Regrets of Summer Nights

Everyone has something that they have done in the past that they regret doing or wish they could take it back. I believe that is what Edna St. Vincent Millay is trying to prove in her sonnet poem What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why. Millay seems to reveal, in this one stanza sonnet poem, various emotions of happiness in her younger years as well as sadness. It feels as though she is trying to warn us about young love and one night stands with strange lovers you may meet.

It is almost as if she is mentoring the younger generation the vices of having too much fun through her poem. In reading her poem, I notice that she uses nature’s beauty to reflect on her emotions of pain, sadness, and loneliness. This poem stands out to me because I want to know why she feels this way and why she never decides to be with one lover.

In this sonnet poem, Millay divides it into two parts with an octave and sestet which I, the audience, find her feelings in both parts similar. In the first eight lines of the stanza, she seems to dwell on her past as she wasted her chance with finding love by changing lover after lover. The opening verse, “What lips my lips have kissed” and the fourth verse, “Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh” right away symbolizes her lost lovers and the memories she had with them.

These quotes clearly bring imagery to the audience that she loves the physical contact and desires young men with their company. She admits that she has been with many lovers moving from one to another forgetfully. However, these two lines also reveal as though Millay feels guilty for breaking their hearts (Skool, 2008).

Millay did, however, change the imagery by comparing her lost lovers as ghosts in the octave to nature’s beauty of summer birds in the sestet. In the third to last verse in the sestet, “I cannot say what loves have come and gone” reveals that she cannot remember her lovers’ names and rather enjoyed their company than their actual love.

However, when reading the entire sestet as a whole, it sends a completely different message of loneliness to even self hate of her stupidity in her youth.

Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree,                     Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one, Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:                               I cannot say what loves have come and gone,           I only know that summer sang in me                                    A little while, that in me sings no more.               

She begins with a metaphor, “Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree”, describing herself as a tree and being alone in her ‘later years’ with the seasonal change of summer to winter. She describes her lovers disappearing one after another in the line, “Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one.” The most intriguing part of the sestet is in the last two lines of the stanza. She compares her fun, carefree side of life during the summer time, not caring about the strange men she sleeps with, to the upmost regret as her heart pains because her years of loving are gone and she is now alone.

This agreed with the interpretation of Skool as they state she is joyful during the brief time then in regret when ‘winter’ comes (later years) (Skool, 2008). This seems to reveal her chance to mentor the audience from being young and stupid by missing the opportunity to find their one true love because being young is only temporary.   

I believe at the end of Millay’s poem that she has this pain of loneliness and sadness in her heart because she has missed her chance to find that one true love. “In my heart there stirs a quiet pain”, even though this verse is in the octave it foreshadows her feelings of growing too old and cannot experience her passionate love of her youth. Maybe she feels this way because she cannot attract young men any more like she could in her youth.

Another thought that came to mind is, maybe she is a woman that loves the challenge of picking up strange young men and once the challenge is over she moves on to the next. It may have been fun for the time being, but before she knew, it was too late to fix the damage and find her one true love.

In my research, I came across a website that agreed with this statement by stating that perhaps she is a femme fatale type which is a woman who wins the hearts of men then cut them off and move on to the next conquest (Skool, 2008). These types of women view it as a game or challenge to play, which is to find young men, sometimes out of their league, to go home with but then never see them again because they won the game or challenge. Once they win this estrange game, these women move on to the next set of prey or challengers.   

Overall, I believe Millay’s poem provides many lessons for young viewers who like to have fun and party. She describes her experiences as a young woman who had fun with one night stands and never really letting her guard down to fall in love. I feel as though she warns or mentors us from having too much fun and not knowing when to settle down with someone you love.

Millay’s poem speaks great volume in foreshadowing what one’s life will be if they party too much and not grow into an adult. She does not want us to follow her path with having fun during the ‘summer’ or youth years and suffer when ‘winter’ comes or later years of one’s life.

I really enjoyed reading Millay’s poem because she uses great imagery referring to nature’s beauty in describing her emotions of sadness and loneliness as well as to describe her lost lovers. I felt as if she was talking to me personally to enjoy my younger years but know when to settle down with someone I love and start a family. The message was clear for me that she does not want me to feel the pain or suffering in being alone.

What do you think her message was? Or her main focus of the poem? Do you think she used great imagery to describe her experiences of being young? Why or why not?

Work Cited

Gwynn, R. S. "Poetry." Literature: A Pocket Anthology. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2002. 615. Print.

"What Lips My Lips Have Kissed." Skoool.ie :: Exam Centre. Intel Corporation, 2008. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Evil Stuffed Snake Surrounding Innocent Faces

“I cannot believe I did all this”, were Rudy Rotter’s words when he returned to his warehouse and observed his amazing artwork (Brehmer pg. 1). One of these amazing art pieces was Adam and Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. This mix media art piece was made on a singed block of plywood with metal square plates nailed on top of the linoleum material.

There was marker outlining around the metal pieces and he also drew two faces of a man and woman inside the parameter of what seems to appear as a stuffed snake. Rotter’s art piece acquired my attention because the metal square plates on the plywood reflected the light which made it shine. When I observed closer I noticed this unique circular figure on top of the plywood which was the stuffed snake.

For me, the viewer, I believed that Rudy Rotter found enjoyment in making random pieces, that he found or had at home, flow together to make an amazing piece of art. What made Adam and Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden unique was the way Rotter pieced it together. The context of the artwork has a mixture of low and high relief.

He begins with a low relief using plywood as the base with the metal squares and linoleum nailed to it and then uses high relief when he nailed the stuffed snake in a circular manner on the plywood. He also created this work by the use of additive process. With this additive process, he began to add pieces to the artwork such as metals square plates, nails, some type of glitter paper, and the stuffed snake.

The composition of his three-dimensional artwork flowed well with the visual elements of lines, color, form, texture, and mass that fly to the viewer’s eyes. I was fascinated with the different line structures he used on this bizarre hexagon shape plywood. He outlined around the outside edges of the plywood in black marker and began to trace around the metal square plates in green marker.

He used round lines to draw the two faces as well as diagonal lines to give them detailed features. The way that Rotter used the color scheme of having primary and secondary colors, especially the use of the colorful snake, interested me because with the use of the snake it draws the viewer’s attention. The snake would be described as a colorful camouflage with a peculiar design of wiggly lines that range in color of blues, yellows, and greens. The main two colors that stick out are the red and orange which make up the body and head of the snake. Without the snake, the artwork would have been dull and boring plus it would have made it two-dimensional.

Another element that made this art piece unique was the different textures that he incorporated. Began with a hard surface (plywood) as the base, moved to a smooth surface by the use of the metal square plates and linoleum, and then ends with a soft and spongy-like texture with the use of the stuffed snake. Rotter used both geometric and organic shapes that gave it structure and brought it to life.

For the geometric shapes he used metal square plates and vertical and horizontal lines that out lined these metal plates in the background (Getlein pg. 82). The use of organic shapes were observed when he traced the two faces using circular, vertical, and horizontal lines in marker and when he nailed the stuffed snake to the plywood (82). This snake was significant in Rotter’s art piece because it took up space, brought life to it, and gave it its three-dimensional form.

In Rotter’s art piece, he used many repetitions of shapes with his materials. The use of metal square plates across the base of the plywood which represented the garden with the green outline and the circular shapes of the stuffed snake and the round of faces outlined in black marker. I believe there is unity in Rotter’s artwork because the different materials flow together to tell the famous story The Fall of Adam and Eve, however I think it depends on the viewer’s opinion.

The same goes for the balance of the artwork; I believe it can be both symmetrical and asymmetrical because if it was cut in half one side matches up with the other side but if using precise details then the sides would not match together.      

But why did this piece catch my eye from the rest? What was so intriguing about this artwork by Rudy Rotter?

As I mentioned earlier, the piece had metal plates that reflected light and the unique figure which was snake but the main reason was because of the focal point. I was fascinated by the focal point of this artwork because in a way it had two focal points depending on how the viewer observes it. The colorful stuffed snake drew my eyes towards it first but then I began to notice it was in a circular shape.

As I stared at this circular snake, I noticed that it surrounded these two faces of a man and woman in the center of plywood. Although the faces were faded, due to either dull markers or age, I believe that this was the true focal point even though I noticed the snake first. It was interesting to notice that the faces made up the ground image and was still the focal point while the snake made up the figure shape (pg. 83). I believe that Rotter suggested that the snake would draw the viewer’s eyes toward the center of the artwork.

Rotter’s artwork expressed an old famous story that I have heard all my life which was The Fall of Adam and Eve. As soon as I observed the snake surrounding the faces of a man and woman I knew instantly that this was what Rudy Rotter was expressing. However, to a non-religious viewer who has never heard of this story would have a tough time trying to convey what Rotter was expressing when he made this piece.

Nonetheless, when I observed this artwork it brought an emotional reaction to me because it reminded me that God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from this sin that Adam and Eve committed by eating from the tree of knowledge. I really enjoyed evaluating this unique artwork because it really communicated a story and message that even though this happened remember that you are saved.   

What do you think was the focal point? The snake or faces? Would you agree that this artwork communicated a story? Why or why not?

Work Cited

Brehmer, Debra. "Rudy Rotter." Portrait Society Gallery. Twenty Eleven Scheme, 01 June 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Getlein, Mark. "The Visual Elements." Living with Art. 9th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, 2008. 75-112. Print. 

The Faded Black Box

Shirley Jackson seems to want us, the readers, to feel calm and relax when she starts the opening paragraph explaining that it was “a warm summer day with the flowers blossoming and the grass richly green” (Jackson, pg. 193). She deceives the readers by implying that “The Lottery” is an annual event, either a parade or picnic, where the winner receives a prize instead of revealing the gruesome end about the true nature of human beings (Sustana, pg.1).

When reading this story, my attention begins to shift when the black box is introduced, “When he [Mr. Summers] arrived in the square, carrying a black box, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers…” (Jackson, pg. 194); The villagers kept their distance leaving a space between themselves and the stool with the black box resting on top (pg.194). This made me wonder, Why was this black box feared by the villagers? The answer to this question seems to lie throughout the entire story by Jackson using symbolism and foreshadowing leading up to the tragic end.

The villagers’ fear of the black box seems to begin when Mr. Summers arrives at the square. There seemed to be an uneasiness roaming the air as the villagers stare at this particular black box and “keep their distance” from it (pg. 194). This particular black box immediately symbolizes death and evilness in the world which brings unwanted feelings amongst the villagers. Jackson used great detail about the box symbolizing evil and death in the world: The black box grew shabbier each year, became splintered badly revealing the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained (pg. 194).

Another interesting detail that Jackson uses in the story is the three-legged stool which is holding the black box of death. Jackson appears to be symbolizing the three-legged stool as the Christian Trinity with each leg representing God the father, God the son, and the Holy Spirit. This to me is ironic because the Christian Trinity signifies purity and holiness, but the black box represents sin and evilness making this significant because they manipulate the religion to support the violence that will be done. This makes one to think that it is morally right to stone someone to death because of religious reasons, and that God would have wanted the townspeople to sacrifice innocent people (Ma, pg. 1).

Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box (Jackson, pg. 194). The fact that the villagers have made no attempt to repair or replace the old black box suggests the villagers are in fear of change. They would disagree with Mr. Summers out of fear, time and time again, trying to avoid the subject at all cost. It is as if the box has this curse on them that by replacing it, evil things may occur upon their small village or even death of their loved ones. It is intriguing to see how a small object, such as a black box, can harness so much power over this entire village and to see them worship this evil object which brings fear and despair into their lives.

The box would be taken to the safe of Mr. Summers’s coal company and locked away until he was ready to take it to the square the next morning (pg.194). It seemed as if Jackson was emphasizing that the official, Mr. Summers, would lock away the box in order to prevent people from tampering with paper slips or perhaps she wants to reveal the sacredness of an object deciding an individual’s life. However, Jackson continues the story by explaining that the box is placed in specific areas around the village. Some of the places that the black box was taken seemed to me as if they neglected it for the rest of the year, “…the box was put away, it spent one year in Mr. Graves’s barn and another year underfoot in the post office…”(pg. 195).

Nevertheless, the place that drew my attention was when it was placed in the Martin’s grocery store, “it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there” (pg. 195). This may represent the official, Mr. Summers, putting it there to instill fear in the lives of the villagers by reminding them of this violent and gruesome day. Whatever the case may be, it is interesting how this black faded box of death, consumes these villagers’ lives once a year.

As the story continues, I begin to see the real horrific impact that the black box has amongst the villagers. In support of the black box being evil, Jackson introduces certain characters that become corrupt from this evil object. The protagonist, Tess Hutchinson, stands out immediately from the other villagers when she arrives late to the square. She begins talking to Mrs. Delacroix, “Clean forgot what day it is…then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and a came a-running” (pg. 195). Mrs. Hutchinson seemed to have this calm, confident, and cocky attitude towards the lottery almost a free spirit as she jokes with Mr. Summers: “Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie”, “Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now would you, Joe?”(pg.196). While the other wives stood placidly watching their husbands grab a slip out of the black box, Mrs. Hutchinson was enthusiastic by telling her husband, “Get up there, Bill” (pg. 197).

However, her whole attitude changed when her husband, Bill, got the winning slip and she began to protest about the drawing: “You didn’t give him [her husband] time enough to any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!” (pg. 198) “I think we ought to start over” (pg.199). Her protest of starting the drawing process over was unheard as Mr. Summers continued on with the lottery tradition. When the Hutchinson family is about to draw again, Mrs. Hutchinson, in her desperate act of not getting picked tries to get her married daughter and husband to draw with them: “There’s Don and Eva, make them take their chance!” (pg. 198)  

In my opinion, going back to my original question about why the villagers feared this black box is because this evil object ultimately sealed each villager’s life. By picking a piece of paper out of this black box determines whether you live or die a slow painful death. This object also seems to reveal no human remorse amongst individuals taking an innocent life, almost as if this box possesses them to be evil for the time being until they return to their civil lives.

I think this is why Jackson, throughout the book, made the villagers seem to be always in a hurry: “…we’ve got to be hurrying a little more to get done in time” [Mr. Summers] (pg. 198); “I wish they’d hurry” [Mrs. Dunbar] (pg. 198); “All right folks, let’s finish quickly” [Mr. Summers] (pg. 200); and “Come on, come on, everyone” [Old Man Warner] (pg. 200). These phrases all became significant when Mrs. Delacroix said to Mrs. Graves, “Seems like there’s no time at all between lotteries any more…Seems like we got through the last one only last week” (pg. 197), because it seems as if they want to hurry and be done so they can forget about their evilness.

However, with this passage between Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. Graves, it appears that the black box has this hold on them that no matter how hard they try to forget they cannot. Similar to our society today, no matter how much effort one tries to forget about the evilness in the world they are still reminded, either through the news or witness it, just how these villagers were reminded by seeing the black box of death.

 Did you see how the black box changed Mrs. Hutchinson’s human nature from being a genuinely nice person to a desperate human being trying not to die by even sacrificing her own daughter? How do you interpret this?   

If the villagers want to forget about “The Lottery” why don’t they just leave for another village where they stopped participating in the lottery? Do you think Mrs. Hutchinson got through to somebody at the end when she kept yelling, ‘It isn’t fair it isn’t right’?      

Work Cited

Gwynn, R. S. "Fiction." Literature: A Pocket Anthology. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2002. 192-200. Print.

Ma, Martine. "Literary Analysis Essay: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson."Martines Blog. World Press, 10 June 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.

Sustana, Catherine. "Analysis of 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson." About Entertainment. About.com, 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.