Poetry Anthology Project

This poetry anthology originated with very vague idea. I wanted to tackle a subject I often find myself drawn to in literature and poetry: time. However, time is a massive subject. I have a tendency to worry myself with existential thoughts, and fears and anxiety about the future. So, I decided I wanted to focus on poems that talk about mortality, the preciousness of life, and the importance of the impact that our lives have on the lives of others. I soon found that my subject of time had also grown to encompass life, death, and memory.

Though I did not initially intend to find poems that focus on love, I discovered that it seems to be the subject of many of the poems in the "time and brevity" section of the poetry database that I was searching. I ended up really enjoying these poems. Poems like that can do a lot to make you appreciate your own existence, and feel that it has significance despite the relative insignificance of our entire species. Despite the fact that nothing we as humans will ever do is going to impact the universe in the grand scheme of things, the impact we have on those around us will never really die. The people you love, whether it be friends, family, or a significant other, are the people that are going to carry your memory and legacy with them. Though it is a somewhat cheesy message, it really is a comforting one, and one I often turn to when faced with the smallness of my existence.

The three poems that I have selected for my video project are meant to flow as somewhat of a narrative. "So We'll Go No More a Roving" by Lord Byron is representative of a man's realization of his own mortality, and seeking significance in his life. His youth is coming to an end. He is no longer content with simply "roving." He enjoyed having adventures and finding love, but he is beginning to he ready to settle down, stop messing around, and seek meaning for his life, while he still has time to make an impact through his actions. "Sonnet 55: Not marble nor the gilded monuments" by William Shakespeare is told from the perspective of a man losing a loved one, reassuring them that the impact they have made will never die. Their legacy will live on in the memory of the speaker and in this sonnet than any monument will last. All man made monuments eventually crumble, but the impact that we have on the lives of our loved ones is everlasting. "Reunion" by Jeff Daniel Marion is a story of a man who has lost almost everything in his old age, but by revisiting the memories he created during his life he is able to find solace. It is a reminder, both to savor the good years that we are given while they are still more than just memories, and to seek to create memories that will bring us comfort at the end of our lives. Together, these three poems serve as a reminder of how important it is not to let life slip through our fingers, and to seek as much enjoyment as we can during our time here.

The seven other poems that I sought out carry similar messages about the impermanence our our existence, and the importance of making an impact. Though they do not fit directly into the narrative created within my video, they cover a similar subject matter, and are as much a cause for reflection as any of the three poems that I chose to use in my video. They are all poems that made me pause and consider the trajectory of my own life.

Tracking down these poems was truly a pleasure. Hearing thoughts and anxieties similar to my own expressed in the words of so many others is very comforting. Many of these poets have come much further than I in their thinking and in their experience, and I had a lot to gain from their insight. They taught me a lot about this life, and how to maximize what I can do with my own existence. Whether what we do is significant or insignificant, real or fake, it does not matter. As long as it is has significance in our own eyes, it matters. I really enjoyed these ten poems, and I hope that you can too.

Poems from the video:

So We'll Go No More a Roving
BY LORD BYRON (GEORGE GORDON)

So, we'll go no more a roving
  So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
  And the moon be still as bright.
For the sword outwears its sheath,
  And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
  And love itself have rest.
Though the night was made for loving,
  And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a roving
  By the light of the moon.

Sonnet  55: Not marble nor the gilded monuments
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmeared with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
’Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
   So, till the Judgement that yourself arise,
   You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.

Reunion
BY JEFF DANIEL MARION

Last night in a dream
you came to me. We were young
again and you were smiling,
happy in the way a sparrow in spring
hops from branch to branch.
I took you in my arms
and swung you about, so carefree
was my youth.
What can I say?
That time wears away, draws its lines
on every feature? That we wake
to dark skies whose only answer
is rain, cold as the years
that stretch behind us, blurring
this window far from you.

The rest of the anthology:

"To Think of Time" - Walt Whitman https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/b190becf-25e1-4ebd-ad38-8b084a552180/223176ce77195eff806e3f792189c364

"Ozymandias" - Percy Bysshe Shelley https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/7be832b1-9606-4d24-890a-70b2497dcd91/43dce39e837f7b7b0924c3a3a083c896

"Posthumous" - Jean Nordhaus https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/f6dd76f4-5ab2-4f5e-9518-d8e2392c5c49/dacbb61850f6211d4f876f8323a7dda5

"On Time" - John Milton https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/461fa6a7-ccd8-47e0-b08f-4e6616de09dc/3559f403bd9da82d4fae8025a1ca4cba

"Sestina of the Tramp-Royal" - Rudyard Kipling https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/f75b5f5e-1568-4712-93cd-b6bf91c307de/629e2050f11c268e1cd08a9e527a459e

"The Waking" - Theodore Roethke https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/dc15ed57-3187-43ae-bd69-03572bbfce98/a3bfcfd4806d4c4ed8c10782545ecdb9

"Sonnet XXV" - George Santayana https://www.evernote.com/shard/s417/sh/2029bba2-5b51-480c-b9ee-a774bbc7437a/bbb4993aa06340ae99cf34987dfd9e66

Magic Realism

Magic realism is, in literature, a more serious brand of fiction. Rather than having the reader escape to a fantasy world, magic realism immerses the reader in a world that almos seems completely realistic, but accepts some subtle type of magic. Characters in these types of stories live in a world much like our own, but their reality is altered in some capacity. "Axolotl" by Julio Cortazar is a short story that incorporates magic realism. In it, the narrator observes axolotls in a perfectly realistic setting, but talks about how he believes there could be sentient human minds trapped in the bodies of the axolotls. Then, in a sudden departure from reality, the narrator himself finds himself in the body of an axolotl,  watching as his own human form walk away from the tank. The transition from the reality to fantasy is nuanced, but is a pivotal point in the story. 

Alejandro González Iñárritu's 2014 film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a good example of magic realism in popular media. This film is set in our world, but for Michael Riggan (Michael Keaton,) reality is warped. The film opens with a shot of Riggan levitating in his room, causing the viewer to immediately question whether or not what they are seeing is real. Throughout the film, Riggan talks to his conscience through an apparition in the form of Birdman, a superhero character that he used to be extremely famous for portraying based on Michael Keaton's own success as Batman. The entire movie is grounded in reality, except for when Riggan interactions with his conscience. By talking to, arguing with, and even flying around with the manifestation of his conscience, Riggan attempts to discover whether he truly wants to be a respected artist, or just give the people what they love. 

Existentialism

Existentialism is defined by Google as "a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will." In simpler terms, it is searching for purpose in life through free will and choice. In the beginning of Inferno by Dante Alighieri, the character Dante is a bit an existentialist. He centers his existence only on himself. He has no real regard for any higher power moral code that he should abide by. A lack of belief in a moral code or punishment in the afterlife is characteristic of secular existentialism, and Dante embodies a lot of what that philosophy represents. However, as he makes his journey through Hell, he begins to shed some of the more existentialist aspects of his personality and accept that he should live his life in the name of something greater than himself: God.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is one of the greatest existentialist novels of all time. Not only is the author a bit of an existentialist who kept to himself cut off from society, the novel's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a classic example of an existentialist. Near the beginning of the novel, Holden is getting a lecture from his history teacher when he abruptly decides he doesn't need to be lectured, and leaves Pencey Prep. For the rest of the novel, Holden is mostly alone. He has complete freedom and struggles to find himself while making all of his own decisions, culminating in a mental breakdown. Holden believes he doesn't need to learn anything from anybody but himself, and isolates himself in order to obtain complete free will. He is a complete and total existentialist.  

Bathos

Bathos is defined as "an abrupt transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect" by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This is can be observed frequently in the satirical epic poem The Rape of the Lock. Pope will use language that conveys to the reader a dire situation, then abruptly shift his style and talk about Belinda and her lost lock. For example:

“E'er felt such rage, resentment, and despair,
As thou, sad Virgin! for thy ravish'd Hair.” (Pope, 17-20). 

The first of these two lines implies that something awful has befallen a character to make them feel "rage, resentment, and despair." However, the next line reveals that he is talking about Belinda's hair, who's situation is only mildly unfortunate and not warranting of such strong emotions. The ridiculous contrast of the language Pope uses to describe the plot with the events that take place persists throughout the poem to highlight how silly Belinda's adventure really is. 

The film Cast Away employs bathos when depicting the death of Wilson. Wilson is Tom Hanks's companion while he is stranded on an island. Wilson also happens to be a volleyball. When Wilson "dies," Chuck sobs at the loss of his friend. The viewer can't help but be amused as he cries over losing a volleyball, but at the same time completely empathizes with him over losing a close friend. This quick transition makes the viewer feel a wide range of emotions in a short time and become further invested in the story. 

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is, in simple terms, the intentional placing of two unlike things near each other in the trxt for comparison or to highlight their differences. In Inferno by Dante Algeri, Dante juxtaposes Farinata’s I  gaze, with the gave of Cavalcanti. Farinata's piercing gaze differs greatly from Cavalcanti, who's anxious eyes dart around the room. By comparing the gazes of the two men he highlights the differences between the things they love. Farinata's love for Florence is calm and impassionate, whereas Cavalcanti's love for his son is passionate and his interruptions show his legitimate concern for his son's welfare. 

Another prime example of Juxtaposition. In the 1972 film, The Godfather, the batptism of a baby is juxtaposed with violent images of people being murdered. This happy moment being showed in parallel with such horrifying images contrasts the two and highlights how horrific the violent scenes are. This generates a wide range of emotion, causing the viewer to be further engrossed in the film. 

Ontology

Ontology is defined as the study of existence, or being. In East of Eden, Samuel exhibits an interest in ontology. It is not enough for him to simply exist, he has to understand. He is always looking for purpose and grand explanations for why we are. He is studying his very existence. 

Similarly, Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye exhibits a desire to give meanings to the world around him. He cant see a real reason as to why we exist, and throughout the entirety of the novel is studying himself and his existence on this earth. He wants more than to just exist, he wants to understand the purpose of human existence. 

The Sage

Among the major archetypes identified by Carl Jung and observable in East of Eden and pop culture the Sage. In the case of East of Eden Samuel Hamilton plays the role of the sage. The sage archetype is also often referred to as the "mentor." Samuel fits this role perfectly, and he is even characterized directly by Steinbeck as "wise." Samuel is intelligent and capable, and mentors Adam Trask and helps him to learn to cultivate the land. He exhibits a constant desire to understand the world around him, just as the Sage is said to do. He mentions wanting to understand the bible rather than just to know it, despite his wife's isnsistence that there is nothing to understand. Samuel exhibits wisdom far exceeding that of any other character in the novel, as well as a superior understanding of self and a tendency to try to guide others down a path to help them succeed. Becuase of his vast knowledge in the context of the novel, Samuel falls within the archetype of the Sage in East of Eden. 

Similarly, Gandalf the Grey (and later the White) acts as the Sage in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Just as Samuel acts as Adam's mentor, Gandalf serves as the mentor and guide of Frodo Baggins. Throughout the course of the series, Gandalf is one of very few characters who demonstrates a true understanding of the evil that the One Ring has brought to Middle Earth. He knows his purpose on Middle Earth: to guide Frodo to destroy the One Ring, and he carries it out diligently. He is constantly explaining to Frodo and his party what they need to do and where they need to go to help them to reach their goal. Gandalf's wisdom is essential in getting Frodo to Mount Doom, and without his help and advice Frodo never could have succeeded. The incredible wisdom and knowledge that Gandalf uses to aid the main characters in The Lord of the Rings clearly highlight the characteristics he displays that demonstrate his role as the Sage within the series.