Sassy "Hazel Tells Laverne" how it is Analysis Hazel Tells Laverne Katharyn Howd Machan Hazel is a cleaning lady

who is telling Laverne about a pleasant surprise she encountered while cleaning a bathroom. She relives the fairy tale of the Princess and the Frog when a frog appears in the toilet bowl. The frog goes through the routine of kiss him on the nose and you become a princess. That's when Hazel "screams ya little green pervert an [she] hitsm with [her] mop" (Machan). This turns the fairy tale on its head, and actually is more believable. A talking frog who demands kisses is quite terrifying, and few people would actually be tempted by the promise of a princess. Another quality of the poem is her diction. The simple, poorly constructed sentences provide a comfortable setting for the conversation. The poem feels like Hazel is talking to me about her crazy day (and boy does Hazel have some hilarious stories). She concludes the story re-questioning herself as a princess, as if the frog was totally ridiculous for offering her princesship (which is now a word).
Jimmy Santiago Bacas Green Chile is a poem of love and sacrifice, symbolized through two types of chile peppers. The author blandly states that his preference is for red chile over my eggs / and potatoes for breakfast (1-2), but his grandmother loves green chile (11), chopping one up with mysterious passion on her face (31). Baca says that red chile ristras decorate my door, / dry on my roof, and hang from my eaves (3-4), showing that the red-colored versions are used frequently as decorations, giving an air of festive welcome (7), yet they often go uneaten. His grandmother offers him the green variety with beans and rice, (34), which he calls her sacrifice / to her little prince (34-35). This makes green chile sound different, more sacred and mysterious, while red chile is not as special. The author shows us a well-dressed gentleman at the door (19), and then writes of his grandmother rubbing its firmly glossed sides (21), which is more like the description of a chile pepper than a man. Referring to her little prince (35) may be an allusion to the author, her grandson. The peppers take on a life of their own, in the grandmother and the authors minds. They are her sacrifice, (34), perhaps meaning that she has given up her youth and ambitions to raise and protect her grandson and the rest of her family. The green chiles are not Bacas favorite, as when eating them, he says my mouth burns / and I hiss and drink a tall glass of cold water (37-38). However, he does not refuse them, evidently out of respect for his grandmother and the heritage that the peppers represent. He waxes philosophical of sunburned men and women, driving rickety trucks stuffed with gunny sacks / of green chile, selling them for a dollar a bag, it being a beautiful ritual (39-45). Despite his liking for the less spicy red peppers, he accepts green chiles because they are a traditional staple which his grandmother loves. This shows reciprocal sacrifice on his part; he eats the food of his forefathers to please his grandmother, despite the uncomfortable burning in his mouth. To the author, red chiles represent strength and history, while his grandmother prefers green chiles for their youth and passion. Baca talks of the red peppers historical grandeur (6), being like haggard, yellowing, crisp, rasping tongues of old men, licking the breeze (910). Here, he is likening the red chiles to wise elders, who recount riveting tales of their livid

past. Conversely, the green chile is voluptuous, masculine (15), having authority and youth (16). We know that the color red is often associated with love and passion (as with red roses), so it is counter-intuitive that the colors are flipped with the chiles. However, green chiles are unripe like green bananas; they ripen and change colors, turning red, after which they are normally dried and preserved. They must be cooked or frozen quickly, so they are a regional specialty. This goes along with the grandmothers fascination with them; their air of authority and youth (16) comes from them literally being younger than red chiles. The elderly grandmother prefers produce representing sensuality and passion, while the youthful grandson prefers the pepper of tradition and formality; however, it is more usual to associate tradition with the aged. We see that the green chile is like a fiery young lover to the grandmother, as she compares it to a well-dressed gentleman at the door, whom she takes sensuously in her hand, caressing the oily rubber serpent, / with mouth-watering fulfillment, / fondling its curves with gentle fingers (19-24). Descriptors like caressing and fondling are apt for romantic love, not a common vegetable. However, here the green chile is a metaphor for the grandmothers passionate love, though it may be unfulfilled. If the pepper is a person then he is soon killed, as she thrusts her blade into [the green chile] / and cuts it open, with lust / on her hot mouth (27-29). This shows that her lover must be sacrificed for the benefit of her grandson, and it becomes the part of a glorious meal, as Baca illustrates: she serves me green chile con carne / between soft warm leaves of corn tortillas / with beans and riceher sacrifice (32-34), going along with her forfeiting her passions for familial obligations. The chiles are an old, beautiful ritual, to be relived again and again. What does this mean? We can clearly see that the vegetables are an important part of New Mexican tradition, and so this is why they are deserving of a poem. It also represents the untiring effort that the New Mexican workers and farmers put into their chiles, as you see them roasting green chile / in screen-sided homemade barrels (43-44). The barrels are made carefully by hand, yet the chiles fetch a paltry dollar a bag (44). However, this keeps them accessible to even the poor, and shows sacrifice on the part of the workers. It is curious that Baca shows little emotion in the last stanza, despite his vivid depiction of his grandmothers preparation of the green chile, but I take it as a sweeping demonstration of recognition and respect for the ritual of the chile peppers. In forty-five eloquent lines, we are shown that food is love and love is sacrifice. Baca makes these connections beautifully; while the subject is common, the message is unique.

"Marks" by Linda Pastan

I think this poem will be about bruises and scars. A woman is graded by her family, just like if she were in school. At the end of the poem she reveals that she is dropping out. Pastan uses an extended metaphor throughout the poem comparing life to school. She seems sarcastic and depressed, and I think that she wants her audience to feel empathy for the life she lives. The shift occurs at the end of the poem when she says she will be dropping out. Marks are the grades she gets on her daily tasks. She is rated by her family on how well she has done. The theme is things are not always what they seem to be. Pastan is probably tired of being a housewife, it is not the dream she thought it would be. I

doubt she is really going to drop out of her life, she just needs to take a break from it. I like this poem, I think it shows people judge one another too much. So what if she didnt iron everything, its a such a tiny insignificant detail in the larger scheme of things. Nothing is perfect, no one has a perfect marriage or perfect children.... Its okay, life is not supposed to be perfect!
Marks is a poem about a woman who is constantly being judged from multiple standards on her performances as a day to day mother. Her family takes care of setting these standards, differing from her husband, son, and daughter. Even though she receives fairly good marks from her family [shes] dropping out].(12) The speaker is trying to show us that one who is constantly being judged by others may take a turn that shows they can defeat the system. The speaker makes it clear that she herself takes care of many of the family duties. She had to make last nights supper(2), iron her familys clothes, and satisfy her husbands needs in bed. Not forgetting that she also takes care of two children which is more than a full-time job in its self. What does she get in return from her family for doing all this? She gets constant judgment from each and everyone of them. Each family member has a different grading scale in which they give the speaker her marks. The speakers husband grades on a typical A through F or incomplete grading scale. He gave her an A for dinner, a B plus in bed(4), and incomplete for ironing.(3) The speakers son grades on a less than average, average, and better than average grading scale. He has gave her the mark of an average mother.(5) As for the speakers daughter, well she simply grades on a pass/fail grading scale. Her daughter has informed her that she passes. Overall the speaker receives fairly good marks from her family. That is not the point! The speaker doesnt care that her family approves of her household duties. She doesnt feel that she should have to deal with these constant marks for doing things that they need done, she feels like dropping out.(12) By dropping out does this mean that the speaker is going to abandon her family or kill herself? No, the speaker merely wants to show her family that she can defeat the system. She doesnt have to keep doing all the family duties she does. If she was to stop doing her...

I read buttons, and it is clear that the buttons indicate soldiers, but from what conflict I wondered. Being an American and egocentric, I automatically assumed that it must have been an American conflict, however, I discovered that in 1904-1905 there was a war between Russia and japan, and theoretically, the colors of the buttons would be an era-appropriate representation of these countries. Sandburg was a member of the socialist party at that time, so it seems appropriate that, although he was not a member of the nations in the conflict, he possibly was interested in the expansion of the communist party.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time (Gather ye rosebuds) Summary

From the title, we can tell that the speaker is addressing this poem to a group of virgins. He's telling them that they should gather their "rosebuds" while they can, because time is quickly passing. He drives home this point with some images from nature, including flowers dying and the sun setting. He thinks that one's youth is the best time in life, and the years after that aren't so great. The speaker finishes off the poem by encouraging these young virgins to make good use of their time by getting married, before they're past their prime and lose the chance.

Lines 1-2
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying:

The poem opens with the speaker telling the virgins to gather their ("ye") rosebuds while they still can ("while ye may"). "Old Time," after all, is passing quickly ("a-flying"). The "a" in "a-flying" doesn't really mean anything; it's just an older way of pronouncing a verb. "Ye" is an old word for "your" and "you." It's not clear if the speaker is referring to actual rosebuds, or if they are a metaphor for something else. We'll have to wait and see.

Lines 3-4
And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying.

The speaker elaborates on the advice of the first two lines, telling the virgins that "this flower" will die soon although he probably means that everything eventually dies. Flowers don't literally smile, so the phrase likely means something like "blooms." In Renaissance usage, "die" frequently meant "have an orgasm." That meaning may or may not be at work here. See "Quotes" for more on this possibility.

Lines 5-8
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he's a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he's to setting.

The speaker continues with another example of the passage of time. The higher the sun gets (the further west it moves), the "sooner" will its journey be over, because it's "nearer" to "setting." The speaker calls the sun a "glorious lamp" because it gives off light. "A-getting" is just an older or poetic way of saying "getting." The sun isn't actually running a race; "race" can mean "journey, voyage, path." The progress of the sun through the sky, which is how we measure a day, recalls the first stanza's discussion of "today" and "tomorrow."

Lines 9-10
That age is best which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer;

The speaker divides life into several periods and says that the "first" (i.e., young adulthood) is the best because "youth and blood" are "warmer."

"Age" just means "period of time" here. "Youth and blood" probably aren't literally warmer, but we often think of dead people as cold, so perhaps the speaker means something like "farther from death." Alternatively, "warmer" might even mean something like "more vigorous and healthy."

Lines 11-12
But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former.

Youth is the "best" time of life, so the speaker says. Once it's gone, the "worst/ Times" follow. "Spent" means "used up" or "gone." "Worst/ Times" refers to the period after youth is "spent," so it most likely means old age or something to that effect. We're not quite sure what to do with "worse." We might have to supply syntax from the previous two lines and read the line as "being spent, [that age is] the worse [rather than the best]." That, however, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It seems easier to read the lines as "the worse, and [even] worst / Times" will follow.

Lines 13-14
Then be not coy, but use your time, And while ye may, go marry:

Since youth is fleeting, old age sucks, and death is always right around the corner, the speaker urges the virgins to make use of what they have ("use your time") while they still can. In other words, don't be "coy," meaning shy, reserved, or inactive. The speaker doesn't just encourage the virgins to "use" their time, but to "go marry" (as in, to go get married!) while they still can. So this whole time all that stuff about death being close, youth being short the speaker's been gearing up to talk about marriage? Yes indeedy.

Lines 15-16
For having lost but once your prime You may for ever tarry.

The virgins should get married, the speaker suggests, because once they lose their "prime" (i.e., their youth and beauty) they might not get another chance. "Tarry" means "delay" or "prolong," and here the speaker wants to imply that if the virgins don't get married while they can, they might put it off (marriage) forever!

To His Coy Mistress" is divided into three stanzas or poetic paragraphs. Its spoken by a nameless man, who doesnt reveal any physical or biographical details about himself, to a nameless woman, who is also biography-less.

During the first stanza, the speaker tells the mistress that if they had more time and space, her "coyness" (see our discussion on the word "coy" in "Whats Up With the Title?") wouldnt be a "crime." He extends this discussion by describing how much he would compliment her and admire her, if only there was time. He would focus on "each part" of her body until he got to the heart (and "heart," here, is both a metaphor for sex, and a metaphor for love). In the second stanza he says, "BUT," we dont have the time, we are about to die! He tells her that life is short, but death is forever. In a shocking moment, he warns her that, when shes in the coffin, worms will try to take her "virginity" if she doesnt have sex with him before they die. If she refuses to have sex with him, there will be repercussions for him, too. All his sexual desire will burn up, "ashes" for all time. In the third stanza he says, "NOW," Ive told you what will happen when you die, so lets have sex while were still young. Hey, look at those "birds of prey" mating. Thats how we should do it but, before that, lets have us a little wine and time (cheese is for sissies). Then, he wants to play a game the turn ourselves into a "ball" game. (Hmmm.) He suggests, furthermore, that they release all their pent up frustrations into the sex act, and, in this way, be free. In the final couplet, he calms down a little. He says that having sex cant make the "sun" stop moving. In Marvells time, the movement of the sun around the earth (we now believe the earth rotates around the sun) is thought to create time. Anyway, he says, we cant make time stop, but we can change places with it. Whenever we have sex, we pursue time, instead of time pursuing us. This fellow has some confusing ideas about sex and time. Come to think of it, we probably do, too. "To His Coy Mistress" offers us a chance to explore some of those confusing thoughts.

I (lines 1-20) Summary

Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

Lines 1-2
Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, Lady, were no crime

The speaker starts off by telling the mistress that if there was enough time and enough space ("world enough, and time"), then her "coyness" (see "Whats up with the title" for some definitions) wouldnt be a criminal act. This is a roundabout way of calling her a criminal, and makes us think of jails, courtrooms, and punishments. Hmmm. What exactly is her crime? What is she being "coy" about?

Lines 3-4
We would sit down and think which way To walk and pass our long love's day.

In any case, he continues. If they had all the time and space they wanted, they could Google everything, read guide books, and carefully consider where they might go next, while aimlessly strolling and resting whenever they pleased.

Line 5
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side

She could hang out on the bank of the "Indian Ganges" finding "rubies." The Ganges River is considered sacred and holy by many people all over the world. In Marvells time, the Ganges is pure and pristine. Now, many parts of it are incredibly polluted.

Lines 5-6
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side Shouldst rubies find: I by the tide

And, he would be across the world at the Humber tidal estuary, skipping in the froth from the waves and whining. (Actually, he says "complain," which also means "love song.") This would place them far away from each other, obviously. The speaker doesnt sound thrilled at the idea of a long-distance relationship.

Lines 7-10
Of Humber would complain. I would Love you ten years before the Flood, And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews.

He would go back in time to Noah and the Flood, and forward in time to the "conversion of the Jews," all the while loving her. The speakers grand, Biblical language mocks poems which describe love in divine terms.

Lines 11-12
My vegetable love should grow Vaster than empires, and more slow;

Then, we get one of the poems most famous lines. The speaker starts telling the mistress about his "vegetable love." Much debate occurs over the meaning of this term. The word "slow" in line 12 gives us a clue. We think "vegetable love" is "organic love" love without the pressure of anything but nature, a natural process resulting in something nourishing vegetables. But, be careful. Since its organic, vegetable love will cost a little more in the grocery store. We cant neglect another connotation, either.

A certain part of the male anatomy is shaped like certain members of the vegetable kingdom. Vegetable love also refers to that. Some literary critics think the "vegetable" in "vegetable love" refers to the female anatomy, as well. Well let you do the math on your own.

Lines 13-17
An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze; Two hundred to adore each breast, But thirty thousand to the rest; An age at least to every part,

Anyhow, he says that, if he had time, he would give her compliments about each of her individual body parts, and he would spend a bazillion years doing it.

Line 18
And the last age should show your heart.

And then, finally, after all that complimenting, she would "show [her] heart," presumably by having sex with him.

Line 19-20
For, Lady, you deserve this state, Nor would I love at lower rate.

Youre worth it, too, he says, and I wouldnt give you anything less than that first-class love. The word "rate" cleverly links with the word "heart" of the previous line, making us think of "heart rate."

Stanza II (lines 21-32) Summary

Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

Lines 21-22
But at my back I always hear Time's wingd chariot hurrying near;

And, then, he gives her a huge gigantic "BUT." Ouch. You see, the speaker hears something behind him: "Times winged chariot," to be exact. Hes being chased down by Times hybrid car! He doesnt say whos driving, but we can assume its probably Time.

Lines 23-24
And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity.

Then, he seems to have a hallucination. Look, he tells the mistress, look at all this sand. The future is just endless sand. Were all going to die.

Line 25
Thy beauty shall no more be found,

And you wont look so pretty there, missy.

Lines 26
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound

You sure wont be able to hear my pretty song when you are in a "grave."

Lines 27-28
My echoing song: then worms shall try That long preserved virginity,

This next part is even creepier. The speaker tells the mistress that, in the grave, worms will have sex with her. According to the line, shes a virgin.

Line 29
And your quaint honour turn to dust,

In the grave, her "quaint honor" will completely disintegrate. According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, "quaint" is a euphemism that means "vagina." So, hes telling her that she cant take her virginity with her into the afterlife, and making icky jokes about her vagina.

Line 30
And into ashes all my lust:

Next, he tells her that if they die without having sex together, his "lust" or desire, will all burn up, with nothing left but the "ashes."

Interestingly, he seems to imply that, if he cant have sex with her, he wont have sex at all.

Lines 31-32
The grave 's a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there embrace.

He rubs in the whole thing by telling her that coffins are great: they have lots of privacy, but no hugging!

46) Summary
Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

Line 33
Now therefore, while the youthful hue

Luckily, he leaves all that morbidity behind, and gives us the old "now, therefore." By this, the speaker suggests that his argument is successful, and that hes about to tell the mistress what she should do, since his argument is so successful.

Lines 34-36
Sits on thy skin like morning dew, And while thy willing soul transpires At every pore with instant fires,

He kind of brings her back from the grave here. Just a minute ago, he imagines her dead in the crypt, and, now, he tells her how young she is, and how her soul rushes around excitedly inside her, leaking out through her pores. "Transpire" has a few fun meanings that you can ponder. The first is "to come to light." The second is "to happen." The third actually has to do with plants. If a plant "transpires," it loses water vapor through its stomata (little pores on a plant's leaves), a crucial part of photosynthesis.

Line 37
Now let us sport us while we may,

Since you are transpiring (rhymes with "perspiring") and all, lets play some games, he tells her. Then, he gets a brilliant idea.

Line 38
And now, like amorous birds of prey,

They should pretend to be birds of prey, mating! (Sounds a little dangerous to us.) Also, the word "prey" introduces violence, and therefore uneasiness, into the scene.

Line 39
Rather at once our time devour

But, before the games begin, we should have a little pre-mating dinner. Here, honey, try this seared fillet-o-time, on a bed of vegetable love. And for dessert time capsules! See, time deserves to be eaten.

Line 40
Than languish in his slow-chapt power.

Time exerts its "slow-chapped power" over the speaker for far too long. According to the Norton Anthology of English Literature, "slow-chapped power" means "slowly devouring jaws." In short, he feels like hes dying in Times mouth, and that time is slowly eating him up. He wants to turn the tables, and thinks that sex, or so he tells his mistress, is the way to get time under his control.

Lines 41-42
Let us roll all our strength and all Our sweetness up into one ball,

Next comes his actual description of sex. The rolling up in a ball doesnt sound so bad. "Strength" carries on the idea of sex as sport from line 37. Come to think of it, "ball" works that way, too.

Lines 43-44
And tear our pleasures with rough strife Thorough the iron gates of life:

But, whats with "tear" and "strife"? It makes sense from the speakers perspective. He claims to believe that sex is the way to another world, a way to break out of the prison of time.

This also suggests that he thinks that bringing the "strife" of life into the bedroom will enhance the sexual experience.

Lines 45-46
Thus, though we cannot make our sun Stand still, yet we will make him run.

In this final couplet (a couplet is a stanza made up of two lines, usually rhyming), the speaker seems a little bit calmer. He talks about the sun now, instead of time. In his time, the sun is thought to control time. In the end, he admits that sex is a compromise. They cant use it to stop time, but they can use it to make time go faster. What? If time goes faster, wont the speaker and the mistress die sooner? Not if hes in control. And, not if, as we suggest in "Symbols, Images and Wordplay" under "The Great Beyond," the sun and time, also represent death. If they can make time run, it wont have time to kill people. Er, or something like that. Its not necessarily the most rational argument, but it has its charm. And, the speaker isnt the first person to think that sex is the answer to all problems. In any case, the final couplet can give you food for thought for years.