Dorothy Parker's Poem 'Symptom Recital'
Brooke Jakins Mrs. Huval English II-H 6th 18 September 2015 The Wittiest Woman in America Poetry is an escape from emotion. It doesn’t show someone’s character, but how they escape it. Only people who have emotions and character would know what it feels like to want to escape them. In Dorothy Parker’s poem “Symptom Recital” she states, “My soul is crushed, my spirit sore; I do not like me anymore” (15-16). Dorothy Parker, the wittiest woman in America, captures her audiences with poems expressing her opinion about life’s hardships. Throughout Dorothy’s disordered life, she was married three times, attempted suicide, and had an abortion. Her lifestyle was very influential on her writing. According to Mervyn Horder, “She was a kind of female Housman, her specialty unrequited or misdirected love, her tone generally despondent, her vehicle verse of unfailing neatness, crying out to be read aloud and making an instant effect in that form” (page 1, Mervyn Horder). What Horder …show more content…
In the beginning, Dorothy states, “I do not like my state of mind; I’m bitter, querulous, unkind. I hate my legs, I hate my hands, I do not yearn for lovelier lands” (1-4). She talks about being uncomfortable with herself, but she doesn’t want to change the way she is. Throughout the poem there is repetition, anaphora, and antithesis. Dorothy also talks about wanting to speak her mind, but she’s scared that people would think she’s crazy and depressed. As stated in the article “Dorothy Parker”, “Her sharp wit, which often played off of sexual themes, belied the prevailing stereotype of women as humorless and prudish” (page 1, Dorothy Parker). In “Symptom Recital” she states, “I shudder at the thought of men… I’m due to fall in love again” (19-20). That statement is ironic because she’s saying that even though she hates herself and men, she will fall in love all over
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Legacy Essay
155 Words | 1 PagesTo spread her love for poetry and literature to others, she taught college students the clarity of writing poetry. With this, her legacy will continue on through this as several have gone on to write poetry using her skills and ideas. Through all of her achievements, she was able to obtain
Comparing The Yellow Wallpaper, And Gimpel The Fool
1026 Words | 5 PagesPsychoanalytic Criticism may also be applied, as her actions and thought patterns were heavily influenced by her sickness, "Better in body perhaps--" I began, and stopped short, for he sat up straight and looked at me with such a stern, reproachful look that I could not say another word. "My darling," said he, "I beg of you, for my sake and for our child 's sake, as well as for your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours. It is a false
How Did Sylvia Plath Write The Bell Jar
1278 Words | 6 PagesSylvia Plath used her confusion to express her writing. She was known for her confessional style of her work, best known for her novel, “The Bell Jar”, and poetry collections. Sylvia Plath published her first book when she was twenty-eight years old. Sylvia Plath went through depression, soon later committed suicide. American novelist, poet, and artist, Sylvia Plath used her life experience to express her ideas on the search for identity, suicide and personal expression.
Illness In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
452 Words | 2 PagesFoster develops the concept that an illness is never just an illness in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. This is evident in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God through the symbolism of the illnesses that impact Janie’s life. Foster explains that a prime literary disease “should have strong symbolic or metaphorical possibilities” (Foster 224). Hurston utilizes this concept in her novel, the characters developing illnesses that represent Janie’s freedom and independence.
Masks By Grealy Analysis
1360 Words | 6 PagesWhen she had to return to chemotherapy, she was almost happy to go because it was familiar and she was accepted. She always had a companion there whether it was a doctor, nurse, or another patient. She was no longer the outcast. A lot of her time was spent criticizing “normal” people for wanting to be somebody else when all she wanted to be was like everyone else. She defined herself as an individual base on how other people saw her.
Research Paper On Sylvia Plath
1117 Words | 5 PagesThe Tragic Life of Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath, an infamous writer, was known for her dark poems and even darker death. She struggled with clinical depression which affected her marriage, although it enhanced her way of writing. Since her untimely death, the author has won multiple awards for her poems and book, The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath was a great American author who influenced people with her poetry, novels, and short stories, while spreading awareness about grief and depression.
Alice Duer Miller
1686 Words | 7 PagesAttitude: The attitude of the poem is assertive and defiant. The speaker, who represents women as a collective, refuses to accept the traditional gender roles imposed on them and demands recognition and equality. There is a sense of empowerment and determination in the speaker's stance. 1st Stanza: Tone: Critical, Indignant Attitude: Defiant
Poem Analysis: Alzheimer's By Kelly Cherry
839 Words | 4 PagesThe poet successfully illustrates the magnitude with which this disease can change its victim’s perspective about things and situations once familiar to
Research Paper On Sylvia Plath
419 Words | 2 PagesSylvia Plath was an American poet known for her unique style. Her life and work continue to captivate readers as she writes about themes of identity, gender roles, and personal struggles. Her poetry is famous for many reasons, including her unique use of language and imagery, her talk about mental illness, and her legacy. Plath has had many influences that have impacted her poetry, such that her challenging relationships, her father's death, and her opinions about women's rights have all been portrayed through her different pieces. Plath's early life was marked by significant influences that would shape her poetry.
The Journey Mary Oliver Analysis
1101 Words | 5 PagesShe begins with a cynical voice stating, “kept shouting their bad advice” (Oliver), in order to widen the eyes of the audience. She does this to show that the other voices are driven by their own self-interest. Their guidance is useless in her journey. Halfway through the poem she switches to an optimistic voice by saying “as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds” (Oliver). This line shows hope and a vision of a positive future.
Grah Kay's Essay: The Type By Sarah Kay
762 Words | 4 PagesSarah Kay is an American educator, reader and a spoken poet, who was born to a Taoist mother and a Brooklynese father. She is also the founder and co-director of Project VOICE, a project whose aim is to entertain, educate, and inspire its audience. Thus, these three aims are important aspects of Kay’s poems and their effect on her audience. Throughout her poems, she tackles social issues widely present in today’s world, and her poem “The Type” is no different. Kay is the speaker of, “The Type” and throughout the poem, she is taking to individuals who identify themselves to be a woman.
Erin Hanson Poem Analysis
911 Words | 4 PagesThroughout the poem Erin depicts poetry as well put together and thought out. However what the point of the line is truly depicting is the exact opposite. Erin uses the word poetry to contradict the idea of her message, that people are not perfect. With this comparison the reader takes away a message of hope. The idea that noone is perfect no matter how hard they try.
Critical Analysis Of The Theme Of 'Hope Is The Thing With Feathers'
1028 Words | 5 PagesA Bird’s Eye View Emily Dickinson opens up her poem with the famous line, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words,’’. Paul Laurence Dunbar ends his poem with the line “I know why the caged bird sings!”. These two lines from the poets form the theme of the two poems. The poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson, and “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar both present a theme that suffering makes you appreciate hope much more. It seems that hope and pain are almost a dynamic duo.
Bishop´s Use Of Language In Elizabeth Bishop's Poetry
1580 Words | 7 Pages“Bishop’s carefully judged use of language aids the reader to uncover the intensity of feeling in her poetry.” Elizabeth Bishop’s superb use of language in her introspective poetry allows the reader to grasp a better understand of feeling in her poetry. Bishop’s concentration of minor details led to her being referred to as a “miniaturist”, however this allows her to paint vivid imagery, immersing the reader in her chosen scenario. Through descriptive detail, use of metaphor, simile, and many other excellently executed stylistic devices, the reader can almost feel the emotion being conveyed. Bishop clearly demonstrates her innate talent to communicate environments at ease.
More about Dorothy Parker's Poem 'Symptom Recital'
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Legacy Essay
155 Words | 1 PagesBonnie And Clyde Research Paper
1016 Words | 5 PagesComparing The Yellow Wallpaper, And Gimpel The Fool
1026 Words | 5 PagesHow Did Sylvia Plath Write The Bell Jar
1278 Words | 6 PagesIllness In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
452 Words | 2 PagesMasks By Grealy Analysis
1360 Words | 6 PagesResearch Paper On Sylvia Plath
1117 Words | 5 PagesAlice Duer Miller
1686 Words | 7 PagesPoem Analysis: Alzheimer's By Kelly Cherry
839 Words | 4 PagesResearch Paper On Sylvia Plath
419 Words | 2 PagesThe Journey Mary Oliver Analysis
1101 Words | 5 PagesGrah Kay's Essay: The Type By Sarah Kay
762 Words | 4 PagesErin Hanson Poem Analysis
911 Words | 4 PagesCritical Analysis Of The Theme Of 'Hope Is The Thing With Feathers'
1028 Words | 5 PagesBishop´s Use Of Language In Elizabeth Bishop's Poetry
1580 Words | 7 Pages