Response to first half of City Eclogue

Ed Roberson's City Eclogue is strangely formatted throughout. Several lines are fragmented without any reason that I can deduce, aside from possibly symbolizing the fragmented structures of a city. Another reason might be that the lines are segregated from each other, as racial segregation is a theme in the poems. It may just be for the purpose of having the reader take more time reading and processing the message Ed is trying to convey. 

I found that everything up to Beauty's Standing was far too hard for me to understand. The message on government, and racial issues throughout Beauty's Standing was interesting. Specifically, I found the poem(s) on page 45 and 46 to be particularly interesting. The poem, I think, speaks of racial prejudice in the government. Strangely enough, page 45 is structured and punctuated properly. I'm not sure of the meaning behind the change in structure. 

My favorite bit of this poem is the line "despite the toll --- values = mere votes for their pull". The substitution of the word "poll" with "pull" seemed to go unnoticed. The values seem to refer to the prejudiced family values of the time, while the votes refer to prejudiced men remaining in power because of these "values". 

Poem Packet Response 9/21/13

Ted Berrigan’s first poem is probably one of the more interesting poems I have read. The sonnet is filled with cultural references to things in the 1960's. Marilyn Monroe, the model, and actress who died in 1962. William Carlos Williams, the poet, whom died in 1963. Joe Brainard, the artist and writer, seems to have collaborated with Ted in 1964. I cannot seem to figure this poem out. It reads like it was written using the cut-up technique. This technique is done by cutting up a full text such as a newspaper, a word or two on each piece, and arranging each piece into a new original text. It doesn't appear to have much rhyme or reason. 

Susan Howe's poem from Singularities seems nonsensical at a glance as well, but with a little looking into, I could at least come to the conclusion that it was about the French & Indian Wars. The scattered chaos of this poem is hard to interpret. It could be interpreted as being similar to the guerrilla warfare used against the French in battle, as pointed out in class. Even with this knowledge, some pieces of this poem still come across as nonsensical. 

Langston Hughes's "Dream Boogie" is interesting. I could not understand why anyone thought that this poem had something to do with children because of the language used. "Boogie woogie", "bop", and "bebop" are obvious jazz terms, not childlike terms. Even the use of "Daddy" is likely just speaking of a friend. The poem seems to be speaking of the jazz movement in Harlem itself and racial discrimination. Jazz was popular among all races and ethnicities, but no one paid any attention to what the songs were about. They only listen to the beat, not the lyrics, not the message. 

Introduction

I am Jacob Box. I am an Early College Alliance student at Eastern Michigan University. This means I am finishing my high school requirements and gathering college credits by taking college classes so, no major or minor right now. My future goals are unclear at the moment, but I am thinking that I want to work in the film industry in some form or another. I'm an introvert and rather antisocial, so I keep to myself mostly. I enjoy writing but I haven't been motivated much to write as of late. I hope to change that soon.