Monday, March 10, 2008

Marianne Moore "To a Snail"

“but the principle that is hid:
in the absence of feet, “a method of conclusions”;
“a knowledge of principals”
in the curious phenomenon of your occipital horn.” (9-12, 446)

Marianne Moore’s poem titled “To a Snail”, made me think of something completely different than an actual snail. The language and ideas proposed in the poem made me see it as a way of Moore arguing the “correct” ways of ending a poem. I can picture Moore questioning the accepted notions of how poetry should be written and using this poem as a form of an amusingly written overall issue of what is considered good poetry. In the above lines, the poet is referring to one of the fundamental issues in poetry, which deals with how to end a poem. Moore goes on to say that a snail having no feet is one way to end it; or in this context, simply not having a conclusion at all is a way to end a poem.
I once read in an essay by Elisabeth W. Joyce that the lines, “A knowledge of principals”/ in the curious phenomenon of your occipital horn”, show that the purpose of the poem is as unusual as the constantly reacting projections out of the snail’s head. Just like the snail’s antennas alter its protrusions with completely submerging into the snail and then peeking back out, the purpose of a poem can be easily apparent through clear analysis, or it can submerge within the poem and into the poem’s surface. Moore uses a very fine poetic style to speak about culture and voices out her opinions by concealing her disapproval of poetic rules through a humorous image.
The entire poem moves along like a snail’s antennas as the lines go from long, to shorter, and short, and so on. This notion could be used to represent the fact that there are many ways, not just one, to write poetry and express poetic ideas. Instead of keeping up with a certain acquired regulation, Moore gives an example of how much more rewarding experiencing with language and its forms could be.

Robert Frost "After Apple-Picking"

"And there's a barrel that I didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.
But I am done with apple-picking now". (3-6, 207)

In the poem “After Apple-Picking”, Robert Frost reflects on the occurrences of an individual’s life, as the speaker shows regret through the lines of the poem. In the above lines, the apples that the speaker is referring to can be said to represent life experiences that the speaker missed upon throughout his/her life; or it could be something that the speaker did not learn but wanted to learn. The barrels are said to be empty and as the speaker sees this, he/she becomes filled with regret. The speaker is in the state of reflecting and is not happy with the way his/her life has gone. However, I do not see this poem as entirely melancholy in nature. I see it more as a poem about an older individual who has gained wisdom from life and is now able to see simple things, such as fruit, as things that matter to life. The importance of Frost’s usage of “apples” is essential to the core meaning of the poem.

The speaker mentions bruises on the apples by stating,

“For all
That stuck the earth,
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,
Went surely to the cider-apple heap
As of no worth." (32-36, 208)

These bruises represent the missed opportunities and the mistakes the speaker has made during his/her lifetime. Life, all together, is a great and precious thing, but just as with everything else, there are certain obstacles that life throws at people and analyzes their ability to deal with different types of issues. By saying, “went surely to the cider apple heap”, the speaker might mean that although the apples had a flaw, they still held an importance, or a worth, which he/she did not see until now. This idea could be easily correlated back with the speaker, who might have not seen an importance in his/her life during the younger years, but now that age has caught up with the speaker, he/she is able to see the significance of their own life.
It can be taken from the poem that the speaker is near his/her death. But although death seems to be near, the speaker is not angry at that fact and rather, is enjoying his/her last thoughts before falling into everlasting sleep. The speaker is now more peaceful due to his/her sudden vision of reality and the understanding of mistakes made throughout life’s past years. Apples, going back in Christianity, were the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, which goes along with death and heaven due to their connections between each other. In order to understand this poem, I believe it is necessary to understand that in turn for something to be dead, it must have been alive before. The missed life experiences and the regret the speaker is left with are gained through wisdom and knowledge which only life could have brought forth. This poem is almost like a message to the younger generation which urges them to be appreciative of life.