I Vote for Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
The Hanging Man
By the roots of my hair some god got hold of me.
I sizzled in his blue volts like a desert prophet.
The nights snapped out of sight like a lizard's eyelid:
A world of bald white days in a shadeless socket.
A vulturous boredom pinned me in this tree.
If he were I, he would do what I did.
Be an INFORMED voter!
Websites: http://www.sylviaplath.de/
http://www.stanford.edu/class/engl187/docs/plathpoem.html
Movie: http://www.sylviamovie.com/ (Here it is...but don't just jump on the movie bandwagon...)
If you would like to vote for Sylvia Plath, post a comment here! (follow my example)
posted by Mrzhire at
2:07 PM
48 Comments:
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath because her interesting word choice reminds me of Orwell and I think could lend towards a lengthy commentary!
TPCAST
Title - of course this reminds me of "A Hanging" by George Orwell...so therefore I believ the poem will be about an unjust hanging and the value of human life.
Paraphrase -
1. some lesser god just grabbed me by the hair!
2. I'm angry because I don't have that sort of power
3. Nights go by so quickly
4. The days seem to drag on and on...
5. I'm so bored hanging here in this tree...
6. I guess if I was a...wait this line is switched in an odd way. (I'll have to get back to you on this - what do YOU think?)
Connotations - "roots of hair" ouch that has to hurt!
"volts", "sizzled" - that is electric. "lizard's eyelid" - reminds me of the Geico lizard and how cute it is when he licks his eyeball. "vulturous" - disgusting birds, prehistoric, scavengers.
Attitude - the speakers attitude is kind of annoyed, like he is there against his will. He says he's bored...or at least it was boredom that got him hanged...
Shifts - I think it shifts each stanza, but especially between the 2nd and 3rd. the 3rd stanza, last line is especially shifty - the speaker directly addresses the "he" and uses "I" Is "he" the hanger? Or the reason he was hanged? Or the vulture chewing on him as he is dangling dead? eww.
Title - Ahh...I don't so much see the value of life in this poem like I thought. Who'd a thunk Orwell was more uplifting... These are the hanging man's thoughts after he has been hanged.
I actually like the fact that most of what Plath wrote is very dark or even somewhat twisted (for example, a poem about a balloon that seems strangely unhappy). It just makes things more interesting, and it's not simply "oh I hate my life, blah, blah. . ."
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath, because she's dark and creepy. That's a good reason, right?
I think there's a lot of room for a commentary including psycological implications and connections to her life.
Also she is the poet whom I know the least about out of the 4.
I vote for Sylvia Plath becasue I think that her story, in retrospect (since she is deceased) could provide a lot of perspective to the reader and make for a good commentary but it was also just an interesting life that perhaps will lead to interesting poetry.
i'm voting now. i'll do the rest later
sara is voting for sylvia plath.
I'm voting for Plath. I'm hoping to see a poem that shows the darker side things, rather than the bright poetic imagery. I'm also interested to see how it relates to her life, which would make for great commentary.
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath because she's crazy, haha kidding. I really like her style, as an angsty teenager (I admit it) her style apeals to me. Very orwellean (trying out a new word there) I suppose, and I absolutely adored the sarcasm of Orwell, and from what I've seen Plath is likewise.
TPCAST
Title- After reading the poem I feel the title contrasts with the appernt situation of the poem, but resonates with the last line, implying she gets revenge for what the man has done to her...
Paraphrase- 1. Some man has grabbed me by the hair.
2. I was Shocked (eh? eh?) with surprise.
3. I went unconscious.
4. Rape.
5. Post trama depression, possibly injury? keeps me here.
6.she gets her revenge sometime in the future?
Connotations- "God" in keeping with typical male machismo. "Desert Prophet" seems like a victim that could represents you, linking you to the speaker. "Vulturous" implies skavanger, taking what isn't yours.
Attitude- The attitude seems somewhat snide, almost on purpose to offend the unnamed 'god' mentioned in the first line.
Shift- I feel the most obvious shift is the last line, the rest of the poem seems to rail against this "god" but the last line implies some sort of revenge (or thats how I interpret it)
Title- Maybe the "god" is the hanged man? or, in point of fact, the man who will be hanged. The things done to the speaker may be incentive for revenge?
I find myself to be in agreement with Doug. Plath's dark images are more interesting to me. This is not necessarily because they are different, but because I feel that a dark poem includes more emotion than one that talks about sunshine and daisies. In addition, due to Plath's peculiar case, her work is more enticing.
I'm voting for Plath because... the twisted light of things makes life so much more fun. I think that this whole business of death and craziness and the lack of life and the process of death and the lack of caring... it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I'd love to be emotastic, but im not a good enough writer (or would i say "i do not write well?)... so this would let me take out my frustrations with life...
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath partially because I find her life very interesting and in a way a sacrifice to the world of poetry. Her hidden misery allowed her to create so many deep poetry that it would be a crime to her memory not to vote for her.
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath because I like how her poems depict the darker and secret aspects of her life. Her poems give insight into her thoughts and feelings with interesting and unique diction.
i vote for plath. i dig her style.
I'm voting for Plath because she has a different style than most. And with her history of being 'normal' on the outside and depressed on the inside, I belive that creates an interesting twist to her poems. They may seem happy, but are they really?
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath becaue I think a lot of what she says is enigmatic and I think it'll be really interesting to analyze it and interpret it. I'm also really fascinated by the dark tone.
I think that Plath would be a good choice because it is the type of poetry that I don't usually read. This is mainly because I didn't really connect as well to dark poetry but I did with Plath. I also think that it would be a good choice for a commentary since it's so different than the usual stuff we read at school.
TPCAST
Title- I also thought of Orwell and "A Hanging" as well however I think that the poem will be about a man that is currently hanging out at a place he doesn't want to.
Paraphase-
1. A god got hold of me by my hair
2. He looked at me with anger
3. I was out in an instant (unconcious)
4. I woke up and watched the passing of long days.
5. I am bored being stuck to the tree so I wait, gathering up all the anger inside of me ... maybe waiting to seek his revenge?
6. I know he'll do the same if he were in my situation.
Connotations- "sizzled" and "snapped" could represent the anger inside the god when he got hold of the man "by the roots of my hair." "Vulturous" could represent the anger seeping through the man after he was confronted by the god.
Attitude- The speaker is angry that the god made him stay under the tree and is waiting for his revenge. It seems that the god was also mad at the speaker as well for doing something earlier.
Shifts- I think that there is a shift after the 4th line because it seems that it is no longer talking about the god doing the actions but the speaker taking charge of the poem with his emotions and plan.
Title- I think that this poem is still about a man but I think that he is hanging because he is being punished for committing a crime earlier on.
I vote for Sylvia Plath because I love the way that you do not necessarily see the image exactly as it is happening, but from her imagery you can decipher what is going on. I also like the dark tone, it makes me feel as thoughI want to know more about her.
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath because her writing is the most similar to Emily Dickenson. I can see lots of ways to compare them and contrast them, which I may not be able to use in my commentary, but will allow me to see new ideas and discover new trends.
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath because of her dark style and a life that I feel lends itself to the production of quality poetry (after all, what poet that commits suicide can have an unintersting style?).
I am voting for Sylvia Plath, because depressed people write well. No, but I am interested in dark poetry, and Dickens writing is too complicated.
TPCAST
Title: I first pictured a lone man hanging, swinging back and forth,in the dead of night, while the wind whistles through the trees. i think this poem will be about death, possibly suicide.
Paraphrase:
1)-a god just grabbed my hair!
2)-my emotions take hold of me, anger and surprise
3)-night leaves quickly
4)-the days are redundant and long
5)-i'm bored stuck to his tree!
6)-i ponder the meaning of life i would have taken my life just as the god did if i were him
Connotations
"The night Snapped out of sight like a lizard's eyelid" powerful imagery....like the night was gone in a flash!
"I sizzled in his blue volts" i think this is referring to his inability to contain her emotion, the word sizzle, like fajitas, perhaps anger and surprise...sort of boil over.
Attitude
Here we have a man dying, he is angry and surprised about his situation, but can see where the "god" that is taking his life is coming from. he is bored also? I'm confused about that part.
Shift: The first two stanzas show the hanging man's anger, then frustration and then boredom with his situation, his death, but the last stanza seems to imply that the man knows in his soul of all souls that he deserves to die?
Title: Now i see that the poem is a hanging man's thoughts as he is strangled by the ropes. I would have had no idea that this was about someone hanging without the title.
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I'm voting for Plath because, like everyone else, I love her dark style. Watching a movie sounds like a good use of time and I think that her style and word choice allow for some interesting interpretations of her work.
Title- Jeez Mrs. Hire...you're pretty morbid. That's two works about people getting hanged in about a month. Anyway, this obviously indicates that the poem will be a descriptive piece about a man's hanging...because Orwell wasn't descriptive enough...
Paraphrase-
1. I'm lifted from the ground by people with power over me
2. There is nothing I can do to fight back
3. The nights whiz by faster than I can comprehend
4. But the days are long and hot
5. Hanging in this tree is more boring than a Mr. Fleet History Lecture
6. I'm not even going to try to BS this one...I am so lost.
Connotations:
"God" is certainly somebody that has power over the narrator...
The electricity words remind me of Zeus throwing a thunderbolt...again with the whole "power over the narrator" theme
Vulturous is a very negative connotation...it's as if the boredom is just picking at the narrator til they die.
Attitude: A mixture of annoyed, reserved to their fate, a depressing poem that tells me the narrator isn't too happy with their situation.
Shifts: In a poem this short, the only reason it should be even broken into stanzas is to illustrate the shifts. There's a difference in subject matter in each stanza; each stanza seems almost like a different paragraph in an essay (one talks about the people hanging the narrator, one talks about the short nights and long days, and one talks about...boredom) but the whole poem does maintain that same depressing mood.
Title (conclusion)- Ah...just when I thought Orwell's depiction of the Hanging was the most depressing I had read...it pretty much lived up to its expectations. Except for that last line...what on earth is going on there?
I am voting for Plath since her poetry's tone is different than most poetry I have read. Her life seems to be portrayed through her writing.
I'm voting for Plath because her poetry seems to be a sort of therapeutic literature for her...although it didn't really work in the end. However because of that it holds a lot of meaning and provides an interesting twist to poetry that we are generally exposed to.
SOAPSTONE
S: Plath
O: Seemingly talking about the painful monotony that plagues her. Possibly brought on by a specific person, namely her husband.
A: Although obviously to anyone who will read her poems, as it seems to be a cry for help. However it could be that she wrote this poem just to write down how she was feeling, and it later got published. I'm not sure.
P: To discuss the issues she has with her current life, and how, at least at some point in time, it wasn't so terrible.
S: She's speaking about herself really, and this other "he". Probably her husband.
Tone: Dark, Cold, depressing, hopeless and Hamletesque!
I vote for Plath
Hi, Sreyas here.
First off, I want apologize for my inability to even follow through on a simple request you had of me. I'm absolutely embarrassed and disgusted at my behavior (I'm not sure whether or not you could tell in class or not...). Ugh...
My first would-be-vote would have gone to Sylvia Plath. The stark contrast between her apparent life and her internal feelings and very inordinate death and the dark themes that arise from these ideas appeal to me.
I'm voting for Sylvia Plath because I like poems that show darker things, darker imagry, and darker language because I think it really has a representation of the authors true emotions, versus trying to hard to create a happy poem
PS- I'm sorry I did these late. I usually don't like turning in things late to your class but I'm not going to make excuses and just admit that I forgot. I hope they don't affect my grade too much. Thanks!
SOAPSTONE analysis:
Speaker: Most likely Plath
Occasion: I think the occasion is Plath's "vulturous boredom>"
Audience: Plath's audience doesn't seem specifically defined, the poem can be understood and appreciated by anyone.
Purpose: This poem seems to foreshadow her suicide, and perhaps was written to expose her unhappiness.
Subject: I think this poem is about helplessness and unhappiness. The cause of the speaker's boredom and discontent is a "god" who seemingly controls her.
Tone: intense, dark, electric.
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Alrighty, TPCAST time.
Title: Rather flat out, there's a man who's hanging there, no romanticism about it, makes me wonder how the speaker came about him.
Paraphrase:
1. Some god is pulling my hair
2. I can't really paraphrase that one in a way that would make sense, but I'm thinking there's something about being electricuted, like a prophet, which is honorable? b/c prophets tend to be good.
3.Morning came quickly.
4.Every day is the same: empty.
5.I'm in this tree because I was bored.
6. I did the same thing you would have done. maybe...Mrs.Hire's right, that's really awkwardly worded.
Connotations: "Some god" so, a higher power, but not a unique one, one that the speaker is not aware of. "desert prophet" prophets are spoken to by the higher power, so this painful experience is the god telling the speaker something? "lizard's eyelid" maybe that's because lizards blink weirdly? or maybe she's just being weird, I literally had to go look for picture's of lizard's eyes, that was fruitless. "bald white days" boring, eventless, "shadeless socket" meaningless and empty. "vulturous boredom" interesting adjective to describe intense boredom, is it talking about a vulture being bored and pinning him to the tree. gross. Then the last line is referencing the vulture? 'He would do what I did' which is.....? And if not the vulture, who is 'he'?
Attitude: Indignant, bitter, the speaker explains how he died, oddly enough I don't feel uncomfortable at that description, maybe because it's so obscure, and then he says that "he would do what I did", so like he didn't really deserve to be killed because he didn't do anything that isn't normal, so he thinks he was killed unjustly? I just realized the tense in that last one is odd: he would do what I did, not he would have done, but he would, as in the speaker is not justifying himself but giving advice, it's conditional, not conditional past. trippy.
Shifts: Well, the poem if called The Hanging Man, which is third person, the assumption is that the hanging man will be described, but the whole poem is actually the man describing himself. Also, the first line seems to indicate that the man was electricuted, but he's actually hanging, pinned to a tree. I don't even know what's going on anymore.
Title: So the speaker is the hanging man, creepy.
I LOVE how much room this gives for interpretation! I read weston's TPCAST, and it's soooo much different from what I thought, but at the same time I can see where he's getting what he thought, same with Wes's SOAPST, I love it.
That turned out really long, sorry I got a little carried away. :)
Title - I thought of "Strange Fruit" (http://www.lyrics007.com/Billie%20Holiday%20Lyrics/STRANGE%20FRUIT%20Lyrics.html) by Billie Holiday. The song is about the unjust hanging of an African-American in the south and civil rights, which I doubt this poem is about but it reminded me of this song. There are videos of her singing if on youtube so I can’t put it up but you all can watch it not at school. Or you could watch the movie about Billie Holiday (played by Diana Ross my FAVE EV) called “Lady Sings the Blues”.
Paraphrase -
1. some god pulled me by the hair
2. I was shocked by his electricity/energy
3. the nights disappeared
4. in a world of empty days
4. boredom put me here
5. if he knew what I was going through, he would do the same thing
Connotations -
"bald" and "vulturous" both connote birds which would be logical since the speaker is hanging from a tree. Perhaps the birds are watching her or waiting for her to die (since vultures eat dead things...)
Attitude - The speaker seems kind of regretful or ashamed because he is unhappy at his situation of hanging from a tree "a vulturous boredom put me in this tree", the speaker makes it sound like she was put there as opposed to putting herself there. Yet the last line makes me believe that the speaker felt he did the right thing "If he were I, he would do what I did."
Shifts - I see a shift between line 5 and line 6. The first line seems like the hanged person was hanged (line 5) while line 6 makes me feel like the speaker did it himself.
Title - The title is pretty straightforward...it's about a hanging man. But it doesn't say 'The Hangman' so it makes me, the reader, feel like this was suicide. And I'm not saying that because the author indeed committed suicide, I'm saying that because that's what the poem makes me feel.
TPCAST:
Title: this seems strangely straight forward, just to say plainly that there is a man that is hanging.
Paraphrase:
1. A god took hold of my hair
2. I became "heated" (angry?) by his power
3. The night quickly disappeared
4. There are many boring days, or days lacking color
5. boredom has brought me to this tree
6. If this god (?) were I, he would hang himself too.
Connotations:
"roots of hair" - seems really painful
"sizzled" and "blue volts" - seems really hot or intense, especially because "blue" makes me think of how hot something like a blow torch may be.
"snapped" - really quick
"shadeless socket" - as if there is no rest, a sense eternity even
"vulturous" - repulsive possibly
Attitude:
Angry sort of, at the fact that he (or she?...the speaker) has gone through something unwillingly that this "god" can't really empathize with.
Shifts:
There's sort of a shift in topic between each stanza, making each stand alone as different points possibly. Then the last line kind of has a shift in it, as all of sudden the "he" pronoun is used, but I think it's just referring to the "god" in the beginning, possibly making it all connected then.
Title:
Looking back on this, the title is interesting because with out it, I'm not sure I would have known what the poem was about. It really makes the tone of the poem seem more so dark and solemn.
I could likely do a commentary fairly easily on Plath; I imagine there is a plethora of dark imagery and BS about 'how it makes me feel' to be had.
TPCAST
Title- I think that the poem will be about a man being hanged and his death or possibly a man that is in charge of hanging other people.
Paraphrase
1. A god grabbed me by my hair
2. I got shocked by his power
3. Night is gone quickly
4. The days pass by all the same
5. I’m stuck in this tree out of boredom
6. If he (not sure who “he” is) was in my spot, he would do what I did.
Connotations
“by the roots of my hair” and “sizzled” sound painful and make it seem like the god is angry
“snapped” sounds like night was taken against the speaker’s will
“lizard’s eyelid” is a strange choice of diction, makes me think of isolation
“bald white days” makes the days seem blank and boring, no emotion in those words
“pinned” once again seems like the speaker is stuck in the tree against his will
Attitude
The speaker seems annoyed and frustrated at his situation. He wants to do something to change his life but he doesn’t have the power to. He wants more power.
Shifts
There is a shift in tone in the last line of the poem. It seems like the tone changes from an annoyed tone to a defensive tone. It seems like the speaker finally accepts his fate.
Title
I think that the title is saying that the poem is about a man that is actually hanging. It could possibly be describing his thoughts right before death.
Title - Perhaps about a man being hanged, or perhaps a different sense of hanging..like hanging on (i.e. clinging)
Paraphrase - 1. Some god is pulling my hair
2. He is burning me with volts
3. The nights are gone
4. The days are monotonous
5. I'm bored and in a tree
6. I am vindicated
Connotations - "god" and "desert prophet" have religious connotation (obviously) makes me think of justice or enlightenment, particularly when paired with electricity with "sizzling" and "volts"
Attitude - The speaker is quite clearly bored, deathly bored
Shifts - Shifts from stanza to stanza, I feel that this is due to the second stanza's being profoundly dark with use of grotesque imagery
Title - It is difficult to decide who is hanging because of the last line in the poem
Title - Perhaps about a man being hanged, or perhaps a different sense of hanging..like hanging on (i.e. clinging)
Paraphrase - 1. Some god is pulling my hair
2. He is burning me with volts
3. The nights are gone
4. The days are monotonous
5. I'm bored and in a tree
6. I am vindicated
Connotations - "god" and "desert prophet" have religious connotation (obviously) makes me think of justice or enlightenment, particularly when paired with electricity with "sizzling" and "volts"
Attitude - The speaker is quite clearly bored, deathly bored
Shifts - Shifts from stanza to stanza, I feel that this is due to the second stanza's being profoundly dark with use of grotesque imagery
Title - It is difficult to decide who is hanging because of the last line in the poem
I'm voting for Plath because I got her poem in class and I thought it was pretty rad.
SOAPSTONE
Speaker: I'm thinking it's probably Plath.
Occassion: a hanging.
Audience: I think Plath is aiming this towards those who might've provoked the hanging, like a revenege thing.
Purpose: I think this poem's purpose is for the speaker to show what they're going through. And since he's bored, there's probably nothing else to do haha.
Subject: This poem is about someone who is "pinned to a tree" and basically waiting for their death. Plath stresses the fact that the chracter is bored, which seems weird since their waiting for their death.
Tone: Seems to be really bitter. This is shown through the diction of "vulturous" and "shadeless." The tone is bitter to match the dark subject of the poem.
Sylvia Plath would be an excellent poet to study because of the range of literary devices within her works, as well as the interesting topics and perspectives described.
TPCAST
Title: The idea of a "Hanging Man" immediately establishes the possible tone of misery and suffering, due to the rather somber imagery connected to hanging, like gallows, pain, and punishment.
Paraphrase:
1. The violent, physical imagery of "by the roots of my hair some god got hold of me" seems to be describing the action of the tree and the rope holding up an unwilling corpse, full of pride and resentment towards its captors.
2. This line also demonstrates agonizing descriptions of hot sun rays and lingering pain; the speaker still suffers from his/her executioner, even after death, and can't stop it...
3. This line felt quick, sharp, and abrupt, much like the essence of life, recently stripped from the speaker/corpse.
4. The "bald, white days" and "shadeless socket" reminds me of a skull, depressing much like the life described in the previous line.
5. The speaker remains pinned to the tree, possibly for all eternity.
6. The corpse justifies its decisions (crime?) to the hated executioner, and almost seems satisfied in its death.
Connotations: The poem abounds with violent diction and imagery. "Roots of my hair", "sizzled", "snapped", and "pinned" all seem to be associated with the painful life and the detested executioner "him" character. "Vulturous" excellently portrays the agony of death, connected with "boredom" and "pinned", expanding on the trapped quality of a hanged man.
Attitude: The poem presents a kind of paradox because the speaker does not seem to be guilty or upset about his/her death or crime, but rather shows his/her detest towards life and the executioner character, who presumably caused pain to the speaker in life.
Shifts: The poem first describes the executioner and the pain of life, then the quickness and suffering of the living. The last stanza evokes the eternal purgatory of death, but at least there is a separation from the pain of the living.
Title: "The Hanging Man", rather than demonstrating the injustice of a wrongful hanging, like Orwell's "A Hanging", describes the pain of life, and the actual relief of a hanging corpse to be dead. (Quite a tragic insight into the troubled mind of a trapped, "pinned" poet...)
SOAPSTONE time!
Speaker: a man
Occasion: had an epiphany and
Audience: wrote it down "in this tree"
Purpose: because he was too bored to share it with anyone.
Subject: The narrator's thought process.
Tone: confrontational, insightful, indifferent, justified.
TPCAST
Title- The first thing I thought of was also "A Hanging". The thing is, this poem appears open to interpretation, as though it could be haning like clinging to something, or hanging like death, or haning as in stuck on a question. Orwell was very explicit with what kind of "hanging" he meant.
Paraphrase-
1) A strong god/creature got hold of me
2) And I couldn't do anything about it
3) Everything went black, I couldn't see what went on in the world
4) There is nothing to do here/nothing to be done to change the situation
5) Mybe if the god was me, he would have acted as I did to end up on this tree??
Connotations-
Roots- the most inner part of a person
Desert Prophet- all powerful, like Jesus, maybe?
Sizzled- reminds me of a frying pan, like oil trying to get out...
Lizard's eyelid- very big, this is what a dead person's eyes look like, gross
Shadeless socket- can't come out, very dark, like a hole
Attitude-
The speaker appears frustrated, but at the same time, too calm to be hanging on a tree, as though it's merely an inconvenience. Perhaps he expects to die but not quite yet or something of the sort.
Shifts-
Between the second and third stanza there seems to be a shift between what actually happened and how the narrator felt about it/ his feelings toward whoever "he" is.
Title-
Like I said before, the beauty in this poem lies in its applicability to all sorts of situations, which presents unending conflict in a very different way than Orwell.
i read one of Sylvia Plath's poems in class in sophmore english. i remember loving it and also being really repulsed by the fact that she killed herself in an oven. i mean come on what happened to the oven? didi they get rid of it? did they sell it? did someone use that oven to make cupcakkes or something after she died? anyways... i like the unusual diction she uses. i also think that her poems combined with her life story will make for good commentary material.
TPCAST
Title: A hanged convict? someone just hanging in a tree? someone who hangs people, an executioner? and yes definaly reminds me of orwell.
Paraphrase:
1.a god caught me by the hair
2. i was trapped in his power like a phrophet being dtruck by lightening in the desert.
3. and suddenly it wasnt night anymore
4.the days go on and on
5.i'm stuck here and sooo bored
6. if he was in my position he would have done what did when i was in that position. (i think)
ooh, so I was thinking about this poem today, and is it possible that's it's suicidal? I mean, I don't want to bring the writer's bias too much into this, but we have to admit Plath was morbid. And the line about "vulturous boredom" kind of reminds me of suicide, I mean people can get drastic when exteremely bored, with life even.
Title:
Orwell coincidence? Probably, yeah, but it never hurts to draw parallels. What will really surprise me is if the poem is written in a similar perspective a.k.a. observer to hanged man. Also, is the hanging man necessarily dead yet?
Paraphrase:
1. Death jerks narrator from life
2. Death feels like electricity
3. Darkness leaves as quickly as the blinking of a lizard
4. Only white remains
5. Life is boring
6. The hangman or the man hanging? Either way, it sounds like an Orwellian justification.
Connotation:
"some god" - Religion is unimportant, because death is universal
"blue volts" - Electricity can give life (frankenstein) or take it away. Is the narrator finding life in death, or finding death at the end of life?
"Bald White days" - Connotation of happiness and light, contrasting the general connotation of shadow around death
"Vulturous Boredom" - Seems to the narrator that life isn't worth living, too boring to matter
Attitude:
The speaker seems quite bored with living. It's fairly obvious to the reader that if the narrator is the hanged man, he has no regrets. If anything, the narrator seems disappointed that whatever crime he had committed, he'd do it again in an instant.
Shifts:
Between the second and third stanzas, we switch from an apparently bystanding perspective to a first-person from beyond death, that is, if the man is dead rather than strangling
Title:
Parallels to Orwell? In some ways. Morbid? Undoubtedly. Clashing in the most basic of meaning? Absolutely. The Hanging Man, in title alone, is interesting in that once the man is hanged, he has no identity. After the final line, the reader may be curious about who the man is. But the reader can't tell, because he's just a man hanging from a tree. Once more, death is universal, and it is non-descriminating.
TPCAST
Title: This kinda reminds me of the 1959 film The Hanging Tree. The film analyzes a doctor who had saved a criminal from a lynch mob, but the doctor then manipulates the criminal because he knows he controls him through the secrecy of his crime. (It is a very good film, and I recommend it). Based on that, I would guess that the poem would be about control, domination, or power.
Paraphrase:
1. A “diety” or stronger being has gained control
2. I reveled in it in the way a worshiper would in the presence of his god.
3. Nights pass in moments.
4. The days are indistinguishable from each other.
5. It is boring remaining in this state.
6. The speaker did something to provoke this, which he would have done where he in the same position.
Connotations: “God” - a symbol of strength and omnipotence. “Sizzled’ and “blue volts” – electricity, power. “Eyelid” and “socket” – sight, realization, knowing. “Vulturous” and “pinned” - powerless, submission
Attitude – The speaker seems to have a sense of awe at what is happening/has happened. However, simultaneously the speaker seems to feel powerless to do anything about the situation, and is almost frustrated at having time melt into itself and having a lack of things to do.
Shifts – There is a huge shift from stanza 2 to stanza 3. While stanza two is very drawl and like the “boredom” mentioned in stanza 3, stanza 3 has a much more graphic change. “Vulturous” and “pinned” suggest a much more different emotion than “bald” and shadeless”. Also, the last stanza becomes much more personal by referring to a “he” (who is that...the hanging man?)
Title – Well, not quite like The Hanging Tree after all, but a similar theme of the hanged man, or the almost hanged man, almost aware of what has happened. It’s almost like the thoughts of a guy that is being hung, but not quite dead yet. That’s pretty macabre.
I vote for Sylvia Plath because this poem is short, but I can easily find a lot of things to say about it, so it would make a good commentary. Plus, I like her unusual word choice.
TPCAST
Title: when I first read it, I thought the person hanging was her after she committed suicide, but the title is "A Hanging Man." Who is the man?
Paraphrase:
1. Some god or power grabbed her and she was powerless against it.
2. She died and her eyes rolled back, so all that could be seen was white.
3. It's because of boredom that she hung, and someone in her shoes would have done the same thing.
Connotations: "roots of my hair" and "blue volts" implies that whatever has grabbed her has physical power over her that she can't shake off, whether she wants to or not. "Snapped out of sight" to me shows that death was sudden. "Vulturous" - vultures are scavengers, like the boredom was looking for someone to prey on. "If he were I" - were someone in her shoes he would understand better and "would do as I did," which I think is commit suicide because it shows whatever happened was intentional.
Attitude: I think the speaker is depressed, obviously since she committed suicide, but she blames someone or something else, whatever the god was that had power over her.
Shifts: The first stanza on its own could be seen as exciting, being in the presence of a god and sharing in his power. The second shifts to very morbid, describing her death, and the third shifts to placing blame on the vulturous boredom and whoever the "he" is.
Title: I think the "he" is a person, probably the "god," who led her to hang herself. If he were to understand what he did to her, he would do the same thing. "A Hanging Man" isn't a man who's hanging, but a man who hangs her.
TPCAST (Kindness)
Title - Seems sort of ironic in the sense that kindness is not a trait that seems to be in sylvia's life - rather hatred and death
Paraphrase - 1. Kindness is everywhere in her house 2. A child's cry is horrifying - but sugar cures it 3. Kindness picks up the pieces 4. Someone comes - 2 children and 2roses
Connotations - "Dame, red and blue jewels" remind of royalty. "Cry of a child" staying up late, annoying. "Poultice" PAIN. "Roses" love, but also the thorns.
Attitude- the attitude seems a little sarcastic, like kindness should cure everything, but it doesnt! Kindness doesnt cure much.
Shifts - The mood (and tone) stay constant except for the last stanza which seems angry - like shes talking to her husband. This is sort of reflective of sylvia's attitude towards this "kindness" from her husband.
Title - the title is as I thought. Sylvia has this sort of sarcastic and ironic attitude towards kindness. Its somehting she hasnt had in her life - depressing. Kindness is so sweet and her life isnt.
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