Geography III

At first, I thought the title of Bishop's book of poems was somewhat random, and even after reading a couple of poems I still didn't see the reason for the title. Yet, when studying the poems in class and also learning more about Bishop herself, I've come to realize that when it comes to her particular art, nothing she does is pointless.

Geography describes the Earth and its inhabitants. All of Bishop's poems in some way connect to geography. They all have relatable themes that connect the readers as well. For Bishop personally, these poems are about lessons she has learned through connections to geography, which is why she put "First Lessons in Geography" in the front of her book. As for the number three in the title, the only conclusion I can gather is that she has lived in three continents of the world, and this book is meant to show what she has learned in her life in all three places.

The poem "In the Waiting Room" is a great example of her use of geography as a theme. In this poem, Bishop learns through looking at the National Geographic, that though landscapes may separate people, everyone is the same. She also uses geographical imagery such as, "I was saying it to stop the sensation of falling off the round, turning world…" to describe her disorienting experience. In her poem "Poem," Bishop takes great care to describe in detail the nature and landscape that is a part of the painting she is admiring. In "Moose," she also describes the landscape, and uses the moose as a thing of simple beauty that connects strangers on a bus and brings them wonder. In "Crusoe in England," she describes how a solitary person on a deserted island is able to find comfort, or perhaps distraction, in the surrounding landscape.

I am not particularly partial to poetry. I prefer to be able to read something and be able to take it at face value, and then later interpret it how I wish. Poetry is not as straightforward and I have a hard time understanding its meaning. Not only this, but I enjoy long, engaging stories with beautiful descriptive language. Poetry doesn't seem to fit my specifications and it just doesn't pull at all the right strings for me. This is not to say that there aren't some poems that I greatly enjoy. If I read a poem without interpreting it, I want it to leave me "wowed." Then once interpreted, I want to be speechless, disoriented, and enlightened all at once.

Bishop's poems were hard for me to understand. After reading most of them, I was left greatly confused. Some poems made me feel as though I wasted my time in reading them, while others such as "One Art," I was able to understand and enjoy. Once we discussed Bishop and her poems in class, however, I found that I greatly appreciate her preciseness and dedication. Her poems were edited and edited until they were just right for her and until they had the exact effect that she wanted. Once I was able to understand the possible message of her poems and understand her possible reasoning for the way they were written, I discovered that I enjoy these poems, and I was indeed left feeling speechless, disoriented, and enlightened. She's not my favorite poet but her mastery in her craft is admirable. I only wish I didn't have to study her poems in order to appreciate them.

The Strong Females in Glengarry Glen Ross

The lack of respect for women and the lack of important female characters would make one think that Mamet favors his own sex and looks down on the opposite sex. In fact, on page 96 of the play Roma is so outraged at Williamson for making him lose his deal that he calls him a "cunt." This word is derogatory on its own, but the situation in which Roma uses it and the tone he uses shows that he has no respect for women. This is not the only example that could be shown as degrading to women, but what is more important is all the evidence against men.

On the surface, the play seems to have no female characters at all. However, women, or the lack thereof, are a huge factor in the power of the play. The setting of the play is in a male-dominated society and the main characters are males who seem to have no respect for women or for anything but money and power. The characters display a great vulgarity and put each other down. The exaggerated language serves to make the men look even viler and very unintelligent, I might add. These men cheat and lie and deceive and do whatever necessary to get to the top. The business they are in and they themselves are interpreted so that one could not possibly see anything good or respectful in them.

Also, the few female characters there are, are better than the men. First there is Levene's daughter. She actually means something to Levene and while his job is disgraceful, she is his motivation. This could seem negative, but it shows that a woman, even an invalid one, can still inspire others.

Mrs. Lingk is also another great example of a strong woman. Clearly, she wears the pants in the relationship with James Lingk. She tells James he must refuse Roma and she will not take no for an answer according to Lingk. In fact, Lingk is so fearful of his wife that even with her not around, he will not speak out against her to Roma. This shows the power and influence of the female and further makes the male characters look weak.

As for Harriet Nyborg, well she could be seen to be just as bad as the men she deceives. The fact that she deceives Levene, the one with the sick daughter, who is struggling to pay the bills, and who later loses his job, certainly this makes her seem heartless and show that women are not much better than men. Maybe that was Mamet's point—that men and women are equally despicable. If Mamet's point was to show all the flaws of our society and the bitter truth of human nature, that opens up a whole new, but very valid, can of worms.

Going back to Harriet Nyborg though, she most likely did not know about Levene's pathetic situation. However, if I were her, pity would not have swayed me. Her cheating Levene and many other salesmen out of their sales shows that she is fighting back. She knows that salesmen will say anything at the expense of customers so long as they make a sale and take their customers' money. She is fighting against the idea than men are superior; she is fighting against the corrupt practices of a society thriving on greed. She is made to look like such an insignificant part of the play, but in reality, she is the strongest character. She, and the rest of the women, serve to accentuate the corrupt men and show them for the weasels they really are. This is not a man's world, it's everyone's world.