A Study in First Impressions

The moment I entered Room 207 the first day of class, I was boisterously greeted by Dr. Reed. He and I had only met in passing once before, so this was my primary introduction to the English professor. From the moment he asked for my name, then clarified if 'Elizabeth' is my preferred moniker, I knew I would enjoy the entirety of what the class offered. There was this comfortable ambiance in the air that I rarely feel, especially on the first day of a course. Words rolled off my tongue with ease, pleasantries and inquiries— so commonly spoken around me— were perched and primed as ammo for conversation. I felt the confidence of a well-studied student on an exam; I was ready.

We were swiftly asked to find another peer to converse with, and I happened to lock eyes with Megan, so I made my way over to her section of seating. I learned a great deal about her in a short period of time, and that information now resides in my mind, able to be recalled on a whim; in fact, that previous line reminds me of a poem I wrote recently for Introduction to Creative Writing titled "Inferno":

My memory will always be better than yours 
A vast hallway with infinite doors 
Moments carefully tucked away 
Locked up, keys heavy in my pocket 
Ready to unveil at the slightest provocation 
Uncontrollable, instantaneous: a spark 
Feet padding over, unlocking with trepidation   
Spilling thoughts across the bleach white floor  
Staining it gray 
No matter how fondly remembered 
You, I know, will never hold them so closely  
They will never absorb in your mind 
The way they do in mine 
Details will flicker in and out 
Eventually extinguishing entirely  
While I allow the wax to continue burning 
Scorching my mind, my heart, my body 
Rending me bruised and bleeding 
Awaiting the day you reignite your candle 
Willing to burn alongside me 

We all presented about our conversational partners, then dove straight into poetry, which I had been immersed in prior to this course through my Creative Writing class. We spoke on the depth of meaning a poem is able to convey, and I specifically remember prose poetry entering the conversation, for we were discussing the differences between Tennyson's "The Eagle" and the dictionary definition of the same creature. Sound was mentioned as being important, and the class arrived at the consensus that the definition lacked cadence. The topic reminded me of "A Story About the Body" by Robert Hass due to the way he formatted his sentences. There is a rhythm to the work, but it differs from the typical flow of poetry, hence its distinction as prose poetry. The Poetry Foundation lacks a copy of this poem somehow, but here is a link to it if you're interested in its contents and structure. 



I am excited and intrigued to see how this class will progress, and look forward to consuming the multitude of different works, authors, and genres we'll be presented with throughout the remainder of the semester. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Case of Reader's Jitters

Image
The light was beginning to dim as I made my way across campus, heading toward the Student Union efficiently, yet not hurriedly, for I had ensured ample time to arrive. Earlier in the day, I had hesitantly asked Dr. Kirchner if I could miss a portion of our weekly evening class to attend the Lumen Open Mic event, and to my relief, she assured that I could, recognizing the importance of English and writing to my college experience. With her express permission, I left the classroom in the middle of lecture and trekked down the stairs of Hirt, anticipation and nerves welling within me. I waged a war in my head, debating on whether to read a piece of my poetry or not. Logically, I knew what the answer should be: participate and read; however, public speaking withers me down, rendering me a wired ball of anxiety. Heart pounding, legs shaking, voice wavering: all the works. It's tedious, but I have steadily improved over the years.  I made my way down to Luke's Landing, making note of...
Read more

The Memoirs of Underrepresented Groups

Image
For class today, we had to read  "The White House"  by Claude McKay, which details the speaker's rage at the treatment of Black people in the United States. McKay leads the reader through the battle the speaker endures to contain themselves and emotionally rise above the racism they face on a daily basis. This piece connects well to  A Raisin in the Sun , by Lorraine Hansberry, which we read and analyzed earlier in the semester. In that play, Walter Lee Younger is shown as desperate, seeking a way to elevate his status both financially and socially. He longs to follow his dreams, but is constricted by the society in which he lives: America. He may have once been composed; in fact, his mother claims he was, but his economic status has driven him to anger by the play's onset, resulting in a tirade of negative emotions. He is resentful and pained, obviously past the point of controlled calm that is depicted in "The White House."  The Younger family in A Raisin ...
Read more

The Adventure of Murdered Lovers

Image
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" details the various points of Miss Emily Grierson's life, leading the reader through the townsfolks' perceptions of her throughout different periods of time. Miss Grierson's perspective and thoughts are never given, but can be surmised through Faulkner's masterful attention to detail. He plays with the reader's ability to interpret, never outwardly claiming that particular events occurred. Homer Barron's death, for example, is not stated, for the skeleton is not named, but his disappearance was mentioned earlier in the text, allowing readers to make the connection. The specification that his death was indeed a murder is also left to the reader, as they know that Miss Grierson bought arsenic for an unspecified purpose, but that was never brought up again. The puzzle pieces all align for the reader to assume that certain sequences took place, which makes the short story far more intriguing than if Faulkner had ex...
Read more