Savannah Payne
Payne 1
Professor Cartlon
Writing and Lit.
13
Dec., 11
In “Oxygen” by Mary Oliver a person is suffering from a breathing problem. This poem is being told
from a family member’s point of view. The speaker sees the ill person’s suffering from lack of air. When
he or she has breathing issue their life can be hard. A person’s thoughts can affect the way he or she
sees a breathing problem.
When breathing with difficulty he or she can see it as a fire without plenty of wood to burn. The ill
character describes the lack of air as “the fire, stirring with a stick of iron, letting the logs lie more
loosely”(5-9). The character is said it is hard to breathe without air. This makes the character feel weak
and unable to do normal everyday things.
While breathing well he or she can feel each breath as a beautiful part of life. The speaker describes
a good breathe as “you are breathing patiently; it is a beautiful sound. It is your life.”(11-14) The the
speaker is saying when getting a good deep breath he or she feels better. Breathing problems makes he
or she thankful for the good breaths.
To a person with a breathing problem one breath can be a sign of the gift of life. The sick person
describes breathing as “to quietude, or maybe gratitude, as it feeds as we all do, as we must, upon the
invisible gift our purest, sweet necessity: the air.” (22-24) The speaker is explaining that the gift of
breathing is a sign that a person is alive.
The way the speaker describes theses ideas of breathing brings a breath into a new point of view to
the reader. The speaker tries to describe the breathing problem in a way that the reader can
understand. The struggles the ill person goes through just to breathe can be a unknown concept to most
readers. The reader can become very thankful for the breath of life.
In the “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath an old ladies is remembering her past in regret. She is looking in a
mirror wishing she was in the past instead of the present. The mirror is likewise a reflection of her past
life. A person can remember and ponder a great deal about his or hers’ self by looking in the mirror.
A person can figure out about his or hers’ personally by look at their refection. The older lady
describes her personally as “ cruel, only truthful”(5). The lady is saying she always tell to truth even
if would if it would hurt her own feelings. She is discouraging herself because of being older in years and
looking like it.
When remembering the past to the present can be bring shadows in between. When the older lady
is
remembering her past she is seeing “Faces and darkness separate us over and over”(12). She is having a
hard time remembering her past. This makes her confused and disappointed that she cannot
remember. She kept uses personification to express herself and feelings.
While coming from thoughts of the past to the present it can seem horrendous to a person. While
the old lady is deep in thought “ she has drowned a young girl and in me an old woman Rises toward her
day after day, like a terrible fish”(17-18). This line is says that the young woman is gone and has been
replaced by an old woman. Which the old woman thinks is horrendous.
If the mirror told the old lady’s story it would have a happy conclusion. The mirror would tell that
the old lady was too hard on herself. Her memories would be happy ones and the woman would enjoy
them. The lady would conclude that she shouldn’t live in the past and should see her age as wisdom.
This poem shows the reader how some older women see themselves. The reader should conclude that
years equal wisdom and not age.
In Sharon E. Cooper’s “Mistaken Identify” a man named Steve wants to get married. He is willing to
go out will any girl and is to forward to fast. Kali is a woman that is gay and thinks Steve sees her as just
an friend instead of a girlfriend. In “Mistaken Identity” a two people mistake each other’s intentions
and identity.
Steve is despite to have the American dream of the white picket fence in his future. Steve said “I
invited you out on a lovely date”(Copper 1390). He thinks that this going to be the woman of his
dreams. Steve is creating images of the person he want Kali to be. This makes him end up looking very
foolish when he finds out that she is gay.
Kali gave up on the male race and decided to be gay in order to have a mate. She said “I have a
woman in my life, Michele”(Cooper 1393). She gave up on finding a male mate in her life that was
willing to comment. So she went to the female race instead. Right now she thinks that she and Steve
are just friends.
Steve and Kali both incorrectly understand the other’s objectives. Steve has this idea that Kali is
straight. Kali has the understanding that she is just friends with him. Miscommunication lead to theses
mistakes making them both feel dumb. Kali said “I just wish it could be more simple” (Cooper 1393) that
gay and straight could recognize each other and be friends.
The meaning of the story is to explain the miscommunication between straight and gay people. If
gay people do not define themselves in some way straight sexes with think they are straight. This could
result in confusion and hurt feelings. In effect straight people need to identify gay sexes in order not to
make mistakes. To a reader this brings light on a new problem in our country.
In Joyce Carol Oates’s “The Flowers” a little girl is having a wonderful day. The air smelled wonderful
to her and encouraged her to go into the woods. When she went into the woods she picked flower and
came upon a horrible site. The intended point of “The Flowers” is how a child’s life and good
experiences can be twisted into an unpleasant experience. This can happen through distractions,
curiously, and a problem.
A beautiful day can affect how a child sees the day ahead. The speaker said “the days had never
been as beautiful as today”( Oates 82). She was so happy that she skipped to the smoke house. Myop
thinks that since it is a wonderful weather she will have a fun day ahead. Less she forgot that life can
change to worst at anytime.
When going to a vague but known area a child can be thinking curiously. She had been in the
woods before with her mother but that day she was going in by herself, because she was curious.
The speaker said “ I explored the woods behind the house bouncing down this way and that way,
vaguely keeping an eye out for snakes”(Oats 82) making her very joyful.
The effect of going to a vague area can get a child into a disturbing problem. The speaker said, “she
reached down quickly, unafraid, to free herself. It was only when she saw his naked grin that she gave a
little yelp of surprise” (Oates 83). She found was a dead rotting man who she stepped on. She was
afraid at first but then found a rotted rose and laid down her flowers. This experience destroyed her
whole summer.
The central point of the story is important to the plot. The is when Myop found the dead body and
distributed her very much. The point is children do not worry about life. So when she found out of
life’s bad side this scared her. In respect of the man though she laid down her flowers but her life was
forever changed.
Of all the tails we analyzed I preferred “Oxygen” by Mary Oliver. Oxygen spoke to me because it is
the about life and its’ gift. When the ill character describes lack of air as “the fire, stirring with a stick of
iron, letting the logs lie more loosely”(5-9). The character is saying it is hard breath without air. This
makes me feel what the character is feeling and brings the scene to life. I feel as if I cannot breathe
myself. When the character is having a difficult time “breathing patiently; it is a beautiful sound. It is
your life.”(11-14). This makes me feel relief myself and makes me feel sorry for the character. Also the
way it is described is so colorful. The author describes an breathe as a gift which is true. Life is special
gift given to earth, humans, plants, and animals. Breathing is like wind it is invisible but is still there and
represents life on earth.
The whole poem reminds me of family members love for one other. In effect that a family member
is telling the story. As a reader I know the family member loves the ill person by “with love, expect
everything”(18-19). The family member is compassionate towards the person because he or she loves
the ill person. “ Oxygen” explains that the human condition a breathing problem can limit his or hers’
life in a bad way. For example he or she could not walk, move, or do much of anything. A breathing
problem could also limit how long he or she will live. Making each breath painful but a sign of life to
them. Literature can help a person understand another person’s point of view on life or something else.
All in all “Oxygen” is a great example of great literature