Homework for 1/29/08

"Golden Grove"
The first translation of Golden Grove is written in a more poetic artistic wording, but it can be confusing and harder to follow. The second translation is easier to read because it is written in a very straightforward modern style. The different translations read differently but overall still tell the same story, but with slightly different meanings. When translating the meaning may be interpreted or changed differently by different people, just the same as a poem can be read different ways and different meanings can be taken. This makes it hard to say for which poem is better, but I found the second translation more enjoyable to read because it was easier to read and visualize the imagery. Both poems are very emotional and visual with the words used and descriptions. The second translation is necessarily better, its just different and I enjoyed it more.


"Girl"
This is a comedic poem filled with the advice told from a mother or grandmother to a young woman. They range from tip to household chores, to scoldings and warning of her becoming a slut, to things dealing with men. It is written very informally with each phrase separated by semicolons. The young woman only has two lines of speech in the text, and this helps give the image of the bossy mother telling her what to do all the time. She tells her how to do everything and how to act in every situation. I feel like this was written by the author in memory of her upbringing but it is told in a funny way especially how it ends.