On Friday, January 15th, Rachel and I met in Coffee Roasters in Canyon Crest center to begin our wonderful three day weekend over a cup of coffee and poetry. My contribution was this:
Lost Generation
It is a media poem so be sure to follow the link and check it out!
I chose this poem not only for its content, but for the way it was written. I absolutely fell in love with it, because of the message it sends, and the way it is presented in a new unique way. Rachel brought in another poem that I really enjoy, (Conscientious Objector by Edna St. Vincent Millay) and we were able to talk about it (how non-violent protest can be influenced by white privilege) and I was then able to think if it in a new light. It was the perfect start to my weekend!
Conscientious Objector
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
I shall die, but
that is all that I shall do for Death.
I hear him leading his horse out of the stall;
I hear the clatter on the barn-floor.
He is in haste; he has business in Cuba,
business in the Balkans,
many calls to make this morning.
But I will not hold the bridle
while he cinches the girth.
And he may mount by himself:
I will not give him a leg up.
Though he flick my shoulders with his whip,
I will not tell him which way the fox ran.
With his hoof on my breast, I will not tell him where
the black boy hides in the swamp.
I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death;
I am not on his pay-roll.
I will not tell him the whereabouts of my friends
nor of my enemies either.
Though he promise me much,
I will not map him the route to any man's door.
Am I a spy in the land of the living,
that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city
are safe with me; never through me
Shall you be overcome.
Thanks for writing this, Sydney! :)
ReplyDelete~Rachel
"Lost Generation" was a totally cool way of presenting material... what do you think of the use of the young-ish voice?
ReplyDeleteWow, Edna. Love her. I wish I had heard the discussion. Can you regurgitate it a bit here?
-Samantha
Sure!
ReplyDeleteA little bit more on Sydney's poem (from my recollection): we talked about the cyclical form, reflecting a continual process (very CLP). We both liked the way it surprises the audience, inverting your expectations, that kind of thing. We also both liked the expansion of the definition of a "text" that was happening in the poem. It is interactive and aural/oral and infinite. Very, very interesting.
For Edna's poem, We talked about how it appealed to each of us in terms of our ethics and approaches to conflict. We also discussed the tone of privilege that comes through in St. Vincent Millay's writing and reflected on how our own "conscientious objection" comes from a position of power.
So, In the poem there is a contradition and paradox in opposing the unjust treatment of those that are "oppressed" but without making visible the ways in which the author may be complicit in those systems of oppression. She talks about how she won't aid in the victimization of others but doesn't speak from the position of the oppressed--it is an advocate's voice. Sure, there is something to be said for her objection but at the same time it could be taken as kind of pretentious and patronizing.
We ended by leaving an open reflection on how these poems help us to understand our own processes and values.
Good times! :)
~Rachel