“Getting Through” by: Deborah Pope

“Getting Through” by: Deborah Pope Analysis pg. 322-323:

                In the poem “Getting Through” by Deborah Pope the main literary devices used are metaphors and imagery to create the theme of frustration towards love.

                The comparisons in the metaphors used by Pope reveal frustration and annoyance with the speakers love for the significant other such as: “a chicken too stupid to tell its head is gone” or “like a train off its track toward a boarded-up station, closed for years”. The speaker expresses through these metaphors that her love for this person is irrational, uncontrollable, and unconditional which is revealed through this specific metaphor: “so I go on loving you, my heart blundering on, a muscle spilling out what is no longer wanted.” The metaphors help the theme of irrational and frustrating love that is expressed in the poem because metaphors compare two different ideas that are not relatable to one another.

The distraught imagery in the poem is an essential part of the overall theme of frustration with love. The speaker uses vivid images such as “a phone ringing and ringing in the house they have all moved away from,” this image reveals the speakers frustration and confusion with why she loves this person because the phone cannot be answered therefore, the speaker will not know the reason why she loves this person. The image of “a chicken too stupid to tell its head is gone” displays the speaker’s frustration with loving this person because she does not know the reason why. It is not logical to her why she loves them because of the image of a chicken running around aimlessly without a head is not an image typically associated with love, but rather confusion and frustration.

Reflection:

                I think the poem is relatable because it expresses the frustration that comes along with loving a person unconditionally without even really knowing why. The metaphors help get the point across that the speaker is internally frustrated with being unconditionally in love with this person that she compares it to a chicken running around with its head chopped off. The poem is realistic and honest, the author does not sugar coat her frustration, she cleverly states it in a metaphor.

“Good Times” by: Lucille Clifton pg. 277

Analysis:

In the poem, “Good Times” by Lucille Clifton the homespun diction contributes significantly to the overall meaning and experience of the poem by portraying the speaker as an innocent child who appreciates the simple day-to-day experiences. The speaker uses poor grammar and an uneducated vocabulary to reinforce the innocence of the child, such as: “these is good times” and “the lights is back on”. The speaker is portrayed as a child by the way the speaker refers to his/her parents as “My Daddy” and “My Mama”. This also contributes to the homespun diction and the theme of innocence and appreciation that is displayed by the speaker by using phrases like: “good times” and “everybody is drunk and dancing in the kitchen”.

Lucille Clifton uses simple but effective imagery that gives the idea of a family that does not have a lot of money but appreciates each other’s company. The imagery, similar to the diction, is not shown with immense detail but rather simple and provincial words that expose the significance of the poem. The image of the speaker’s father paying the rent so the electricity can be turned back on and the speaker saying that “they is good times” shows how the family does not need expensive,  over the top things to be happy. The most significant image in the poem is when the family is drunk and dancing in the kitchen this simple image really expresses the overall theme of the poem which is appreciating family. The family in the poem does not have an extreme amount of wealth but they do have each other and that is what the “good times” are made of.

Reflection:

                My interpretation of the poem is to focus on the positive things in life and to not think so much about money. Appreciating the simple things in life like dancing in the kitchen with your family is more important than worrying about what you don’t have.