For A Duro

This poem is really symbolic of Christmas; I felt like this poem really shows Christmas at it's best. I kind of took the Duro as symbolic of what people really value. Christmas is so different for every person, especially when the reader kind of can compare American Christmas to Tanizia. For some Christmas is a time for new electronics and the latest gadgets but in this poem the author values having a roof to sleep under and a soldier who is lucky to get a cigeratte. A Duro can make a difference in anybodys life, and as the author dreams about having a butler and such leads me to think that the key to success has to start somewhere. Unless a person is born a kid of a superstar, most people have to start from scratch and build up. The Duro could be symbolic of starting from small, poor livings and building into having a good income. Also, the little things in life are also the some of the best moments. Such things as animals in a hospital getting better or getting a meal when your starving are some of the best gifts you see in life. Who knows where one Duro could go or do.

Lost Brother

I really like this poem! It makes me think of this book I read over and over again as a child. It was about this kid who loved this huge willow tree, but time past and the boy grew into a man where he didn't have time for the tree. The tree became sad and lonely and began to die. In the very end the man becomes old and weak and looks for the companionship of the tree, and the tree provides shade and for the old man to rest. Its one of those books that looks at the passing of time and I can completely relate that theme to this poem. It made me realize how humans and trees go through so many obstacles and troubles and survive through it, but then one day the tree gets cut down just like humans simply die of old age. This poem also mentions how the nature has the same mother as the human race and that is so true because all living beings have to die at one point or another. The last sentence is kind of comical because it talks about how a bag of wind will cut me down, yet wind shouldn't even harm a human or a tree. Thats why I related to the wind to death because it's so sudden and weak compared to all the obstacles that could of killed a human or a tree in the past. This poem does a fantastic job of showing how time ages us and that life should be valued for what it is.

Blackberries for Amelia

I really like this poem because it brings back memories of my own. I love that this poem kind of shows time change and how the blackberries start out as "five-petaled blooms of chalky white" and end as "dark berries, savage-sweet and worth the wait..." The word choice that the author uses really gives the reader a painted picture in their head. I remember when my grandpa and I would go out in our backyard in Steamboat Springs and pick raspberries. My face would be stained and my hands colored red. I remember how sweet and juicy the berries were and how my grandpa would tell me to grab the berry at it's stem and not the bottom otherwise I would squish it. It was just a moment time that I had with my grandpa where we would talk and he would share his memories and wisdom with me. I don't have this anymore because time passes and my grandpa past away. Thats why I love this poem because that's exactly what it represents is time passing by. The little memories that I remember I treasure, and it's the little moments in this poem that make memories so special.

1943

This poem kind of surrounds me with the image of war. To think of 17, 18 year old boys in school and the next moment in war and being killed really is a depressing thought. As talked about in class, milk is seen as a nurturing aspect. I see that as kind of supporting our troops and doing what the American people can do back home. We can nurture our troops to help them the best Americans can do. The analogy of frostbitten feet as white as milk was kind of weird. I mean I guess I can picture cold as white because snow is white and the sky is usually white. Also when bodies turn white it symbolizes a dead person, and milk is cold just like frostbitten feet. I can't really relate to people in my life who have gone off to war. I have had great uncles and my 2nd uncle go to Vietnam, but I do know neighbors and friends who live in fear every day because they are worried about their loved ones overseas. I can't even imagine how painful that feeling would be. This poem definitely brings out the pain and impact of war not only on the soldiers but loved ones back home.

My Fear

I took this poem as like a fear of death; I saw fear as a person "he looks through his sack, his black sack of trouble." This part really paints a picture in my mind. Our dreams are kind of a wondrous insight to ourselves, some of the most personal part of a human being. Dreams kind open us to our biggest fears in our life at that moment in time, and I kind of got that feeling from this poem. The structure is 6 stanzas with 4 lines each, so it kind of flows. There are no lines that really stand out because of the structure. Dreams kind of teach people a lesson, almost like a way of looking at your life from a bigger perspective. Whether that bigger perspective is scary or not depends. This poem talks about fear falling through your pocket and be small and I think thats what everybody wishes for-small troubles and fears that won't immensely impact us and cause too much harm. We talked about this poem in class and really can be looked at from many perspectives.