A.E. Stallings’ “After a Greek Proverb” provides a new perspective on an ancient idea by commenting on human beings and our relationship with time. It expresses the remorse and discontentment experienced upon the realization that a temporary compromise has lapsed into a permanent way of life and that once elapsed, time is never recovered. While not unique in its sentiment, the poem is notable for the ways in which this argument is presented. The central argument is rooted in paradox. The notion that, “nothing is more permanent than the temporary,” (3) at first seems like a logical impossibility. However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that in this context, “permanent” and “temporary” and, by extension, “present” and “future” are not as neatly opposed as they first appear. Rather, they are constructed concepts that are inextricably tangled and exist relative to one another. This is illustrated not only through the use of paradox, but also through imagery, and the poem’s structure.
Throughout the poem, the speaker only gradually reveals his or her discontentment with the course his or her life as taken. At the outset, the speaker still clings to the notion that his or her situation is temporary, as a sort of validation for his or her disappointing station in life. However, as the poem progresses, he or she begins to express more outward discontentment. This is expressed through repeated images of the mundane and of “the ordinary” (16), which evoke a sense of hopelessness, stagnation and permanency in a situation that was originally a temporary fix. Thus, Stallings argues that the human tendency to look towards the future inhibits our ability to live in the present. That is to say, when people begin to see the future as...
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...he poem away from an individual speaker and onto a much larger group, perhaps even humanity as a whole. In the final line, the word “but” is added. This serves not only to add fluency to the thought, but also to contradict the “answer” provided in the previous line. The poem ultimately argues that though we may continue to cling to our construction of, “the temporary” as an excuse and validation, it will always prove futile. Though the temporary refers to a present condition, it defines itself only in relation to the future. It is therefore intrinsically contradictory, providing the basis for the poem’s paradoxical argument.
Works Cited
Abrams, M.H., and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 10th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 377. Print.
Stallings, A.E. “After a Greek Proverb.” Poetry Magazine. Jan. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.
situation is not to surrender to fear and the author shows this idea throughout the poem that we
With a new century approaching, Bruce Weigl's twelfth collection of poetry, After the Others, calls us to stand on the millennium's indeterminate edge. This book, opening with the last four lines of Milton's "Paradise Lost," parallels our departure from this century with Adam's fearful exit from Eden, beyond which is "all abyss, / Eternity, whose end no eye can reach" ("Paradise Lost"). Weigl posits that we stand at the century's uncertain gate naked, cold, and greedy; he refers often to a looming future, to give our collapsing present more urgency. We've forgotten, he says, how to love and live simply, how to write honestly and well.
...in fact, seem insanely chaotic. Our mindless support of self-centred political systems, of abuse of fellow human beings of different nationalities - it may well have appeared quite insane to him. The poem, therefore, delivers a strong message of warning: we must develop a stronger awareness, a care of what is happening, lest we, the collective we - humanity, the 'Idiot', are left in the ruins of our effort, alone, forever.
... poem reflects upon the skeptical poet sitting writing this and moves towards a center ground of realization that while they may be forcing false ideas onto the population that reads their work, they cannot justify either way if the "Dream" that they are creating is reality or just a figment of their imagination which the people are now sucked into believing.
The central tension of fleeting versus eternal is vital to One Art, as it assists in using the villanelle’s structure and visual imagery of the poem. This is to illustrate that like this poem, most poetry contains many meanings that can be interpreted in many different ways.
During the poem the speaker does not address his readers. The readers are simply overhearing a man assessing the society in which he lives as he daydreams about what is could be and yet what it is not. It is evident that his goal is to get the readers to look down upon this society which is so caught up in daily routine; prohibiting anyone from having freedom of imagination. This detachment that is created between the speaker and his readers incorporated with the boring monotone at the very beginning of the poem gives the readers a negative impression of the society before they begin to analyze the actual words of the poem.
Contradicting to an even further extent, the attitude of the work, the final stanza seems to ridicule the previous: "Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh; / The worlds revolve like ancient women / Gathering fuel in vacant lots," (CPP, 13). Concerning itself with the world as a whole, the lines utilize a simile to characterize the inevitable persistence of meaningless action, action that sustains persistence, inturn sustaining a spiritually defunct society.
..., the content and form has self-deconstructed, resulting in a meaningless reduction/manifestation of repetition. The primary focus of the poem on the death and memory of a man has been sacrificed, leaving only the skeletal membrane of any sort of focus in the poem. The “Dirge” which initially was meant to reflect on the life of the individual has been completely abstracted. The “Dirge” the reader is left with at the end of the poem is one meant for anyone and no one. Just as the internal contradictions in Kenneth Fearing’s poem have eliminated the substantial significance of each isolated concern, the reader is left without not only a resolution, but any particular tangible meaning at all. The form and content of this poem have quite effectively established a powerful modernist statement, ironically contingent on the absence and not the presence of meaning in life.
On the surface the poem seems to be a meditation on past events and actions, a contemplative reflection about what has gone on before. Research into the poem informs us that the poem is written with a sense of irony
The past does not inevitably exist in the present. The creative processes of remembering and telling stories allow our histories to remain with us. Memory and story negate the possibility of existing independently of the past by connecting humans across time to the actions and value systems of their predecessors. Humans are forced to live amidst and confront a complex and multi-dimensional reality in which their every action affects people and events outside of their immediate context. By burdening humans with the consequences of their histories, story and memory comprise a foundation of moral responsibility. Since memory and story are subjective, our past, a seemingly immutable reality, is subject to their creative hands. These hands define as malleable entities the past, the future, and that which exists or has its basis outside of the present. The “real” is only immutable in a present entirely disconnected from all other time. Yet while the profound power of memory and story does deny an objective, singular reality, it simultaneously allows humans the capacity to transform the world to their liking. Even death, the most immutable of realities, can be manipulated through the creative processes of remembering and storytelling. Death, then, is the point from which we will begin to understand Homer’s exploration of memory and story.
...the fleeting innate qualities of human beings and their world that they have constructed, giving way to the idea that mortals should live their lives as honorably as possible, so that they will be remembered by their future generations. The impermanence of the human form and its creations is heavily referred to as neither can survive throughout time, however, their words and deeds can live on through stories. The mere existence of this poem can attest to this idea.
Whether the reader sees the satire or not depends on the reader themselves. Those who see this poem may not realize they're guilty of believing that the love and patience in stanza one exists. The presentation of this argument works because it seems sweet at first glance, logical when looked at again, and satirical when looked at against the views of the society.
This lack of action continuously emphasizes the lack of empathy and care of the narrators and highlights to the reader the importance of acting differently from them. Through both of these poems the reader is shown that everyone faces struggles and how important it is to help others in their times of need because they too will face them at some
This poem thematically explains that wealth has no eternal purpose. Life is about the relationships you make and the impact you have on society. The person of interest in this poem is a man called Richard Cory. A distinguished figure said to have been the envy of everyone. From the way of in which he walks, to how he dresses, and how he relates to his community. The other entity in this poem is the “town’s people.” Known in the poem as the “people on the pavement”. The town’s people live and work in less desirable conditions. Their work is tedious to say the least. Most likely construction or another job of that nature that leads to blood, sweat, and tears. The poem begins with Richard Cory’s visit downtown. Now, the author uses the word “whenever”.
The use of repetition within the poem draws attention to important themes associated with overcoming negative pressure. The repetition of the word “it” reduces the specificity of the poem, making it simply about a general battle with mental strength. This effective decision allows anyone to connect with the poem by inserting their unique personal struggles. To emphasize the amount of negativity that is present in the world, Guest repeats the phrase “there are thousands”. This type of repetition reinforces