Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza - Critical Analysis - Essay Example

Eddie Zhu English 111 Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza: A Critical Analysis What is the true meaning of a poem? If someone asked you whatthe essence of a poem was, what would you say? If you were asked to write a poem, how would you go about doing so? In my view, a poem is a form of creative writing that is used to express thoughts, emotions, and events. A poem can sometimes convey a principle or a paradigm of a campaign or dreams that are yet to come true. There are many renowned poets, such as E.E.Cummings, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Joyce Kilmer, and Amy Levy, who have made their mark on history. Besides these famous poems, there are plenty of people who write poems as a hobby or use it simply as a venue to express themselves. There are many different styles for poems, but a good poem is one that delivers a message that cuts across time and is strengthened by its elements of style. The poem Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza by Amylia Grace is deals with the erotic pleasures in a hopeful relationship. On first reading, you would distinguish the poem as being sensuality involved. There is a stirring of emotions that makes you want to finish reading all the stanzas in order to see where it ends. The last two stanzas, however, tell you that there is something more in the poem than mere eroticism. Reading the poem multiple times leads you to the theme of the poem—the desire for a lasting passionate relationship. Elements of Style Romantic poetry is characterized by William Wordsworth as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (qtd. in Russel et al.), and clearly this poem, written by Amylia Grace, is one of these because of the intensity and dominance of the reader’s feelings on sensuality in a lasting relationship. The string of emotions in the poem was accentuated first by the employing first person in the singular object through using “I”, and plural possessive forms through using “our” and “we.” Using first person in poem expresses immediacy and personality that evokes ownership from the point of view of the reader. That it is consistent throughout the entire poem only enhances the longing emotions, which help connect the reader to the theme of the poem. The use of first person in the poem does not discriminate nor points to a particular gender as the speaker; this makes it more universal. This poem’s universality, however, is intended for specific groups of people. Anyone reader who has fallen in love could derive a connection with the desire for a lasting relationship and true love; however, the depth of the poem’s erotic meaning can only be fully understood by those who have experienced the same passion and, at the same time, a lack of it. Poetry is a surge of emotions that “… originates in primeval expressions of emotion which are by nature expressed in rhythmic and figurative form” (Finnegan 32). Primitive cultures were characterized by a communal nature or a lack of individuality; this gives way to direct relation of feelings to others expressed in words. Rhythm and figures of speech are fundamentals of poetry. Although there is no formula on how to write a good poem, the features of rhythm and figure of speech support the messages and emotions that a poet wants to evoke in its reader. The poem displays no end rhymes in each verse—emotion is conveyed by its variation of stress and pause. The rhythm in this poem is on the changes or fluidity of the stressed and unstressed syllables, which create surprises and build emotions as the reader recites one line to the next. Although there was an attempt for alliteration in the line “spread like sunlight over slices of cold pizza I serve” of the first stanza with the accented syllables of words beginning in letter S, it was not significant at all, as there was no consistency in it. What was immediately visible though was the poet’s use of imagery to enhance poetic messages. This poem by Grace displayed several examples of figurative language, but mostly similes were used to compare two things (e.g. “The Times / spread like sunlight over slices of cold pizza I serve / on paper plates”). Only one of the seven stanzas does not contain a simile, but even the stanza without one provided a metaphor: “The tender hours.” There is no tender time or hour in reality, but its presence enhances the erotic meaning of the previous words in the same line, “Me in my spa robe, you inside it,” as well as the preceding and following stanzas. A philosopher called Ted Cohen once said that a significance of the use of a metaphor is “the achievement of intimacy” (qtd. in Hirsch) or how the poem invites the reader to form a relationship with the words and then provide meaning to it. The use of personification in the fourth verse, “Like trombones / sliding inside pianos,” followed by another metaphor “The wordless hours,” are both a mix of figurative language that enhances the romance and sensuality of the poem. The power of imagery in this poem is in establishing a relationship to the passionate experiences of the reader on how tender hour is defined and then executed in his or her life. Caesurae, or the significant pause in reading within a line like “time we dont fall after all—and love is not destined,” is practiced by the poet throughout each of the seven stanzas. The caesurae presented an additional venue for the reader to be in tune with the message by listening to the sound the poem makes and the emotions it evokes. Enjambment, or the breaking of a sentence at the end of lines and between verses, is also constantly used by the poet in each stanza. Using enjambment emphasizes a particular word and its meaning. It also gives the reader an opportunity to absorb the sound and meaning of words. This is influential in conveying the mood of the poem to the reader. In the case of this poem by Grace, enjambment assists the reader in determining the value of the words and the relationship of each word to the emotions it wants to transfer to the reader. One example is in the line, “I am here, / as always.” This places equal value to the message of assurance on lifelong presence. The message then translates into feelings of security and comfort for the reader as well as a desire to be somebody who offers something to someone special or to have someone who will make the same assurance to the reader. The last style in the poem is the use of musical elements such as musical instruments, type of sounds, and even a reference to a famous composer Gustav Mahler and his fifth symphony. No matter the style, a poem is more beautiful and meaningful when read out loud because its composition variables can be felt strikingly with the aid of listening skills. What is commendable in this poem is the unifying use of orchestra instruments and the symphony to support the intimacy of the poem. Had the poet chosen to use different instruments from various music genres, the word connections that invoked and sustained the passionate feelings would have dissipated into frustration and then withdrawal of the connection between the reader and the poem. The reference to Gustav Mahler’s fifth symphony is instrumental as well conveying the message of the poem on the desire to live life as it is by embracing fear, hurt, tragedy, change, death, dreams, love, and hope. The Berliner Philharmoniker stated that Mahler wrote the fifth symphony when he met his wife. The symphony starts with a funeral march but then progresses into a jubilant mood of “tenderness, dreaming, and a sense of yearning, full of hope.” Conclusion As Hirsch said, “the poem moves from the eye to ear, to the inner ear, the inner eye.” Poetry is an art of its own kind, but its essence is on its eternal connection with readers across different generations. Poetry compels the reader to think, feel, imagine, and dream. A poem’s success is on how it establishes a link from a poet’s individual experiences to mankind’s universal truth. Thus, poetry is not merely writing and expressing oneself, but building connections and relationships with readers by employing essential strategies to make the poem more substantial. Consistency or irregularity of poetic elements could help accentuate the meaning and feelings invoked by a poem. When a poem does not evoke and sustain emotions, its connection to the reader dissipates. When this happens, the appeal of the poem subsides. Works Cited Berliner Philharmoniker. “Berliner Philharmoniker Sir Simon Rattle.” Digital Concert Hall. 04 June 2011. Web. 28 April 2012. Finnegan, Ruth. Oral Poetry: Its Nature, Significance, and Social Context. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Web. 27 April 2012. Hirsch, Edward. How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love With Poetry. Florida: Harcourt, Inc., 1999. Web. 26 April 2012. Russel, Tony et al. “MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics.” The OWL at Purdue. 27 April 2012. Purdue University Writing Lab. Web. 28 April 2010. Read More