What's the Big Idea?

Taking Peterson’s poem exercise I learned a few things about myself. I understand the main idea of poems but I have no skills handling the mechanics of poetry. I know that “gloaming” must be dusk because that comes before night, but assonance means nothing to me. This exercise left me with a few questions; How can a word’s vowel rhyme but the word itself does not? How do you know which lines in the sonnet are a couplet? Why are mechanics important in understanding poetry if I know the big picture?

Not a Test!

Stressful. That is the best word to describe diagnostic tests. There is no reason to fear these assessments but because they are “tests” it adds unneeded anxiety before I even start. Peterson’s was no different, I started filled with dread that was only fueled with the entrance of a poem.

I read through the poem happily understanding that a man was sad about leaving his lover but knowing that their love was strong enough for the distance he was excited for his return. The question that followed continued to relieve my stress, I knew who the speaker was and braced with this small success I continued the test with more confidence. I kept working faltering briefly on question nine as I did not recognize some types of poetry but giving it my best guess I moved on.

The next passage was a pleasant surprise as Jane Austin is my favorite authors and I have read Pride and Prejudice often enough to visualize the scene depicted. Although I answered all the questions with ease I made simple mistakes going off of the story as a whole and not specifically thinking about the passage. Question twelve was one I based off the book. It seemed easy enough, as Mrs. Bennet and her youngest daughters are ridiculous throughout the story I immediately thought ‘D’ to be the correct answer when the passage is showing the characters’ obsession with the rules of society not their ridiculousness.

I then read the last poem, then read it again, and again. It was hard for me to grasp the concept but I figured it out while reading the first question. Once I had choices, I knew that the horses must represent clouds and the “tiger sun” coming could only mean dawn. Once the subject was known, my only difficulty was with question thirty-three. The “glass Heavens” seemed to be the highest point in the sky and even knowing the correct is a pathway I still am at a loss. What pathways are in the sky? Although I am left to wonder at this, the remaining questions presented no problem.

The expository passage about poetry changing with the Civil War was not one of my favorite works, who enjoys informative papers about cantankerous poets dealing with change? Any ways, due to my lack of interest I struggled with the questions that corresponded to the passage. Question thirty-nine was looking for the thesis and I picked my favorite choice ‘E’ which described the older poets losing connection with the new ways which I should have known supported the change of literature after the civil war or ‘C’. Although I became frustrated at my mistakes I know now what I did wrong.

After taking this “test”, I know that there was no need to be frightened. Seeing Jane Austin’s work was exciting I hope to see more of her in the future, maybe instead of poetry? One could only hope, but as the next post will be devoted to poetry alone I do not think I can get away from it!

Ana Williams