January 17, 2016, 6 p.m
It's becoming easier to read through Donne's poetry, despite some of the words being spelled differently than they would be in modern times. One thing I noticed specifically about "A Valediction" as opposed to "The Extasie" is that the latter gives the reader almost a picture in their head of these two people lying on a river bank, gazing into one another's eyes, whereas with the former, it isn't so much an image as a feeling, one that can be universally understood due to the lack of concrete images, allowing the reader to imagine their own scenario of lost love. I think at least part of my analysis will be a comparison/contrast of the ambiguity or lack thereof between these two poems.
January 18, 6:30 p.m
After listening to the poem, there are more differences that I can add to the compare/contrast prompt given. Besides just the imagery and ambiguity in the poem, there are very clear aural differences between the two poems. "A Valediction" combines alliteration and a clear rhyme scheme to give the feeling of the lines rushing forward but stopping suddenly at the last word, much like the abrupt end to love that Donne is describing within the poem. "The Extasie" Uses a lot of enjambment, so that rather than each line giving the impression of an end or stopping, each line flows into the next, creating a flowing poem that can be a metaphor of the river the two are sitting by or the constant flow of emotions between them as they gaze into each other's eyes.
January 19, 1:30-ish p.m
Here's a screenshot of the pre-writing I did. I'm not that good of a pre-writer because I never feel like I go into detail about what I plan to write; it's always more of an outline of how I'm what I'm going to write then how I'm going to write it. Oh well, hopefully it helps.January 19, 2:30 - 3:40 p.m
Just finished writing the paper (it ended up being 1009 words), and took me an hour and ten minutes to write. I feel that my explanation of the poems' differences is very clear and well-written, but I'm still worried that it may sound like I'm rambling and the conclusion might be too short. Well, only one way to find out. See you guys tomorrow!
I like your observation in the first paragraph of their differences in... perhaps setting? "Extasie" is a snapshot--it reminds me almost of "Ode on a Grecian Urn," which also looks at the impact of a single moment in time. "Valediction" is more of a feeling or almost a personification of emotions at a time when emotions seem palpable. It's a very interesting thing to read.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about the aural elements in The Extasie. It was really interesting what you said about the lines flowing from one to the next just like a river.
ReplyDeleteYour prewrite looks like a great way to approach it.
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