The beginning of "XY" is my favorite and the most powerful part of the poem. Laird starts by comparing the use of a type writer to a great emperor. As if building or writing a piece of work is equivalent to building an empire. However, towards the end of the poem he knocks the idea since the task can become repetitive and dull. Despite this, in the end it all becomes worth while. This is similar to Brenda Shaughnessy's poem, "Life's Work." In this poem there is also a display of the same tedious task and a specific ongoing structure. Both poems reflect routine or order in which the individuals may not be satisfied. Most people, including myself tend to stray away from a lifestyle that becomes uniform and lacks variety.
Welcome to the blog for Prof. John Talbird's English 220 class. The purpose of this site is two-fold: 1) to continue the conversations we start in class (or to start conversations before we get to class) and 2) to practice our writing/reading on a weekly basis in an informal forum.
Wow one I had no idea this was about a type writer didn't see it in that perspective at all I actually had no idea what it was about. Two the part about the empire building I thought it was the Empire State Building not actually building a empire. It was really great seeing a fresh perspective from somebody else it made me feel like I understood the poem a little bit more.
ReplyDeleteWow is right! I didn't understand his poem either. Actually, I didn't try hard enough too. I too thought he was talking about the Empire State Building and comparing it to the capacity of the Mongol Empire. Then it lost me.
ReplyDeleteAfter going back and reading again it's so simple to see what you've come up with. The visual I get from the author with him typing away at the typewriter is powerful in itself. "Damn Straight."
I'm still a bit confused with the ending, but your analysis truly helped me. I think he ending isn't quite clear on purpose.
The ending is still confusing to me as well, it seems like he goes off on a tangent. I too had trouble understanding the poem at first and reread it multiple times before coming up with anything.
ReplyDeleteVery nice reading, Natalya!
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