Poeta
I'm responding to this question this week.
6. Consider the richness of the imagery throughout. What are some of your favorite lines, images, moments in the poem so far?
This book is centered on wars and the results of wars and as such there are many lines which stick with you when you read this poem. I chose to write my paper on this book because there are many good quotes that support my overall thesis.
I like page 24 because it sets up a theme that comes around again in later pages. "Lord, make us steel against their pleas for mercy, their infidel wives." I like this passage because it labels the women that more likely than not aren't even doing the fighting. The soldiers come into the war area with a mindset about all the women in the country.
This continues on page 36 except it's from the P.O.V. of someone from the war torn country. I think it is from a female's perspective from the way it is written. The narrator says "That blank space on your map, that's where I was born...Gold stars pinned to your chest for every military and civilian slaughter, for every racial slur coined in these blank spaces on your map..." I think this is a memorable passage because it's from this point we start to see the narrator turning to hatred over how the foreign armies have come in and given them a label and viewed their country as something less. That the narrator has to remind them that the blank space on the map is home to many people is just kind of pathetic.
This issue ends on page 54. "women strap explosives to their bodies and unfurl wings of ululation". I think this is and final step in the way the invading forces see the people, the women especially.
I think the one thing that will remain in my mind for quite some time is the dialogue between what I assume is the American soldier and his wife. They write to each other and refer to each other as "my love" and we see the woman become increasingly distant from the person she is writing to. A lot of this book has to do with the damage that is done to women both directly and indirectly as a result of war and this book drops an "ironic bomb", get it, like atomic only ironic, har har har. Anyway on page 60 the narrator says "North of markets upscale shopping mecca's center you can't miss the huge female personification of victory riding an erect 97-foot phallus". I think this is a good end to the issue of damage to females because it all ends with us going "wow, I can't believe we celebrate victory with a statue of those we hurt the most."
6. Consider the richness of the imagery throughout. What are some of your favorite lines, images, moments in the poem so far?
This book is centered on wars and the results of wars and as such there are many lines which stick with you when you read this poem. I chose to write my paper on this book because there are many good quotes that support my overall thesis.
I like page 24 because it sets up a theme that comes around again in later pages. "Lord, make us steel against their pleas for mercy, their infidel wives." I like this passage because it labels the women that more likely than not aren't even doing the fighting. The soldiers come into the war area with a mindset about all the women in the country.
This continues on page 36 except it's from the P.O.V. of someone from the war torn country. I think it is from a female's perspective from the way it is written. The narrator says "That blank space on your map, that's where I was born...Gold stars pinned to your chest for every military and civilian slaughter, for every racial slur coined in these blank spaces on your map..." I think this is a memorable passage because it's from this point we start to see the narrator turning to hatred over how the foreign armies have come in and given them a label and viewed their country as something less. That the narrator has to remind them that the blank space on the map is home to many people is just kind of pathetic.
This issue ends on page 54. "women strap explosives to their bodies and unfurl wings of ululation". I think this is and final step in the way the invading forces see the people, the women especially.
I think the one thing that will remain in my mind for quite some time is the dialogue between what I assume is the American soldier and his wife. They write to each other and refer to each other as "my love" and we see the woman become increasingly distant from the person she is writing to. A lot of this book has to do with the damage that is done to women both directly and indirectly as a result of war and this book drops an "ironic bomb", get it, like atomic only ironic, har har har. Anyway on page 60 the narrator says "North of markets upscale shopping mecca's center you can't miss the huge female personification of victory riding an erect 97-foot phallus". I think this is a good end to the issue of damage to females because it all ends with us going "wow, I can't believe we celebrate victory with a statue of those we hurt the most."
posted by Chris at 1:38 PM
1 Comments:
Chris--your reactions (like this one) are intense, sensitive, and acute. Thanks.
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