“On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High”, by D.C. Berry, 1/25/12

“On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High”, by D.C. Berry 
 

Before

I opened my mouth

I noticed them sitting there

as orderly as frozen fish

in a package. 

Slowly water began to fill the room

though I did not notice it

till it reached

my ears 

and then I heard the sounds

of fish in an aquarium

and I knew that though I had

tried to drown them 

with my words

that they had only opened up

like gills for them
and let me in. 

Together we swam around the room

like thirty tails whacking words

till the bell rang

puncturing

a hole in the door

where we all leaked out 

They went to another class

I suppose and I to home 

where Queen Elizabeth

my cat met me

and licked my fins

till they were hands again.

REACTION

This poem is very odd to say the least. It is obviously about a teacher or some author reading poetry to a group of high school students. The poem seems to show how the teacher and the students become immersed in the poetry and read it until the bell rings. Once the bell rings, the students leave the room, supposedly still immersed in the poetry and head to another class. The teacher/author goes home where his or her cat licks his or her hands. This poem is written in a structure that is more modernistic, and it utilizes modern language.

PARAPHRASE

Before I opened my mouth I noticed the students sitting there in an organized manor as is they were packaged. Slowly I began to become immersed in the poem, though I didn’t notice it until I began to hear the sounds of fish in an aquarium and then I realized that I had tried to overwhelm them with my words and that they had instead opened up to the words and let me in. Together we went on a trip with poetry like thirty little fish all contributing until the bell rang and caused all the students to leave and go to another class. I then went home and let me cat lick me until I came back to reality.  

SWIFTT

Syntax- The author uses very long, run-on sentences with only three periods throughout the entire poem. The author also does not use any commas or other forms of punctuation except for period.

Word Choice- The author chose to use the word “till” instead of until or ‘til. This is important because that is technically a form of slang which the author would have to use when talking to a teenage audience. The author also chose to use very simplistic words in this poem so that they would be understandable to modern teens.

Imagery- The author uses the image of an aquarium full of fish for most of the poem. The author does a fantastic job of making the reader feel as though they are the person reading poetry to a high school class. The author also makes use of imagery to make the reader feel as though they are being transformed into a fish and swimming.

Figurative Language- The author makes great use of metaphors. The first metaphor is of the students being like frozen fish in a package with represents how rigid they are. The author also uses hearing bubbles in an aquarium as a metaphor for the murmur of the students. The last two metaphors are the hole through the door and the author’s cat licking his “fins till they were hands again.” The author also uses simile when describing how the students open up like gills.

Tone-The tone for this poem is playful. The author starts out by essentially making a joke about the students being rigid like frozen fish. The author then uses a metaphor that was described in such a way that it is becomes playful.

Theme- The theme of this poem is education and a journey. The journey comes in when the author has to take the students from a rigid state about poetry to a more open state. The education theme comes into play because the author is teaching the students about poetry.

CONCLUSION

My initial reaction was not far off at all. This poem is very odd. Obviously some guest speaker has come in to read poetry to a group of high school students. The poem seems to show how the teacher and the students become immersed in the poetry and read it until the bell rings. They students also go on a journey with the speaker while reading the poem.  Once the bell rings, the students leave the room, supposedly still immersed in the poetry and head to another class. The speaker goes home where his cat licks his hands. This poem is written in a structure that is more modernistic, and it utilizes modern language.