basement room

basement room
from Andrew Clements' Things Not Seen

i think its raining from my basement room.
but basements make for faraway ears,
and rain dries up so quickly.
i still think it was rain.

i think a wind is blowing up above.
but wind is such a meaningless thing,
invisible and always gone.
i still think it was wind.

i think im up there in the wind and rain.
but dreaming is always done in bed,
and so many winds and rains are dreams.
i still think it was me.

This poem was written by Alicia Van Dorn, a blind character in Andrew Clements' Things Not Seen, which is why there is no capitalization and several punctuation errors. This book is absolutely amazing and superbly written, and I highly recommend that everyone read it. It is very different from the type of books Andrew Clements normally writes (Frindle, The Landry News, The Report Card, etc.), so it's also very interesting to experience a different side of Clements' writing style.

SIFTSEI Analysis

S - The poem is telling the reader about how the things in life that supposedly make one happy do not stay around forever. They come and go, just like the rain and wind, and oftentimes, the ideas of happiness are often "meaningless" and "faraway." The speaker, however, still believes it was happiness, contentment, that passed her by.

I - The intent of this poem is to convey the message that happiness will not always stay. Contenment is often "meaningless" in the things the people seek them in, and many times, one will find oneself looking on while someone else experiences joy.

F - The poem gives one a sense of loneliness and sadness. The girl, the persona, is contemplating the things in life that supposedly make one happy, which are represented by rain and wind. She states, "...so many winds and rains are dreams." Yet these things in life, they leave quickly. The girl says, "i still think it was me." She still believes it was herself in the midst of life and all that makes one happy. Yet, notice she uses "was," not is. This means she is no longer a part of life's happiness, and only seeing it from a distant, like one sees rain from a basement.

T - Andrew Clements uses a contemplative tone throughout the poem. The reptition of the phrase, "i still think it was..." allows the reader to hear the thought and simplicity of the persona's voice.

S - The rain and wind symbolize what life has to offer to make one happy. The basement room is a symbol for being disconnected from those things, and just watching from a "faraway" distance, and no longer being a part of it. These three symbols, not evident at first but when later found, give the poem much depth and meaning, especially when one is aware of the fact that the author of this poem (who is a character in Things Not Seen) is blind.

E - Sadness is evoked through phrases such as, "...its raining from my basement room." and "...wind is such a meaningless thing,..." The way in which the author has strung the words together aids in letting the reader hear the rain from the basement, and to see the wind, although it is "invisible and always gone." All of these components give the reader an overwhelming feeling of sadness, as if one has a lump in one's throat; the lump one gets before the tears cascade down.

I - In this poem, the image of a basement room, wind, and rain are given. The author does not give many descriptive words, yet the reader can see very clearly in one's mind the image of a teenage girl, in a basement, listening to the wind and rain. Also, although the poem does not state it, the connotation of the words "wind" and "rain" give the image of a gray day, with a continuous downpour of rain and the sighing of sad winds.

Barbie Doll

Barbie Doll

by Marge Piercy

This girlchild was born as usual

and presented dolls that did pee-pee

and miniature GE stoves and irons

and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.

Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:

You have a great big nose and fat legs.

She was healthy, tested intelligent,

possessed strong arms and back,

abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.

She went to and fro apologizing.

Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.

She was advised to play coy,

exhorted to come on hearty,

exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.

Her good nature wore outlike a fan belt.

So she cut off her nose and her legs

and offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she lay

with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,

a turned-up putty nose,

dressed in a pink and white nightie.

Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.

Consummation at last.

To every woman a happy ending.

TPCASTT Analysis

T - The title makes one think that the poem is going to be about the supposedly "perfect" body form for a girl, teenager, and woman.

P - The poem is basically talking about a young girl who gave into the pressures of the world. She was happy with herself until one days someone told her that she had, "...a great big nose and fat legs." She didn't ask the person to justify why they thought that, and, instead, believed what he/she said, because when she was young, she had already begun to be influenced by what the world portrays as a "pretty" girl when she was handed dolls that just seemed "perfect." In the end she died and all anyone said was, "Doesn't she look pretty?" as they gazed upon her in her casket. She was content, too, in a way, because she thought she had achieved every woman's happy ending: a "perfect" body.

C - The poet uses much imagery throughout the poem. In the first stanza we are given the image of a young girl's toys: a pretty doll, miniature stove, small make-up kits, and a big nose and fat legs. Throughout the poem the reader sees the girl growing up, exercising and dieting to get that "perfect" body, and later going under the knife to obtain her goal. The poet also uses a simile when she says, "Her good nature wore out like a fan belt," meaning that her unique personality slowly deteriorated as the girl became more and more frenzied with the pressures of the outside world.

A - Throughout most of the poem, the author uses a neutral, flat, matter-of-fact tone, except for the last line, when it says "To every woman a happy ending." which is said in a sarcastic voice.

S - The first shift happens in the last line of the first stanza. The lines preceding this shift make one think of a happy, innocent childhood, while the last line suddenly gives one the realization that judgment actually starts from the moment that each child is uwittingly shown a Barbie and Ken doll. The last shift happens in the last line of the poem, which suddenly becomes sarcastic. The poet states this in a sarcastic tone, because the poet is saying that the "happy ending" for a modern woman is to look "perfect," which is a very superficial thing to have one's happiness based upon.

T - When She Grows Up, She Wants to be Barbie

T - The poet is talking about how obsessed about looks everyone is these days. The theme of the poem is what everyone is beginning to believe: that it doesn't matter if one has inner beauty, if the packaging isn't "perfect."

The White Rabbit's Evidence

The White Rabbit's Evidence
by Lewis Carroll

They told me you had been to her,
And mentioned me to him:
She gave me a good character,
But said I could not swim.

He sent them word I had not gone
(We know it to be true):
If she should push the matter on,
What would become of you?

I gave her one, they gave him two,
You gave us three or more;
They all returned from him to you,
Though they were mine before.

If I or she should chance to be involved in this affair,
He trusts to you to set them free,
Exactly as we were.

My notion was that you had been
(Before she had this fit)
An obstacle that came between him, and ourselves, and it.

Don't let him know she liked them best,
For this must ever be a secret,
Kept from all the rest,
Between yourself and me.

Click here for the link.

Lewis Carroll is my favorite poet, which is why I picked this poem. In his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (which I recommend everyone read), the King says this poem, which is the White Rabbit's evidence against Alice, is "...the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet," while Alice says "...I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it." I think we can all agree with Alice.