Kim Fiorenzo
ENG 112
As I began to annotate my poem, the main idea I centralized the argument
around was finding out who buffalo bill was and if he had any impact on people of
his time. I believe the poem kind of tells you that he was someone that people were
familiar with but was maybe not liked as much. I sense use of sarcasm in the poem
which I believe can explain how people could have felt about him. Perhaps he was
someone that thought highly of himself that others didn’t agree with as much. By
analyzing this poem, I believe the reader can gain a better understanding of the
poem and the true meaning behind it.
Buffalo Bill’si
defunctii
who used toiii
ride a watersmooth-silveriv
stallionv
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethatvi
Jesusvii
he was a handsome manviii
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boyix
Mister Deathx
Buffalo Bill was a famous, colorful figure of the American Old West. By
understanding who buffalo bill was, it explains what the poem is about and what the
author is trying to get the reader to understand.
ii The meaning of defunct is something that is no longer in existence; dead. I believe
the author used this word on a separate line by itself to make the reader understand
i
what has happened to buffalo bill and to show that death leaves people alone just
like the word is alone in the poem.
iii The words “who used to” explain that this is something buffalo bill used to do in
his lifetime before he deceased. Because he was famous, people recognized him for
what he did so the words “used to” help remind people
iv The author using figurative language here by using the words “watersmoothsilver”. The use of figurative language gives the reader strong imagery and can make
a person picture what kind of stallion the writer is referring to in line five. In
addition, the author turns away from death in the previous line to show how lively
and energy filled he is while riding his stallion.
v The word stallion, all by itself on the line, gives the reader a better understanding
of the line above and can also give the reader a clearer picture of what the stallion
looked like. The use of the word stallion instead of horse gives a manlier image to
the reader, which could represent how buffalo bill was a “manly man”.
vi I believe this line is has a great amount of context to it. The author uses the word
“break” which could symbolize death. He continues to use the words
onetwothreefourfive and pigeonsjustlikethat, which is a different type of word
usage but could possibly show something that was done swiftly.
vii The usage of Jesus in this line is a powerful word. With the word being alone on a
line, it gives the reader a sense of superiority Jesus has over others. I also believe
Jesus is isolated on its own line to show significance and importance.
viii This line gives the reader a sense of imagery, imagining a man that is good
looking. I believe the author uses this context to get a vivid picture of a masculine
man and to give the reader a better connection with the poem.
ix This line gives off a sarcastic sense. It comes off sarcastic by using the words “how
do you like your blueeyed boy”, which just sounds sarcastic as if maybe he was a
handsome man with blue eyes that people once envied. It could also imply a sense of
innocence in which he thought he was innocent of his actions but others could have
disagreed. In addition, without the use of spacing in the word blueeyed, it seems to
be something that is said in a mocking, quick way. I also sense some belittling going
on with the speaker, which could show how the speaker could potentially have
superiority over him.
x Mister Death is a very strong set of words in the last line of the poem. Using a
negative tone like this relating to death, it gives the image of sorrow but also gives a
little sarcastic twist by saying “Mister Death”. The word mister most likely relates to
a man who they call Mister Death, perhaps someone who kills people or someone
who was killed in the past.
In conclusion, after closely reading the poem, I believe that buffalo bill was a
famous person that many remembered but also envied a one point in their lives.
After closely reading the poem, there was sarcasm in the poem that showed how
people felt about him. It seems that he was a hero of his time but was envied for
that. Relating to the structure of the poem, though all the lines are short, I believe
they are to the point and each one shows significance in some way. Overall, I believe
that buffalo bill had an impact on American’s history and will always be
remembered.