For the Anniversary of My Death

When reading For the Anniversary of My Death by W.S Merwin many things came rushing into my head. Through out this term we have discussed many times our feelings of life and death. This poem is exactly what this deals with. Merwin had the insight to look into his inner being and deal with death his own way. The way in which Merwin decided to deal with death was by writing this poem on how he feels like death will go. He discusses how he feels as if he has passed his days without even realizing it and feels as if he is a tireless traveller. I sometimes feel the same way so I find myself in this poem. I'm only 21 years old and I am already starting to lookg back on my life and asking where my life has gone. It seems like only yesterday I was walking into my first day of kindergarden. I just hope that I don't go through my life without any meaning or purpose. This is something that is starting to become more of a priority to me as I get closer to my inevitable death.

Hanging Fire

Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde is another poem dealing with the life of an African American girl growing up. This poem is very poignant at times and also is full of wisdom. The poem is about Lorde looking back on her younger life of 14. She is starting to question the things that are going on in her life. She is starting to question why her skin color is holding her back. She describes her skin as 'betraying her.' The wisdom found in this poem is very startling too. She has the state of mind to realize that she was dealt a tough time. Her mother is never around and doesn't worry about her but she has the strength to move on from that.

The Portrait

The Portrait by Stanley Kunitz is a poem that is full of poignancy that really stands out right off the bat. It starts by saying "My mother never forgave my father for killing himself..." This kicks the poem right into gear. Even though it is a very sensitive subject Kunitz does a wonderful job in elaborating his feelings on his father. He never new his father since he killed himself before his birth. The one quick glimpse of him that he got was a portrait that he found in his attic as a child. However, his mother quickly ripped up the portrait and slapped Kunitz. This must have been a rather shocking turn for a young man. The one small glimpse you get of your dead father is ripped away for you. Kunitz then goes on to say how even at 64 years old the sting of that slap can still be felt. He cannot feel the literal sting obviously but its the figurative sting of the years without his father and never being able to know him.

A Poem For Myself

A Poem For Myself by Ehteridge Knight is another poem in the great line of early 20th century African American poets. As a white man growing up in the late 20th century and early 21st century sometimes it is tough to realize what it was like for a minority growing up in the early 20th century. The thought of blatant racism and segregation is one that is tough for me to realize however poets such as Knight really bring it to life. In this poem Knight talks about leaving behind his mother and father to head north. During the early 20th century Mississippi was a very tough place to get ahead if you were a black man. Knight decides to move to the north to try to do that but Mississippi is always in his heart. He vows to return to Mississippi either a free man or a dead man.

Frederick Douglas

The poem Frederick Douglas by Robert Hayden is a poem that touched me deeply on a few different levels. The first thing that stood out to me was the new language that I found in this poem. As a history minor I have studied the life of Frederick Douglas in the past. He was a man who devoted his life to others. He was willing to go out and do things that most black men at the time didn't do. He stood for what he believed in which was the freedom of others. This poem gives a personal side to Frederick Douglas that really touched me. I found this very poignant as well because at the time of his death African Americans were not allowed the rights of their fellow man. If Frederick Douglas was able to see what his and many other African Americans sacrifces accomplished I am sure he would be proud.

We Wear the Mask

We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poem that really stuck out to me because of finding myself in it as well as the poignancy of the poem. Throughout the semester, as a class, we have discussed the idea of people wearing masks. We said that everyone has a different persona they were at different times. People act differently in the workplace than they would at the bar. It is just one of those things in life that we all must accept. The poem is saying that we all have masks. We could be unhappy and wanting to burst into tears but we fight them back. We put on our happy mask. Even though our masks may be deceitful it is something that we all do.

Incident

Incident by Countee Cullen is a poem that to me is very poignant. The poem starts off very innocently talking about a little girl seeing a smiling little boy. The feeling of innocent lust is one that everyone can relate to and keeps the poem with a relatively easy going mood. However, it takes a change when the speaker says "And so I smiled, but he poked out His tongue, and called me, 'Nigger.' To me this was a rather shocking turn in the poem but one that makes the poem very poignant. To people of my generation it seems so wrong that you would just go up to someone and call them senseless term like that. But, it was not too long ago when that was commonplace. It just goes to remind me that not all is still perfect about our country and probably never will be.