Left to My Personal Devices
Robert Blys poem can be interpreted as an allegory between a student and his teachers. The title boldly illustrates its symbolical narrative by saying directly what his poem is about. We know from just reading the title what the poem is referring to and where the poem is going to go. The speaker is indicated as, we, which may indicate himself and his fellow classmates, in a general sense throughout his educational experiences. The age of the speaker seems elementary in style but mature enough to discern the difference between long and short term results. We cant tell the specific gender of the speaker of either poem, unless the speaker of the poem is the author.
Both of the poems values are consistent as they praises their teachers, where people who are most likely not going to praise their instructors are generally the rebels against the norms of having an authoritative figure give instructions and trust those instructions to explore new terrain. Personally, I didnt always agree with my teachers and struggled with managers in certain jobs about how my performance was evaluated. However, I see this poem in a positive light, for I never give the teachers or managers that do give me the confidence to perform a better enough appreciation for their praises.
There is no specific situation that stems from Blys poem, the poetry leads us to our own imagination to fill in the structure. However, as the reader, I can think of certain instances where this poem can fit the scenario. For example, Chemistry class in high school. It was a hard subject and I went to the extra help groups after school and struggled to get past the exams. The stillness for me was the class finally being over and moving on my passing grade. Another example was a positive one where I was doing well in an Economics class, where the class bonded together to inspire each others ideas. The stillness was also the class also being over, but missing the excitement and intensity from the study groups.
The theme of the poem is to create an image of ourselves as the student, reminiscing about our experiences of how our teachers helped us get to where we are today. We start off as, we walk upon the unwalked. But we are uneasy, suggests that when we learn something new, we are not experts or masters of the subject until we take initiative and move with our teachers instructions. The phrase, and goes on ahead of us for a mile, is what we see ahead of us. We ultimately create our own destiny and point ourselves in the direction where we want to go. Our teachers are the ones that help point, or try to mold us in the right direction.
Upon first response from Andersons poem, the speaker wants us to retain the image of the instructors hands over hers, the texture, feel and guidance that she felt from her experience. When she says, how clumsy a single vision can grow, she is looking back from successes and failures from instruction and wants to remember the security from her instruction that took her there.
Her images create discipline by going into detail the work she is performing. Words such as, stiffened, cracked and white shards describe the sharp and hard the materials are that she is working with. It amazes her that with a little guidance, her work can produce a beautiful result, as in a precious dog.
From my perspective from the gray clay looked dangerous gave me the impression that the clay looked hard to work with and was fragile for the project that she was working on. For example, if I was going to take my first driving test in a semi-truck, the truck would look dangerous because I wouldnt be able to pass my test driving such a thing. It wasnt clear to me in the poem if this reminded her of an unpleasant memory, unless she had lost something in her life that made her feel sad.
The title of Andersons poem suggests that there is one thing we must remember. This ties into the previous poem, showing appreciation for our teachers and remembering what guided us there and what we needed to succeed. If I was to look back at my driving test, I would remember the practice that I put into it to make sure that I passed. The countless hours in the parking lot and reading over the manual for each detail that may be asked on the exam. I remember learning how to drive a 4-speed manual transmission vehicle soon after my drivers test and remembered that I had to struggle all over again to learn how to drive. I remember my brothers patience and persistence to get me to stay behind the wheel and keep practicing.
Andersons setting was more specific than in Blys poem, where there was an actual place that created the experience. Working in an art studio can create vivid and precise imaging. Striding across a frozen lake is something we shouldnt try very often. If there are weak ice patches, there are dangers of falling in, where us as the reader assumes that the author is signaling it more as an illustration.
Both of these poems were very enjoyable for me and made me think about how a teacher trying to guide me while I was learning and how they deserve the appreciation for their efforts. The stillness in Blys poem and the pressing what you couldnt say in Andersons poem both reflect the concentration we have as students as we study, perform, contemplate and grow. It takes a lot to learn new things and to express appreciation to someone who is trying to show us the way.
Both of the poems values are consistent as they praises their teachers, where people who are most likely not going to praise their instructors are generally the rebels against the norms of having an authoritative figure give instructions and trust those instructions to explore new terrain. Personally, I didnt always agree with my teachers and struggled with managers in certain jobs about how my performance was evaluated. However, I see this poem in a positive light, for I never give the teachers or managers that do give me the confidence to perform a better enough appreciation for their praises.
There is no specific situation that stems from Blys poem, the poetry leads us to our own imagination to fill in the structure. However, as the reader, I can think of certain instances where this poem can fit the scenario. For example, Chemistry class in high school. It was a hard subject and I went to the extra help groups after school and struggled to get past the exams. The stillness for me was the class finally being over and moving on my passing grade. Another example was a positive one where I was doing well in an Economics class, where the class bonded together to inspire each others ideas. The stillness was also the class also being over, but missing the excitement and intensity from the study groups.
The theme of the poem is to create an image of ourselves as the student, reminiscing about our experiences of how our teachers helped us get to where we are today. We start off as, we walk upon the unwalked. But we are uneasy, suggests that when we learn something new, we are not experts or masters of the subject until we take initiative and move with our teachers instructions. The phrase, and goes on ahead of us for a mile, is what we see ahead of us. We ultimately create our own destiny and point ourselves in the direction where we want to go. Our teachers are the ones that help point, or try to mold us in the right direction.
Upon first response from Andersons poem, the speaker wants us to retain the image of the instructors hands over hers, the texture, feel and guidance that she felt from her experience. When she says, how clumsy a single vision can grow, she is looking back from successes and failures from instruction and wants to remember the security from her instruction that took her there.
Her images create discipline by going into detail the work she is performing. Words such as, stiffened, cracked and white shards describe the sharp and hard the materials are that she is working with. It amazes her that with a little guidance, her work can produce a beautiful result, as in a precious dog.
From my perspective from the gray clay looked dangerous gave me the impression that the clay looked hard to work with and was fragile for the project that she was working on. For example, if I was going to take my first driving test in a semi-truck, the truck would look dangerous because I wouldnt be able to pass my test driving such a thing. It wasnt clear to me in the poem if this reminded her of an unpleasant memory, unless she had lost something in her life that made her feel sad.
The title of Andersons poem suggests that there is one thing we must remember. This ties into the previous poem, showing appreciation for our teachers and remembering what guided us there and what we needed to succeed. If I was to look back at my driving test, I would remember the practice that I put into it to make sure that I passed. The countless hours in the parking lot and reading over the manual for each detail that may be asked on the exam. I remember learning how to drive a 4-speed manual transmission vehicle soon after my drivers test and remembered that I had to struggle all over again to learn how to drive. I remember my brothers patience and persistence to get me to stay behind the wheel and keep practicing.
Andersons setting was more specific than in Blys poem, where there was an actual place that created the experience. Working in an art studio can create vivid and precise imaging. Striding across a frozen lake is something we shouldnt try very often. If there are weak ice patches, there are dangers of falling in, where us as the reader assumes that the author is signaling it more as an illustration.
Both of these poems were very enjoyable for me and made me think about how a teacher trying to guide me while I was learning and how they deserve the appreciation for their efforts. The stillness in Blys poem and the pressing what you couldnt say in Andersons poem both reflect the concentration we have as students as we study, perform, contemplate and grow. It takes a lot to learn new things and to express appreciation to someone who is trying to show us the way.
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