Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Week 8
I was not able to attend class and join the discussion of the poems with the class, but through individual reading this is what I learned. From a few of the poems this week, they come off as sad and depressing as they deal with different mental issues. The poem "Teaching about Diseases" uses puppets to reach out to us. This is unique because when you think about puppets, you think of people who can not do much on their own. Instead they just simply go through the motions and that they do not have much control. The idea of mental issues is they they do consume you and take over you. It can be noticeable that you are going through tough times, but you are often ignored. In the line, "Chin up, shouts the puppet master" shows that you are conditioned to try to not even show and and act like everything is okay. This speaks to the treatment many people with mental disorders experience. They may need special care, but never receive it. The conclusion of the poem shows how when they die, its never due to the fact they did not get the treatment they were supposed to, but because "everyone eventually dies".
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Lamar,
ReplyDeleteOne point that you made really allowed me to think about the true meaning of who the puppets are. Is the author perhaps suggesting that people who have mental disabilities are puppets to their own brains? Do you think that the author has some sort of connection to all these diseases, since he is able to delve into the gritty details of each line? I really like how you suggest that some individuals with mental disabilities may need special care but seldom receive it, which may be another point advocated by the writer. It is very interesting to think about why the author must have written these poems because they truly are fascinating and seem to have a strong connection to them.