To begin with, I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Tropic Shadows” due to the smooth way it was written as well as how the author analyzed the very format of the poems and gave it purpose in terms of the overall theme of “pseudo-freedom,” as the author puts it. The constant references to certain lines helps me as the reader follow the author’s point without getting lost. Not to mention, the quotes also add ethos for the author as we can trace their ideas to specific parts in the text. The writing (both form and idea) is clear and it has textual evidence to support it—I believe this post deserves an A.
The second post, “WHITE AMERICAAAAAAAA” was well written in the sense that it’s ideas were clear and simple, but I found myself wanting more from it. It’s analysis felt shallow, only skimming the surface of deeper meaning and adding textual evidence without explaining what the evidence spoke to regarding the blog’s idea. However, it did have the basis of ideas and it does feel as though this student attempted to work with the poems but was unable to offer further insight, so I think it is a B blog.
The final blog post, “The Great Divide,” offers an intriguing take on McKay’s poems when bringing up the idea of anxiety. It analyzed the structure of the poems through the voltas and rhyme scheme and although the author references back to the key idea of their blog post—the “anxiety of the heart,” as they say—I did find myself becoming lost in their writing, partially due to the fact that they only spoke on the theme twice in the opening and conclusion of their post; the references were too vague, made up of “this,” “these,” and “the message” without truly explaining how they tie into the blog’s central idea. However, I did find the idea to be original and captivating and would therefore give this blog post an A.
My personal favorite out of these three posts was originally torn between “Tropic Shadows” and “The Great Divide”; I think the former’s idea is not as original as the latter, but I believe it to be far more persuasive in the way it is presented with it’s smooth transitions and evidence. On the other hand, the latter offers an interesting take on McKay’s poem, but the writing itself felt jumbled and left me hoping for more. If “The Great Divide” was cleaned up, I would feel more indecisive, but I think “Tropic Shadows” reigns as the most persuasive and original.
Caitlyn Klemm
Introduction to Poetry 