Writing Plan and Record: Sage Madsen

7:30, January 19

So I'm just going to come out and say it: I've been putting this part off because frankly, it's a little embarrassing to put your brainstorming ideas out in the open. It's like wandering outside of your apartment with half your make-up on, or missing your pants. It's just not natural for me. I'm fine with putting the finished product up... but the untested theories, the unproven drafts of the drafts... not so comfortable. But I could keep complaining, or I could actually start getting some of my brainstorming out there.

7:59

After reading and doing a basic combing-through of the two poems, I feel like there are some distinct similarities and differences between the two. After the first read-through, I noted that both poems are in lyrical format. Both have ABAB rhyme schemes, and both have similar themes in that of the connections between two souls in love. I feel like a path that might be fairly interesting to take would be looking at how both poems have a similar message that bodies are not what cause the love, but rather are simple containers that have the capacity to hold love. There are some definite differences, however, in the way each poem presents the message. A Valediction: Forbidding Morning, for example, separates itself into stanzas of four lines each, giving the poem a more formal, put-together format than The Extasie. There are many other points to be made, but I'll just save those for my essay. 

8:14

Hearing another voice read the poems gave me the chance to listen more thoughtfully to the alliteration, rhythm, and rhyme scheme that had previously been recognized but hadn't been fully appreciated. Each word, each line, and even each break in each line was strategically placed. I especially liked hearing line 70 in The Extasie: "Weak men on love reveal'd may look," because the alliteration and consonance really stood out when Burton read them out-loud. In general, the enjambment and general sound of the poem (repetition, alliteration, etc) really came alive in the readings this time. 

8:56 

Brainstorming... I love marking up poetry. Color-coding, arrows, questions that come up as I read, writing the modern-day definitions off to the side, and highlighting are (to me) some of the best parts of analyzing poetry. Looking at the page and seeing all the hidden treasures that were shoved between the lines is almost rewarding, in a way. 

11:41, January 20

Oops. I forgot to update the blog last night after writing the paper. But it took me about two and a half hours to get the essay to a point where I felt comfortable printing it off. I haven't written an actual analysis in over three years, so this was definitely an adventure. I'm definitely excited to work on this even more to make it even better... I think I've gotten a bit rusty, but I think that's why we're here: to learn. And I definitely have room to improve.