I’ve never been the best at capturing meaning in a story. That is unless it’s obvious. I’m not one of those people who can read between the lines. Symbolism seems to go right over my head. This makes me especially bad at understanding poetry. I read poems by these Modernist writers and have no clue what it is about. After reading “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” I was no closer to understanding what it was about than before I read it. It is so frustrating. I know that Prufrock is a bad example because even people with English degrees debate it’s meaning. But I’m like that with almost all reading. Today, while reading “The Wilde Swans at Coole,” I could see what was happening on the surface but nothing else. And I KNOW there is more to the poem than what the words literally mean. That is what makes it a modern poem. It’s meaning is supposed to be allusive. I have in my notes that there were 59 swans, it was October, and it had been 19 years since he first came to count the swans. There is more meaning to it but I wasn’t able to see it until I googled “The Wilde Swans at Coole analysis.” I don’t see symbolism and I’m not sure if that is because that is just who I am and how my brain works or if I have never been taught how to see it. I remember reading Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and being completely clueless. Once it is pointed out to me, I can understand. When someone said it was likely about abortion, I immediately saw the symbols. But coming to a conclusion like that on my own has yet to happen.
These days the only books that get read are textbooks and it is no secret that those are straightforward. There is no symbolism in a textbook. I can read a textbook and soak up a wealth of knowledge. But hand me a poem and I’m stumped. So I feel as thought I’m learning how to read. Reading intensively as Dr. Williams would say. I’ve already picked up a few tricks thanks to his craft quizzes. I’m taking notes of the things I notice when I read and looking up words that I don’t know the exact meaning of like “sensual.” Right now, I’m reading “Sailing to Byzantium” and the line
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.
I know there is some meaning in that. I’m sitting here thinking of what it could be. I’ve been wondering for about five minutes now and I’m growing frustrated with my inability to figure it out. I know that (after looking it up) sensual can be defined as: “occupied with gratification of the senses” or basically all about pleasing your senses. And intellect is being neglected. But what does it all mean! Maybe I’m overanalyzing it. I guess I won’t find out until I google it.
I hope something clicks over this semester.
You're definitely not alone in what you're saying about symbolism going over your head. I love to read and I love to write but it's often difficult for me to pick out the "hidden meaning" as well. That's one of the reasons why I took this class: I'd love to become a more intensive reader. I enjoy listening to your comments in class Carmen, so I'd say you're already making improvement. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Carmen, Thanks for the candid post. I appreciate your comments. Modernist poetry can be strange, and even at times undecipherable. But the bottom line is not worry about the symbols. This makes you want to find one-to-one relationships between a symbol and its meaning, and often they are not there, or at least not there in a clear distinct sense. There can be multiple meanings and possibilities, and no one can say which one is better or more correct than others. We can't possibly know what was in a poet's head when she or he wrote the poem. And even if we did know it might not really matter. Poetry is evocative, and different people read poems differently. The way you read is neither right or wrong; it's simply your way. Please don't think that there is hidden knowledge being kept from you. With time, there is a greater sense of familiarity that comes with reading poetry, more of a confidence that you can get something out of a poem. But I still feel the way you do when I read a lot of contemporary poetry, but at this point I don't worry if I feel lost. Please don't let poetry frustrate. You can always say that "this poem doesn't work for me; this poem doesn't speak to me." dw
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