myths, and loaded the camera, and checked the edge of the knife-blade, I put on the body-armor of black rubber (Rich 1)." Also, throughout the poem it goes back and forth between being alone and then seeing others in whatever 'wreck' she is in. I think that signifies a feeling, like in certain situations one can feel completely alone, but in reality they aren't, by searching they will find others in the same boat that they are. I think the last stanza in the poem really captures that meaning very well, "We are, I am, you are by cowardice or courage the one who find our way back to this scene carrying a knife, a camera a book of myths in which our names do not appear (10)."

An article called Fatherhood in Confessional Poetry: One Facet of Men's Autobiographical Writing by Brian Brodhead Glaser gives an interesting comparison to the other two poems. In his article he tries to show the changes happening to confessional poetry, "Confessional poetry is being redefined. The term has always been ambiguous. (Glaser 25)" I think his main focus to show others that confessional poetry is changing because he is a man and as he states in his paper, "...in the rise of critical histories and theoretical works emphasizing the connections between autobiography and gender, a number of critics have approached the genre of confessional writing more broadly as a women's writing, exploring how writing works with and works out issues of women's experience and gender identity. (26)" Glaser also quotes Thomas Travisano and Adam Kirsch who both also argue against the term "confessional", "'how the confessional paradigm has prejudice, is still prejudicing, artistic evaluation.' (26)." Glaser does make a very good argument, both authors from the poems above were both women who both discuss identity issues and women's experiences. In his article, Glaser wants others to be able to see confessional poetry as a "men's autobiographical writing" (26). This article is important because it shows a literary movement within confessional poetry.

  

"A Brief Guide to Confessional Poetry." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 09 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017

 "Adrienne Rich." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 02 Aug. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Beckmann, Leipzig Anja. "Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)." Sylvia Plath Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Glaser, Brian Brodhead. "Fatherhood in Confessional Poetry: One Facet of Men's Autobiographical Writing." College Literature, vol. 36, no. 4, Fall2009, pp. 25-45. EBSCOhost


Klanderman, Krista L. "Seeking solace: confessional poetry as therapy." MINDS@UW (2008): 1-77. Ebscohost. Web. 22 Mar. 2017

Rich, Adrienne. Diving into the wreck: poems 1971/1972. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.

 

Genre Blog: Drama; Streetcar Named Desire

One of many themes with in Streetcar Named Desire is abuse/gender roles. Stanley and Stella have a very specific type of relationship throughout the book. A quote that displays this is when Stanley says, "All Right. I'll wait till she gets through socking in a hot rub and then I'll inquire if she is acquainted with the Napoleonic code. It looks like you have been swindled, baby, and when you're swindled under the Napoleonic code I'm swindled too. And I don't like to be swindled. (Bayum, Levine 1171)"

The theme of gender roles goes back to last semester when I took Women in Pop Culture. We learned a lot about feminism and how gender roles were developed. Before first wave feminism it was common for men to be extremely overbearing compared to today where equality isn't achieved, but it's closer than it used. I think back when the play was written abuse in married couples was more common and that's why Stella always brushes it off throughout the play. Men were highly entitled in 1947 when the play was written and women were used to that. I also think Stella was a more outspoken women who really did try to rule her house just as much as Stanley. Also when Stella found out that Stanley had raped Blanche she really didn't have a choice, but to trust her husband over her sister which is an interesting dynamic.

The quote above is important because not only does it show gender roles and Stanley's need to get his chunk of Stella's share, but it's also a turning point within the book. After the quote is said, Blanche begins to act differently which gives readers a hint that there may be something being hidden from then. The gender roles comes out in that quote because it shows that Stanley could possible to jealous of what Stella once has, he often gets mad when he is compared to where Stella came from, so I think that this is his way of taking part of that away from he so he has part of it. Who even really knows if the Napoleonic code it a real thing-which it is, but only in Louisiana was it adopted as a code stating that men have a piece in their wife's dealings. Wikipedia says that the most common use of the Napoleonic code defined as a men having a piece in their wife's dealing is in this play alone (paragraph 25).

This play was written so long ago that viewers or readers of the play wouldn't have even batted an eye at the abuse that took place throughout the book. I'm almost positive that gender roles were never even discussed once as the play came out either. If feminism and the fight for equality would have been as prodomient as they are today I'm not sure that the play would have had the abuse that it did. Personally, I don't think that it plays such a huge role that it's necessary to include every detail of it. Again, if the public were as sensitive as the public today many people would think the play is really messed up because the physical and sexual abuse it's a necessity. I do feel that the play could go on without those aspects, but of course it wouldn't be the same.

Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton anthology of American literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2012. Print.

"Napoleonic Code." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Literary Analysis

Religion is such a big theme within Uncle Tom’s Cabin for good and bad reasons. The Shelbys instill religion in the slaves that they own which results in slaves that can be fully trusted and who can carry on that faith even when they are in not ideal situations. Uncle Tom is the most religious character throughout the entire book. When first introduced to Uncle Tom he is described as “a sort of patriarch in religious matters (Stowe 27)” which right away gives readers a sense of the Christ-like figure that’s been talked about in class and that was mentioned in comments of some reviews. It was mentioned in one of the reviews that in the book the characters are either good Christians, bad Christians, or a wannabe Christian and I think that is true. The Shelbys are very good Christians, Mrs. Shelby is quoted saying, “’O, Mr. Shelby, I have tried-tried most faithfully, as a Christian woman should do- to do my duty to these poor, simple, dependent creatures’ (29),” that shows that she really is a Christian woman, but is also problematic. The stereotypical Christian that everyone thinks of is always caring, kind, doesn’t say a bad word about anyone the question arises how can Mrs. Shelby speak like that about the slaves her husband owns if she claims to care so much. Stowe uses the religious aspect to provoke some thought, because what she said wasn’t “Christian-like” but in the same sentence she calls herself a Christian woman.

As the story progresses the masters the Uncle Tom experiences get progressively worse, Mr. Shelby was great, St. Clare was great but his wife wasn’t, and then to Legree which we all know is the worst place Tom has been at, but as the places get worse for Uncle Tom his faith gets stronger. He knew that God was testing him and although his faith seemed to waiver at times, he stuck with it even when he was basically on his death bed, “’The Lord God hath sent his angel, and shut the lion’s mouth for this time,’ said Tom (323).” I think Stowe uses Tom to show what good religion can do, no one else seems to be as pure and perfect about religion as Tom and there’s plenty more instances were religion is playing a role in this book and none of those will compare to the faith of Tom. I can see why Stowe does that, throughout the book those with the best faith are the slaves, for the most part, and it makes sense because at the time this book was being written whites didn’t think slaves were good people or even equal, but by showing that slaves have one of the best faith out of anyone it gives a common ground for whites and blacks, just like in the Appeal, in Four Articles says whites can’t bare blacks enough to worship God together. Religion is used in such a variety of ways throughout the book and I think that’s a reason that some readers at the time were so drawn in, it’s relatable to them and it shows so many different variations of Christianity.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Mineola, NY: Dover Pubublications, Inc., 2011. Print.
Walker, David. Walker's appeal in four articles. Salem, NH: Ayer, 1989. Print.

Critical Commentary

In Everybody’s Protest Novel by James Baldwin it is explained that Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a bad novel, but for different reason than what was seen in the modern-day comments on various book sites. Baldwin calls into question Stowe’s literary abilities, because after all she wasn’t a writer, she was an abolitionist or as Baldwin calls her a “pamphleteer” on page 533 of the second edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Although it was called a bad novel that’s not to say that it didn’t do the job it was intended to do, it was meant to show the horrors of slavery, which it successfully did. The text by Baldwin also talks about Stowe’s literary choices she made with the characters, “apart from her lively possession of field-hands, house-niggers, Chloe, Topsy, ect.- who are the stock, lovable figures presenting no problem- she only has three other Negroes in the book (Baldwin 534).” That is followed by how right away two of three can be ignored and the one left is Uncle Tom (534).  Overall the text seeks to analyze the choices made by Stowe and how those effect the story. The part that relates to the theme of religion is on page 535 where a brief paragraph describes how Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a theological terror that sparks the novel right away (535). Baldwin comes the religion used in the novel to “medieval times which sought to exorcize evil by burning witches (535).” This helps to gain understanding of the novel because give such a comparison makes it easier to come to terms with religion is used to terrorize some people, which is actually part of what Stowe does, she makes people question how religion can be used to justify something so terrible. Personally, I do agree with most of what Baldwin says within the text, he brings up very good, interesting points, some unrelated to the theme of religion, but nevertheless it makes readers think about things, such as, why is there basically one black character in a book written to abolish slavery. It was a very thought provoking text to read.

Baldwin, James. Everybody's protest novel. Indianapolis: College Division, Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1949. Print.

Reader Response

The overall tone of reviews on Goodreads was that most people either just liked it or they liked it and hated it at the same time with various reasons defending their position. The review I chose was one that didn't mind the book, but also didn't like it as well. The reviewer gave 3 reasons as to why the book was interesting, one being that feminism was involved, two being Uncle Tom as Christ, and three was "The unrelentingly Christian aspect of the novel," The reviewer puts it well, "Either you're a Christian and good or not Christian and bad. Or, you are struggling between the two, and trying to attain the title of Christian." I do believe that really is the dynamic within the characters. The Shelbys are good Christians, but overall the slaves are the best Christians compared to anyone in the book. Overall, I agree with this review and most reviews on Goodreads.

On Barnes and Nobel, the comments were shorter and less descriptive, mostly people thinking that this is a very good book to read in high school. The Christian views on the book persisted here as well. The review I chose from Barnes and Nobel called Uncle Tom "...quintessential Christian" which I agree with. He also goes on to say that "anyone who suggests this is anything but a great read either hasn't read the book, didn't understand the book or simply doesn't have a conscience." I think that's a little harsh, as seen on Goodreads there are reasons to not like the book. Many comments have said that the end of the book is extremely preachy, but that understandable because religion is such a large theme throughout the book and when the book was written that what many people thrived on.

On Amazon, many people were saying that this book is very relevant in today’s world, not because of the religion or even racism, but because "Stowe understands the frailty and weakness of human nature and she writes the stories in the context of slavery but it's much more than just the horrors of slavery." I like what this reviewer is saying, although back when this story was written it was all about the abolition of slavery, but when read today it can be interpreted in a different meaning that being that humans act on other things like greed and that can be costly to someone else. The reviewer says it best when they say "She has a message that is not only applicable to the 19th century, but to us today as well."

"Goodreads." N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.  <https://www.goodreads.com/>.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. <https://www.amazon.com/>.

Noble, Barnes &. "Books." Barnes & Noble. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/books/>.

Textual Background

I chose Appeal, in Four Articles from pages 423- 426. This artifact is like a calling to all colored people around the world to come together, it also questions why white people have made them to be slaves. This text contributes to the understanding of Uncle Tom's Cabin because it's written by a black man, it gives insight into what they are thinking and it's solely for them, there isn't any immediate white culture forced into it. It goes into the cruelties that they faced. It also brings religion into play because during the text there is a lot of referencing to God and religion, which is my theme of choice. Uncle Tom's Cabin constantly uses religion as a justification for nearly anything, good or bad. This helps understand why so many slaves, namely Uncle Tom, preach the word of God and that's what keeps him going through all his hardships that he faces throughout the book especially when he's practically on his death bed, "Nerve and bone of that poor man's body vibrated to those words, as if touched by the finger of God; and he felt the strength of a thousand souls in one" (Stowe 349). The quote that really jumps out in the Appeal, in Four Articles is "They will not suffer us to meet together to worship the God who made us" (Walker 425). Although not every slave owner believes in God or is extremely holy, but this does resonate with quite a few slave owners like the Shelbys and when Uncle Tom is helping St. Clare realize there is a God just before he is about to die. The quote also reinforces Stowe's agenda of abolishing slavery, if they all worship the  God that made them then why can they not worship together. The religion theme is really versatile throughout the whole book, it's used to justify slavery, justify why events happen, and it's used by Stowe to help end slavery.


Walker, David. Walker's appeal in four articles. Salem, NH: Ayer, 1989. Print.