Blog post on sample poetry analysis due Monday by midnight. Questions are on the class blog. Choose ONE question only to answer in a short essay. On the IB test, you will need to discuss TWO poets, but for this assignment, only talk about Naomi Shihab Nye

Blog post on sample poetry analysis due Monday by midnight. Questions are on the class blog. Choose ONE question only to answer in a short essay. On the IB test, you will need to discuss TWO poets, but for this assignment, only talk about Naomi Shihab Nye

3.

Poet's often withhold information from the reader and imply things that are not necessarily certain. This is shown in much of Naomi Shihab’s work. This is shown in much of her work and is especially portrayed in the poem Grandmother in the stars.

This poem can be interpreted in many ways. An important concept for interpreting this poem is that these poems are non-linear. In my opinion, in this poem, the Grandmother is both dead and alive at times. The title implies that she is dead, “Grandmother in the stars.” However, in the first line, it says that it is possible they will not meet again. This means that the grandma could be alive or dead, and we cannot be certain. This is one of the many parts in this poem that could have a duel meaning.

When it talks about her bowing to her rugged feed this could mean a few things. One interpretation of this is that she is praising her dead grandma, at her grave. This is less likely but is possible. Another interpretation is that the Grandma is poor and has traveled a lot. We can think this because it says rugged feet.This means that her feet are worn down. Hence she has traveled a lot. Additionally, her feet could be worn down because she doesn’t have shoes. This shows how she lives in poverty and is poor. Although this interpretation is more probable, the author has a way of making both of these interpretations seem plausible with her word choice.

Lastly, at the end, it continues to make the reader question whether the grandma is dead or alive. The last line could be interpreted as a flashback or it could be seen as a current event. It talks about how memory makes them rich which makes it seem like it’s a flashback. This statement also leads me to believe the grandma is dead. However, I have a different interpretation of this scene. I think this scene takes place in the present. If you connect it with the title it can have an entirely different interpretation. The title is Grandma in the stars, so when she’s on the roof at sunset her grandmother is in the stars of the night. She is dead and in the sky and when the sun sets the grandmother is there in the sky. With this said, all they have is the memory that makes them rich. The reader can take both of these perspectives when analyzing the poem.

Poetry is not straightforward. It’s about looking for the underlying meaning of the poem. There is a deeper meaning to every line, and this meaning is not always blatantly shown. Often in poetry, this meaning will be unclear. Yet, this allows the reader to think about the reading on a deeper level and analyze what’s going on. Poetry is all about the interpretation and finding the words under the words.