Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

     At first, I didn't understand the poem. I had to reread the poem at least 3 more times to find out what it meant. But as I read the poem, I started to realize how great and unique the poem was. I felt like the poem was trying to teach me how to read poems. I realized that the poet was trying to explain the poetry was something to be experienced. Knowing me, I just read poems and try to figure out what they mean. Billy Collins  didn't go by this method. I noticed that there were a great use of metaphors in the poem. For example,  the word "poem"  was compared to a "hive". Meaning, it might be hard to fully understand a poem but you can succeed despite the difficulties.That is like risking your safety to have  physical contact with dangerous bee hives. Billy Collins enlightened me with an important message.

Death of a Salesman



     The Death of a Salesman movie was released in 1985. I don't think anything really influenced the movie. It would be helpful to define the "American Dream". This film is based off the play "Death of a Salesman". The film was received in a positive way. The film earned 10 Emmy nominations at the 38th Primetime Emmy Award ceremony and 4 Golden Globe nominations at the 43rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony. I thought the title meant something about a salesman dying. I expected death in the film. The film started off with Willy driving home from a exhausting trip. While he was driving, he almost had an car accident. I thought that the death of whoever the salesman was suppose to happen in the beginning of the movie. The first important scene was when Biff and Happy was reminiscing about there childhood and talking about their father's mental downfall because of his conversations that were among himself. They were more like flashbacks. He flashbacks often because he was trying to see where he went wrong with the "American Dream". The second important scene was when Biff got honest and destroyed his father's dream, and when Willy finally founds out that Biff really loves him. The third important scene was when Willy committed suicide by intentionally crashing his car because he thought that Biff was going to continue his legacy. The climax of the story was when Howard told Willy that he couldn't represent the company anymore and that he was fired. The main idea of the film was how Willy used to be a good salesman but he couldn't make the money anymore because the American Dream is not what it used to be.  The film didn't have any loose ends. Willy was developed by desperately searching through his past. His purpose was to see where he went wrong down through the years. He would slip into flashbacks. Biff was developed by trying to seek the truth about himself. His purpose was to acknowledge his failure and confront it. He was trying to tell his father how he was a failure. Happy was developed by the incarnation of Willy’s worst traits. I honestly don't think he had a purpose in the film because he lived in his brother's shadow. There were motifs in the film. The first one was mythic features. Willy always compared his sons to mythic Greek figures Adonis and Hercules because he thought they were attractive and well-liked. The second motif was The West, Alaska, and The jungle in Africa. Willy’s father found success in Alaska, his brother, Ben, became rich in Africa, and the West represented Biff's potential. I think the director's purpose was to put a "twist" on the American Dream. The themes were the American Dream, abandonment, and betrayal. The  director does use symbols in the film. The seeds represent the opportunity to prove the worth of Willy's labor. The diamonds to Willy represented wealth ,and the ability to pass material goods on to one’s offspring. But the discovery diamond symbolized Willy’s failure as a salesman. The stockings symbolized betrayal and sexual infidelity. The rubber hose symbolized Willy's attempts of suicide.

Their Eyes were watching God

 

 

     "Their Eyes Were Watching God" film was released on March 16, 2005. I honestly don't think anything influenced the film. I think that we should define the relationship between men and women doing that time period. The film was based upon Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel of the same name. But the film is no where in comparison to the novel. The film actually leaves out many important concepts to help found out the central theme. The film belong to the black romance and sexuality genre. It was received in a positive and negative way. The film was somewhat based on the book but missed out many important parts. I thought the title meant that the people in the film were actually trying to watch God.  I expected the people to always try to see what God had coming up next. The film started by showing Janie walking barefooted with dirty clothes. It made me think that Janie was homeless or just got through working in a dirty place. The first important scene is when Janie returns to Eatonville and have a conversation with Pheoby. The second important scene is when her Grandmother marries her off to an older man. The third important scene is when she met TeaCake. The hurricane was the climax. Doing the hurricane, TeaCake tried to save Janie from a violent dog. He ends up getting bit and catching rabies. He eventually died because Janie killed him. The climax illustrate the main idea because Janie was trying to find true love and she found it in TeaCake because he risked his life for her. Janie’s development along the way can be charted by studying her use of language and her relationship to her own voice. TeaCake was developed through Janie by trying to help her pursue her goals. Jody is developed be being cruel, conceited, and uninterested in Janie as a person. Janie's purpose was to search for spiritual enlightenment and a sense of her identity and independence. TeaCake's purpose in the story was to help Janie with her goals and spiritual growth. Jody's purpose was to try and dominate everyone and everything around him. The motif that was repeated was the people who gossiped in the community. The gossip only occur when Janie does something that catches their attention. The purpose of the gossipers was to criticize Janie. There are messages and themes in the movie. The director used symbols in the film. Her hair symbolized unconventional identity. The hurricane symbolized natures fury.