DISCUSSION #1
The main theme in Bath by Amy Lowell is finding happiness in small, everyday things. This poem seems like it is about the speaker’s memory of a particular bathtub, but after close examination it is a story written in present tense. The speaker and imagery both contribute to this poem, making readers become easily engaged and experience personal connections.
The speaker uses a first person point of view, this allows readers to connect with the speaker’s thoughts and emotions. This makes the poem more personal and intimate for the readers. Using phrases like ‘my finger’ or ‘I lie back and laugh’ clue readers to believe this is in first person and present tense. While this poem seems like a fond memory of the speaker’s experiences in the bathtub, it is written in present tense, which really affects the meaning. One of the main themes is appreciating small, everyday things in the moment. The quote “Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling”, this part really plays into finding happiness in everyday life. The tone of this poem is appreciative and somewhat playful, with ideas of laughing, enjoying experiences adds a sense of happiness to this poem. With the scent of flowers in the air, and sunshine reflecting onto the ceiling, the speaker connects to nature and their appreciation for the simple things in nature.
Imagery also really affects this poem, readers can tell just how appreciative the speaker is for small things by the way they go into detail about everything. The phrases “smell of tulips and narcissus in the air” and “sunshine pours in” both engage the readers by allowing them to fully imagine the setting using the senses sight, touch and smell. The speaker expresses their appreciation for water washing over them by saying “I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flowed beryl water, flow over me”. Many people would often explain this experience as soaking in a bath, which does not come off as very appreciative. While many people may not explain these things the same way, the speaker is able to invoke something in the readers that brings happy emotions and memories by using sensory driven imagery. The imagery also brings a sense of calmness to readers with phrases like “The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window”, this also evokes a feeling of happiness.
Overall, with the use of the speaker and imagery, the poet was able to create a wide range of emotions and connections for the readers. With the use of imagery, this poem went from a simple sort of memory almost to a powerful and emotional piece of poetry. The sensory driven imagery plays a huge part in this poem, which really engages the readers. By using first person and present tense, the writing enhances the idea of appreciating the small things and being thankful for the simple everyday experiences, and especially the joy of living in the present moment. The poem celebrates the beautiful, sensory experiences that life has to offer.
DISCUSSION 2
I chose to analyze the poem “The Woman Who Turned Down a Date with a Cherry Farmer” by Aimee Nezhukymatathil. This title really caught my eye because I thought it may tell an interesting story about why this speaker turned down a date with such a character. As I read along, I noticed several aspects of this poem that stood out to me. I noticed specifically that Aimee Nezhukymatathil uses tone and imagery to add to the confusing positivity and beauty of a poem that begins and ends in regret.
No explanation was given to why the speaker turned down the date until the very end of the poem. Yet, this seems to be a justification for an underlying reason. The speaker starts by stating they regret turning down the offer and continues to describe beautiful scenery. The speaker uses a wide variety of imagery to plant a scenic picture within our minds. The speaker starts out by setting the scene: “Of course I regret it. I mean there I was under umbrellas of fruit / so red they had to be born of Summer, and no other season. / Flip-flops and fishhooks. Ice cubes made of lemonade and sprigs.” The speaker continues this throughout the whole poem, describing a beautiful view of a cherry farm. She goes on to describe the cherry farmer, as well: “His hands thick but careful, / nimble enough to pull fruit from his trees without tearing / the thin skin; the cherry dust and fingerprints on his eyeglasses.” As readers, we wonder to ourselves: “why would this person turn down a date with such a pure and simple being?” The image painted in our heads is full of positivity and summer, which continues throughout the whole poem.
The tone of the poem is light, airy, and simple, describing such summer scenery. This is what makes the poem confusing: the speaker, filled with regret, narrates a beautiful and delightful day. The tone stays this way throughout the whole poem. We can see this within the lines:
I was dusty, my ponytail
All askew and the tips of my fingers ran, of course, red
From the fruitwounds of cherries I plunked into my bucket
And still- he must have seen some small bit of loveliness
In walking his orchard with me.
The speaker continues the poem with such a positive attitude, giving the audience hope that there will be an explanation to why they turn down the farmer. The farmer brings on such a perfect mood, a flawless setting. But, towards the end of the poem, the tone begins to darken as the speaker describes the fault they made:
I just know when he stuffed his hands in his pockets, said
Okay. Couldn’t hurt to try? And shuffled back to his roadside stand
To arrange his jelly jars and stacks of buckers, I had made
A terrible mistake.
The poem ends with the lines: “I just know my summer would’ve been / full of pies, tartlets, turnovers- so much jubilee.” This ending throws of the tone a bit, making the audience confused to why this would be a bad thing. The speaker almost seems to be using an excuse to why she didn’t want to say yes, especially after describing such a fantastic day on this farm.
To conclude, Aimee Nezhukumatathil uses such beautiful detail, describing so much imagery with a positive tone, just to confuse the audience with the regret of the speaker. The whole poem was described elegantly, adding so many elements to entertain the readers. I enjoyed reading and analyzing the poem, but I do wish I had an explanation after being left in such a mystery.
