This poem covers two of our major educational situation, it deals with reading poetry the right way, and racial relations/situations.
So,
1. Read the poem, several times.
2. Define any words or allusions
3. Paraphrase the meaning
4. Consider the author and the situation
4. Combine the beauty of the poem, the reading of the poem and the paraphrase of it to decided on this: What is the POEMS purpose? Not the author's purpose, but the poem's purpose.
5 Point out any literary devices and tell us how those devices work towards the poem's beauty and or purpose.
And finally, does this poem have any importance to or shed any light on any characters or situations in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
http://priorhouse.org/2013/09/09/4-poems-by-mari-evans/
1. Done, with pleasure.
ReplyDelete2. Endive is an edible Mediterranean plant whose bitter leaves may be blanched and used in salads. In North America, it can also refer to a young, typically blanched chicory plant, eaten as a cooked vegetable or in salads. Evans makes an allusion to the phrase "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" in the last line of her poem. This phrase is a common way to tell people to adapt to their situation, something the speaker has been doing for a while.
3. The poem is almost a conversation between two women, a Caucasian American slaveowner and an African American named Mattie. However, Mattie never speaks aloud, instead voicing only her thoughts as interjections when the Caucasian speaks. The white woman is offering Mattie food. Mattie notes that there is no meat so she can't have any. The woman offers her fancy foods, and Mattie reminisces about the simpler food that she likes to eat. The woman tells Mattie that she cannot eat the anchovies because they are too expensive, and Mattie once again comments in the richness of the offered food. The Caucasian notes that there is a wide variety of food that Mattie can choose from in order to eat her fill. She comments that there is an overabundance of food being offered to her. Mattie's final remarks indicate that she has eaten fancy food for a while, but is tired of it. She wants to return to her home and eat the foods she is used to eating.
4. The author of this poem is Mari Evans, an African American woman who was born in the 1920s. She grew up during the time when African Americans were not slaves, but still did not have full equality. Her insight about how African Americans have been forced to assimilate to white culture gives her a unique perspective that allows her to write his poem from the viewpoint of a slave.
5. The poem's purpose is to provide the reader with an understanding of the longing the speaker feels for her home. Mattie is living in a culture that is completely alien to the one she is usually immersed inside. By pointing out the differences in something as simple and common as food, the speaker gives the reader a clear juxtaposition of the two cultures. The palettes of the two cultures differ tremendously in sophistication and purpose. In Mattie's culture, food is much simpler than the slaveowner's. They also eat to nourish themselves, not for taste although their food is good. These differences in nutrition add to Mattie's nostalgia and create a profound feeling of alienation.
6. This poem uses stanza to help create meaning in the poem. The two different speakers' voices each receive their own stanzas, with one sentence standing alone. The two voices also have their own alignment on the page. The white woman is on the left side of the page, and the African American woman is on the right side. This positioning helps the reader easily determine which speaker is which. The author also uses punctuation to help add meaning to the poem. By enclosing Mattie's stanzas in parentheses, she helps the reader realize they are thoughts, not actually spoken dialogue. This poem also rhymes. The rhyme doesn't follow any particular pattern concerning which lines rhyme, but the irregularities themselves have purpose. They create a sense of informality that matches the situation the poem takes place in.
This poem helped me understand Jim better. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim is a simple man with simple wants. He wants to return to his family and live as a free man. Before I read this poem, I didn't really understand just how displaced Jim must feel. He may have adapted for the time being, but all he really wants is to get back to his simple life with his family.
I knew that the one person was superior to Mattie in this poem, but I never got that Mattie was a slave. It seems as if the person giving out the food is too kind to be a slaveowner. I definitely interpreted this differently than you in the way that it relates to Huck Finn. Since you found out the slavery deal, it does seem like Jim is the character with the most connections to this poem. This makes a lot of sense and I am glad that we do blogs on poetry. I still cannot fully understand poetry myself and reading everyone's blogs after studying the poem myself makes it easier to understand.
DeleteI agree that this poem makes me feel really bad for Jim. Obviously, as a slave, Jim is dissatisfied with his situation, but I never really considered how despondent he must feel after being separated from his family. This makes me wonder where Jim was headed when he first left Miss Watson's house. I wonder if he planned on returning to the place he came from, or if he simply wanted to find freedom on his own. Either way, this poem definitely helped me see Jim in a different way.
DeleteAshley, I didn't even realize the poem was about a slave the first time I read it. It took a lot of research for me to find the actual meaning of the poem. The first time I read, I was extremely confused and thought it was about a poor person on the street.
DeleteI agree that Jim feels this way. I assume any person would. Being a slave is arguably the most dehumanizing act possible. Instead of begging for food, they are beggars for freedom.
DeleteOne thing you also need to consider is that the author speaks to "going with the flow" vs compromising your values. I don't get the impression that values are compromised in this poem, but rather, the individual is tired and bored with the flow...after all if there is no meat, there is no meat. She's just expressing her interest in returning to her "comfort" zone.
DeleteThe situation of When In Rome is an educated person offering a inferior (Mattie)food but not being able to satisfy her.
ReplyDeleteThe only word I had to look up was endive, which is a type of plant leaf eaten as a vegetable. The first part of the poem begins by the one person offering the other any food that they want. This kind gesture and the word "dear" suggest that the person talking is very kind and generous. Mattie talks next and is undereducated and does not appreciate what the other has to offer. This person does not use correct grammar, is picky, and always wants food that she cannot have. More importantly, Mattie is keeping her thoughts to herself in either respect or fear of the other speaker. Later on, the first speaker loses respect of the readers by making Mattie unworthy of luxurious and expensive anchovies. Mattie responds with a hyperbole and asks if she has a bird to feed. This means that anchovies would not be enough to satisfy her anyway. Mattie does not want to be in Rome and misses home. This change and uncomfortable situation makes her rude when dealing with cultural differences.
There are many literary devices used in When In Rome. Alliteration is used when the speaker offers Mattie food and uses the words "sardines, shelf, and such." "Such and much" also rhyme to comment the two lines of the poem. The entire poem is written with denotation because the words that are used use their literal meaning. The poem is written in a second person point of view everywhere except for the parts with parentheses, which are written in a first person point of view. Mattie is being spoken to but then the poem switches this point of view to lister to her own thoughts. Enjambment overpopulated the poem because the different thoughts are split into multiple lines. When In Rome seems to be free versed with gentle and caring vs snarky attitudes, depending on the point of view.
The poems purpose is to use the beauty and flow of the literary devices along with the kindness of the first speaker and then come back at it with the unsatisfied and homesick girl who completely disregards the beauty. Nothing seems beautiful if all you are doing is going against it with your own bad attitude.
This can be related to Huck Finn and Widow Douglas as the widow attempts to help Huck live a more sophisticated lifestyle at the beginning of the novel and Huck attempts to go against her. Overall, this shows that Huck should keep an open mind about being away and have a good attitude to see the bigger and more beautiful world.
You and I definitely interpreted this poem differently, Grace. Your interpretation of Mattie seemed to be negative and slightly derogitory. When I reread the poem with your interpretation in mind, it was easy to see how you arrived at this conclusion. Our differing viewpoints helped me see that poetry does not always mean the same thing to each person who reads it. Everyone interprets situations in their own way, and that's one of the beautiful characteristics of poetry.
DeleteI thought it was interesting how you compared Mattie and the speaker to Huck and Miss Watson. It seems that, in both situations, there is someone "in charge" of the other, and the inferior being longs for freedom. In this poem, the slaveholder is offering food to Mattie which she does not want. In Huck Finn, Miss Watson offers religious precepts to Huck, but he does not want to accept them. I guess that, in a way, Huck and Mattie are a lot alike, meaning that there's a good chance that Huck and Jim have a lot in common, too.
DeleteCheck.✔️
ReplyDeleteEndive: an edible Mediterranean plant whose bitter leaves may be blanched and used in salads. (Bitter leaves? Blanched? I can see why Mattie is complaining.)
The poem begins with an unnamed individual offering food to Mattie, who appears to be an inferior being. Her grammar is poor, and it seems as if she is being talked down to. The speaker is acting as if she is very generous, suggesting there is plenty of food for Mattie to choose from, but upon taking a look in the box, Mattie is far from satisfied. Mattie responds (although not aloud) in a sarcastic manner, showing her distaste in the lack of appealing foods being offered to her. She keeps her thoughts to herself, however, seemingly out of timidness or fear. She voices her disappointment at the absence of meat, a luxury she is evidently kept from. The speaker offers her a few more options, and Mattie responds with a "whew!" sarcastically suggesting that she is overjoyed by the abundance of good food. The speaker then advises Mattie to stay away from the anchovies because they are expensive. Mattie then suggests that the superior speaker views her as an inferior being, much like a bird, because she believes that such little food will satisfy Mattie. At the end of the poem, Mattie finally voices her true feelings about her situation, absent from sarcasm. She claims that she is tired of the food options and she longs to return home, where her meals are adequate.
I think that the purpose of the poem is to shed light on the concept of slavery from both perspectives. Generally, when one considers slavery, the slaveholder is seen as the "bad guy." However, in this poem, it seems to me that both sides are at fault, and both sides are the victim. The speaker is at fault because she is falling to see Mattie as a human being equal to herself. However, she could be seen as the victim in that Mattie refuses her "generous offers." Likewise, Mattie could be seen as the victim because she is a slave being offered incompetent food options, but she is at fault in that she is not thankful for what she is being given.
There are a great deal of literary devices utilized in this poem. One that sticks out to me is irony. Irony is used by Mattie for most of the poem as she sarcastically praises the speaker for offering her an array of unappealing foods. This adds to the beauty of the poem by depicting Mattie's view on the situation, and revealing the thoughts of many slaves during this time period. Another literary device used in this poem is enjambment. This is used throughout the duration of the poem, and serves to separate the viewpoints of Mattie and the speaker.
This poem obviously relates to Huck Finn in that slavery is a common theme. The lifestyle that Mattie finds herself a part of directly relates to Jim's situation. This poem sheds light on the thoughts and sentiments behind the submissive persona of a slave. There is also a link between the desire of both Mattie and Jim to return to a life of freedom.
You and Ashley both got slavery out of this poem. I did not find that out and maybe thought that Mattie was visiting a crazy aunt in Rome or something. Is there an allusion or connotation that I completely missed when reading the poem, or is it just our different interpretations? I actually am mad at myself for not picking this out! Poetry frustrates me when I do not understand it.
DeleteI like how you noted Mattie's replies were sarcastic. They did not seem to be sarcastic to me, but now that you pointed it out they do. However, I do not believe that Mattie was being sarcastic on purpose. Instead I believe her sarcasm arises from her blunt way of saying she's homesick. I also liked how you showed each side as both the victim and the "bad guy." This put a new perspective on the poem.
DeleteI didn't realize the sarcasm in the poem at first. That was a very good observation. I think the sarcasm adds to the fact that Mattie just wants to go home. No matter what this lady is offering her, it doesn't replace the fact that she is a slave and she cannot go home.
DeleteUgh...endives just sound TERRIBLE. Next time we have a party in AP Lit, I'll be sure to bring the endive flavored cake. Anyway, I like how you pointed out that Mattie is being very sarcastic. I don't know if that's the smartest thing to do, as the slaveowner may have gotten very cross with her. But...Mattie is a rebel and she can do whatever she wants.
DeleteThere were not any words or phrases in this piece that I didn't understand. The poem starts with a person offering Mattie any type of food that they would want. At first it seems sincere, but as the poem went on it seemed to me that the person was not willing to give anything. She didn't want to give Mattie anchovies because they were too expensive. However, it was not the expensive foods that Mattie truly wanted, it was simple foods that she used to enjoy that she really wanted. The poem is ended by Mattie saying she hasn't eaten the foods she enjoyed for a long time and she wished she could just go home. At first, I didn't realize that Mattie was a slave, but then after rereading it and doing some research, the poem made a lot more sense. Then, I found the slaveowner was being generous, but Mattie just wanted to go home and not eat like she was "When in Rome". Honestly, when I read the poem I thought the generous person was an old lady trying to help a beggar on the street. To just read this poem and not do any research, it is extremely confusing.
ReplyDeleteThe author of the poem is Mari Evans who was an African American woman. I think she wanted to write this poem in order to shed light on how slaves felt. However, she does this in an unconventional way and uses food and a longing for the small things from home.
I noticed the alliteration right away because I read the poem aloud and I got tripped up on a few phrases. Also, I noticed the enjabment because the poem was split up into various lines. This poem relates to Huck Finn because I saw it that Mattie just wanted to go back to her old life much like Huck wants to go back his old life. The slaveholder was much like Widow Douglas in which she was trying to give Huck the best but he really just wanted to live his old life.
I agree. The first like 7 times I read this, I thought that there was some old lady trying to help a poor person. But after the realization that this was a slave and slaveowner conversing, the whole poem made much more sense. And I also like how you tied the poem back to Huckleberry Finn. Frankly, your opinion is so much better than mine. And also, i didn't really like the enjabment...I liked the alliterations though. So...cool
DeleteThe only word I had to look up was endive. Such an interesting sounding word. Anyway, according to Google, an endive is a leafy vegetable belonging to the genus Cichorium. Endives are typically bitter in taste. Why would anyone want to eat such a disgusting sounding food? I don't know...anyway, the allusion about the end about being in Rome alludes to the saying about when Rome, act like Romans. I don't know if that's the exact saying, oh well. The saying refers to just going with the flow. This poem though I believe talks about not going with the flow, so I thought that was neat.
ReplyDeleteSo what does the poem mean...hmm...let me take a moment to think about it...........Okay...I got it. This poem talks about all this food that's a available, but the narrator of the poem does not want to eat it. I don't know if the narrator is poor or what. Judging from the yes'm at the end of the poem, I would think this must be from back in the day. Probably the south, since this has something to do with Huck Finn. That means maybe the narrator is a slave owner and the quotations in the parenthesis may be a slave, since the person was referred to as a dog. So my guess is that the slave owner is trying to feed the slave, but the food is just terrible, so the space doesn't want any food.
The poem's purpose...purpose purpose purpose....maybe if I just keep saying purpose, it'll come to me. I think the purpose may be to make the reader feel the pain and suckiness of being a slave. After all, that is the purpose of poetry. A history book will feed you facts, which is helpful. But a poem like this actually makes you feel what it is like to be a slave in the period when your forced to eat endives. Endives just sound terrible...ugh...
Okay...literary devices...I feel like I'm moving right along, but then there are like a million other things I got to do...ugh...almost there. Perseverance is key. Okay...enjabment...there's enjabment everywhere... The lines are a plot up so jaggedly, it's almost weird. I don't know if this adds anything to the poem, I just thought it made it really annoying. But that's just me. It s also ironic to have the slave praise the slaveholder for offering her a variety of terrible foods...endives...I feel like a kitten dies somewhere every time someone eats an endive. Don't eat endives.
So what does this have to do with Huckleberry Finn? I feel that the slave in this poem kind of is the anti-Jim. Jim just takes everything in stride like its nothing. Mattie in this poem complains about the food, which I would too.
You are right, Nick. I think it is safe to assume some readers probably never knew it was about anything more than food. Of course they did not look into it further. I do hope a cat does not die everytime somebody eats endive because I love cats. That would be unfortunate.
DeleteThere were not any words I needed to look up, but I wish I did not know what endive is. My grandma makes endive salads often for our Sunday family dinners. She usually makes me eat it in copious amounts because not only is that totally a grandma-like thing to do, but usually not too many family members consume it.
ReplyDeleteThe author alludes to the cliche "when in Rome, do as Romans do" by saying "I'm tired of eatin' what they eats in Rome." By doing this, the author reveals the true meaning of the poem. Mattie is tired of living a life she is forced to instead of living how she desires. The author, Mari Evans, is a on African American who most likely constructed this poem to shed light on slavery. Although the slaveowner is being generous, the fact that a human is being property kind of destroys the warmness in the generosity. No human can be satisfied when they are dehumanized like that.
The most obvious Literary device to me was the cliche. The title When in Rome is a cliche. The next most obvious was the enjambment, which I was not a fan of. It really made my OCD kick in. I wanted to make in all neat on the page and not scattered.
This relates to The Adventures of Huckkeberry Finn because the issue of slavery is present. The slave in this poem just wants the freedom to eat simple foods she wants. Jim's situation is a little more drastic. He is giving up his life to not be sold to different slave owners. In the end they both want the freedom to decide their own destinies.