Reid Varda

Brooke Heiser

Honors English I; Period 4

4-11-16

Poetry Anthology

The beauty of poetry has no end. This beauty has many uses too, and gives readers a glimpse

into the author's past, present, or future. Because of that, many poems tend to focus on the universal

idea of remembrance. Poems like, "Abuelito Who" by Sandra Cisernos, "Scars" by Daniel Halpern,

"Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare, and "Young" by Anne Sexton all deal with this idea of

remembrance.

In "Abuelito Who" by Sandra Cisernos, the speaker reflects on her dear, Grandfather, describing

him before and after sickness. I this poem, Cisernos primarily uses metaphors to show readers what

Abuelito was like. A good example of how the speaker saw her Abuelito before sickness is when it states,

"[Abuelito] is dough and feathers" (line 3). This shows how the speaker saw Abuelito before sickness by

comparing him to dough and feather giving readers a image of being both nice and soft. Comparatively,

after the tone shift, where Abuelito is presumed sick, the speaker describes him by saying that he, "is a

doorknob tied to a sour stick" (line 14). This shows that Abuelito is not being himself. By saying he is tied

to a sour stick, it acts as a metaphor meaning that he is being held to something sour, or bad. These

metaphors ultimately relate back to the universal idea by showing the flow over time and how the

speaker is remembering two different versions of her grandfather. Ultimately, Sandra Cisernos uses

metaphors to show readers that it is better to remember the good things about a person rather than the

bad or unpleasant.
 Correspondingly, in "Scars, Daniel Halpern tends to focus on the idea of remembrance. The

poem itself describes scars and commentates on their both literal and figurative meaning. Halpern

utilizes personification, in this instance, to better describe the qualities of flesh and the heart. For

example, in the text it states, "It's as if the flesh decides to hold/onto what threatens its well being"

(lines 5-6). This shows personification because flesh can't actually hold anything. The use of

personification here ultimately connects back to the theme by the fact that flesh holding onto pain is

similar to remembering an event. Another use of personification is found in the text when it states, "If

only the heart were so ruthless,/willing to document what it lived/by branding even those

sensitive/tissues so information might flow back" (lines 9-12). The personification in this quote can be

clearly seen by saying the heart should be ruthless and/or document things (both of which are things the

heart is not capable of doing). Obviously, it connects back to the universal idea by saying that the heart

should record events so that one could clearly recall or remember an event. Clearly, Daniel Halpern's

use of personification helps readers understand that it is difficult to forget something that leaves a

painful mark in one's memory or flesh.

Additionally, in "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare, the re-occurring idea of remembrance

pops up again. The poem itself is a man's loving tribute to his lover saying that as long as this piece of

poetry exists, so then will her legacy. Shakespeare's use of an extended metaphor throughout the piece,

comparing his lover to a summer day, not only describes her beauty, but also the longevity of her legacy.

This metaphor first becomes apparent in the text when it states, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's

day?" (line 1). This sets the stage by clearly comparing her to a summer day, which could be taken that

her legacy will continue on like the length of a summer day. Again this metaphor is shown in the line,

"But thy eternal summer shall not fade" (line 9). This is, again, comparing her to a summer day, but this

time Shakespeare says that she will always be remembered by saying she will not fade. His intentions

that she will not be forgotten appear once more in the text when it states, "So long as men can breathe
or eyes can see,/So long lives this, and this gives life to thee" (lines 13-14). In this Shakespeare is saying

that as long as men are alive, she will be remembered through "this" ("this" meaning the poem). Overall,

Shakespeare's use of extended metaphor helps readers clearly see that so long as there is something to

remember someone by, their legacy will be remembered.

Additionally, the universal idea of remembrance is shown once more in the form of "Young" by

Anne Sexton. The poem itself is about a woman reflecting on her troubled past and the minor details

within it. Sexton's use of connotation in this poem is evident to give the feel of a deeper, more hidden

mood. The use of this device can be found in the quote, "When I was a lonely kid/.../it was summer as

long as I could remember" (lines 2-5). The use of the word "was" indicates reflection and a sense of

looking back. Also the use of phrases like "lonely kid" and "summer as long as I could remember" both

indicate that loneliness felt like an eternity for the speaker. The use of connotation arises again when it

states, "my brand new body,/ which was not a woman's yet" (lines 18-19). The phrases " brand new"

and "not a woman's yet" both imply youth by saying she hadn't fully grown up yet. The implications of

this is that the speaker is fully grown and is reflecting back on memories. Connotation is found in the

final line when it states, "elbows, knees, dreams, goodnight" (line 23). The use of the word goodnight

implies ending, goodbye, and even darkness. This poem could then be seen as a suicide note from the

speaker detailing the roots of her troubles, and the final word being the last farewell. Ultimately, Anne

Sexton's use of connotation helps readers understand that humans tend to dwell on their past and often

times let it shape how their present/future turns out.

All of the poems within this anthology stress the importance of reflecting and remembering your

own life and the lives of others. This is true in "Sonnet 18" and "Abuelito Who" which both focus on the

remembrance of others dear to the speakers. Clearly, remembering and reflecting on your own life and

the lives of others is a vital part of making decisions and figuring out right from wrong. It is my hope that,
with luck, you will reflect on your own life, and appreciate the company of others, when reading these

well-written poems.