So unlike most of the blog posts on here I will not be writing about my outside reading book. As most of the class already knows reading isn't my, lets say "BEST" subject. I am about 50 pages into my book which I feel isn't enough to make a post about so I will wait until next week so that I actually have something to talk about. As for this week I will be writing about the poem we read in class called, The Layers, by Stanley Kunitz.
After reading this poem I am sure everyone took it a different way and interpreted it to fit into their own lifestyles and challenges each one of us face. To me the poem is about the layers you go through in your life and the things you must leave behind. The poem starts off by saying, "I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I was." Personally I have "walked through many lives" moving from one Rialto Middle School to another and then to a High School located in a very different environment, Rancho Cucamonga. Changing from being a little "wanna-be chola" into a well off teenage girl was one of the biggest transformations. Having to leave behind all my friends and everything I was used to was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Kunitz truly understands the pain and hardships of leaving behind a life you once knew to go create one you know nothing about. He says, "In a rising wind the manic dust of my friends, those who fell along the way, bitterly stings my face." This is the feeling of leaving behind the people you once told everything to and going to a place where no one knows a thing about you. Over coming these obstacles may seem difficult but subconsciously you are writing your next chapter in life. Kunitz ends the poem with saying "I am not done with my changes," realizing that life is all about the changes and adjusting to them, pushing through the layers and not looking back at what is left behind but looking forward towards whats to come.
-Janet Jones
Here is a link to the poem: http://www.panhala.net/Archive/The_Layers.html
ReplyDeleteAnd here is a youtube video of Mr. Kunitz himself reading it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzHeGzFy0Cg
Good job on getting the post in!
I'm glad you decided to write about the poem, good call. And it's true what you say about everyone taking the poem in a different way. Personal interpretation is one of the beautiful things about poetry, but in order to have a truly immersive experience, it is equally important to understand your neighbor's interpretation as it is to develop your own. That is, to look at the poem through someone else's eyes.
I think the youtube video above is helpful, and I certainly think this is a poem that could only be written after the prime of life has passed. So I have a hard time relating to the bulk of it, but I can connect to the idea of changes in being. I do not feel like I am the same Travis from even a couple of years ago. Mainly, I've felt myself mature. In the same way, Kunitz is not the same person he once was.
The last line "I am not done with my changes" is inspiring to me. Even at such an age, Kunitz is still not done developing as a person. I would want this for myself.
I've never had to move, or switch schools, or anything like that, so your story and the pain you felt is pretty foreign to me, Janet. But I'm glad you were able to relate, to see how a poet would put those emotions into lines.
-Travis S.
Janet, I like that you didn’t just write about a book and chose to analyze a poem. I think it really opens up the possibility for discussion because, as you and Travis point out, there are many ways to interpret a poem.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your interpretation because I have moved from Sacramento to Texas and then Rancho Cucamonga, all when I was little so the change I experienced wasn’t as defining. I can relate to “walking through many lives” in a similar way, there is quite a difference between many things in Texas and California. In California people know areas to stay away from because they aren’t the best, in Texas I learned to stay away from ponds because there are four kinds of poisonous snakes that live there. (They even teach in school “red touch yellow kill the fellow red touch black a friend of Jack” as a catchy way to remember which ones to stay away from) Just subtle differences create the feeling of different lives.
I agree that Kunitz shows to look to the past for comfort and strength but “live in the layers” of the present and through change people “walk through many lives” and build up milestones that mark their transformations.
-Aimee Ermel
I enjoyed reading this post as I can relate. I moved to Rancho Cucamonga from Arcadia--my hometown of 17 years--last June only a few days after school ended. As a transferring senior, it was hard--it still is--and I know I've changed. I've seen my old friends a couple of times and although, there are smiles all around, there's still the realization that something has changed. We're not as close. We're not sharing the same experiences anymore. The quote "In a rising wind the manic dust of my friends, those who fell along the way, bitterly stings my face" pretty much sums up my feelings. However, change isn't always a negative thing.
ReplyDelete-K. Lui
Thank you guys for sharing a part of your personal lifes with me. I am glad that you understood what i was trying to get out ofthe poem. Thank you Travis for sharing the link i will definately check it out! I feel that even if we havnt moved from town to town or state to state we still will experience the fear and hardships of leaving things behind when we graduate.
ReplyDelete-Janet jones
The connection that you made between your own life and the poem was very good. If you ever write an autobiography, you should definitely use this poem as a reference.
ReplyDelete-Jonathan Solomon, Team Surreal
That was a great post and I am pretty sure we can all relate to that post one way or another. Similar to you I have moved many times and it can be a challenge relocating sometimes, but also the great memories you have make it all worth it. The fact that you tied the poem to your life is great.
ReplyDelete- Destiny O.
Everyone can relate to this because we have all had to leave behind something in our lives. Whether it was our decision or not, we have to learn how to move forward and not resignate on our past. I have also had to relocate to different schools and I know how hard it is to say goodbye to your close friends and look forward to making new ones. I guess life throws these obstacles at us to see how we're going to react to them.
ReplyDelete-Amanda A.
Janet,
ReplyDeleteI really liek how you interpreted thins poem into your lifes aspects. I never realized this poem to be like that, i guess i need to relook it.
-Kyle Fischer