End of term, will a six-pack do us
while we speed-read Upton Sinclair Lewis?
So far behind, can we possibly ever
catch up on E. A. Robinson Jeffers?
Who said it was going to be multiple choice
on the later work of O. Henry James Joyce?
What's the plot of The Rise of Silas Marner? Who
remembers the Swiss Family Robinson Cru-
soe? Midnight—late. One A.M.—tardy.
Was Laurence Sterne? Was Thomas Hardy?
And hey—was John Gay?
Oh, let's take a break and all get mellow,
take our chances on Henry Wordsworth Longfellow,
and maybe later give a lick and a promise
to the earlier lyrics of Bob Dylan Thomas.
This poem reminds me if my life. During finals I am forced to cram because I'm unwilling to study as summer approaches. My mind focuses only on the sunshine and and the joys of summer, playing sports with my friends until late at night. I believe that the author is also unable to focus too, he can only manage to think of all the things he has to study, but instead takes a break. He says,"take a break and all get mellow take our chances on Henry Wordsworth Longfellow." I believe that the author no longer cares and is going to take his chances on the test without studying.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem speaks the truth about the pressures any student feels in school. The student is frantically trying to understand various works of literature without much of a base of knowledge surrounding them. The frantic writing of Appleman describing the immense pressure a student faces alludes to an uncomfortable, challenging time people face as a student in school.
ReplyDeleteI also can really relate to this topic. His jumbled names, titles, and topics causes confusion not only for the reader, but enhances the idea that when we procrastinate, we never really know what we are doing. Also, i think the element of the time (Midnight and 1AM) shows how negative this concept is and how stressful finals really are. Hopefully I am not in a situation like this at the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteI can defiantly relate the this poem. The amount of students that cram the last night for finals is crazy! I really like how the author mixed up the names of the authors, it makes the reader really think about what he is saying. Philip Appleman's congenial and personal poem "cramming for finals" alludes to the rush and scramble of studying for finals.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can actually relate to this poem. When I study for finals, I stress myself out. Then I start to cram because I have too much to study for. The students in this poem are anxiously trying to understand the literature and the information surrounding the topics. But I think it is clever how Philip Applemen mixed the names of the author, making the poem more amusing.
ReplyDelete