Facts about the author -Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda, a spanish poet, was born in 1904, with the name Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He used the pen name "Pablo Neruda" to hide his work from his father, who dissapproved of his literary work. Throughout his life, Neruda was awarded the International Peace Prize in 1950, the Stalin Peace Prize in 1953, a Doctorate in Literature from Oxford in 1965, and the Nobel Prize in 1971. He was diagnosed with cancer, and died of heart failure in 1973.
Fear
by Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda, a spanish poet, was born in 1904, with the name Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He used the pen name "Pablo Neruda" to hide his work from his father, who dissapproved of his literary work. Throughout his life, Neruda was awarded the International Peace Prize in 1950, the Stalin Peace Prize in 1953, a Doctorate in Literature from Oxford in 1965, and the Nobel Prize in 1971. He was diagnosed with cancer, and died of heart failure in 1973.
Fear
by Pablo Neruda
Everyone is after me to exercise,
get in shape, play football,
rush about, even go swimming and flying.
Fair enough.
Everyone is after me to take it easy.
They all make doctor’s appointments for me,
eyeing me in a quizzical way.
What is it?
Everyone is after me to take a trip,
to come in, to leave, not to travel,
to die and, alternatively, not to die.
It doesn't matter.
Everyone is spotting oddnesses
in my innards, suddenly shocked
by radio-awful diagrams.
I don't agree with them.
Everyone is picking at my poetry
with their relentless knives and forks,
trying, no doubt, to find a fly.
I am afraid.
I am afraid of the whole world,
afraid of cold water, afraid of death.
I am as all mortals are,
unable to be patient.
And so, in these brief, passing days,
I shall put them out of my mind.
I shall open up and imprison myself
with a most treacherous enemy,
Pablo Neruda.
Thesis
Neruda uses his point of view, theme, and irony to confront his life, surrounded by concerns and fears, and reflects upon one's state of a tranquil loneliness.
Questions
1) There is a drastic change when looking at the first stanza, then the second stanza. What is the difference between the two?
2) "Everyone is after me" is a phrase that is repeated throughout the poem. What is the purpose/meaning behind these words?
3) In the fourth stanza, Nerudas reaction to hearing that he is unhealthy is, " I don't agree with them." How does this relate to everyday life with everyday situations that people are confronted with?
4) In the sixth stanza, Neruda confesses that he is, "afraid of cold water, afraid of death." How could these be campared in relation to getting over the fear of mortality/death?
5) For a final, better understanding of this poem, we are going to look at this poem piece by piece.
We already concluded that the first two stanzas relate to (will be awnsered in question one).
The third and fourth stanza (will be awnsered in question three).
What happens in the fifth and six stanza? (What does the author do/face?)
Now that Neruda has_________________ throughout the poem, what is the purpose of the last stanza?
Questions
1) There is a drastic change when looking at the first stanza, then the second stanza. What is the difference between the two?
2) "Everyone is after me" is a phrase that is repeated throughout the poem. What is the purpose/meaning behind these words?
3) In the fourth stanza, Nerudas reaction to hearing that he is unhealthy is, " I don't agree with them." How does this relate to everyday life with everyday situations that people are confronted with?
4) In the sixth stanza, Neruda confesses that he is, "afraid of cold water, afraid of death." How could these be campared in relation to getting over the fear of mortality/death?
5) For a final, better understanding of this poem, we are going to look at this poem piece by piece.
We already concluded that the first two stanzas relate to (will be awnsered in question one).
The third and fourth stanza (will be awnsered in question three).
What happens in the fifth and six stanza? (What does the author do/face?)
Now that Neruda has_________________ throughout the poem, what is the purpose of the last stanza?
I think you did a great job on the seminar :). I loved the poem. I especially love how you worded the last question :). i think this poem is very well written and I think that this poem could be interpreted many ways, it seems to have no distinct meaning.
ReplyDeleteExcellent job Emily! This was a really interesting poem that required a lot of thinking. The reading of the poem you did was also very well-done :).For me, the very last stanza, stanza seven, was the most meaningful. This stanza showed that he was finally able to face reality and accept that the people around him and their opinions were not the problem, but he, himself was the problem. He was able to accept all of his fears and face them.
ReplyDeleteJamie, you are a wonderfully supportive presence, both in class and online.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you do a great job of sorting through the details. Isn't it an interesting (and terrifying thought) that the person who could turn out to be the biggest enemy in your life might not be your high school nemesis but rather yourself?
You did a very good job on your presentation today. I think that the first couple of stanzas were talking about stress and how every father wants their son to be a athlete. Mean while his friends are telling him to relax and take it easy. I agree with Linda with what she said about the last couple of stanzas. This poem makes me think of my stage fright problem. I always get nervous when I have to present to a lot of people, but it is not that bad compared to when I was a child. All people get nervous sometimes, so it is not just me. Great choice of poem!!!!
ReplyDelete