2. Please post a True or False-type comment on the poem "Dirge," p. 732. Don't forget supporting evidence. Questions are below; just answer one of them.
Have a good weekend!
A. T or F: This poem is a dirge. (You might have to look this word up.)
B. T or F: Lines 5-16 being one long sentence says something about the nature of the life of "he" who is the subject of the poem.
C. T or F: the author apparently approves of the life lived by the "he" who is the subject of the poem.
D. T or F: there is something fun about this poem.
Katie Burch
ReplyDeleteStatement A is true because both its rhythm and its meaning express a commemoration for the man who has died in the poem. "Very much missed by the circulation staff of the New York Evening Post; deeply, deeply mourned by the B.M.T." While the quote expresses how the dead man will be missed, he also seemed to live a wild life and he died the same way. The poem celebrates his life and death.
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ReplyDeleteStatement A is true. As the title tells us, the tone of this poem is really depressing. This poem is describing about a man’s life which is going down and extremely boring. For example, it said “And twelve o’clock arrived just once too often, just the same he wore one gray tweed suit, bought one straw hat, drank one straight Scotch, walked one short step, took one long look, drew one deep breath.” This stanza shows us that how bored his life is. The same routine is repeating in his life. Nothing is special in his life. I could see his feeling about his life routine on line 10. It said “And wow he died as wow he lived.” This sentence is a definite evidence that tells us that this poem is a dirge.
ReplyDeletestatement d is true. i think the words that are used in this poem are interesting. Kenneth uses repeated, and similar sounds words('nevertheless' in line 7 and 8), ('one' in line 10~14), and ('10' wow, whop, blooie, biff, bam, and zowie). especially, the words, wow, whop, blooie, biff... , contain the sound, and, personally, i think those onomatopoeic words show how one's life going fast. At one whop, one got the job, and at another biff, one got married. everything goes too fast without noticing. since this poem shows the speed of one's life using onomatopoeic words, the mood of poem is kind of funny and unusual, but also there is sadness as well if we think about ifs hidden meaning.
ReplyDeleteGreg Cardi
ReplyDeleteStatement (D) is most certainly true. The language used by Fearing in this poem shows that although there has been a death, but the speaker looks at it in a positive ways. Line 10/11 exemplify this well, "And wow he died as wow he lived, Going whop to the office and blooie home to sleep and biff got married." The final line of the poem is obviously written in a "funny" manner, "Bong, Mr., bong, Mr., bong, Mr., bong." The emphasis on repeated tones in this poem and the special effects I believe also contribute to the poem's funniness.
Statement A is very true. Just the quotation 'With who the hell are you at the corner of his casket, and where the hell're we going on the right-hand silver knob, and who the hell cares walking second from the end with an American Beauty wreath from why the hell not'. Multiple times the word hell is mentioned in the quotation showing the idea that where they are is actually an idea of hell. This isn't 100% a dirge though. There is some humor and irony put into the poem and it makes it have almost a sarcastic tone put to it. But either way this is very much a dirge the ideas of death and living in hell, and staying a place that seems what someone thinks hell would be.
ReplyDeleteA) True
ReplyDeleteThe poem is a dirge, or a funeral song. It is a lament for the life of a businessman. It tells the story of an executive whose life comes to nothing. From obvious statements like "And Wow he died as wow he lived." To the finishing statement "Mr.,Bong, Mr., Bong, Mr., Bong." Like the ring of church bells, chiming his funeral march.
Katie Burch
ReplyDeleteI have read!
C - False. I would not agree that the author approves of the life that the character "he" has lived. In line 11, the author uses several adjectives, "whop" "blooie" "biff", which I would say describe the haste in which "he" does something. There are other such words used in the poem. They have a very sarcastic feeling to them, as if the author could care less about the multitudes of things "he does".
ReplyDeleteStatement D is true. Providing information like "o democratic voter born in August under Mars" is a little superfluous and it gives playful tone to the piece.
ReplyDeleteC: False
ReplyDeleteI believe that this statement is false because in lines 7-8, he accepts the fact that "they shut off his gas... the bank foreclosed... the landlord called... the radio broke" even when "he took a personal pride in the certain, certain way he lived his own, private life". Also, he sounds very monotone when he describes his life: "And wow he died as wow he lived, going whop to the office and blooie home to sleep and biff got married and bam had children and oof got fired, zowie did he live and zowie did he die."
I think that statement C is false. The author seems to disapprove of the life "he" lives. "Just one too many" gives an impression of a condescending tone as do the words "whop", "biff", and "oof". The author uses these words to convey the carelessness with which "he" lives his life.
ReplyDeleteI feel like statement B is true because the this is talking about the life of a man who has recently died. The one long sentence represents that his life just kept going no matter what happened. The lines, "But nevertheless, they shut off his gas, nevertheless, the bank foreclosed, nevertheless, the landlord called; nevertheless, the radio broke". This passage really shows that he just kept going.
ReplyDeleteD is true
ReplyDeleteThis peom is really fun! i dont really understand it but all the onomatopoeia is really fun to read, 'whop', 'bam', 'oof'.
Statement B is true because the use of rhythm and grammar proves his life is average. He tries to use words that would make things seem more exciting. For grammar, there are no periods used, representing I long, slow life. The rhythm is almost depressing and ongoing.
ReplyDelete-katherine nemetz
I belive that there is definitely a reason that the author made lines 5 until the end one sentence and therefore statement B is true. It shows that his life was a series of events that continued to lead from one thing to the next and the next and so on until his death. This fact is inforced by the first part of the sentence in line 5 "Denouemnent to denouement" (denouement meaning the outcome of a sequence of events; the end result).
ReplyDeleteI agree that in a way the poem is kind of fun in the way it is written but it’s a little bit of a negative side to it. “but never the less, they shut off his gas; nevertheless, the bank foreclosed; nevertheless, the land called; nevertheless the radio broke”. It’s kind of written in a fun way but it sort of has a negative edge to it. The sound and the rhythm to it is really fun and sort of upbeat, but the words that are used are pretty negative and are not necessarily fun.
ReplyDeleteStatement A is true that Dirge is a funeral song. The poem is about a person's life. "1-2-3 was the number he played but today the number came 3-2-1." I interoperated this as his life and death. "1-2-3" is his life. In life you grow as a person with experiences. "3-2-1" I though meant the person's death. The numbers change downward indicating that his time is ending. They no longer exist. I believe certain lines indicate this is a funeral song such as "Bong, Mr.,bong,Mr.,bong,Mr.,bong." This reminds me of the end of a song I would hear at a church.
ReplyDeleteStatement D is true. A dirge usually is a poem marked by the heavy melody of death—a poem serving to remind the reader of his or her own mortality as it commemorates the passing of another. (quoted online) I feel the poem has alot of sarcasm throughout, especially in the second stanza.
ReplyDeleteStatement A is false.
ReplyDeleteThis poem has a distinct rhythmic tone. The sounds in the words alone do not convey a depressed tone. The line, "O fellow with a will who won't take no, watch out for three cigarettes," is rife with alliteration and rhythm. The onomatopoeias are enhancing the poppy tune to the poem. A typical depressing dirge would not have 12 different sound effects. It's titled "Dirge" because that's exactly what it's not. It may be a song about someone's life, but it's not something you'd chant at a funeral, and it's not meant to be.
Statement D is true. This poem uses lots of fun words such as whop, bam, and biff. Also, the tone is kind of sarcastic through out the poem. The last line, "Bong, Mr., bong, Mr., bong, Mr., bong." shows funny tone. Although the poem is about death, the poet uses positive tone towards death and uses andonomatopoeic words.
ReplyDelete