A friend of mine, who is a high school Junior, recently wrote a paper on poetry. Since I promised her that I would share her paper with the Cyberspace world, I am going to include an excerpt of it. This is only her first draft, meaning that there are probably some grammatical errors that you may find. Either way, some feedback would be appreciated. Also, she chooses to remain namless!
The Thoughts That Touch Our Hearts
In the midst of all the poems that poets write, it is interesting to note how their expressed thoughts may differ on their subjects, but can relate in certain characteristics on how the poems were written. The power that their thoughts have on the readers is immense. They are articulated so clearly as if they were communicating to each individual personally. The poems read reach out to our hearts and leave us pondering. Poets tend to connect with their readers using certain techniques that help us appreciate and comprehend the point being conveyed. Anne Sexton expresses her reasoning of relationships in The Kiss and Words, as she approaches the same type of tones and figurative language, but differentiates on her poem’s themes.
Primarily, in both poems, the tones are quite similar. They change as you progress in the reading of the poem. When the poem continues, the tone changes to the opposite of the beginning tone. The Kiss has a tone that reflects the speaker being impatient before receiving her first kiss. Disappointment with herself and the feeling of loneliness has aroused in the speaker, as she cries, “I’ve been wronged all year.” The readers can infer that the speaker is upset as she calls herself a “crybaby” and a “fool”, and feels “useless.”(The Kiss, 1-6) The speaker feels this way because she has never been kissed and experienced the feeling of being satisfied with someone. She awaits the moment, the day in which someone will come to rescue her. As the poem continues the speaker feels satisfaction. The feeling of content in the speaker has come because she has had an opportunity to be kissed and be put to use. The tone seems to be like refreshment and a glorification.
“Now it’s tearing at its square corners.
It’s tearing old Mary’s garments off, knot by knot
and see — Now it’s shot full of these electric bolts.
Zing! A resurrection!”(The Kiss, 7-10)
The speaker is describing how she feels about her first kiss. The speaker is very thankful for the person who brought her out of her shell and placed her on cloud 9. She feels as if she has transformed into this different person.
“You did this.
Pure genius at work. Darling, the composer has stepped
into fire.” (The Kiss, 12-14)
In the speaker’s point of view, the person who kissed her took her to a place where she wanted to go. The speaker wanted to be used for something, and he kissed her, making her feel special.
Similarly, in Words the tone in the poem is compassionate as the speaker enjoys words and how they are used for several things. The speaker is expressing how words can be loving and soothing if used correctly. The speaker loves words, when they are used in the correct manner. You can infer this by the words she uses such as “good”, “trusty”, and “love.” (Words, 6-8, 10)
Then the tone turns to being regretful if words are used wrong and in a negative way. The poem also brings in a sense of sorrow as the speaker recalls times in the past when words hurt people’s feelings. Talking about words, the speaker notes, “The wrong ones kiss me.” (Words, 19)Even though the speaker may love words, they have to be handles with care and treated gently. Just like the speaker said, “Once broken they are impossible things to repair.” (Words, 25-26)
Both poems express the tone of being content and disappointment but in different ways for different things. The Kiss expresses the speaker’s thoughts, as the tone diverges from being bummed out to being agitated and blissful. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker admits,“My nerves are turned on.” (The Kiss, 16) This is opposite from what the speaker first felt. Also, in Words, the tone of the poem can be described using one of the lines of the poem. “But they can be both daisies and bruises.” (Words, 9) When someone brings you flowers, it is an occasion to be glad about. Now, when someone punches you, or if you trip and get a bruise, it’s painful and it may leave a scar. You are not happy with that. Well, the same goes for the way we use our words on a day to day basis.
