"Two Paintings by Gustav Klimt"

Sometimes, works of art or literature are so meaningful or great, that they influence other artists to create in honor of that work.  This was the case for Jorie Graham after viewing works of art from Gustav Klimt.  She viewed two specific paintings by Klimt, most likely "Beech Forest" and "The Bride" and wrote a poem titled, "Two Paintings by Gustav Klimt."  She used great imagery in describing these poems.  I particularly enjoyed the first stanza of the poem:
                                                  Although what glitters
                                                        on the trees,
                                                   row after perfect row,
                                                             is merely
                                                          the injustice  
                                                          of the world,

Of the two paintings mentioned, "Beech Forest" and "The Bride," I liked "Beech Forest" much more.  I enjoyed it because I was able to place myself in the painting.  I think most people can think of a time when they stood in a forest, looked out, and just saw seemingly endless rows of trees.  A different painting that I found by Klimt that I also that was interesting is "The Three Ages of Women."  It is a painting of a baby in a young woman's arms, with an obviously older woman standing nest to them.  I thought it was interesting how it basically showed the three major parts of someones life; you are a child, then a young adult, and then you grow old.


http://www.hsvmuseum.org/classes/gustav-klimt-beech-forest-september-15-2011/ ("Beech Forest")
http://www.abcgallery.com/K/klimt/klimt19.html ("The Three Ages of Women")
http://www.mcs.csueastbay.edu/~malek/Klimt/Klimt8.html ("The Bride")

Works Cited
Graham, Jorie. "Two Paintings by Gustav Klimt" Contemporary American Poetry. Eds. R.S. Gwynn and April Linder. NY: Penguin Academics, 2005. (394-396). Print.

"One Train May Hide Another" by Kenneth Koch

In life, it is important to stop and think for a moment before making any decisions.  Too often, people just make a choice because it is the first thought that pops into their head, they don't look for any other options, or, weigh the results, outcomes, or consequences of whatever decision they do make.  This idea was greatly exemplified in Kenneth Koch's "One Train May Hide Another."  


Koch saw a sign in Kenya "One Train May Hide Another" which inspired him to write this poem, which takes the form of a list.  It list different examples, or situations, where one object hides another.  For example, "In the laboratory, one invention may hide another." What this means is you may be so fixated on one invention, you may not realize you have created something else.


The most important, and meaningful lines of this poem are the last four, "Pause to let the first on pass/You think, now it is safe to cross and you are hit by the next one/It can be important/To have waited at least a moment to see what was already there."  This is a great conclusion to a very meaningful poem.  What this concluding statement means is that it is important to stop and think before making your decision because no matter how obvious your decision may seem, always think about other options.  Sometimes people suffer repercussions from poor decisions, however, sometimes don't make the choices that would have us more satisfied.


http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15592

"The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes' "The Weary Blues" depicts a great picture of what it was like for black musicians in his time period.  The speaker in this poem describes the sadness of a blues singer that he saw in a night club in Harlem (We know it is in Harlem because he references Lenox Avenue).

The singer in the video is Cab Calloway.  He was a lively, energetic, scat singing, jazz musician in the 1930's and 1940's.  He also came from a middle-class family, from New York (and later Baltimore).  I, personally, did not think that he was a good choice for the person to be in the video for this poem.

The blues originated in the south, more specifically the Mississippi Delta.  It spread in popularity because many of the suppressed people migrated north, along with their sad experiences.  Due to the fact that many of them traveled alone, and were extremely poor, this sad music, or the blues, came about.  I feel that a more appropriate person to be shown in this video would have been someone who fit that music better, such as B.B. King or Muddy Waters.

Here is a link for a song by B.B. King called "Three O'Clock Blues."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6xSpIRYa7I

Whitman, Dickinson, Poe

Walt Whitman

The part of this video I enjoyed the most is the way to music was set up behind the words.  At first, the poem seems to start off very calm, as does the music.  Then, once the poem reaches its real meaningful words, the music becomes louder and more intense.  I also found it amazing that in 1855, Whitman published almost 800 copies of “Leaves of Grass” and only two dozen sold.  This is just another example of certain things, in this case a poem, being timeless.

Emily Dickinson

This is a very strange video.  Although it was a bit creepy, it did offer insight to the background or life of Emily Dickinson.  It also shared some thoughts on what influenced Emily Dickinson to write many of her poems, particularly when they discuss how many friends and families passed away in her life.  I felt that this video is a good starting point for anyone who is researching, or learning more about Emily Dickinson.

Edgar Allan Poe

Both Christopher Walken and James Earl Jones’s version of the Raven were good videos to watch.  Both men have voices that are classic and easily recognizable.  I personally enjoyed Walken’s version better.  The reason for this is that I thought the sounds of the wind blustering as Walken recited the poem made for a more gloomy and eerie picture.