Unfortunately, it was Paradise by Mahmoud Darwish
**ASSIGNMENT**
(1) Pick two poems from Unfortunately, it was Paradise
Compare and contrast the two poems
**(hint: Since this series of poems spans Darwish's poetic career, one way of doing this might be by choosing two poems written at different times in his life.)
(2) Explain any central themes, identify strong language and tell us about your reaction to each poem.
Recommended length: 1-2 short paragraphs.
**Respond to these questions AND ALSO to at least one of your peers in order to receive full credit.
Another Damascus in Damascus (page 25)
ReplyDelete“Let one half of your heartbeat, friend, join one half of mine”
This is a poem about love and death, the two greatest things in life. I enjoy the use of repetition as a narrative structure in the poem. From the mirror of “Another Damascus in Damascus” to the “strong and farseeing heart for her, for me, for you” this poem resonates with doubling and tripling, adding weight to all around. The words are so forceful with that weight, and the images pop off the page. The poem becomes more than a poem – it takes on a body, just as Damascus does. I especially love the imagery in this poem, specifically the juxtaposition of violence (“why did you lean on a dagger to look at me?”) and nature (“I had hoped to carry you to the gushing spring”).
Lesson from the Kama Sutra (115) is similar to Another Damascus in Damascus in its use of repetition to create a poetic body. The weight of wait is tangible and you can feel the bodies, the anxiety, and the intensity of these two lovers’ passion. My favorite line is “If she arrives late, wait for her/ If she arrives early, wait for her.” That is so damn sexy. The themes of love and death also resonate in this poem as well. Is love like death? And death love? I don’t know. The tone in this poem is far softer than that of Damascus. The words drift in and out like caresses. I love this poem a little more than the first.
"Take her gently to the death you so desire,
And wait."
Caila-Wow. Will you're so smart. Thanks for your feedback :)
ReplyDeleteTJ - It works!!!!!! :))
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletePoems: He Embraces His Murderer & I Belong There
The main themes in the first poem are brotherhood, guns (shooting, impyling war), and the enemy as the third party (perhaps the interveneing party in the uneccessary war between the two brother countries). The poem was special; I felt that I could relate to it very much since my country is at war as well. The North and the South Korea both sprout from one single root and yet they battle with each other. And intervening powers, the communists and the allies both make it harder for us to reunite.
On the other hand, the second poem primarily focused on a single theme: home, and all that other things that make a home what it is to us. I felt that I could relate to the poem very well as well. Since I myself live far away from my real home, and truly struggle whether to call the philippines my home or Korea. However, the importance lies in the fact that I have a home and that I am homesick, or that I do miss my home from time to time. And the things that I miss most about my home are similar to what Darwish claims in his poems.
Both poems talk about his home in one way or another. The imagery of the two brothers battling at home for unnecessary things make the importance of the home described in the second poem much clearer. Both poems clearly reveal Darwish's love for his home and intent to make it a sacred and peaceful place he remembers in his innocent childhood days before wars and atrocities broke out.
I Will Slog Over This Road and The Death of a Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed I Will Slog Over This Road, I felt like it was a really good choice as the introductory poem. It exemplifies determination, throughout and extremely difficult and rigorous path, which is life. It's vivid, descriptive, uses imagery, similes and metaphors and still manages to be short and sweet.
I love the poem, The Death of A Phoenix though I'm not entirely sure I understand all of it well. The phoenix represents their love and passion, however they wanted different things (yet at the same time the same thing). The poem is beautiful, filled with passion and soul, amazing imagery and perfect metaphors. The woman's voice is strong and both commanding and loving at the same time. However, it then seems the "death of the phoenix" represents the death of their love, though it's not completely clear to me.
Both poems bring forth excellent imagery and metaphors, however one is rougher, tougher, though inspirational, whereas the other one is commanding yet gentle beautiful and sad. They concern different points of Darwish's life when he was perhaps interested in, struggling with, fighting or involved with different things.
(Also, I really enjoyed the phoenix reference because I'm a Harry Potter freak :) )
I agree with Will! Lesson from the Kama Sutra is sooo awesome. The poetic style is sexy, and so is the language it uses. The comparsion between death and love is also just bizarre yet it works so well. The lines talk both about death and love at the same time so the relation to the entire poem can differ for each reader and the meaning we can possibly get from the poem could vary as well.
ReplyDelete“The Hoopoe” is a minimalist approach describing the unfamiliar that is experience away from home. “I belong There” is a poem that uses heavy description to illustrate the home Darwish finds. While both of these poem differ in structure, length and process, they share a similar subject and purpose. Darwish, in “I belong there,” illuminates an expanse of landscape through description, ending with “Ive learned and dismantled all the words in order to draw from them a single word: Home.” In this poem there is an obvious significance that Darwish feels about his home. Likewise in “The Hoopoe,” Darwish more subtle puts an emphasis on the idea of a home. He states, “longing is the place of exile.” Longing is a process that takes you away from home, maybe even banishes you(the definition of excel).
ReplyDeleteThese two poems go well together; “The Hoopoe” seems like the afterthought of “I belong here.” Lyrically, they are different. “The Hoopoe” only last four lines, while “I belong here” has a repetitive structure that uses description. In “I belong there,” Darwish states, “I belong there, I have many memories. I was born as everyone is born.” “The Hoopoe” uses the same repetitive structure, but, is a simpler way; “Our love is a place of exile. Our wine is a place of exile. And a place of exile is the history of this heart.”