Entry 9: Margaret Atwood
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I recently read a poem by Margaret Atwood. The poem was called This Is a Photograph of Me.
This Is a Photograph of Me
Margaret Atwood, 1939
It was taken some time ago.
At first it seems to be
a smeared
print: blurred lines and grey flecks
blended with the paper;
then, as you scan
it, you see in the left-hand corner
a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
(balsam or spruce) emerging
and, to the right, halfway up
what ought to be a gentle
slope, a small frame house.
In the background there is a lake,
and beyond that, some low hills.
(The photograph was taken
the day after I drowned.
I am in the lake, in the center
of the picture, just under the surface.
It is difficult to say where
precisely, or to say
how large or small I am:
the effect of water
on light is a distortion
but if you look long enough,
eventually
you will be able to see me.)
The poem made me pause. At first, I could not quite gather meaning from the poem. I noted that the language style was peculiar with the use of brackets. It was also very interesting how the brackets, in my opinion, were used to show the most important part of the poem as almost a side note.
I interpreted the poem as her comments on how people only scratch the surface of most things and often miss the most important aspects of a story of piece of art. In the photograph described in the poem, whoever looks at the photograph can only see the content of the picture and its most evident details. When she adds the story behind the picture though, the picture becomes more than a picture; it becomes an important documentation of a person’s life. I believe that the meaning of this poem is that people often miss the most important things in life in favour of merely skimming their faces.
In addition to the mystery of the meaning of the poem, another question surrounding the poem is the significance of her drowning. As Margaret Atwood is still very much alive today, it is clear that the poem is not about her having drowned and left in the middle of a lake. Not knowing a lot about Margaret Atwood, I can only really upon my personal knowledge to interpret the language used in this poem. To me the drowning in the poem represents graduation. At graduation during the last hurrah where everyone throws their hats in the air in celebration is the moment of drowning. In that instant, you are no longer the special little snowflake that you were in high school with your child-like innocence carrying you through your days. You must now begin the life as one of the many. Your identity and individuality are all but swept up and drowned in the current of everyday life after that day. You become one of several thousand at a post-secondary school or you become one of several million in the work force (a little pessimistic, but work with me.) Every once in a while, though, someone will look long enough, eventually you will be seen by someone who can really appreciate the snapshot behind your eyes.
Now for the TOK stuff.
This poem is clearly a piece of art. The way that the poem is written, it is clear that Margaret Atwood wrote it as an outlet for something that she felt or perceived, maybe even unconsciously. As an art form, it also succeeded in touching the audience (me in this case); its manipulation of language giving it transcendent qualities allowing it to touch the audience.
Clearly, being a piece of literature, language as an AOK can be applied to this piece. Atwood expertly manipulated her language in this poem: both in her word choice and her style. Her use of brackets extremely effectively added meaning to the poem that might have been overlooked otherwise.
This poem also discusses sense perception and the flaws with looking only with the eyes. In the poem, Margaret outlines what the audience would see if they looked superficially, then what they would see if they looked even deeper, but effectively communicates how much of the picture is missing in the picture alone.
Personal knowledge is also very important to this poem. This poem clearly has deep significance to Atwood. The personal knowledge that she used to write the poem is what makes it great. As I described above, though, the personal knowledge brought by the audience also greatly shapes the interpretation of the poem. In my case, I brought personal knowledge surrounding my personal situation and used it to interpret the poem in a way that gave it deeper meaning to me.
After considering these AOK’s, WOK’s, and other TOK terms and how they relate to the poem, the following knowledge question can be formed:
How does personal knowledge affect the interpretation of language?
As the real life situation being discussed in this entry is a poem, it is clear how this knowledge question relates to it. This knowledge question, though, can also be applied to other real life situations.
Take slang terms for example. Three terms that are very popularly used today and also very controversial include the n-word, the f-word (not the versatile verb- the extremely offensive noun), and the r-word. All of these words are just that; words. It is the personal knowledge behind the person speaking or interpreting these words, though, that give them meaning. Take the r-word, for example. It is a term that is used as a term today meaning “a slang word to mean things like “stupid” or “idiotic.” (Urban Dictionary. Looking that up was painful.) In a social environment where nobody is actually intellectually disabled or is acquainted with someone who is intellectually disabled, the word does not seem to carry any negative implications other than “Bro, you done messed up!” To a person who is intellectually disabled or to someone who knows someone who is intellectually disabled, the negative implications of the term shine through and can be quite offensive. In this way, the personal experiences of those hearing the term greatly affects their interpretation of the term.
Thank you for reading my journal! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment below!
This Is a Photograph of Me
Margaret Atwood, 1939
It was taken some time ago.
At first it seems to be
a smeared
print: blurred lines and grey flecks
blended with the paper;
then, as you scan
it, you see in the left-hand corner
a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
(balsam or spruce) emerging
and, to the right, halfway up
what ought to be a gentle
slope, a small frame house.
In the background there is a lake,
and beyond that, some low hills.
(The photograph was taken
the day after I drowned.
I am in the lake, in the center
of the picture, just under the surface.
It is difficult to say where
precisely, or to say
how large or small I am:
the effect of water
on light is a distortion
but if you look long enough,
eventually
you will be able to see me.)
The poem made me pause. At first, I could not quite gather meaning from the poem. I noted that the language style was peculiar with the use of brackets. It was also very interesting how the brackets, in my opinion, were used to show the most important part of the poem as almost a side note.
I interpreted the poem as her comments on how people only scratch the surface of most things and often miss the most important aspects of a story of piece of art. In the photograph described in the poem, whoever looks at the photograph can only see the content of the picture and its most evident details. When she adds the story behind the picture though, the picture becomes more than a picture; it becomes an important documentation of a person’s life. I believe that the meaning of this poem is that people often miss the most important things in life in favour of merely skimming their faces.
In addition to the mystery of the meaning of the poem, another question surrounding the poem is the significance of her drowning. As Margaret Atwood is still very much alive today, it is clear that the poem is not about her having drowned and left in the middle of a lake. Not knowing a lot about Margaret Atwood, I can only really upon my personal knowledge to interpret the language used in this poem. To me the drowning in the poem represents graduation. At graduation during the last hurrah where everyone throws their hats in the air in celebration is the moment of drowning. In that instant, you are no longer the special little snowflake that you were in high school with your child-like innocence carrying you through your days. You must now begin the life as one of the many. Your identity and individuality are all but swept up and drowned in the current of everyday life after that day. You become one of several thousand at a post-secondary school or you become one of several million in the work force (a little pessimistic, but work with me.) Every once in a while, though, someone will look long enough, eventually you will be seen by someone who can really appreciate the snapshot behind your eyes.
Now for the TOK stuff.
This poem is clearly a piece of art. The way that the poem is written, it is clear that Margaret Atwood wrote it as an outlet for something that she felt or perceived, maybe even unconsciously. As an art form, it also succeeded in touching the audience (me in this case); its manipulation of language giving it transcendent qualities allowing it to touch the audience.
Clearly, being a piece of literature, language as an AOK can be applied to this piece. Atwood expertly manipulated her language in this poem: both in her word choice and her style. Her use of brackets extremely effectively added meaning to the poem that might have been overlooked otherwise.
This poem also discusses sense perception and the flaws with looking only with the eyes. In the poem, Margaret outlines what the audience would see if they looked superficially, then what they would see if they looked even deeper, but effectively communicates how much of the picture is missing in the picture alone.
Personal knowledge is also very important to this poem. This poem clearly has deep significance to Atwood. The personal knowledge that she used to write the poem is what makes it great. As I described above, though, the personal knowledge brought by the audience also greatly shapes the interpretation of the poem. In my case, I brought personal knowledge surrounding my personal situation and used it to interpret the poem in a way that gave it deeper meaning to me.
After considering these AOK’s, WOK’s, and other TOK terms and how they relate to the poem, the following knowledge question can be formed:
How does personal knowledge affect the interpretation of language?
As the real life situation being discussed in this entry is a poem, it is clear how this knowledge question relates to it. This knowledge question, though, can also be applied to other real life situations.
Take slang terms for example. Three terms that are very popularly used today and also very controversial include the n-word, the f-word (not the versatile verb- the extremely offensive noun), and the r-word. All of these words are just that; words. It is the personal knowledge behind the person speaking or interpreting these words, though, that give them meaning. Take the r-word, for example. It is a term that is used as a term today meaning “a slang word to mean things like “stupid” or “idiotic.” (Urban Dictionary. Looking that up was painful.) In a social environment where nobody is actually intellectually disabled or is acquainted with someone who is intellectually disabled, the word does not seem to carry any negative implications other than “Bro, you done messed up!” To a person who is intellectually disabled or to someone who knows someone who is intellectually disabled, the negative implications of the term shine through and can be quite offensive. In this way, the personal experiences of those hearing the term greatly affects their interpretation of the term.
Thank you for reading my journal! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment below!