Poem #2: "Money"

"Money, Money, Money, MONEY..." 

Money is something we all know and most of us love. But what is money? 

Dana Gioia wrote a poem all about it. Here it is:

Money is a kind of poetry.– Wallace Stevens

Money, the long green,
cash, stash, rhino, jack
or just plain dough.

Chock it up, fork it over,
shell it out. Watch it
burn holes through pockets.

To be made of it! To have it
to burn! Greenbacks, double eagles,
megabucks and Ginnie Maes.

It greases the palm, feathers a nest,
holds heads above water,
makes both ends meet.

Money breeds money.
Gathering interest, compounding daily.
Always in circulation.

Money. You don't know where it's been,
but you put it where your mouth is.
And it talks.

I'm sure you knew the value of money prior to reading this poem. But did you notice anything you hadn't before? How about how many terms are associated with it? Did you catch that each stanza (sort of like a paragraph) has a different subject? Of course each of them is about money, but they explain different aspects of it. Look back over the first stanza. What is it made up of? Right, it lists the terms we use for money. The second stanza says what someone can do with a poem. Now you try it. What is the third stanza portraying? Yep, it is talking about people who have it. The next one is talking about what money is capable of, and the fifth one is about how money is able to create more money. The final stanza is where the power of the poem comes in. Do you know why? 

Every other stanza is just describing money, but the last stanza is where it makes a heavier statement.  "You don't know where it's been,/but you put it where your mouth is." This reminds me of a bet. Have you ever said, "I'll bet you a dollar that I can do this!"? I'll bet you have. You've let your money talk for you; to show your confidence. Can you think of any other examples where your money has spoken? What about donating to charity or giving tithes at church? What does your money say when you donate it? See, money is capable of saying a lot, even though it doesn't literally speak.

Figures of speech are when a word or phrase is used in a non-literal sense to add emphasis or flavor to a poem. This poem contains multiple figures of speech. Can you find any? Here, I'll help you find a few and then we can see if you can find some other ones. 

A metaphor is when something is compared to another object. Look at the word 'dough.' The literal definition of dough isn't money. But we all know that term for money. It's a metaphor and it compares money to bread. Bread is a necessity and so is money. 

Now, let's look at the phrase, "To be made of it!" No one is really made of money. But we refer to rich people with that phrase. This is a hyperbole (exaggeration). 

The last stanza holds many figures of speech. Try to find one.

Did you notice the personification of money in the phrase, "And it talks"? Personifying something means that you are giving it life-like traits. Money can't really talk, but it says things. 

What about the line, "Put it where your mouth is"? I hope no one is putting money in their mouth, but we hear this phrase frequently. This is a connotation. This means that there is a meaning associated with this phrase that isn't literal. 

Try to find other figures of speech in this poem. Trust me, there are many more to spot! 

Poem #3: "The Road Not Taken"

"The Road Not Taken" Robert Frost TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20

What did you gather from this poem?

To state it simply enough, a traveler has come to a crossroads. There are two paths to choose from. They have been equally walked. He ponders that he may be able to travel one and come back to take the other, but knows that they may not be a possibility. Roads take you to new roads, which take you to other paths, and so on. So he doubts that he may be able to travel his second choice path, so he knows he needs to make the right decision. He decides to take the path that is less traveled and it changed his life.

So, this is a pretty powerful, meaningful poem. It shows how important it is to make the right choices in life.
Did you notice the discrepancy between the paths being equally worn and one path being less traveled? The paths were actually equally worn, but he will tell people that he took the path less traveled. Why do you think he added this in the poem? It may be because he has doubted his decision. A sigh expresses remorse or fear. He may second guess the path he chose. But it's important to continue down the path.

Do you think the picture above is an example of how crucial a life decision can be? 

Can you relate to this? Was your successful path less traveled or equally worn?
What difference has this made in your life?

Crossroads is a symbol within this poem. A symbol is something that represents an idea. So, what is a crossroads representing? It can show the importance of a decision; of what path you choose to take. It can symbolize a turning point in someone's life. Your choices affect your life, and no matter what path you choose, change is bound to happen.
Can you find any other symbols?

Poetry can be a great outlet for expressing events in life. Give it a try. Write a poem about the path you've taken. Good luck!

Poem #1: "The Monologue of an Onion"

Suji Kwock Kim is a great poet. She effectively uses the metaphor of an onion to express an individual's feelings towards another person. Yes, an onion. And it actually works. The meaning is very deep and reveals much about the author. She used a symbol of the onion, which could be used in a humorous manner, as a serious topic. Go on, read for yourself:

I don't mean to make you cry.    

I mean nothing, but this has not kept you
   

From peeling away my body, layer by layer,

The tears clouding your eyes as the table fills
   

With husks, cut flesh, all the debris of pursuit.      5
   

Poor deluded human: you seek my heart.
 
  

Hunt all you want. Beneath each skin of mine
   

Lies another skin: I am pure onion—pure union
   

Of outside and in, surface and secret core.
 
   

Look at you, chopping and weeping. Idiot.        10
   

Is this the way you go through life, your mind
   

A stopless knife, driven by your fantasy of truth,
 
   

Of lasting union—slashing away skin after skin
   

From things, ruin and tears your only signs
   

Of progress? Enough is enough.                     15
 
   

You must not grieve that the world is glimpsed
   

Through veils. How else can it be seen?
   

How will you rip away the veil of the eye, the veil
 
   

That you are, you who want to grasp the heart
   

Of things, hungry to know where meaning          20
   

Lies. Taste what you hold in your hands: onion-juice,
 
   

Yellow peels, my stinging shreds. You are the one
   

In pieces. Whatever you meant to love, in meaning to
   

You changed yourself: you are not who you are,
 
   

Your soul cut moment to moment by a blade        25
   

Of fresh desire, the ground sown with abandoned skins.
   

And at your inmost circle, what? A core that is

Not one. Poor fool, you are divided at the heart,
   

Lost in its maze of chambers, blood, and love,
   

A heart that will one day beat you to death.

I have offered my personal paraphrasing of this poem in case it went over your head:

I don’t purposely make you cry. 
I have no meaning, but you continue to try to see who I am. 
You dig deeper to search for my heart and this causes you to cry. 
You can search all you desire to, but I am telling you that nothing lies any deeper; 
you will only find what you already know. 
You continue to inspect me and it’s making you out to be stupid. 
You’re naïve to have a fancy of finding out the true me. 
All that has come of it are your tears. 
You haven’t made any progress, so it’s time to quit looking. 
You are blinded by the tears in your eyes and, therefore, you will never see me clearly. 
While peeling my layers, you are the one that is in shreds. 
By trying to love and know me, you have changed yourself. 
While looking for my heart, you’ve changed yours. 
You have become a fool and you are lost. 
Your heartbreak will be the end of you.

Did you think the onion was effective? A persona is kind of like a character. Did this character work? Did you notice how many senses and emotions Kim references in this poem? Go ahead, read it again and count them. It includes every sense: sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Those may be easy to find, but the emotions in this poem can be harder to pick out. It's obvious that there is hurt taking place. The tears of the other person show the heartache within them. Did you notice how blunt and damaging the tone of the onion was? It even calls the other person an idiot and a fool.  It says they are deluded (misleading) and blind. As harsh as it may be, it adds emphasis and meaning to this poem. Kim's goal of portraying a certain relationship wouldn't have been accomplished without her use of these strong words. 

What kind of relationship do you think this is? Is it one you are familiar with or have noticed? The onion persona refuses to let someone else in. They won't reveal who they are. The other person wants to love them, but they can't because they don't know the person that is portrayed by the onion.

Could you imagine trying to figure someone out, only to find that there is nothing else to know? Would you continue searching like the person in the poem, or would you give up and feel defeated? 

These thoughts are worth pondering. That's why poetry can be so interesting. There is always deeper meaning...a meaning worth finding.  Good luck and have fun.