Tue, Jan 19, 2010
Pd 1
1. AR reading & log
2. Notes on sonnets; Quiz tomorrow
3. Read “On His Blindness” aloud and discuss
Pd 2 See MESSAGE below HW
1. Get copy of Jane Eyre, reading schedule, and study questions for chps 1,2,3
2. Hand in qstns & Crit Resp. for Lucy, Bright Star, When I Have Fears.
3. Discuss Eros poems with handout of AP Exam essay prompt.
--HW: Read ~ 20 pp of Jane Eyre every day, according to chapters in the reading schedule. Answer study questions.
--HW: Score 9 essays (handout) on the Eros poems using the scoring guide. On paper, list each essay by letter(s), the score you give it, and the part of the scoring guide description that fits the essay;
e.g. RR, 7, reasonable comp/cont of concepts of Eros
•••••MESSAGE•••••
To have all scores, 1-9, replace essay WWW with the following essay SS: ( student errors are not corrected ) See me if you want a hard copy or print your own. This essay will be erased after class Thursday.
Robert Bridges intimately addresses Eros, the Greek god of love, in his poem “EPΩΣ” as he desperately pleads to discover the thoughts and intentions of the mysterious idol. Also describing the powerful god, Anne Stevenson offers a more modern view of love in “Eros,” a poem in which the god is not a mystery, but rather a worn, battered entity who must endure pain in order to maintain his valiant pursuit of love.
Bridges’ poem is very traditional, mirroring an analytical and ancient view of Eros. To begin with, the title of the poem is in Greek, suggesting that the contents of the poem will reflect Eros’ traditional role as well as an older perspective of the god. Furthermore, Eros is depicted as an elevated, admirable entity in parts of the poem. Bridges immediately presents the generally accepted view of Eros as the “idol of the human race.” However, Bridges creates this typical sense of praise so that he may emphasize his following questioning of Eros’ intentions.
It soon becomes clear that Bridges will not simply accept Eros as the perfect god of love. In fact, he is rather confrontational as he demands in the first line of the poem to know why Eros “hast nothing in [his] face.” The use of this abrupt, direct apostrophe proves that Bridges does not completely accept the traditional admiration of Eros. The face symbolizes Eros’ thought and innermost intentions as he deals with matters of love. Bridges continues to subtly allude to the fact that Eros may be, in part, malevolent. He contrasts the view of Eros as “the tyrant of the human heart” with the concept of the God as “the flower of lovely youth.” Clearly, “tyrant” has very negative connotations with regards to Eros’ actions, while “flower” has very positive connotations in reference to Eros’ appearance. The poet emphasizes Eros’ attractive, youthful appearance through vivid imagery and elevated diction. For example, the god has “exuberant flesh so fair,” dons “proud dress,” and is, in fact, so perfect in outward appearance that Bridges alludes the the Greek sculptor Pheidias, claiming that only a man-made object could compare.
Bridges creates a perfect image of Eros in order to contend that Eros’ thoughts, which should be of utmost importance, may not match this admirable image. Bridges’ tone becomes increasingly sarcastic and confrontational in the final two stanzas as he accuses Eros of failing to maintain good intentions at all times. He sardonically comments, “surely thy body is thy mind,” clearly not certain that Eros’ beautiful appearance reflects a beautiful heart. Bridges uses diction that connotes an ill-intentioned secrecy on Eros’ part, commenting on a “secret” smile that “shadows neither love nor guile.” By the last stanza, Bridges makes it clear that he knows that Eros is rash and thoughtless in his actions; he is much more blunt and accusatory, begging to know, “what is thy thought” and then answering his own question by stating that it is “nought.” He removes any doubt of his skepticism and accusation by ironically referring to a “victim” of Eros’ “grace.” Clearly, those who step in his path will be harmed rather than saved.
Although Stevenson also creates a poem in which the speaker communicates directly with Eros, it is very different in its modern praise. Stevenson’s poem is clearly contemporary, most obvious in its title (“Eros” rather than “EPΩΣ” and its colloquial diction. Stevenson praises, rather than condemning, Eros’ work. She also provides Eros’ point of view, as Bridges does not.
Stevenson presents the speaker more as a “damsel in distress” than the accusatory, skeptical, and very analytical speaker in “EPΩΣ” The first two lines are a plead for help from the benevolent Eros: “I call for love, but help me, who arrives?” Although she uses simple imagery to reflect on Eros” frightening appearance, she, unlike Bridges, has no problem with the way he looks. Although he is a “thug” with “boxer lips and patchy wings askew,” Stevenson’s playful, flirtatious, and admiring tone proves that she likes him just the way he is.
Eros then presents his own view; in this case, he is a hard-working defender of love rather than a corrupt, sneaky manipulator. Eros repeatedly says “you” and “your” to reveal that he and other gods only work at the demands of the people. He claims that he is “the archetype” that the speaker “create[s],” that his poor appearance is the result of “blows” the speaker’s “lust” has caused. The poem ends with a general moral, stating that it is better to be “bruised but hot” rather than let love “rot.”
While Bridges’ Eros is outwardly beautiful and inwardly ugly, Stevenson’s Eros is outwardly ugly and inwardly beautiful.
