For "Hazel Tells Laverne," you should focus on diction, syntax, theme.
last night
im cleanin out my
howard johnsons ladies room
when all of a sudden
up pops this frog
musta come from the sewer
swimmin aroun an tryin ta
climb up the sida the bowl
so i goes ta flushm down
but sohelpmegod he starts talkin
bout a golden ball
an how i can be a princess
me a princess
well my mouth drops
all the way to the floor
an he says
kiss me just kiss me
once on the nose
well i screams
ya little green pervert
am i hitsm with my mop
an has ta flush
the toilet down three times
me
a princess
This poem is relating to the popular fairytale the princess and the frog. It is saying that every girl is different and not everyone wants to be a princess. This poem shows how weird that fairytale truly is and what a girl would actually do if a talking frog tries to kiss her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Anika said. The speaker in this poem makes it very clear that she would not want to become a princess. This is a very funny and playful poem which the diction adds to, because if it had been more formally written the poem would sound much different.
DeleteThere is an allusions to proncess and the frog like Anika said. The narrator is not educated and the writer creats this by slurring some words together and not adding any punctuation. The girl in the poem has a very low self esteem because she does not dream or even take the chance to think that she might be a or could be a princess.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem. I can't read it without smiling anymore. The whole scene is just so absurd but the author plays it well. We initially get the sense that she is uneducated but she actually has a P.h.d and taught college. This is interesting because she appeals to the tone of the poem with the crude spelling and punctuation. The whole poem is just one sentence. I found the repetition of "Me a princess" to be noticeable as well. It goes to emphasize her disbelief at the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteThe poem is referring to the famous fairy tale the princess and the frog but the poem has a deeper meaning. I believe that Katharyn Machan is trying to show how women were uneducated and un-ambitious. She's showing how women didn't believe that they can be better how they didn't believe in themselves "me a princess".
ReplyDeleteI like this poem Ms. P!
I agree with Paul. I love the author's diction and syntax. The vocabulary used and lack of any punctuation really gives the reader the sense that they are hearing the narration of an African-American woman. I also believe the author is alluding to the fairy tale The Princess and The Frog.
ReplyDeleteI love this narrator. The poem alludes to the children's fairytale of "The Princess and the Frog," but contrary to the usual fairytale pattern, Hazel does not wish to kiss the frog and become a princess. Contrasting with the stereotypical image of a girl, Hazel has a sense of independence in her character. Because of the rudimentary diction, it is clear to the reader that Hazel is not well educated. Additionally, the lack of punctuation resembles the speaking pattern of said Hazel, which characterizes her as a loudmouthed fast-thinker who most likely has a tendency to ramble.
ReplyDeleteThe syntax of the poem shows that the narrator is uneducated. There's no punctuation and lots of bad spelling. I also agree with Leo that the author is alluding to The Princess and the Frog.
ReplyDeleteThis poem alludes to the story of the Princess and the Frog. However, this poem seems a bit more realistic. The diction is very casual, adding to the light tone of the poem. I think this poem is written exactly how it was supposed to be spoken. This would explain the lack of punctuation and combined words. The narrator obviously doesn't believe she is worthy to be a princess. In addition, she has common sense and acts how most women would act if a frog talked to them.
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminds me of the movie The Princess and the Frog. The way the speaker is talking in the poem reveals that she is from somewhere like New Orleans. I think the message of the poem is how women were treated back then, the men felt dominant and felt they could tell women what to do and expect them to obey them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this poem alludes to the story of the Princess and the Frog. It is very clear, but I feel like this story is told a different way. At the end of the poem it seems like she is doubting she could ever be a princess and saying it sarcastically. The diction really emphasizes the lack of education and speech that people had early on and how the author might have spoke.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of punctuation and the spelling of this poem shows that the narrator is some one who's uneducated. I also agree with everyone above the author is alluding to The Princess and the Frog. I think the lack of punctuation shows that its all just one long thought thats flowing through this girl's head because I think she's confused as to why the frog is talking to her and that he's saying that she'll become a princess if she kisses him.
ReplyDeleteThe diction of the poem suggests that the speaker is not very educated. It also shows that the woman believes that where she is now in life is the best she could ever hope to achieve.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone above has said, the speaker appears to be uneducated because of the lack of punctuation, the word choice (like using slang) and lack of capitalization, among other things. To me, it seems like the speaker is content with her situation and doesn't feel the need to change her situation in life. It also seems like she is trying not to get her hopes up by dreaming of higher things. She almost disregards the idea of herself in a higher status of society, which is interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis poem alludes to the story The Princess and the Frog, but instead of the girl kissing the frog, she refuses to kiss the frog. The lack of punctuation and the way the narrator talks shows that she is probably not very educated. It doesn't seem like she is not very confident in herself because she cant imagine herself as a princess.
ReplyDeleteThe main character of the poem is obviously uneducated due to her lack of proper punctuation and word choice. It is also very similar to the story the princess and the frog, but with a twist where she doesn't kiss the frog and flushes him down the toilet. She also doesn't even seem to have an interest in becoming someone of high social status like many others might. Though the one thing that puzzles me is how the title relates to the poem.
ReplyDeleteI really like this poem. The form has a humorous tone and creates a fun story. Now on to theme. In this poem, Hazel may symbolize the portrayal of woman in the past. She is uneducated and un-believing in themselves or others. I agree it does relate to The Princess and the Frog, but has a reality twist in it. She is driven to believe she amounts nothing more than maid(It may be seen for she is cleaning a bathroom). Hazel feels unworthy to become a princess due to low self-esteem. She repeatedly uses word "princess" three times. Hazel's rejection also may be viewed on how women see men; Overprotective(since she called him "little green pervert").
ReplyDeleteLolking most of the comments, I van see that most people believe this has to do with the fairy tale about the princess and the frog. I disagree. The narrator does not wish to be a princess. Seeing as how she flushed the toilet down three times, she REALLY did not want to be princess .
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is adorable. The nonexistent punctuation and capitalization shows that Hazel is uneducated and talking very quickly. As basically everyone has pointed out, this poem is a contemporary version of "The Princess and the Frog." Hazel and the princess have very different reactions to their frog's pleas, which Machan might have taken into account in order to contrast the real world to fantasy. Hazel assumes the frog is lying to her, while the woman from the fairytale isn't nearly so suspicious.
ReplyDeleteLike others have said, this poem is a twist on the fairytale, Princess and the Frog. I think this poem is trying to get a point across that fairytales are superficial and cliché. It might poke fun of them saying that they are absurd and are somewhat pointless. The woman in this poem is reacting the way any normal person would act if a frog asked him/her to kiss it. I think they are using this to make fun of fairytales and take a more realistic approach.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is similar to many fairytales about people who kiss frogs that will become their prince charming. In contrast to these fairytales, it seems that the nararator doesn't want to be a princess and doesn't think she is fit to be one. She wonders how she could be a princess which could either mean she is not into that stuff or doesn't think she is fit to be one, like other little girls would usually think. She also flushes the frog three times down the toilet and her last two lines are sarcastic showing that would never be a princess. I don't think the girl had low self confidence, but instead just didn't have any desire to be one and was satisfied with her status. The way the poem is written makes it seem like she has a lack of education and their is no punctuation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone how this poem relates to the fairytale Princess and the Frog. I think this poem is very playful and fun to read. You can tell that the author doesn't have a good education how she doesn't have any punctuation. I think this poem is more realistic take on fairytales because she doesn't want to kiss the frog and don't think anything will happen if she kisses the frog.
ReplyDeleteThe author of this poem does not use any punctuation which keeps it going at a faster pace and gives you an idea of how Hazel is. You can tell the narrator is uneducated because of all the slang, punctuation, and capitalization but that is what makes this poem different. Most people who talk about being a princess are very wealthy and well educated and although this in some way is a fairytale twist, Hazel does not want to be a princess. She is happy with her life just the way it is and does't want it to change.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is obviously about the kids fairytale, The Princess and the Frog. The way the poem is written makes paints the scene with a level of confusion. The way it does not stop makes it seems as though the person is trying to force themself to not want to be a princess. It's a really funnny poem and the diction makes it even better. This person is obviously satisfied with their life and does not want a "frog" to mess it up for them. They're trying to prove that not every girl is the same; not every girl yearns for an extravagant life, some people, like the narrator in this poem, like things simple and just the way they are.
ReplyDeleteBesides the obvious allusion to a fairytale, this poem is about a woman that i think, thinks so low of herself and is basically saying "yeah right" to the idea of being a princess. I think she is implying that she could never go from cleaning bathrooms to being a princess. There is not syntax other than spacing. This just emphasizes her low status and lack of education. The rhythm of this poem makes the reader feel rushed and gives the narrator attitude. She seems like she was freaked out by a talking frog but maybe it means that she had the opportunity of being a princess and she turned it down.
ReplyDeleteI think that the speaker (Hazel, who is not Katharyn Machan) is uneducated and that the allusion to "The Princess and the Frog" serves as a juxtaposition to her own life. By taking a character from an elegant fairy tale and sticking him in the world of this rural, gossiping, bathroom cleaning woman, it highlights how unladylike she is and how unrealistic it is for girls to idolize princesses when the real world is so unlike a fairy tale.
ReplyDeleteThe diction makes me think of the south. I think that the missing of periods makes the poem have a better flow. Its her thoughts and they are going by fast. It also goes without saying, that this is based off of fairy tale and how she will never be a princess.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is clearly alluding to the common story The Princess and the Frog. With the syntax and diction, it portrays the speaker as an uneducated worker from the south. If this hotel worker had known of the story, then she could have known to kiss the frog and become a princess. She is seen as stupid for not kissing this toilet frog. This lady doesn't believe she could be anything more than she is.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone is saying this poem is obviously alluding the fairy tale "The Princess and the Frog," however Hazel does not want to kiss the frog nor does she believe that she cold ever be a princess. The author uses diction and syntax to make the narrator seem uneducated, but also to add to the humorous tone of the poem.
ReplyDeleteThe allusion to "The Princess and the Frog" is used to contrast the main character's life. She cleans bathrooms, not highly educated, and is used to this way of living. When someone reads a fairytale, they are suppose to be empowered and feel as though anything is possible. The character's point of view on this fairytale seems ridiculous. She sees the fairytale as impossible and never sees herself as a princess
ReplyDeleteI completely agree the speaker does not believe she could ever be anything more than a maid. Hazel is just like the princes in the "princes and the frog" fairytale when she is extremely reluctant and disgusted by the though of kissing a frog.
DeleteLike others have said, this poem is alluding to the classic story of the princess and the frog. It may be coming from the voice of someone who had heard the story by word-of-mouth (as the person doesn't seem very literate). It is a modern-day spin on the story with a realistic spin.
ReplyDeleteI freaking understand this chick's lingo! Good ole' country folks, Yee-Haw! The reason that this written work is cooler than the rest is because the narrator just says what she feels. No proper grammar-Nazi approved punctuation, or any of the not good things about writing words, but the connection is so much on a more personal level. I feel like she's my girl, you feel me? As if it's all "What's good suga? How you doin' hun? What's cracka lackin' sista? All day, err day, that's how you do it, when you wanna do it, you gotta do it to it HUA? This poem's undisruptive flow off the tongue when spoken makes me feel like a rapper. She's spittin' flows out in Boone City!! She's so culturally cautionate, she can interpret her high ridin'est rootin'est tootin'est, yip yangin', best-in-the-West, shoot 'em up cowboy side, as well as her thug life into her speeches.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what happened to my post because I remember hitting publish at 6:00 but I guess it never went through so i am re-typing it (thanks AT&T). This is definitely alluding to the Princess and the Frog but instead of finding a nice lady he finds a non-educated woman who does not at all act like a lady. By using words like "sohelpmegod" and not using punctuation the author gives a realistic sense of speed and speech in the conversation. This also gives the impression that this woman is not highly educated.
ReplyDeleteThe diction here obviously stands out. The reader can tell as they are reading that this person is uneducated. This helps bring in context as well as characterize the speaker. The poem also alludes to the classic story with the princess and the frog. In most renditions of this poem, the girl kisses the frog, leading to all sorts of complication. However, this story ends right when she turns down the talking frog asking for a kiss. I think it is cool to see a take on that story in this way, and I love her reaction. When you think about it, it seems like her reaction is very natural, but in this poem it is also very comical.
ReplyDeleteThis poem always made me laugh, not only because of the common phrases that are simply blended into a single word, but also because the diction of this story makes it seem almost flashy. For example, had "sohelpmegod" been single words, its use would have added more seriousness, but as it is, it simply creates the sort of melodrama that a slightly egocentric person would produce. The lack of punctuation, apart from making the narrator appear less educated, gives the whole poem the energy of somebody going on a fantastical rant. I'd imagine whoever is listening to this is either laughing uncontrollably or thinking, "Nobody cares, shut up."
ReplyDeleteI love the way that the author uses diction and sentence breaking to create images and thoughts about the narrator. We can tell that this women is not educated because of the way that she speaks. We can also seen that this story is deriving from the classic fairy tail the princes and the frog. Only in this story it is not a princes but someone that is not looked at in hight regards. This woman is a common person that thinks that she is ordinary and there for does not deserve to be a princes.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is obviously alluding to the fairy tale "The Princess and the Frog". By looking at the syntax and informal diction, it is clear that the lady is not well educated and that she uses a different dialect. The lack of punctuation makes the poem more realistic and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite aspect of this poem is how it's written with no punctuation so when I read it in my head it sounds like one never ending sentence. The diction is really interesting because it points to a poorly educated or illiterate narrator but the poem was written by a woman who is a writing professor at Ithaca college (the city in New York, not the small rocky island). I like how you can tell exactly what emotion the narrator is feeling just through the choice of words and format.
ReplyDeleteThis is a version of the famous fairytale of the princess and the frog. The author creates illusions and uses the diction to the story's advantage. When I read this poem, I instantly think back to the movie Disney made a few years ago. The author is not educated displayed with the lack of punctuation and the interesting word choices. Overall, this is an amazing poem.
ReplyDeleteI really like the diction in this poem because it makes the poem fun and interesting to read. The way the words are spelled how they have to sound suggest that the narrator in this poem talked in a certain dialect or slang. This poem is obviously a humorous remake of the princess and the frog but turns into a more amusing version of the story when the narrator does not want to be a princess.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite poems ever. It's so funny and the author makes it easy for you to picture the scene. I think the author didn't add punctuation to make it seem like the narrator is ranting. The author misspelled words so the narrator can seem uneducated.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is obviously relating to the fairy tale about the princess and the frog. I think the speakers diction makes this poem very entertaining. The speaker reminds me of honey boo-boo
ReplyDeletethis poem uses many incorrectly spelled words to give the narrator a southern redneck accent. the grammatical usage of the narrator makes her seem like shes not to smart. there is no punctuation throughout the entire poem making the reader read at a faster rate. this poem is a funny take on the fairytale the princess and the frog but the narrator can't see herself as princess and flushes the frog back down the toilet.
ReplyDeleteObviously this poem alludes to the classic fairy tale of the princess and the frog. I noticed that she questions her being a princess three times, and also flushes the toilet three times to get the frog down the toilet. The diction really implies that the speaker is not very educated. No punctuation also allows the reader to read the poem with any paste they desire. The reader automatically assumes what the left out punctuation is. This poem depicts a woman allowing cruel reality to control her decisions. She isn't just doubting the frog's proposal, she is considering all aspects of her life to come to a conclusion that it is most unlikely for someone such as herself to actually be a princess.
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminds me of the movie, "The Princess and the Frog." The "princess in the poem seems uneducated, which makes the tone light and funny and playful. It's a poem that's clear, the author uses simple words to describe the event. Why no punctuation tho? For some reason, I think the reason why the poet jumped from line to line without stoping with a cause, is to create an image of a frog. Just like a frog, the lines of the poem jump from one line to another without a set time or place.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is showing that if confronted by a frog, not every girl would kiss it. Anika made a good point by saying that not every girl would want to be a princess.
ReplyDeleteThe diction in this poem is really interesting, I find that it gives the narrator that kind of overly dramatic pop to their character, and the diction adds on to that with the absence of punctuation, and the presence of conjoined words. These can convey that the reader is a fast paced talker. Along with the implications that she's very uneducated, you can tell she ratchet.
ReplyDeleteBut in actuality, I think that this poem shows us a character that is devoid of dependence. While she may not actually know that she could have been a princess, she doesn't care. She isn't the stereotypical feminine type lady, she's independent. She shreik in terror and didn't go call a plumber or the nearest man when she saw the frog. She flushed that damn thing back down by herself and talked about it like it was nothing. Not only that, but the fact that she is so confident in her independence that she doesn't even care what the frog has to offer, she can just shoo it away knowing she'll be fine without the offer.
It could just be me, but I find it interesting that people think she has a southern redneck type accent. I think she has more of a african american accent, due to "musta come from the sewer" which I think implies living in a more city like area.
Sad to see so many of the comments following the politically correct line - "she'll be find without the offer." Sure she will, cleaning out toilets. She doesn't need anything but her "independence."
ReplyDeleteAn ordinary person refuses to accept a miracle that appears in her life. Sometimes a person can have too much common sense and not be receptive to the extra-ordinary.