Provence Of Life In Poetry: Mood In American Poetry

The language of poetry is distinctly different from other languages, it is condensed and concentrated form of literature. It must say quite a bit with a limited number of words therefore it tends to be intense, especially because “it concernes itself with all kinds of experiences-- beautiful or ugly, strange or common, noble or ignoble, actual or imaginary”. (Arp, 8-9). Poetry tells a story, reveals human character, imparts a vivid impression of a scene that expresses mood and emotion to convey some idea or attitude Two poets that typify the aforementioned in their poetry is Jennifer Rahim and Lauren K Alleyne. Using the poems “Eulogy for Akiel”, “An Ode to SPAM”, “Teaching Poetry a Little Dyslexic” by Jennifer Rahim and “Ode to the Belly”, “FIFTEEN”, “The Body, Given” by Lauren K Alleyne, the particular ways in which the work of these two West Indian poets epitomize the province of life will be examined.

Through the use of satire and irony Rahim and Alleyne in their poems “An Ode to SPAM” and “Ode to the Belly” delve into the provinces of life. Rahim laments the injustice of spam, junk e-mails while Alleyne moans the ups and downs that comes with being larger in size. This is satirical and ironic because both proclaim their poems to be Odes which is usually a poem glorifying and parsing someone, instead, both Alleyne and Rahim chastise their respective annoyances. Alleyne scolds the belly for growing big with all the delicious foods and fantasizes about getting rid of it which is ironic because in the end she is the one who continues to eat the foods that make the belly grow big. Therefore, she is able to portray the ugly cycle that anyone who lacks self-control or has an unhealthy relationship with food go true. Rahim, however, masks her irony in praises. In her poem Rahim draws on religious aspects to sing her Ode to the spam e-mail or spammers.

“I would right of those weeds

among my e-mail

Like maybe Whitman wrote

the divinity of grass

or maybe, like Goodison

pray a rosary of their names”.

Here, Rahim says she would exalt them through worship and pray. Something one would only do to those who have committed grate acts of kindness or bravery which is ironic because all the things Rahim describes the e-mails of doing is scams attempting to steal one’s identity or extort money from people not something one would praise someone for. The irony is even more emphasised when she starts off calling them weeds. Weeds are plants that typically suck the nutrients away from other plants and trees that it surrounds and eventually kills them therefore, it is ironic that she goes on to say that she would praise them the way Whitman and Goodison praised their respective subjects in their poems. Through this use of irony Rahim is able to express the ugliness of life in which individuals hide behind facades of good and prey on people’s sympathetic emotions and fantasies for selfish and wicked reasons.

Furthermore, both Alleyne and Rahim use personification giving human characteristics to their respective objects. Rahim gives personification to the poem itself saying thinks like “it would weep”, “it would lament blindness / and predict apocalypse”. By dealing with the poem as if it where a person Rahim is able to add a bit of levity to the expression of frustrations many feel when encountering spam email that falsely proclaim, “retirement millions” and “winning lotteries”. Thus, adding to the satirical nature of the poem. On the other hand, Alleyne gives personification to the belly itself. Throughout the poem she continuously refers to the belly as “you” and addresses it as if it where a person while giving it human characteristics.

“— shame-maker, you. Belly,

you are the dictator of fashion,

demanding loose dresses, roomy

waistbands, rejecting swimsuits

that expose. You are what I am measured by,”

Here, Alleyne expresses the restrictions one who is larger in size feels when attempting to find clothes that fit and flatter. As well as, the negative pressures a person who is larger feels in society as persons often feel the right to judge a larger person’s health, lifestyle and fashion choice simply because that person does not fit a certain standard of beauty. However, the fact that she gives these human characteristics of being demanding to the belly and expresses the aforementioned through the demands of the belly lightens the mood of the poem that would otherwise be heavy or intense where these sentiments to be expressed without the use of satire.

Using structural devices Alleyne and Rahim are able to epitomize the province of life in their poems “FIFTEEN” and “Teaching Poetry a Little Dyslexic”. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. [persons] with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently. They may also have trouble with reading comprehension, spelling and writing. (understood.org) In her poem “Teaching Poetry a Little Dyslexic” Rahim uses the structure of her poem to incorporate the reality of what a dyslexic person sees when they are reading or writing. To do this Rahim purposely structures the poem into a carefully crafted jumble of words, purposely spells words incorrectly “jou-vay” and uses improper grammar “aGAIN”. However, Rahim does not stop their but brings to light the reality of engaging with literature as a dyslexic person.

“POETRY

Is a MUTANY

Language rioting

Colluding its In-CLU-sion.”

Here, Rahim is saying that indeed literature or poetry can feel like a mutiny, because for a dyslexic person of which I am it can feel as though they are at war with the very words. Furthermore, as Rahim states in her poems the signs of dyslexia are there however, they are sometimes not recognised, “O the signs were there, / gone clear-the Keatsian black out”. Rahim goes even further by portraying what its like to be a teacher, teaching others while struggling with dyslexia. Of being upstaged by unintended rabbit ears and falling to pronounce words you as a teach should know correctly for the second year in a row. However, Rahim does not only portray the life experience of teaching with dyslexia she also portrays the life experience of teaching despite dyslexia.in the poem the speaker does indeed experience, many frustrating and embarrassing events because of their dyslexia but they do not give up and eventually over come this is evident in Rahim’s words,

“WORDS

Came floating in that learnt air

The way inspiration often comes-

Unannounced:”

The speaker does eventually become proficient with language and words thus the structure of the poem in the last line mirror it where as it stared off with capitalized words and jumbled sentences it, in the last sentence evens out and flows. Alleyne like Rahim also uses structural devices in her poem “FIFTEEN” to typify aspects of life. “FIFTEEN” is a letter from the speaker’s older self to their younger self the structure of the poem emphasises this as the tittle is both a tittle and an incipit. That is, it acts as the tittle of the poem but the fact that a comer was placed also allows it as an address as often seen in letters in which you would but the name of the person you are addressing. Additionally, the reputation of fifteen both in word and number form. The second time 15 is used it acts in the same way as mentioned before but it also emphasises the passage of time especially when looked at in connection with 29 and the theme of youthfulness and insecurity one experiences at that age. Also, the repetition of “no more” adds a sense of finality that the speaker felt at that age that everything is over something persons exiting one stage of life and into another often struggle with. Additionally, the use of contrast that pits the bleak and fatalistic attitude of the speaker when she was fifteen (lines 5-7) against her more mature and livelier persona at twenty-nine. (lines 17-19).

Using the theme of religion in their poems “Eulogy for Akiel” and “The Body, Given” Rahim and Alleyne are able to manifest different aspects of life. Rahim in her poem “Eulogy for Akiel” uses religion as a way to confront the tragedy that was Akiel Chambers’ rape and murder which is an actual, ugly, strange and ignoble part of life. In the poem that “the sin is ours” meaning everyone from those who were actually guilty of committing the act to the “smiling toms” who where complicit in covering it up a fact that still remains to this day as the Akiel Chambers case though close still remains unsolved (ttwhistleblower.com). She chastises those simply seeking to point the blame “… there is no comfort / in blaming gods for omissions to see.” And emphasises the fact that duty lies with everyone to seek justice for Akiel and prevent other children from suffering the same “: we must pray for mercy” because we are all complicit. However, the other does take comfort in the fact that no god be it Allah, Christ or Anansi would deny Akiel comfort. Alleyne also uses religion to typify aspects of life. However, Alleyne questions if the the ugly, strange and ignoble parts of life are truly ugly, strange and ignoble or if they are actually beautiful, common and noble. The poem open with an epigraph from James 2:26 and seems to be a reply to it. Through questioning the religious ideology of the flesh being faulty and nothing more than “mixed bag: shit and skin; the efficacy of sex and swallowing;” Alleyne epitomizes the struggle many Christians face when faced with feeding the body or the spirit. However, in her poem “The Body, Given” Alleyne warns of the dangers of separating the spirit from the body insisting that one cannot exist without the other “Without the world, we met the death of God and language/says the poet, or, there is no song without gut, throat, and tongue” an that it is only when they are used together can they create “song” or in other words can it is when the both live can they both exist.

Jennifer Rahim and Lauren Alleyne two West Indian poets import the essence of life in their works “Eulogy for Akiel”, “An Ode to SPAM”, “Teaching Poetry a Little Dyslexic” and “Ode to the Belly”, “FIFTEEN”, “The Body, Given” respectively. Both Rahim and Alleyne do this through the use of literary devices such as irony, satire to express the life province of frustration, negativity, lack of self-control, body issues and selfish and wicked deeds .Additionally, the use of structural devices such as form, personification, contrast and repetition where also used to epitomizes actual, beautiful, strange and noble aspects of life such as learning disabilities, insecurity, youth, fatalism, maturity and striving in light off or despite difficulties. The theme of religion is also anther tool used by Rahim and Alleyne to typify features of life such as tragedy, responsibly, justice, recognition of the flesh, unity of the flesh and spirit and balance.