Responding to a Poem

Responding to a Poem

I had a great time reading through all the poems and trying to understand each and every one of them, but I have to say that the two poems that stood out for me would have to be: “Photograph from September 11” by Winslawa Szymborska, and “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window” by Joy Harjo.

               In the poem, “Photograph of September 11” by Winslawa Szymborska, in a whole I believe she is stating that this day will always be a day of remembrance and mourning for all those we lost in those tragic crashes. This is emphasized in her last three lines of the poem where she states, “I can only do two things for them-- describe this flight and not add a last line” (lines 17-19). I really feel that this statement shows how much we will never forget that day and how that day will forever live in our minds and hearts. The other part of the poem that caught my eye was “each is still complete, with a particular face and blood well hidden” (lines 7-9). Here I can remember that morning waking up to walk out in the living room to my mother crying so much and her in complete shock. I still remember the look on her face. At first not realizing what was happening, but then coming to notice that the television screen was showing all those people that were stuck and in the process of being murdered. I stood there watching as people were throwing themselves out windows anyway possible hoping that this might save them. I also remember watching all those other people on the streets just not knowing what to do because of the shock that they were experiencing. http://www.serendipity.li/wot/aa11.html Here is some evidence that hasn't been let out and been looked over.



             My second choice “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”, by Joy Harjo stood out to me because in more way than one I can relate to this poem. I have unfortunately been in many of these situations where I have felt that maybe it would be better to end my life instead of letting myself go through the abuse I was going through. Each and every time thought my kids have always been a big part of my strength. The one sentence that stands alone in this poem, “she thinks she will be set free” (line 7), has a lot of meaning behind it because all of us woman that have been in abusive relationships should be able to relate to this poem and this sentence mainly. This sentence to me is stating that she is thinking in her mind that if she just decides to let go of the wall that she can be set free of all the abuse and the sad days of heartache, but in all reality is it really going to set her free of her problems. She has to think of her children and of her family, as she is doing throughout the poem. In another part of the poem the woman is describing that it is her choice, her decision in the end. “But she is the woman hanging from the 13th floor window, and she knows she is hanging by her own fingers, her own skin, her own thread of indecision” (lines 46-48). I believe woman that are put in these situations lose a part of themselves and don’t know how to gain it back, but I also believe you just got to stand strong as an abusive woman and know that everything will be alright in the long run.

Works Cited:
Wislawa Szymborska, “Photograph from September 11” from Monologue of a Dog. Copyright © 2005 by Wislawa Szymborska. Reprinted with permission of Harcourt, Inc
"The Woman Hanging From The Thirteenth Floor Window" from She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo. Copyright © 2006 by Joy Harjo. Reprinted by permission of Thunder's Mouth Press.

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