Housman's "To An Athlete Dying Young"

Text:
The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

Today, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

Initial Reaction:
“To An Athlete Dying Young” is about a runner who has achieved fame and glory, but this glory is merely temporary. He will soon be replaced when another runner will break his record and gain the title. The new winner will have the attention of the townspeople, and the former will be forgotten.

Paraphrasing:

When you won the race for your town

We carried you through the market;

People cheered,

And we brought you home with honor.

Today, the road all must face,

We bring you to the cemetery,

And brought you to your grave,

Citizen of a quieter town.

Smart kid, to slip away

From a place where glory never lasts,

And though the laurel grows quickly

It dies faster than the rose.

Eyes closed by death

Cannot see the record beaten,

And silence is the same as applause

After the runner can no longer hear:

Now you can't add to the mob

Of boys that exhausted their glory,

Runners whose glory escapes their grasp

And who outlive their legacy.

So arrange, before the glory is gone,

The feet on the edge of shade,

And hold up to the low rafter

The coveted trophy.

And around the wreathed boy

People will gather to look upon the deceased,

And find it undisturbed upon his head

The wreath shorter than a girl’s.

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

The poem is composed of 7 four-line stanzas. Each stanza contains one sentence, many of which are complex. The diction includes several words associated with achievement and glory: “chaired,” “glory,” “cheers,” “challenge-cup,” and “garland.” “To An Athlete Dying Young” includes a kenning, “challenge-cup,” which means trophy.

Imagery:

Through the use of diction, Housman allows the readers to formulate images of the victorious runner, in his glory and in his death. They can picture the runner being carried through the town gloriously and later, imagine the crowd gathered around the corpse, admiring his glory and reflecting on his short life.

Figurative Language:

Housman uses a metaphor in this poem. He compares glory to a rose. “And early though the laurel grows / It withers quicker than the rose” (11-12). He uses repetition in the phrase “shoulder-high” in lines 4 and 6 to draw a parallel between when the runner was carried home in celebration of his victory and when he was carried in a coffin to his grave. In addition, Housman uses alliteration as a form of figurative language. Examples include the phrases “road all runners,” “silence sounds,” “runners whom renown outran,” “fleet foot,” “sill of shade,” and “low lintel up.”

Tone:

The tone of the poem is rather indifferent, with a hint of despair. While expressing slight sorrow at the death of the young man, whose life is cut short, “To An Athlete Dying Young” is mostly recounting the story of the young man without much commentary.

Theme:
Housman presents the theme that glory is merely temporary. The public has a short attention span and the glory usually goes to the most recent winner who is at the forefront of their minds. Previous winners are eventually forgotten, and their glory is lost.

Conclusion:

Initially I believed that the poem is about a glorious runner whose died at a young age. While this assertion is correct, I missed one of Housman’s important points: the runner is lucky to have died at a young age, while his glory remains. Unlike most victors, he does not live to see his record beaten and to be replaced and forgotten. Instead, he dies gloriously, with a wreath atop his curls and a crowd full of admirers.

Wordsworth’s “The Solitary Reaper”

Text:
    Behold her, single in the field,
    Yon solitary Highland Lass!
    Reaping and singing by herself;
    Stop here, or gently pass!
    Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
    And sings a melancholy strain;
    O listen! for the Vale profound
    Is overflowing with the sound.

    No Nightingale did ever chaunt
    More welcome notes to weary bands
    Of travellers in some shady haunt,
    Among Arabian sands:
    A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
    In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
    Breaking the silence of the seas
    Among the farthest Hebrides.

    Will no one tell me what she sings?—
    Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
    For old, unhappy, far-off things,
    And battles long ago:
    Or is it some more humble lay,
    Familiar matter of to-day?
    Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
    That has been, and may be again?

    Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
    As if her song could have no ending;
    I saw her singing at her work,
    And o'er the sickle bending;—
    I listened, motionless and still;
    And, as I mounted up the hill,
    The music in my heart I bore,
    Long after it was heard no more.


Initial Reaction:
“The Solitary Reaper” describes a woman out in the fields alone, harvesting the grain and singing a beautiful, yet sorrowful song to herself. The narrator is mesmerized by this song and compares her voice to those of a nightingale and a cuckoo-bird. Though he understands the melancholy tone of the young woman’s song, he is unable to understand it. He is unsure of the theme, “some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,” of which she sings; nevertheless, he values the song’s beauty and naturalism.

Paraphrasing:
Look at her, alone in the field,

Solitary Highland young woman!

Harvesting and singing by herself;

Don’t pass her at all, or do so gently

Alone she cuts and bundles the grain,

And sings a sorrowful song;

Listen! For the deep valley

Echoes this song.

No nightingale ever sang

More pleasing notes to tired groups

Of travelers somewhere

In the Arabian desert:

There was never a more beautiful voice

From the cuckoo-bird in the Spring,

It could be heard in the silent waters

As far away as Hebrides.

Will someone tell me what she sings of?

Perhaps the sad words speak

Of past troubles that are now far-off,

And struggles long ago:
Or is it a more humble song,

Pertaining to issues of the present?

Some instance of sadness, loss, or pain

That occurred once and may recur?

Whatever the purpose, the woman sang

As if her song would continue forever;

I saw her singing while she worked

And bent over the sickle;--

I listened, paralyzed;

And as I ascended the hill,

I kept the song in my heart,

Long after I couldn’t hear her voice any more.

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

Wordsworth actively uses punctuation in "The Solitary Reaper;" many of the sentences are complex. He asks several rhetoric questions in the third stanza, expressing his queries about the maiden's sorrow. Also, inversion is evident in the fourth stanza: "The music in my heart I bore" (31).

Imagery:

"The Solitary Reaper" produces an image of a young Scottish woman, harvesting crops in the field and singing a sorrowful song. Lines 7 and 8 imply that the field is among mountainous terrain, and there is a valley nearby.

Figurative Language:

There are no apparent examples of figurative language in the poem.

Tone:

The tone of "The Solitary Reaper" is admiration and awe. Although Wordsworth cannot understand the maiden's song, he is dumbfounded by the beauty of the poetic tune. "[He] listened, motionless and still" (29).

Theme:
One of the themes presented is sorrow. According to Wordsworth, the maiden presumably sings of "some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, / That has been, and may be again" (23, 24). Perhaps the most important theme, however, is the power of poetry (or song, in this case) as an artistic form. Wordsworth cannot understand the song, but he recognizes the song's beauty and is captivated by the song.

Conclusion:

My initial thoughts on "The Solitary Reaper" were correct. The poem's main purpose is to show Wordsworth's appreciation of the maiden's song. He acknowledges the song's ability to beautifully explain a sorrowful tale. Additionally, Wordsworth is acknowledging the struggles and the hardships of the working class. 

John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn"

Text:
Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunt about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these?  What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit?  What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels?  What wild ecstasy?

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
 Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal - yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea shore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.

O Attic shape!  Fair attitude! with brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
 Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

Initial Reaction:

Keats is addressing an old Grecian (Greek) urn and observes the multiple scenes displayed around the urn. He admires the beauty of the pictures and the stories that are told. He recognizes that the people in the scenes are frozen in time, which he find beautiful. He believes the urn represents beauty and truth and will continue to portray this message.

Paraphrasing:

Still, unperturbed urn,

Master of quietness and slow time,

Recorder of history, who can tell

A tale better than this poem:

What story is told

Of god(esse)s and humans, or of both,

In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?

Who are these men or gods? What women are reluctant?

What chase? What struggle to escape?

What musical instruments? What wondrous delight?

Melodies that can be heard are sweet, but those we cannot hear

Are even sweeter; and so, soft flutes, continue to play;

Not to the physical ear, but

Play to the spirit an unheard song:

Young, fair gentleman, beneath the trees, you can never leave

Your song, nor can the trees lose their leaves;

You can never kiss your lover,

Though you are close to kissing her, do not despair;

She will always be beautiful, though you have not kissed,

You will forever be in love, and she will be fair!

Ah, happy branches! That cannot shed

Your leaves, nor ever say goodbye to Spring

And, happy, tireless musician,

For ever will your songs be new;

More love, more playing!

It will always be enjoyed,

Forever lusting and young;

Filled with passion,

That leaves one’s heart sad and heavy,

A fever, and an unquenchable thirst.

Who is coming to the sacrifice?

To what altar, mysterious preist,

Do you lead the moaning cow,

Dressed for sacrifice?

What place by a river or sea

Or mountainous with a citadel,

Is vacant this sacrificial morning?

And, little town, from now on, your streets

Will be silent; and no one will be left to tell
Why you are deserted, can ever return.

Oh what shape and beauty! With braids

Of marble lovers decorated,

With tree branches and weeds;

Silent urn, you make us think

As eternity does: Cold Pastoral!

When this generation has passed and gone,

You shall remain, among other woes

Than the current ones, a friendly, insightful item, who says to man,

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, ---that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

“Ode on a Grecian Urn” contains five ten line stanzas. The first and last stanzas directly address the urn while the middle three stanzas describe the different scenes displayed on the urn and address those concerned in the scene. Keats uses several rhetorical questions in this poem. He questions the urn, but of course, he receives no reply. Because this is an old-fashioned ode, he also uses very formal, poetic, and sometimes elevated syntax and diction in order to make the ode more proper.

Imagery:

This ode is rich with imagery. Keats vivid diction and the detailed descriptions of the urn allow the reader to imagine each scene. The second stanza shows two youthful lovers beneath a tree. The young musician is pursuing the fair maiden, but can never reach her. The third stanza describes a tree in the midst of an endless Spring, with the passionate musician under its boughs forever. The fourth recounts the tale of the priest and townsfolk attending the ritual sacrifice of a cow, leaving the town forever desolate.

Figurative Language:

Keats uses a variety of figurative language in “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” He uses repetition in lines 17 and 25. The ode utilizes apostrophe: Keats addresses the urn and the people and objects on the urn, none of which are able to respond to his (rhetorical) questions. Personification is also a common element of this ode. For example, Keats remarks to the tree, “Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu” (22). Lines 11 and 12 present a paradox: “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter.”

Tone:

Keats’s tone in “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is light and filled with admiration. He enjoys the happy scenes detailed on the side of the urn and treasures the ability of the urn to preserve history, and he enjoys the beauty and truth embodied by the Grecian urn.

Theme:
Beauty and truth are one in the same, and they are the most important components of knowledge. Another theme is the power of art in preserving and expressing history.

Conclusion:

My initial thoughts about “Ode on a Grecian Urn” were essentially correct, but I have developed a deeper understanding of the poem. Keats uses romanticism when scrutinizing the urn. He notices the small details of the scenes and uses expressive imagery to imagine he is in the scenes, directly addressing the lovers, the tree, or the priest. Keats values the urn for its preservation of both beauty and the truth and the details which have lasted the test of time. 

William Yeats's "The Wild Swans at Coole"

Text:
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?


Initial Reaction:
"The Wild Swans at Coole" tells the story of a narrator who returns every year to the same lake, from which he observes a group of swans. The narrator appreciates the beauty and grandeur of the swans and enjoys visiting the creatures. He notices their habits, their pairings, and their flight. He wonders if one day they will fly away and never return.

Paraphrasing:
The beautiful trees in the fall,

The wooded paths are dry,

Under the October dusk the water

Reflects a motionless sky;

Upon the shore

Are fifty-nine swans.

This is the nineteenth autumn

Since I first counted the swans;

Before I finished counting, I saw

Them all mount

And fly away

With their noisy wings.

I have seen these swans,

And now my heart aches.

Things have changed since I, hearing,
For the first time,

The sound of their wings as they fly above me,

Walked with a lighter step.

Tirelessly, in couples,

They swim in the cold

Streams or fly;

They are still young at heart;

Passion or conquest, wherever they go,

Still affect them.

But now they sit upon the calm water,

Mysterious, beautiful;

Where will they build their nests,

By what water's edge

Will others be happy to see them when I realize one day

That they are gone?

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

“The Wild Swans at Coole” consists of five stanzas, each composed of six lines. The structure is formal and poetic, as shown by the numerous appositives. In addition, many lines contain inversion which adds to the formality. As for diction, Yeats uses an abundance of adjectives to add to the imagery and the tone of the poem.

Imagery:

Several of the stanzas utilize imagery. The first stanza produces the image of the lake, which “mirrors a still sky” on that autumn day (4), while the second stanza depicts the great swans in flight. By the fourth stanza, the reader can picture the coupled swans.

Figurative Language:

Yeats uses figurative language throughout "The Wild Swans at Coole" by associating swans with freedom and therefore, happiness.

Tone:

The tone of the poem is admiration, with a hint of despair. Yeats comments on beauty, freedom, and happiness of the swans. He enjoys looking upon them, but at the same time, "[his] heart is sore" (14). He envies their ability to "wander where they will," to "drift on the still water," to fly away and never return (23, 25).

Theme:
The theme of the poem is freedom. Yeats desires to abandon his routine, restricted life and to break free. He wants to experience the happiness embodied by the swans.

Conclusion:

At first, I thought shallowly of "The Wild Swans at Coole." I believe the poem expressed Yeats's simple adoration for the swans, but I now recognize the deeper meaning behind the text. Yeats is, in fact, is reflecting on his habitual, monotonous life while expressing despair that he cannot be as free as the swans, who are able to take flight at their convenience and escape from their usual setting.

Robert Frost's "The Oven Bird"

Text:

There is a singer everyone has heard,

Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,

Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.

He says that leaves are old and that for flowers

Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.

He says the early petal-fall is past

When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers

On sunny days a moment overcast;

And comes that other fall we name the fall.

He says the highway dust is over all.

The bird would cease and be as other birds

But that he knows in singing not to sing.

The question that he frames in all but words

Is what to make of a diminished thing.

Initial Reaction:
Initially I recognize that "The Oven Bird" is about the change of seasons. The bird seems disappointed that summer is almost over and that fall follows, and then winter. He wonders where the time has gone and how much time remains to enjoy.

Paraphrasing:
Everyone has heard this singer,

A loud, summer bird

Who makes his sound echo within the trees.

He says that it is becoming fall and the flowers

Are becoming fewer as the seasons progress.

He says the leaves have begun to fall

The pear and cherry trees are done blossoming

The days become overcast;

And fall is coming

He says dust covers everything.

The birds would migrate away

But he wonders.

The query he has in his mind

Is what to think of the diminished thing.


SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

"The Oven Bird" is a sonnet with irregular form, with a recognizable yet nonconventional rhyme scheme. It is written in iambic pentameter. Frost uses diction to contrast the seasons. He describes the spring and summer seasons with positive terms and imagery, by including singing birds, flowers, and colorful, blooming trees. On the other hand, he associates fall with old leaves, overcast days, and "highway dust" (10). Frost uses the phrase "He says" to begin several lines of the poem. This allows him to indirectly convey the bird's point of view instead of his own.

Imagery:

"The Oven Bird" evokes images within the mind of the reader. The audience can imagine a vocal bird, sitting atop a branch in the woods in a mid-summer setting. The bird notices the passing of the seasons: the pear and cherry trees have already bloomed, trees have begun to lose their leaves, and the days have received less and less sunlight.

Figurative Language:

The poem contains a simile in line 5: "Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten." He is using this analogy to note the contrast between the two seasons. Frost also uses figurative language through means of a contradiction in line 12 that the bird "knows in singing not to sing."

Tone:

As Frost (through the ovenbird's point of view) realizes the passing of time, he reflects upon his life with contemplation and despair over the "diminished thing(s)" of his past.

Theme:
The theme of the poem is to reflect on life. Life is short, and quickly passes. But instead of looking back on the past with despair, we should look to the future and make the best of the time we have left.

Conclusion:

In concurrence with my initial reaction to "The Oven Bird," the poem is a discussion of the progression of seasons, or, figuratively, the progression of life in its various stages. Youth is comparable to spring, whereas fall signals the approach of the final stages of life. At first I thought the poem looked conveyed a sense of remorse for "diminished thing(s)," but I now recognize that Frost is also trying to convince the reader to not fret about the past but to cherish the present and anticipate future years as well.

John Updike’s “Telephone Poles”

Text:
They have been with us a long time.
They will outlast the elms.
Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage sieving the trees
In his search for game,
Run through them. They blend along small-town streets
Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.
Our eyes, washed clean of belief,
Lift incredulous to their fearsome crowns of bolts, trusses,

struts, nuts, insulators, and such
Barnacles as compose
These weathered encrustations of electrical debris¬
Each a Gorgon’s head, which, seized right,
Could stun us to stone.

Yet they are ours. We made them.
See here, where the cleats of linemen
Have roughened a second bark
Onto the bald trunk. And these spikes
Have been driven sideways at intervals handy for human legs.
The Nature of our construction is in every way
A better fit than the Nature it displaces
What other tree can you climb where the birds’ twitter,
Unscrambled, is English? True, their thin shade is negligible,
But then again there is not that tragic autumnal
Casting-off of leaves to outface annually.
These giants are more constant than evergreens
By being never green.

Initial Reaction:
Initially I recognize that “Telephone Poles,” obviously, discusses telephone poles, though Updike never directly addresses them as such. His constant use of pronouns is interesting. Updike discusses the history of telephone poles, as well as their function in society, and reflects on what they mean to him. On a broader spectrum, this poem is not merely about poles but it also reflects on human-environment interaction in general. I am unsure whether Updike admires mankind for its ingenuity in creating telephone poles or hates it for destroying nature.

Paraphrasing:
They have been here for a long time.

They will be here even after the other trees die.

Our eyes, like those of a person wildly scanning the trees

In search of animals to hunt,

Look through the trees. They blend in on streets in small towns

Like something mythical.

Our eyes, in disbelief,

Notice the intricate features atop the pole: bolts, trusses,

struts, nuts, insulators, etc.

That make up

These worn-down telephone poles—

Each pole is like a Gorgon’s head,

Capable of turning us to stone.

Yet they are a creation of man.

See, where workers' shoes

Have made indentations into the bark

Onto the bald, manipulated tree. And these metal spikes

Have been placed at the convenience of man.

Our construction of these poles is

More fitting than the trees they replaced

What other tree can you climb where the birds' noise

Interpreted, is English? Yes, they don't offer much shade.

But they don't experience that fall

Shedding of leaves to endure every year.

These poles are more constant than other trees

By not being trees.

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

"Telephone Poles" contains two stanzas of equal length--thirteen lines each. The first stanza describes telephone poles, while the second stanza describes the relationship between these poles and mankind. The poem does not appear to have rhyme. Many of the lines feature enjambment. Although Updike never refers to them as telephone poles, he uses several adjectives or phrases to describe them.

Imagery:

The poem provokes images of telephone poles, towering thin and tall over suburban streets, equipped with electrical parts at the top and metal spikes driven into the bald trunk.

Figurative Language:

There are several examples of figurative language in "Telephone Poles." Similes are present in lines 3 and 6: "like the eyes of a savage..." and "like a race of giants." Also, line 12 features (a metaphor and) an allusion to the Gorgons. Lines 21-22 present a rhetorical question to the audience.

Tone:

The tone seems to convey pride in mankind's creation, yet I suspect this "admiration for human ingenuity and advancement" is ironic. I believe the underlying tone is stern and disapproving of the way mankind has displaced nature.

Theme:
In man's attempt to improve nature, we have in fact destroyed it by displacing objects of natural beauty.

Conclusion:

After analyzing "Telephone Poles," Updike's purpose has become more clear to me. I believe he intended the poem to be ironic. Although he praises the poles for the entirety of the poem for their creation and usefulness, he is really spiteful towards the manmade objects. They have displaced trees (as well as habitats for birds) and have taken away some of the earth's natural beauty, making the scene dull and ugly. Updike indirectly suggests that we move away from this environmental degradation and instead embrace and preserve the beauty of nature.

William C. Berry's "On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High"

Text:
Before
I opened my mouth
I noticed them sitting there
as orderly as frozen fish
in a package.

Slowly water began to fill the room
though I did not notice it
till it reached
my ears
and then I heard the sounds
of fish in a aquarium
and I knew that though I had
tried to drown them
with my words
that they had only opened up
like gills for them
and let me in.
Together we swam around the room
like thirty tails whacking words
till the bell rang
puncturing
a hole in the door
where we all leaked out
They went to another class
I suppose and I home
where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
till they were hands again.

Initial Reaction:
My initial reaction is that "On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High" is indeed a very strange poem. When taken literally, the poem is quite absurd, but I believe the poem is meant figuratively. The narrator thought he the students wouldn't understand the poetry he was reading to them. To his surprise, they absorbed his words and made a connection with the poetry. But then the bell rang, and they all went their separate ways.

Paraphrasing:
Before

I started speaking

I saw them seated there

as orderly and immobile as frozen fish

in a package.

Water began to fill the classroom

but I didn't notice the water

until it was up to

my ears

and then I heard

fish in an aquarium

and I knew that though I
expected to confuse them

with the poems

they opened up

like gills

and let me in

We read the poetry

together

until the class ended

opening

the door

and the students all left

They went to another class

and I went home

where

my cat was waiting for me

and licked me

and I came back to reality

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

"On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High" possesses no particular rhyme or meter. Each of the six stanzas contains one complete thought. Berry's diction is astonishingly simple. The prosaic words make the text easy to understand, making the figurative language painstakingly easy to decipher. He uses several words pertaining to fish.

Imagery:

The poem is packed with imagery. The readers can picture a classroom filled with water, with fish swimming around, circling the desks. They can visualize a hole punctured in the door and see the water leaking from the room.

Figurative Language:

If figurative language were water and this poem were a glass, it would be filled to the brim. Of course, the class does not literally turn into a school of fish and swim around; this is all figurative language. Berry is simply trying to say that the students paid great attention to his words and fully understood them. The whole class was engaged in the poetry.

Tone:

The tone is dull at first (as seen in the first stanza) but changes to surprise and excitement.

Theme:
Often we make assumptions or judgments about others, but people are unpredictable and often surprising.

Conclusion:

My initial understandings were, for the most part, correct. Berry expected the students to be unengaged in the poetry he read to them. He assumed they would not understand the material, or they would not care. However, his judgments were wrong: the students took in his every word. Together, they absorbed the material and thoroughly enjoyed it--until the class ended. Then, the students and the teacher continued on with their lives.