Dorothy pulls readers into her emotions as she vividly describes all aspects of life as she views it from her bed. Although she is confined to her bed she uses her obstacles as a way for her to appreciate life and her surrounding past the surface. Dorothy does take into account that she is limited as she describes her home to be a precinct, "When loving Friends an offering brought,The first flowers of the year,Culled from the precincts of our home,From nooks to Memory dear." However she reminisces on the little thing such as the flowers as they bloom.More importantly she takes the good times and stores it to memory in order to see past the precincts at all times. I find it empowering that she refers to herself as being hidden. She does not have the physical capabilities of helping herself but her memory and vivid imagination overpower her inabilities and allow her to experience the beauty of life on her own terms.
When she refers to the power that she instantly feels through the use of her memory it draws a reference back to romanticism. The feeling or description of the beauty and it's details make a false experience seem real and enables her to overcome her present.
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Simone,
ReplyDeleteGood start to your post, especially when you quote and analyze specific lines from the poem. (By the way, be sure to use a slash to indicate line breaks in poems: "When loving Friends an offering brought, / The first flowers of the year".) Towards the end of the post, though, you are relying too much on paraphrase and summary of the poem, instead of quotations. Don't put the poem in your own words—it is the poet's words you need to analyze in depth and detail, because the meaning lies not in the general sense, but the precise words the author chose.
I enjoyed your interpretation of the poem. I especially like this comment: "She does not have the physical capabilities of helping herself but her memory and vivid imagination overpower her inabilities and allow her to experience the beauty of life on her own terms." My grandmother has Alzheimer's disease and I feel you described her reality so well. Everything she remembers and experiences now is on her own terms. I am creating new memories with her everyday. Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteI like you post, because he had some of the same thoughts that I put on mine. I like how she never let her handicap get her down, it was just another way to appreciate the world arround her. It also allowed her to have something to write about. I especially liked the part where she questions, "When shall I tread your garden path?" This tells me that she can't wait to get back on her feet again.
ReplyDeleteGood choice here, I would have given the same evidence. She is kind of looking outside of the box when most people in her position would probably be feeling sorry for themselves, she finds something beautiful to put interest in. The poem is touching and I think it can inspire someone who may be challenged by imobilization.
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