Poetry Blog #3

3. Think about hamartia: find one poem that displays a tragic flaw in human nature (either human nature in general or in one human, as expressed in the poem). Write about whether or not the poem’s message is enhanced for you, as a reader, as you contemplate hamartia as it relates to the text.

Okay, I feel like I’m cheating, but I’m going to pick on “In the Secular Night” once again. I guess this poem is just so intriguing for me personally. So what is harmartia as presented in the poem? Well, I think it’s the speaker’s state of loneliness. However, this not only applies to the speaker, but it also applies to human nature in general. Perhaps it’s because humans are selfish by nature, but it seems that people are never satisfied with what they have, so they feel loneliness despite everything they have. Well, whatever the reason may be for the loneliness everyone feels, if people don’t overcome this feeling of desolation and seclusion, it will eventually lead them to their downfall. Just like the way the speaker says in the poem that she will go crazy at one point, everyone will go crazy if he or she does not find a way to escape loneliness. In fact, the primary reason for suicides is loneliness; people are unable to overcome their depression, so they look to the ultimate way of escape—death. Anyways, as I think about harmartia and how we are all embedded with a critical weakness, the message of the poem is further enhanced. Since I know that loneliness is inevitable for people, I am more open to Atwood’s suggestion of looking to something spiritual for fulfillment. Well, since I am already intact with the “spiritual” (or at least I think I am), I feel like I have already quenched my thirst. Well, this does not mean that I am happy all the time; in fact, I still feel lonely quite often. There are so many times when I feel like no one really understands me… perhaps it’s because I haven’t found my spouse yet! :P

Haha..

Probably not though. Hm. This feeling will always stay with me. And it is up to me to resolve my internal conflicts. And however they may come across, I will have to look beyond what I can see with my physical eyes to find satisfaction. Loneliness will always stay with me… but I will rise victorious as I leave my pride and my own thoughts, and hand over myself to something spiritual—in my case, God.

Poetry Blog #2

2. TPCASTT one poem and discover what it really says to you. Write about the poem and its theme, especially about how the poem’s message sheds light on the universal human condition/experience.

In the Secular Night

Honestly, I’m not picking this poem because I analyzed it for the oral commentary. I have to say that even as I prepared for the oral commentary, I felt intimately close with this poem. I guess it’s because the poem presents a universal human experience (seriously, it does; I’m not just saying it for the post). In the poem, the speaker struggles with her loneliness and feeling of seclusion. Her emotional turmoil is caused by mainly two things: her separation from people, and her separation from God (or something spiritual). Throughout the poem, readers witness the speaker “amble” around her house and eat “baby lima beans” and just ponder in solitude. Well, even towards the end of the poem, the speaker is nowhere near an escape from her depressing condition. In fact, she even acknowledges that if she does not find redemption or resolve, she will go insane. Well, up to this point, any reader can relate to the speaker. We all feel alone at one point in our lives, and this feeling of loneliness and seclusion is so effectively addressed in the poem. This is one issue that I can really agree on with Atwood—we really are alone, and many times we are so helpless; we can’t find an escape. Well, the way this poem speaks to me is like this: loneliness is inevitable in life, and there’s nothing we, as people, can do to quench our thirst for something beyond the superficial; but, such need can be satisfied if we look to the realm of the spiritual. I don’t think Atwood is recommending anyone to go to a Church or start believing in God, but I do believe that she acknowledges our need, as people, for something in the realm of the metaphysical; beyond this physical world that we live in at the moment. In fact, the poem ends with an imagery of the outside world in chaos; with “sirens” and a dead person, the world is not in peace. With such horrible imagery of a cruel and cold world ignorant of the speaker’s condition, the only way for the speaker to overcome her loneliness is to search for something spiritual. Since she wandered around in her “secular” world, or night, from the beginning, and that’s when she felt all alone, she has not experienced the un-secular. Who knows? Maybe once she enters a world of spirituality, she will be cured of her loneliness.

Poetry Blog #1

1. Research Atwood, Plath, and Dickinson and find the poet you are most like; your similarities could be based on personality traits or on issues you are both interested in, or on themes emerging from the poet’s work and how those speak to you. Write about what you feel in common between you and the poet you have chosen.

All of these poets are so emo. They seem to write mostly on gloomy and depressing subjects. Yet, I think they are so bang-on when it comes to the universal human condition. In many ways, this world really is desolate, empty of anything good (that is apart from God). So, it’s hard for me to point out just one poet out of the three and say that I relate to her more. All three of these poets seem to carry traits that I carry. In fact, they have the exact same questions that I ponder about. I guess once a person embarks on a journey for Truth, he or she converges on a road that most people on the same journey finds. Interesting, eh? It’s impossible to ignore spirituality, right? Despite its amorphous characteristic, we FEEL that something is there. Yes, we can’t see it, but we can’t see emotion either, right? Okay, I don’t know where I’m going with this… but, anyone that is secular, or in other words, without God, at one point discovers that there’s so much more to life than what meets the eyes. Just like the way Tolstoy was converted to Christianity, if a person sincerely seeks for the ultimate truth behind the existence of humankind, he or she will eventually find God in one shape or form.

So, in that sense, I feel so similar to all three of these poets, and even when I look at their individual lives, I find so many things in common. First of all, Dickinson’s tendency towards seclusion is so relatable. Although I AM a people person, there are so many times when I want to be alone, apart from the world. I guess I get so torn apart and hurt by the world that I wish to drawback in my little “shell” and just close myself from the world. But once again, this is a very common experience, I believe, everyone goes through at one point in their lives. However, what sets me apart from Dickinson is that I’ve found redemption through my relationship with Christ. As corny as that may sound, that’s the truth—nothing but the truth. Yes, life sucks in many aspects, but I live not for my own selfish ambitions, but for God’s glory (or at least I try to!). So, no matter what comes in my way, God will aid me through… and whatever happens, God is enough.

Alright, how about Plath? Man oh man… Plath was actually very much like my current state. She loved people… hanging out and just partying with her friends. Well, she was betrayed by her husband who ultimately led her to her death. So, how can I relate to Plath? Well, I, too, am very vulnerable when it comes to people. Perhaps it is because I have unduly expectations for people, and when I am let down because people do not necessarily meet up to my expectations, I get hurt… or even angered. In many ways, I feel pathos towards Plath. Here lies also the biggest difference between me and Plath. I mean, I can’t comprehend the amount of pain and turmoil Plath had to endure because of her husband, but I would have, no matter what the hardship, fought against the very forces that tried to bring me down. Yes, it is hard, but life is hard. In fact, rarely anything will ever go the way I want it in life, but I still get up and overcome my hardships. I just feel so bad that Plath had to give up in the end. But this again reveals the natural tendencies of humans to produce tragedy. I mean, why did Plath have to die? Such a talented being that could have offered so much to the world; that could have shed some light onto the universal truth.

Well, Atwood is kind of apart from the other two. Particularly because she’s not dead—yes, she’s alive! Isn’t that nice? Although she knows how terrible the world is, she did not push herself over the edge of death. Yea, I guess she’s found something to live for—like all of us (or I hope all of us found something to live for). Anyways, I wouldn’t really say I’m similar to Atwood. But, I can relate to many of her poems. But, I believe that most people can relate to her poems because her poems are so powerful in the sense that they reveal some universal aspects of humanity. In fact, I will talk about “In the Secular Night,” and how that poem is so relatable to me. For now, I’m just going to say that I agree with many of the things Atwood talks about. Now, go read my post on why I like “In the Secular Night,” and you will see why I like Atwood.