Rebellion - Jonathan Tungate

anyone lived in a pretty how town

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

anyone lived in a pretty how town

(with up so floating many bells down)

spring summer autumn winter

he sang his didn't he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small)

cared for anyone not at all

they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same

sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few

and down they forgot as up they grew

autumn winter spring summer)

that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf

she laughed his joy she cried his grief

bird by snow and stir by still

anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones

laughed their cryings and did their dance

(sleep wake hope and then)they

said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon

(and only the snow can begin to explain

how children are apt to forget to remember

with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess

(and noone stooped to kiss his face)

busy folk buried them side by side

little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep

and more by more they dream their sleep

noone and anyone earth by april

wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)

summer autumn winter spring

reaped their sowing and went their came

sun moon stars rain

This poem talks on the conformity of society, 'someones' and 'everyones' going about their anonymous everyday lives. It focuses on how everyone in our society works, and lives our similar lives, and life goes on no matter the circumstances. Parts of this can be negative, where death is a casual occurrence, however is is also positive where people can be happy and not worry about all the troubles.

This poem speaks critically of conformity, and Cummings uses poetry as an outlet to express the feelings towards life in our day-to-day lives. Within poetry he can bury his true meanings behind wordplay, and let it unfold as the stanzas progress. He uses the seasons as a way to show time, in the monotonous manner that peoples lives continue on in our 'pretty how towns.' Also, the anonymity develops as the poem goes on and explains how this community could be anywhere, and lets you reflect on yourself.

Daphne and the Laurel wreath

Once the god Apollo made fun of Eros, equivalent to cupid the god of love. Eros was angry, and shot a golden arrow at Apollo, making him fall in love with the Daphne the virgin. But Eros shot Daphne with a lead arrow so she could never love Apollo back. So Apollo followed her while she ran away, until she came to the river of her father Peneus. There she wanted help from Peneus, who turned her into a laurel tree so she would be safe from Apollo. Apollo was sad, and made himself a laurel wreath (a circle made of laurel that you put on your head) from the tree, and the laurel tree became sacred to Apollo and is used by emperors within the culture. After the crown was used for all the winners at his games and great heroes in the years to come would be crowned with laurel leaves. He also vowed that she, like him, would have eternal youth where her leaves would never turn brown or fall but would always stay lush and green. Apollo loved that laurel with all his heart.

Eternal youth, to me, would be constant fascination and learning. My younger years were filled with thrill, fun and lots of learning experiences. One thing that I've noticed over the years is all of the things I went through when I was younger apply to my life now! Situations that I encounter getting older and getting more mature relate directly to the minimal errors I made as a kid. The mortality of our humanness adds to the excitement and thrill of what we do with our lives. Eternal Youth is an obvious fantasy, but if it ever does become possible I think there will be many detriments and benefits to come from it

Conformity and Rebellion- Maranda Gaines

homage to my hips

By  Lucille Clifton  

                            

these hips are big hips

they need space to

move around in.

they don't fit into little

petty places. these hips

are free hips.

they don't like to be held back.

these hips have never been enslaved,  

they go where they want to go

they do what they want to do.

these hips are mighty hips.

these hips are magic hips.

i have known them

to put a spell on a man and

spin him like a top!

 

Lucille, Clifton. "Homage to My Hips." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.< http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179615>.

Women have historically been repressed my men and society as a whole. They have been expected to act a certain way, to dress a certain way, and to be appear a certain way to society and the rest of the world. In this poem, Lucille is passively rebelling against this common sense of conformity. She uses the image of her hips, a very feminine body part, going where they want to go, as a symbol for her inner spirit. The narrator speaks for herself and other women when she says she wants to go and do as she pleases, just like her hips. She uses these empowering words to rebel against the conformity society expects of her and other women. Her poetry is a passive start to a rebellious movement.

Conformity and Rebellion - Kyle Luo

Booker T. and W.E.B. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois By Dudley Randall "It seems to me," said Booker T., "It shows a mighty lot of cheek To study chemistry and Greek When Mister Charlie needs a hand To hoe the cotton on his land, And when Miss Ann looks for a cook, Why stick your nose inside a book?" "I don't agree," said W.E.B. "If I should have the drive to seek Knowledge of chemistry or Greek, I'll do it. Charles and Miss can look Another place for hand or cook, Some men rejoice in skill of hand, And some in cultivating land, But there are others who maintain The right to cultivate the brain." "It seems to me," said Booker T., "That all you folks have missed the boat Who shout about the right to vote, And spend vain days and sleepless nights In uproar over civil rights. Just keep your mouths shut, do not grouse, But work, and save, and buy a house." "I don't agree," said W.E.B. "For what can property avail If dignity and justice fail? Unless you help to make the laws, They'll steal your house with trumped-up clause. A rope's as tight, a fire as hot, No matter how much cash you've got. Speak soft, and try your little plan, But as for me, I'll be a man." "It seems to me," said Booker T.-- "I don't agree," Said W.E.B Both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois were very prominent figures in African American history, and they both rebelled against the traditional ideas of how African Americans were "supposed" to behave at the time. This poem also takes this idea of a rebellion to a different level, pitting Washington's ideas against Dubois' idea. This poem essentially demonstrates the rebellion of two ideas on how man rebels against who he is.

Daphne and the Laurel Wreath - Kyle Luo

Daphne was a beautiful nymph that had no interest in love. However, because of her beauty, she was courted by many men, all of whom she rejected. One day, Apollo mocked the archery skills of Eros which deeply offended him. This resulted in Eros firing two arrows, one that caused love and infatuation which hit Apollo, and the other which caused hatred for romance which hit Daphne. This led to Apollo pursuing Daphne relentlessly. Tired of this, Daphne begged her father to help so he turned her into a laurel tree. Apollo was still in love with Daphne so he made a wreath from its leaves, cementing the laurel tree as a symbol of Apollo. I think the concept of eternal youth is definitely intriguing, and on first glance may seem desirable. Why would one not want to be able to remain in the peak years of their lives and live eternally? I think it would be incredible to be able to live forever and see the world progress and change but at the same time the excitement of eternal life would only last temporarily.

Conformity & Rebellion - Jacquelyn Engel

homage to my hips

By  Lucille Clifton  

                            

these hips are big hips

they need space to

move around in.

they don't fit into little

petty places. these hips

are free hips.

they don't like to be held back.

these hips have never been enslaved,  

they go where they want to go

they do what they want to do.

these hips are mighty hips.

these hips are magic hips.

i have known them

to put a spell on a man and

spin him like a top!

 

Lucille, Clifton. "Homage to My Hips." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179615>.

 

Clifton is not per say rebelling against what she is but rather appreciating herself. Her hips are “free hips”. They “don’t like to be held back”, “they go where they want to go”, and “they do what they want to do”. Ultimately, Clifton is referring to herself and her strong-will personality; she is proud of being female. Lucille Clifton suggests through this poem the power of women. She embodies the females species not only for who they are but also for their figures. Women can do what they want, and they also have a superior and more intrigue body than man. Clifton strongly believes in the power of women to stand for themselves since they have always been considered inferior to men. By voicing the power of women she is rebelling.

She is also rebelling literally in her poem. Clifton uses a free verse poem. There are no capitalizations and barely any grammar. Without these, Clifton suggests that she is rebelling against the standard rules of poetry. She purposely left out these to show that she does not live by conformity.

Conformity and Rebellion -- David Stevens

SONNET 73

William Shakespeare

That time of year thou may'st in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day,
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by-and-by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 73.” Shakespeare Online. 4 Nov. 2014. Web. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/73.html

William Shakespeare’s 73^rd sonnet, one of his most famous, is a rebellion against death and the mortality of all men. Although it is not as overt as Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night,” this poem as well rejects that which cannot be rejected, the ultimate finality of death. In the first quatrain, the speaker compares himself to late autumn, when nearly all the leaves have fallen from the branches “where late the sweet birds sang.” The second comparison is between the speaker and murky twilight, as “black night” comes creeping in. These metaphors, paired with the third quatrain—which compares his life to a hearth, and his approaching death to its expiration—would appear to paint a bleak image of life in general, and especially of death. However, the final couplet reveals a change—a shift from pity to appreciation. The love of the poem’s subject for the speaker redeems his death; it is actually undying. In this way, Sonnet 73 is a rejection of death, and the escape it suggests is through love. Shakespeare argues that one may rebel against the clutches of “black night” by forging a love eternal. And while love might not conquer all—according to the bard, at least—vincit mortem amor.