Review Of January Gill O Neil's Early Memory
“I remember picking up a fistful of sand,/ smooth crystals, like hourglass sand and throwing it into the eyes of a boy. Johnny/ or Danny or Kevin—he was not important./ I was five and I knew he would cry.” (O’Neil 1-5.) This is quoted from the poem, “Early Memory” written by January Gill O’Neil. In its entirety, she recalls a day from her childhood and demonstrates how she has always possessed a natural instinct to conceal and push down her secrets. Many of her poems are written about different periods in her life, this one came from the beginning, as it is made apparent she is a young child at school. Throughout most of O’Neil’s poems she expresses her opinions on different matters one faces in life, such as love, racial problems, and past
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Perhaps her poem, “40,” can explain how one can come to be in this particular situation, as it shows the reader that by being in a marriage created by the pressure of society, one that lacks love, and simply exists and operates according to the way things are “supposed” to be, there will never be true happiness.
After some time, she wrote “How to Love,” which discusses the fear one faces to open up and find love after being damaged by heart break. She relates to the reader by saying she is aware of the consequences “getting out there again” may bring, but lets him/her know that it is alright to be vulnerable once again. Once more attempting to establish a bond between author and reader, she shows the reader a part of herself, in “After Making Love, I Leave to Write a Poem.” She shows that after being intimate with someone she needs to be alone so she can process her feelings the best way she knows how, through poetry. Suggesting that one should find the best way to express his/herself as well in order to heal if they are facing the same trust issues she is dealing with. O’Neil is able to connect with the reader on a personal level, making her poems stand out from others while conveying a powerful sentiment.
The last theme one can find in many of O’Neil’s poems is race. “On Being Told I Look Like FLOTUS, New Year’s Eve Party 2014” is about the frustration she faces as
Perhaps her poem, “40,” can explain how one can come to be in this particular situation, as it shows the reader that by being in a marriage created by the pressure of society, one that lacks love, and simply exists and operates according to the way things are “supposed” to be, there will never be true happiness.
After some time, she wrote “How to Love,” which discusses the fear one faces to open up and find love after being damaged by heart break. She relates to the reader by saying she is aware of the consequences “getting out there again” may bring, but lets him/her know that it is alright to be vulnerable once again. Once more attempting to establish a bond between author and reader, she shows the reader a part of herself, in “After Making Love, I Leave to Write a Poem.” She shows that after being intimate with someone she needs to be alone so she can process her feelings the best way she knows how, through poetry. Suggesting that one should find the best way to express his/herself as well in order to heal if they are facing the same trust issues she is dealing with. O’Neil is able to connect with the reader on a personal level, making her poems stand out from others while conveying a powerful sentiment.
The last theme one can find in many of O’Neil’s poems is race. “On Being Told I Look Like FLOTUS, New Year’s Eve Party 2014” is about the frustration she faces as