I Vote for Mary Oliver
At Blackwater Pond the tossed waters have
settled after a night of rain.
I dip my cupped hands. I drink
a long time. It tastes
like stone, leaves, fire. It falls cold
into my body, waking the bones. I hear them
deep inside me, whispering oh
what is that beautiful thing
that just happened?
Be an INFORMED voter!
Website: http://www.poemhunter.com/mary-oliver/(this is my lazy attempt at finding hers...there are links to all her poems though) Google her! www.google.com
If you would like to vote for Mary Oliver, please post a comment here! (follow my example)
posted by Mrzhire at
2:06 PM
20 Comments:
I'm voting for Mary Oliver because I actually enjoy nature poetry. After reading about all this death, revenge, murder, corrupt politics, atomic bombs and dystopias, I'd like to read something with more positive connotations.
SOAPSTONE
Speaker - Mary Oliver
Occasion - she was sitting at this pond in Ohio, reflecting on what a beautiful day it was. She was thirsty, so she took a drink and it was yummy.
Audience - I think she's writing for herself...but she wouldn't mind if someone was looking over her shoulder.
Purpose - her point is to show how nature revitalizes people. Kind of like how every now and then, I need to take a day off in the mountains and just take it all in. Relaxing. I love the last line.
Subject - Blackwater Pond specifically, but just nature in general and this reminds me of Orwell too...and his essay "Thoughts on the Common Toad" - nature is the only thing that the government can't take away from us. Ah.
Tone - relaxed, calm, peaceful
I vote for Mary oliver because of the nature poetry. It is much more relatable compared to the other poets work. After reading her work you can simply go outside and be able to feel the sense of her words. That and I don't like neurotic poets at all....
I'm voting for Mary Oliver because nature poetry is interesting. There are still many underlying themes but they don't have to do with complicated human society. She examines the natural world and humans as well from that same natural perspective.
I would like to vote for Oliver because she is not heavy and suicidal like some of the other choices and her poems about nature really speak to me.
Speaker-Oliver
Occasion- she is sitting by a pond after a seemingly rough night relaxing and reflecting...drinking in the experiences of the previous night.
Audience-Seems like she is reflecting on her mental processes through writing, showing other people can read it and feel it as well.
Purpose-To show that much like people have rough times so does nature but things always smooth out and they are able to see the "beautiful things" of life.
Subject-The subject is the pond yet also seemingly Oliver herself and her feelings take on a sort of subject of their own.
Tone-Calm,pensive
I'm voting for Mary Oliver because apparently I'm a dirty hippie. Yes, I love nature poetry.
SOAPSTONE
Speaker - Author (Mary Oliver)
Occasion - I think she was lost in the woods and needed water desperately because she was hungry and thirsty and, well, lost. So she saw the pond and took a dirnk and later went on to be un-lost and wrote a poem about it. Not really but I couldn't copy Ms. Hire now could I?
Audience - A hippie squirrel who looks over her shoulder and leads her home to safety.
Purpose - To explain how the hippie squirrel lead her to safety!
Subject - The pond. Enough said?
Tone - Lost-ness. But she's surprisingly calm - probably becasue she has hippie squirrel with her.
I vote for Mary Oliver because nature is more fun then depression!
I am voting for Mary Oliver because she is one with nature.
Soapstone
Speaker- Oliver
Occasion- She is at a pond connecting with nature.
Audience-some one close to her she can relate with
Purpose-To show how calming it can be if you relax with nature
Subject-Oliver unwinding at the pond after the rain
Tone: revitalizing
I'm voting for mary oliver because her style includes a lot of imagery, which I enjoy when reading poems.
I'm voting for Mary Oliver because I love nature! Nature is amazing and the way she potrays it in a lot of her poems through imagery is really beautiful. They just make me think of good times hiking through my favorite landscapes. I loved A Dream of Trees, it just reminded me so much of the little cabin I want to have in the mountains some day, to get away from it all and paint, its just too perfect! I love it and I am sad because only a few people voted for her so far, *tear*
TPCAST
Title:
This poem instantly reminds me of this lake, called Monarch Lake, one of my favorite places, that is parts is so deep that it looks black.
Paraphrase:
1. Calm day at Blackwater pond, water settled, not moving
2. Rained the night before, everything fresh
3. Oliver dips hands into pond and drinks the water
4. Talks of it having a deep taste
5. Tastes like all the elements of the earth
6. Brings her to life
7. Body whispers to her
8. Body so awakened, asks what just happened
Connotations:
“Tossed waters” make me think of the ocean waves. “Night of rain” makes me think of those soft rains that beat against your window and rock you to sleep. “Tastes like stone, leaves, fire” makes me think of the times on hikes that I drink from rivers, it is just like that and is so cold and fresh, its amazing! “ Waking the bones” makes me think of when I drink something so thirst quenching that I can fell it run down through my body.
Attitude:
The speaker’s attitude is awe. She is wrapped in wonder of how beautiful this pond is and how a drink of it has awakened her body.
Shifts:
This poem doesn’t really shift, except for in the first lines the poem is talking about the calmness of this pond and then it shifts to the aliveness of the water in her body.
Title:
This poem still reminds me of Monarch Lake. It is a beautiful poem and talks about nature in a beautiful, life-filling way.
I vote for Mary Oliver because, i would much rather read about nature and those kinds of things versus something dark and depressing ie Plath
SOAPSTONE
Speaker- Mary Oliver
Occasion- I think Oliver is relaxing, she is reflecting on herself and her life. I kind of visualize this place as her place where she gets away to think...
Audience- I don't think Oliver wrote this for an audience i think it is her reflections on her life, but maybe it was also written to strike peace in the readers mind. I get the impression she wants to share her peace and joy of life with anyone who is in need.
Purpose- I i think the purpose of this is to show peace of mind. At the beginning i feel like Oliver was going about her busy life, and now she can relax and enjoy life, and although life seems hectic, it is through nature that we can realize the beauty of our lives.
Subject- the pond, the peacefully feelings inside oliver.. nature?
TONE- peaceful! reflective, greatful...if that is a tone..
I like these poems becuase again, I think there is a lot to atalk about. I like her imagery, and similes and personification and diction...yes just about everything. I like her a lot.
I vote for Mary Oliver because nature poetry's pretty cool and it's a good mix up from all the other creepy poetry.
TPCAST
Title: At Blackwater Pond - very laid back and relaxing
Paraphrase: The waters of Blackwater Pond are calm, the main character drinks from the pond and feels really good from the water!
Connotations: "it falls cold into my body" I like this part because it reminds me not only of the water she's drinking but of the lake, and it brings you back to the nature aspect.
Attitude: The speaker seems to be greateful of their surroundings.
Shifts: I don't think this poem really has any shifts, it is all a very peaceful poem.
Title: reminds me of the nature that fills the poem.
SOAPSTONE - Lightening
Speaker - 3rd Person Narration
Occasion - A thunderstorm hits the power. Then the flashes and sound highlight the world
Audience - Nature
Purpose - To emphasize both the beauty and destruction caused by the lightening
Subject - A lightening storm
Tone - Kinda explorative... both reluctant and accepting
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mary has my vote
Poetry has always been appreciated by me because of its ability to express the world without guidelines and without ordinary structure. This parallels the organization of the natural world itself so for me poetry about nature makes sense. They are both the same rare element that strikes out against the typical
Nick Smiley
Soapstone
Speaker- Mary Oliver
Occasion- She felt impassioned by nature and decided a pond was a great metaphor for that feeling.
Audience- people who can relate to the feeling of being one with nature.
Purpose- Make people revisit that feeling she encountered or expand it for others.
Subject-Mary at a pond encountering nature
Tone- fresh
I'm voting for Mary Oliver because while all of the choices save Plath kind of blow, Oliver seems to blow the least. I don't really like nature imagery or indeed even nature itself, but I'm sure I could make up a bunch of nonsense that sounds good for a commentary.
Speaker: Mary Oliver
Occasion: She's near a pond and drinks from it.
Audience: Anyone that appreciates nature.
Purpose: To comment on the unique need for nature. Oliver doesn't understand it but thinks it is beautiful; one could call it sublime.
Subject: Her emotions as manifested as nature. She is what has settled after a night of rain, not the pond.
Tone: Serene.
I vote for Mary Oliver because I think after reading Hamlet and Orwell it would be refreshing to read nature poetry, rather than dark and depressing passages about suicide and how humanity is corrupt. I like her imagery too.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home