I'll admit, I haven't been looking forward to this Song -- Song 6. It's dense with allusions. This is one I'm struggling to comprehend fully. Find it at the following link:
http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/john-berryman/3592
This Song is only one sentence. Although I am a fan of long sentences, whenever a poem employs one, the reader better be prepared for a mind-bender.
The title alludes to Wells Cathedral in England. The "capitals" addressed being those points that stick out at the top of the towers, crafted in what is known as "stiff leaf" style. An aside: this is the church in Hot Fuzz.
I want to say this poem stands, like the great cathedral, between Henry and himself, or somewhere in the periphery. There is Henry's lust, and now we see the face of God on earth.
The first stanza I relate to Berryman's father. However, I see the pun between Berryman's father and the Catholic "father." Berryman identifies with his father's breaks and ill-luck, comparing himself and his father to Ethan Allen, one of the founders of Vermont, also a prominent businessman.
Berryman, with the lines "Keats sweat' / for hopeless inextricable lust, Henry's fate," shows us that Henry will struggle with his lust until his death (and after it).
I'll do my best to give you the keys to the poem, so you can continue to think about it, since I don't have it all figured out. Aeneas is a figure in Roman mythology, who was a founder of ancient Rome. Why the cardinals wanted to keep him out, or why "Chinese doubt / inscrutably was growing," I can't discern.
Peter Abelard, mentioned in the second to last stanza, was a brilliant philosopher during the Middle Ages, who castrated himself because of his failed love affair with a woman named Heloise. Henry himself is similarly mutilated in a Song to come, at least figuratively, if not literally.
The grapes proffered in the final line are those spheres on the very top of each capital.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Dream Song 5
Song 4 is a fun one, but, again, it's very accessible. Listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFeZOhlmZmw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFeZOhlmZmw
Read the poem here:
http://www.inspirationalstories.com/poems/dream-song-5-henry-sats-in-de-bar-was-odd-john-berryman-poem/
We'll go ahead and skip to Song 5. In the first stanza, we find Henry in a bar again. I imagine an airport bar, since we find Henry on an airplane in the second stanza. He is upset; feels the world is against him. We are here introduced to Henry's wife, who he caustically claims is "a complete nothing." However, "wife" may also be "life," spoken like baby-talk, which Berryman uses often throughout the Songs. Thus, this insult may extend to Henry as well as his wife. Henry identifies with St. Stephen, a Christian who was martyred by being stoned. To get even with God, Henry gets "stoned" at the bar.
In the next stanza, we encounter a more jubilant Henry. Perhaps this is because Henry is above the world now, flying. Henry witnesses a statue of the virgin Mary on a mountain, a beam of light shining on her. Henry is so moved within that he believes it is manifested outwardly: the plane shakes. Interesting to note that the line, "his thoughts made pockets & the plane buckt" is the name of one of Berryman's previous poetry collections.
http://www.inspirationalstories.com/poems/dream-song-5-henry-sats-in-de-bar-was-odd-john-berryman-poem/
We'll go ahead and skip to Song 5. In the first stanza, we find Henry in a bar again. I imagine an airport bar, since we find Henry on an airplane in the second stanza. He is upset; feels the world is against him. We are here introduced to Henry's wife, who he caustically claims is "a complete nothing." However, "wife" may also be "life," spoken like baby-talk, which Berryman uses often throughout the Songs. Thus, this insult may extend to Henry as well as his wife. Henry identifies with St. Stephen, a Christian who was martyred by being stoned. To get even with God, Henry gets "stoned" at the bar.
In the next stanza, we encounter a more jubilant Henry. Perhaps this is because Henry is above the world now, flying. Henry witnesses a statue of the virgin Mary on a mountain, a beam of light shining on her. Henry is so moved within that he believes it is manifested outwardly: the plane shakes. Interesting to note that the line, "his thoughts made pockets & the plane buckt" is the name of one of Berryman's previous poetry collections.
The final stanza locates Henry in a hospital. What a ride! The final surreal image of the "image of the dead on the fingernail / of a newborn child" seems to me to say that people carry with them their ancestors from birth. Especially significant to Berryman, who carries with him the death of his father heavily, a yoke slung across his back.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Dream Song 3
Next, let's take a look at Song 3. Find it at the following link:
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/john-berryman/dream-song-3-a-stimulant-for-an-old-beast/
I know I've heard Berryman read this somewhere, but I can't seem to find the link now.
In this poem, we get to hear horny Henry speak in a more grave tone than he does in the comical Song 4. The "stimulant for an old best (Henry)" is the "screwed-up lovely 23" year-old he is trying to seduce. The musky smells coming from the first line tell us Henry is in the mood. The woman, however, is not. She's young, but not so very old, like Henry.
Henry feels alienated, unloved, unkissed. He identifies with the "old criminals." The journal Berryman addresses is Time-Life, in which an article appeared about a man named Jan Masaryk, rival of Gottwald, who either committed suicide or was politically assassinated. Henry feels he will either die by suicide or be killed by the political machine he is unwillingly a part of. More on Henry's unpatriotic attitude to come in the following Songs.
Apparently, Rilke really was a jerk! Take a look at the following link for some of his exploits:
http://www.dialoginternational.com/dialog_international/2009/10/rilke-was-a-jerk.html
The final stanza follows the idea set up by the lines "Women get under / things." and "She holds her breath like a seal." Both of these lines explore women's effects on Henry: they get at what's bothering Henry. Unable to face his damaged self, Henry reduces women to sexual objects. As the songs progress, we see Henry learn to slake his lust by directly confronting his own psyche.
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/john-berryman/dream-song-3-a-stimulant-for-an-old-beast/
I know I've heard Berryman read this somewhere, but I can't seem to find the link now.
In this poem, we get to hear horny Henry speak in a more grave tone than he does in the comical Song 4. The "stimulant for an old best (Henry)" is the "screwed-up lovely 23" year-old he is trying to seduce. The musky smells coming from the first line tell us Henry is in the mood. The woman, however, is not. She's young, but not so very old, like Henry.
Henry feels alienated, unloved, unkissed. He identifies with the "old criminals." The journal Berryman addresses is Time-Life, in which an article appeared about a man named Jan Masaryk, rival of Gottwald, who either committed suicide or was politically assassinated. Henry feels he will either die by suicide or be killed by the political machine he is unwillingly a part of. More on Henry's unpatriotic attitude to come in the following Songs.
Apparently, Rilke really was a jerk! Take a look at the following link for some of his exploits:
http://www.dialoginternational.com/dialog_international/2009/10/rilke-was-a-jerk.html
The final stanza follows the idea set up by the lines "Women get under / things." and "She holds her breath like a seal." Both of these lines explore women's effects on Henry: they get at what's bothering Henry. Unable to face his damaged self, Henry reduces women to sexual objects. As the songs progress, we see Henry learn to slake his lust by directly confronting his own psyche.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Dream Song 2
Listen to Dream Song 1 at the following link: http://www.prx.org/pieces/84589-the-beat-john-berryman-dream-song-1-huffy-h.
I choose not to give an analysis for Song 1 at this time, because you can find analyses for a few of the Songs easily, since they're the most anthologized. Song 1 is definitely one of them. I'd like to analyze the poems that are a bit more difficult for the reader.
So let's start with Song 2!
Follow this link to the poem: http://www.eliteskills.com/analysis_poetry/Dream_Song_2_Big_Buttons_Cornets_the_advance_by_John_Berryman_analysis.php.
In Berryman's author's note, he dedicates this poem, "to the memory of Daddy Rice who sang and jumped 'Jim Crow' in Louisville in 1828." Jim Crow being the most remembered character of the minstrel show.
The poem's title contains the word "cornet," which is a wind instrument in the trumpet family. "Big Buttons" refers to the Thomas Rice's blue coat, on which there were big gold buttons, each of which bore a solitaire diamond.
The poem begins, "The jane is zoned!" We can interpret this as slang form the '50s for "the girl is drunk." Henry is astonished that there are no bars in this neighborhood--surprise!
Let's stop here to talk a bit about Berryman's thoughts behind using vaudeville dialect. He used it for the same reason he wrote the short story, "The Imaginary Jew": to identify with the suffering of oppressed peoples. The blackface getup is then Berryman's attempt to experience that oppression. The obvious shortsightedness of this ruse lies in the fact that Berryman's character is a white man in costume. We are to assume then that Berryman's character is unlike other minstrels, in that he actually is an authoritative voice on oppression.
Here's a link in which Addriene Rich uses the "n" word. What the hell! (I used this site to gather info on why Berryman uses the minstrel voice). http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/berryman/minstrel.htm.
Any time "Sir Bones" or "Mr. Bones" appears, we can assume that the character in blackface is addressing Henry, because this is the minstrel's nickname for Henry. However, it's interesting that the minstrel calls Henry "Galahad," who was a knight at King Arthur's table. The comparison is especially shocking, because Galahad was considered pure-hearted, which Henry is certainly not.
I choose not to give an analysis for Song 1 at this time, because you can find analyses for a few of the Songs easily, since they're the most anthologized. Song 1 is definitely one of them. I'd like to analyze the poems that are a bit more difficult for the reader.
So let's start with Song 2!
Follow this link to the poem: http://www.eliteskills.com/analysis_poetry/Dream_Song_2_Big_Buttons_Cornets_the_advance_by_John_Berryman_analysis.php.
In Berryman's author's note, he dedicates this poem, "to the memory of Daddy Rice who sang and jumped 'Jim Crow' in Louisville in 1828." Jim Crow being the most remembered character of the minstrel show.
The poem's title contains the word "cornet," which is a wind instrument in the trumpet family. "Big Buttons" refers to the Thomas Rice's blue coat, on which there were big gold buttons, each of which bore a solitaire diamond.
The poem begins, "The jane is zoned!" We can interpret this as slang form the '50s for "the girl is drunk." Henry is astonished that there are no bars in this neighborhood--surprise!
Let's stop here to talk a bit about Berryman's thoughts behind using vaudeville dialect. He used it for the same reason he wrote the short story, "The Imaginary Jew": to identify with the suffering of oppressed peoples. The blackface getup is then Berryman's attempt to experience that oppression. The obvious shortsightedness of this ruse lies in the fact that Berryman's character is a white man in costume. We are to assume then that Berryman's character is unlike other minstrels, in that he actually is an authoritative voice on oppression.
Here's a link in which Addriene Rich uses the "n" word. What the hell! (I used this site to gather info on why Berryman uses the minstrel voice). http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/berryman/minstrel.htm.
Any time "Sir Bones" or "Mr. Bones" appears, we can assume that the character in blackface is addressing Henry, because this is the minstrel's nickname for Henry. However, it's interesting that the minstrel calls Henry "Galahad," who was a knight at King Arthur's table. The comparison is especially shocking, because Galahad was considered pure-hearted, which Henry is certainly not.
77 Dream Songs, John Berryman
Berryman, in regards to Henry, the protagonist of the Dream Songs, said, "Henry is accused of being me, and I am accused of being Henry, and I deny it, and no one believes me." I'm not alone in thinking, that's a crock of shit. Right off the grill, Henry's hot with Berryman's flavors: in Dream Song 1, the "departure" spoken of is almost undoubtedly Berryman's father's suicide. Bear in mind when reading these poems that Henry and Berryman, if not the same person, are part of the same pantheon.
Also, another aside to the reader before he or she reads the poems: there is another character, unnamed, who accompanies Henry throughout the text. This character employs the diction of a minstrel, is made up in blackface, and is pretty damn offensive. He serves as the counterbalance to Henry, who is more often than not in a bad state of mind. We are asked to imagine this character is the "end man" in a minstrel production. Thus, he and Henry are to be seen as if on stage: Henry stage right, and this other character stage left. The curtain is pulled, so that we focus on the two of them talking.
A final note to the reader: these poems at first may seem schizophrenic. Berryman uses all kinds of pronouns to refer to the characters in his poems--a single person may be referred to as "them." Also, standard, uniform diction has been thrown through the window: Berryman mixes high and low diction throughout these poems. Do not be put off by this--it definitely grows on you as you read on. Berryman's playfulness with language in 77 Dream Songs is contagious. You may even find yourself imitating him in your own writing.
I found it helpful to hear Berryman himself read the poems. He is an excellent orator, and quite the character. Undoubtedly a drunk, Berryman wrote 77 Dream Songs to be off-balance. The dream is the world experienced as if inebriated. The song is the drunk lips singing karaoke.
We must then take the challenge Berryman himself posed to us when he said facetiously, "These songs are not meant to be understood, you understand. They are only meant to terrify & comfort."
Also, another aside to the reader before he or she reads the poems: there is another character, unnamed, who accompanies Henry throughout the text. This character employs the diction of a minstrel, is made up in blackface, and is pretty damn offensive. He serves as the counterbalance to Henry, who is more often than not in a bad state of mind. We are asked to imagine this character is the "end man" in a minstrel production. Thus, he and Henry are to be seen as if on stage: Henry stage right, and this other character stage left. The curtain is pulled, so that we focus on the two of them talking.
A final note to the reader: these poems at first may seem schizophrenic. Berryman uses all kinds of pronouns to refer to the characters in his poems--a single person may be referred to as "them." Also, standard, uniform diction has been thrown through the window: Berryman mixes high and low diction throughout these poems. Do not be put off by this--it definitely grows on you as you read on. Berryman's playfulness with language in 77 Dream Songs is contagious. You may even find yourself imitating him in your own writing.
I found it helpful to hear Berryman himself read the poems. He is an excellent orator, and quite the character. Undoubtedly a drunk, Berryman wrote 77 Dream Songs to be off-balance. The dream is the world experienced as if inebriated. The song is the drunk lips singing karaoke.
We must then take the challenge Berryman himself posed to us when he said facetiously, "These songs are not meant to be understood, you understand. They are only meant to terrify & comfort."
Foreword
I am persuaded, because of an overwhelming lack of analysis available to the ordinary internet user, to provide readers with the tools they need to appreciate great poetic works. This desire was born of my own struggle to comprehend poetry books that I felt were important--just as important as the books that do receive analysis, which are generally novels discussed in English classrooms.
I believe that you should not have to enroll in a college class to wrestle with these texts. I have found in my own reading that poetry collections are the most rewarding reads: they ask the most of us; engage us in the text in a way that leaves us altered.
This blog will record my conversation with the books I am reading. I hope you join me in this talk.
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