With this one, you should focus on tone and diction...
"Metaphors" (1960)
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
There are nine lines and every line has nine syllables. The poem is about a pregnant woman. She boarded the pregnacy train and now there is no way off. That is a life lesson.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paul.
DeleteThat's nice support, Leo, but you do need to put forth a bit of intellectual effort in these postings. Try TPCASTTing the poem. Choose one aspect of the TPCASTT to explore.
DeleteI also agree with Paul.
DeleteI agree too.
DeleteThe diction in this poem is quite interesting. Every word had to be so carefully selected to keep the nine syllable pattern. I do question the choice of words though, each line by itself makes near to no sense. It took me reading it over a few times to figure out what was happening.
ReplyDeleteThere are comparisons between food and pregnancy. She's been pregnant too long, so she now has to deal with it. I think the tone is playful at the start, but takes a serious turn in the last line. I guess you can call it the shift. Also, a human pregnancy usually takes 9 months, so that's why she made the poem with 9 syllables.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is probably about a preganant woman. The number nine is emphasized a lot. She is also talking a lot about food which pregnant woman crave.
ReplyDeleteGive me a little more. Choose one of the metaphors and look a little more deeply...
DeleteThe tone of the poem is happy but also a tad regretful. I think this because the line "I've eaten a bag of green apples" does not sound happy. It should be known that I strongly dislike green apples, or apples in general. Except maybe the soft kind, those are good. So any apple that is soft and can be easily bitten into is a good apple. Just not the green ones. Those are to sour. So she is regretful about eating green apples.
ReplyDeleteHey Max, if you think about apples symbolically, what do you think of?
DeleteWait isn't she being kind of sarcastic in the poem because the pregnancy is bothering her?
DeleteDona, explain how you knew the pregnancy was bothering her...
DeleteI think, going off apples, that in that line, she might be saying the baby inside of her is the result of sin or was created in a sour way because green apples are often connected with sourness. Maybe this baby was conceived in a way God would not approve of. I think she had previously thought of, and almost did have, an abortion, but she decides she will raise the baby, but in the end she doesn't know if it was the right decision because what if this baby reminds her of the sin that was commited in order for her to be impregnated and she cannot love it like she wanted to and maybe she cannot give it up for adoption because the new parents won't know that this baby was not conceived in a "holy" manner. I could, and probably am, totally off, but it's just my interpretation. I conclude with as follows: Apples; satan's spawn. ;)
DeleteI just realized my holy manner comment could be taken in a way it was not intended to be taken. I SWEAR IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. I DID NOT MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME WORDS. much apologies
DeleteWords like elephants, melon, and ponderous houses. I thought that these words describe the baby in her womb.. That's how I knew that the pregnancy is bothering her and her diction makes it kind of sarcastic.
DeleteI found this poem to be very interesting. It is almost like the poem is announcing the woman's pregnancy in a way that only the wise would understand, or other women. The tone shifts at the word "I'm" because then she uses condescending words like cow and stage, which woman would ever want to be called. I find the line "a ponderous house" to be interesting however. It does not seem to correlate with the rest of the connections.
ReplyDeleteYou got the shift!
DeleteI don't think this poem is sad! The speaker uses playful and lighthearted diction, so I think she's rather excited to be starting this new chapter of her life. The reader can conclude she's pregnant by noting the stress on the number nine and the metaphors she describes her situation with. It isn't obvious what she's talking about at first, but the message is clear by the end of the poem. The only thing I'm confused about is why the author chose to name the poem "Metaphors" and not something that related to pregnancy or the theme.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is quite interesting for multiple reasons. The poem itself is a metaphor for pregnancy, which you can infer from the stress on nine syllables across nine lines. Each line is a metaphor for pregnancy, and I feel that each line represents each month of the pregnancy. At the second "i'm" the tone slightly shifts toward the thought that she begins to regret it.
ReplyDeleteThe diction in this poem is interesting as well, because the author decided to make each line nine syllables long, and had to use certain words to achieve that.
I find the mention of food funny, cuz cravings. Teehee.
I interpret the nine syllables in each line as the author proving her first statement. The first line "I'm a riddle in nine syllables," and each line in the poem is nine syllables, she is trying to tell us something through riddles with nine syllables, which also relates to the nine months a baby usually in a woman's stomach. My favorite line is the last one because I just really think it's really awesome...then again the whole poem is awesome. I like how you said each line represents a different month of pregnancy because I also agree and I think it's bloody brilliant. Sorry, I turned a little British there...anywho I really enjoy this poem and you would know about cravings Liam....
DeleteI don't really know what I mean by that either but at the same time I do and I'm proud of it. PS I AM VERY DISSAPOINTED IN EVERYONE IN 5TH PERIOD. That is all.
I totally agree with your statement about each line being a metaphor for pregnancy and each line being a month in the pregnancy. Also your statement about cravings is great and it totally links to the theme of this pome being about pregnancy.
DeleteI agree with you completely with you Liam, I also am a fan of your idea about cravings! The line I like is the elephant and the house. Assuming we are talking about stages of pregnancy this stage is the first. Contrary to what Josh said I think about this line goes right along. I think it brings up the elephant as in the expression used to bring up big topics with the line "the elephant in the room". In our poem's case this elephant is pregnancy. Obviously if this woman is pregnant it will be very awkward with this "elephant" in the room. It is harmonized by the line "in this ponderous house" meaning the news of being pregnant has a heavy weight and is awkward where she lives. It would not be awkward in her house if she lived on her own, but the fact that the house is awkward means that she could still be living with her parents. This would back up many other peoples comments that she is regretful about her situation. REALLY 5TH PERIOD...REALLY?
Delete5TH PERIOD SHAME ON YOU!
DeleteSorry my commenting didn't originally work.
This poem is obviously about a pregnant woman, considering the nine lines and nine syllables per line. In the beginning of this poem, the woman seems excited to become a mother. However, the diction and tone of the poem shift after the "I'm." The narrator's tone becomes irritated and regretful instead of excited and lighthearted. The diction shifts as well. Instead of using words associated with happiness, the author begins to use words that convey a more remorseful, aggravated tone. This shift is probably due to the fact she is nearing her due date and is feeling the pains of pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteFrom the metaphors and tone of the poem I can tell it is about a pregnant woman. surprisingly, the strange word choice puts a clear image in my mind of what the woman looks like. When I first started reading the poem, I thought the tone was calming and happy, then it changed to more of a stressful tone.
ReplyDeleteI think that this poem has a vaguely happy tone. In the second line she compares herself to an elephant and a ponderous house. An elephant is big and so is a house, so she is saying she is big. Then she starts talking about food that seems like she really loves it. In the second to last line, it seems like she is slightly remorseful which shows a change in her character. Most pregnant women call themselves huge, have cravings, and change their moods quickly, so this reflects the feels of a pregnant woman. Also a very noticeable pattern is the nine syllables per line which is what she states in her first line.
ReplyDeleteThe nine lines and nine syllables represent the nine months of pregnancy, and the poem focuses mostly on how large she's become. The line "A melon strolling on two tendrils" provides a mental image of a woman with a stomach so bloated that it dwarfs her legs. After the shift, at line 7, she begins to write about more than just her fatness. When she says "I'm a means, a stage" I think she's saying that she's the host of her baby, like she's the pot in which a seedling may grow before it can live on its own. I'm not sure how to phrase it, but I guess it's just that she's the means by which her baby is entering the world. She's not just her own person when she's pregnant, she's the vessel for an entirely new life. The last line reveals a reluctant attitude towards her pregnancy, but she seems to have a good sense of humor about it and it's probably not totally unwanted.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about a women who is pregnant and she seems very happy to become a mother. The use of the happily playful diction helps explain how excited she is, when she says that she has boarded a train that she cant get off of means that she is going to be a mother soon and from then she will be a mother for the rest of her life. The use of the train metaphor helps explain that she is ready for the commitment of having a kid.
ReplyDeletethis is about a pregnant lady. I think it has a remorseful tone.
ReplyDeleteThis is insufficient as a response. You should TPCASTT the poem if this is all you can come up with. Feel free to write your paraphrase here.
DeleteThis poem is about a pregnant woman. The nine lines and nine syllables in each line represent the nine months of pregnancy. The "fat purse" she refers to is her oversized stomach. The shift in the poem occurs at line seven when she implies that there is no changing what is about to happen and she got on a path she can't get off of.
ReplyDeleteThis poem starts off very sad. It sounds like she a regretting getting pregnant. Maybe their is something behind her pregnancy that she regrets. Like maybe how she got to this point when she says "Boarded the train there's no getting off". She describes herself as fat and elephant like. I do not think she is happy with herself by the way that she is coming off to us readers. I did not really understand many of the metaphors that she uses and it took me awhile to figure out some of them. The 9 lines defiantly signifies the 9 months of pregnancy she has to go through.
ReplyDeleteThere are nine lines and "nine syllables"...ironic much! This poem is based on a pregnant woman that seems happy about this new experience, however she seems troubled at the same time. She tries to be funny with her metaphors. Her nine syllables refer to her nine months of pregnancy; each month with a new craving, a new size. "Boarded the train there's no getting off," she can't "undo" her pregnancy so she has to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteWell after reading the poem the title makes sense because the poem its self is full of metaphors. The poem is about a pregnant lady however torwordsnthe end of the poem I don't think she is very happy about this because the lines "I've eaten a bag of green apples." If you eat too many green apples supposedly your stomach is supposed to hurt. Untill this point the lady seems to be generally content ,but not necessarily happy.
ReplyDeleteWell if you read the title like when we do TPCASTT, then you would know each line would be a metaphor to somthing. However, that was a given anyways. After I read the poem, I instantly thought about anything with the number 9, and how the other lines help explain it. I narrowed it down to having it be about a pregnant lady. Therefore, I agree with you Alyssa, but she is only unhappy on the 8th line. In this case, the 8th month she is pregnant. The shift at the tone is when she say, " I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf." I think its this because all other lines are happy before it, but she calls herself a cow and a stage. Women don't really like being compared to a cow or stage( at least I think and hope). I also like that you knew about the green apple.
Deletep.s. nothing :D
This poem is about a pregnant woman that uses many metaphors to describe her state. It has nine lines with nine syllables each line which symbolizes the 9 months of pregnancy. In the beginning I thought she was okay with the pregnancy and she was just making little jokes, but toward the end I kind of got the impression that she may be kind of regretting the pregnancy. I think this especially in the last line when she says "Boarded the train there's no getting off" meaning theres no way to undo what she's done.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is very confusing. At first I thought it had to do with the number nine because of the amount of lines and such. The rest seems like nonsense and I can't get anything clear from it.
ReplyDelete-Henry
DeleteIt is true that the number 9 is a symbol for something Henry. I also see how the other lines don't really "connect" to each other, but start with the number 9 again. think about anything that involves it.
Delete... except math because math is irrelevant to English. Right, Ms Prodomo?
After first reading the poem and looking at the title, I thought that this was just a poem filled with lines of metaphors that didn't really tell a story. However, I now realize after reading through the comments that it is a metaphor for a pregnant woman. The use of nine (# of lines, syllables) emphasizes pregnancy and what it means. Words like "fruit," "new-minted," & "rising" all indicate creation, something new, and they seem to have a positive connotation. However, there is a shift around line 7 and the words start having more of a negative connotation. The speaker mentions "green apples" which tend to mean sour apples, and that is usually a bad thing. I don't think that it is a coincidence that the shift happens at line 7 because that is about the time when the speaker had a change of heart about the pregnancy. For the first 6 months she was excited about the thought of a baby, new life, and was able to enjoy herself as her belly swelled, but by the time month 7 rolled around reality had set in for her. She started doubting her decision to have a child and was very anxious. She knew that she had boarded a train she couldn't get off; raising a child.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting point to make and it may be true. She was probably trying to stay positive about her pregnancy but by the end came to terms with the fact that she was just not ready for a baby. I think the train that she has boarded is a symbol for motherhood because it's in the last line, just as the end of the nine months would be the birth of the child. The tone of this poem is regretful because we can see that the speaker is seeing this child as a burden and that she is just the carrier for it, calling herself "a means, a stage."
DeleteThis poem is about a woman who is pregnant and that is why all the references to the number 9 are significant. At first I thought it was more a happier tone and someone reflecting on their pregnancy in a positive way but after reading the last line, I believe that she isn't quite so sure about having a child, and she is doubtful and maybe even regretful.
ReplyDeleteThe poem is about a pregnant woman who seems by the end that she doesn't really want to have her child or is weary about it because she says her pregnancy is a train that she can't get off of. This makes me think that she did not have a planned pregnancy and wasn't expecting to have a baby. Each line is a metaphor and the poem is nine lines and has nine syllables per line. The tone is playfully regretful.
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading this poem, I was a bit confused. But after further thought, I realized that this is about a pregnant women. The nine represents the nine months of pregnancy and the following metaphors and figurative language describe this woman's experience being pregnant. She is described as being fat and eating a lot, which to me makes it seem as if this particular pregnancy is reflected in a negative way. Also, the last line about the train makes the negative connotation even stronger.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this poem approximately nine times, I finally was able to understand the purpose of the nine lines each with nine syllables: the speaker is pregnant! The speaker does not enjoy being pregnant, because there is a shift in line 7, where the previously indifferent, riddlesome diction becomes negative. "A means, a stage, a cow in calf," all describe the narrator as large and fat. Following this, the speaker comments on how she has "eaten a bag of green apples." A whole bag implies a large appetite, and green apples have a more negative connotation than red apples, for they are known to be sour. The last line creates a sarcastically remorseful tone, for the narrator knows that she cannot change her situation, although she may be unhappy in it. Lines 1-6 assist in uncovering this "riddle," for they all give hints being large objects. However, these lines are less condescending towards the narrator herself because of the very specific wording. The metaphors in these lines relate the narrator to items with more positive connotations. A house is a place of belonging and happiness, and bread fresh from the oven is not taken negatively. Last second sudden discovery: pregnancy has nine letters.
ReplyDeleteIt is apparent that this poem is about a pregnant woman (given the significance of the number nine) and so on. One line says "O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers." The red fruit can represent the fetus growing inside her. Ivory is precious and it comes from elephant tusks. Earlier in the poem, the speaker compares herself to an elephant. The fetus is a part of her and the ivory is a part of an elephant. Timber is wood that is prepared for use in building. The fetus is in the stages of growing and building up the essentials for the outside world. Timbers are used to build something strong and durable. Cullen describes the timbers as fine which implies the fetus is healthy. I don't think the speaker regrets her pregnancy, but is just done with all the pain from the pregnancy. At first she was happy and ready for it, but as the lines progressed, it seems as though she isn't exactly happy with the pregnancy, but with the fetus inside. It's what makes her okay with it. She's gone through too much to end it now.
ReplyDeletethis poem is about a pregnant lady metaphorically talking about pregnancy hence the title, "Metaphors." In the second line, whatever her name is says she is an "elephant" and a "ponderous house" which shows her opinion on what her pregnant body looks like. the author of this poem almost seems to be joking about her appearance but in the last lines of the poem the author makes herself seem insignificant saying "moneys new-minted in this fat purse." and, "I'm a mean, a stage, a cow in calf." and finally showing regret in her pregnancy, the author says, I've eaten a bag of green apples, boarded the train there's no getting off." showing it is still hard for the author to accept her pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteThe author focuses on the number 9 a lot in the poem. There are 9 lines and 9 syllables in each line. The woman is pregnant, so she is probably 9 months pregnant. She is describing her experience when she was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator is describing her pregnancy in (of course of what the title is named) metaphorical language. She first announces herself as a"riddle in nine syllables (the poem is also nine lines long). She then begins to describe herself as an elephant and like a huge house and as a watermelon walking along on two small legs. She compares herself to a loaf of bread with yeast rising inside of her(her baby) and also like a coin with new money. She also views herself as a "means", a carrier to her child and believes she looks like she ate a large bag of green apples, leading to her point that there is nothing she can do anything about her pregnancy.She sees herself as if she is boarding a train which she cannot leave.
ReplyDeleteWith the use of the number nine, and her calling herself an elephant and a cow, it is clear that the speaker is pregnant. In the first six lines, she seems very lighthearted about her pregnancy: she is joking about her pregnancy and how much she has grown. When she says the line "Money's new-minted in this fat purse," her tone changes. She realizes there is true value in what she has. She is saddened by the pregnancy because she believes she is just a means for child birth. She believes she is cursed by the pregnancy now by calling the fruit inside her a sour green apple instead of a melon, which is sweet. She is unsure if she can endure the pain of being a mother, but she knows she cannot change her mind because it is too late.
ReplyDeleteThe poem is about a pregnant woman. The use of tine ties in with the nine months the baby is developing. The diction here was specifically picked to keep the nine syllables. The woman here was excited about the baby in the first few lines, but her tone changes. The last lines shows the readers that she is scared about having the baby or she might have gotten pregnant on accident.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about a woman who is pregnant. In the beginning of the poem, she seems excited about having a baby and there is a joyful, happy tone. As the poem progresses, the tone starts to turn regretful as if she is tired of being pregnant or no longer wants to have the child.
ReplyDeleteI feel like each line is a summary of how she feels about her pregnancy in each corresponding month. The imagery presented by each line may not initially seem to be in chronological order, but when I thought about it from the narrator's point of view, it began to make more sense. Based on this, the tone of the poem, at least overall, is certainly not grateful, because describing the future as a "train there's no getting off" doesn't show a lot of optimism. After all, trains aren't typically referred to as a fun place to be. Also, I don't think being pregnant is the narrator's main concern at this point, because this description is given at the end of the poem, but appears to be referring to the future. I think she's more worried about actually having to be a mother. It's either that or some other long-term obligations that she now faces,
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about a pregnant lady. She seems sarcastic about being excited to have a baby. The poem also makes her sound tired. My favorite metaphor was "This loaf's big with its yeasty rising." because it is supposed to show the readers how her stomach is like.
ReplyDeleteAfter noticing that there was 9 syllables in each line and there are 9 lines in this poem. I concluded it was about a pregnant lady. Her diction supports my conclusion because the speaker says "This loaf's big with yeasty rising."
ReplyDeleteThe poem has a regretful tone to it that make you feel sorry for the narrator. The poem is about a women who is regretting being pregnant so she is soloing about it. It is almost as she got pregnant on accident and is now felling that it will destroy her.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is most definitely about someone who is pregnant. Not only is the number nine referenced in the poem, but the poem is nine lines long, and each line is nie syllables. This matches the number of months it takes for a baby to become mature enough to be born. The nine syllables in each line is a very interesting choice of diction, and was probably a bit challenging to do while keeping on the overall point of the poem, which is pregnancy. The title, "Metaphors," also alludes to the idea that this poem will not give away the answer, but the true meaning will become evident in reading it.
ReplyDeleteIt has a sad tone like the narrator re greys something and is sorrowful. The descriptions and imagery shift the tone throughout the whole poem. The line were it refers to a loaf of bread it hints at a pregnancy
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ReplyDeletePayton. I removed your post because of the language you used in it. Let's try to keep it clean on here. If you'd like credit, you're welcome to re-post, but using derogatory terms for women (or anyone) is just not acceptable.
DeleteThis poem is quite obviously about a pregnancy. There are 9 lines, 9 syllables in each line, and 9 months in an average pregnancy. In this poem, the narrator describes her feelings about this pregnancy and what it is doing to her body. She appears to not like it, calling herself a melon, an elephant, and a house. The end line "Boarded the train there's no getting off" shows us that she may feel trapped in the situation, and the fact that there's no punctuation may show that the time will be here quickly, before she knows it.
ReplyDeleteI'm re-posting my comment y'all. This written work seems a bit strange and humorous at first, with the whole "elephant in a house" and "melon on two tendrils" parts because it think about the visualization it's imagery allows the reader to picture those awkward things. When the narrator says the "I'm a stage" line, the tone turns more serious. A stage is something to be used, it's quite worthless because what matters is the people (or object) on the stage (most likely performing). The narrator feels all weepy, cryie at the end, and it's a hidden message to the females of the world: don't get pregnant. You're just the host, the importance of the guest steals your thunder!
ReplyDelete