Poetry Reading Log
Dana B. Rhodes
Thomas Lovell
LIT115-1N1
26 February 2013
Poetry Reading Log * “The Secretary Chant” by Marge Piercy was written in 1973. I felt the author was describing how this woman was so engulfed in her work that she felt like she was nothing but a machine, something whose sole purpose was to work and produce. The sentences are very mechanical and choppy and I felt that it helped to emphasize the point of her feeling of being a piece of office equipment. She took the tools of her trade and with humor compared it to her own body. I personally felt sad when I read this, being a working woman I understand the unbearable demands to be perfect in my work, being dehumanized to the point where I feel that is my only purpose and a personal life is non-existent. * “Oh, Oh” was written in 1982 by William Hathaway. This poem starts off with the typical lethargic county setting, with two friends lounging in a field, spinning stories of who they want to be and their fantasies. The phrase “the choo-choo’s light is on” (5) makes the character seem very innocent and naïve, giving the poem a light hearted feel. The appearance of the Hell’s Angel that appear cracks the serene environment in which the couple were so comfortable in, casting a dark shadow on their childish play. The Hell’s Angels are known for their violence and tend to bring about the emotion of fear. Forcing the presence of evil into their reality and suddenly changing the tone of the poem. * “Night Time Fires” was written in 1986 by Regina Barreca. The author seems to be the narrator reflecting on a memory of her childhood. The object of her focus is her father and she talks of him as if she were still a child studying his strange actions. The poem shows the irritability of her father being unemployed and how it is felt throughout the members of her family. How he stays up late and finds joy in watching the lives of others go up in flames and having his family be there as well to try to
Thomas Lovell
LIT115-1N1
26 February 2013
Poetry Reading Log * “The Secretary Chant” by Marge Piercy was written in 1973. I felt the author was describing how this woman was so engulfed in her work that she felt like she was nothing but a machine, something whose sole purpose was to work and produce. The sentences are very mechanical and choppy and I felt that it helped to emphasize the point of her feeling of being a piece of office equipment. She took the tools of her trade and with humor compared it to her own body. I personally felt sad when I read this, being a working woman I understand the unbearable demands to be perfect in my work, being dehumanized to the point where I feel that is my only purpose and a personal life is non-existent. * “Oh, Oh” was written in 1982 by William Hathaway. This poem starts off with the typical lethargic county setting, with two friends lounging in a field, spinning stories of who they want to be and their fantasies. The phrase “the choo-choo’s light is on” (5) makes the character seem very innocent and naïve, giving the poem a light hearted feel. The appearance of the Hell’s Angel that appear cracks the serene environment in which the couple were so comfortable in, casting a dark shadow on their childish play. The Hell’s Angels are known for their violence and tend to bring about the emotion of fear. Forcing the presence of evil into their reality and suddenly changing the tone of the poem. * “Night Time Fires” was written in 1986 by Regina Barreca. The author seems to be the narrator reflecting on a memory of her childhood. The object of her focus is her father and she talks of him as if she were still a child studying his strange actions. The poem shows the irritability of her father being unemployed and how it is felt throughout the members of her family. How he stays up late and finds joy in watching the lives of others go up in flames and having his family be there as well to try to