(n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life disintegrating. 4. life out of balance. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.)
In her aptly title chapter, “Imagery,” renowned American poet Mary Oliver does well to explain figurative language, enlightening her readers with examples of metaphor, personification, allusion, and images found in poems from the likes of Elizabeth Bishop, Walt Whitman, and more. Oliver pays close attention to the idea of the image itself, that thing which becomes the centerpiece of a poem, opening up a window of opportunity for the writer to describe in full detail what lay before him in the natural world or in the world of his imagination. With some conscious consideration for detail, the poet’s world becomes a line of verse.
That said, I would like you to watch the film called, Koyaanisqatsi, a title taken from the Hopi Indian word for “Life out of balance.” Directed by Godfrey Reggio and scored by famous “minimalist” composer, Philip Glass, the film presents a collage of images taken from both the natural and industrial worlds, juxtaposing (that is, pairing) pictures together in a way that reveals the stark ironies of the over-technologized society in which we live today.
The images in the film should hopefully inspire in you, not only a sense of paradox, but also of metaphor in general. The question you should ask yourselves as you view the film is: What do the images flooding my mind from the film represent?
And so the directions are as follows:
- Watch the film. Listen to the music.
- Pay close attention to the details of the images presented in the film and the music that is interfused with those images.
- Jot down as you view the film your basic impressions of the images and the music. What mood does it create? What emotions are expressed through the interfusion of music and image?
- Once you (we) are finished viewing the film, create a poem—free form or in a specific meter of your own choosing—that recreates the imagery presented in the film with new meaning, new life, new metaphor.
11 comments:
Bill McLean
Eng 141/04
Bro. Rob Peach
A mountain stood reaching up to the sky.
Spring came and the snow began to melt.
The runoff turns into a stream.
As the stream begins its journey,
the hardships ahead are unknown.
The stream runs over rocks, plundering down the cliffs,
eroding as it goes.
Simultaneously, cities are growing,
towns are bustling, and time is wasting.
Technology is advancing, replacing the old with the new,
but the people keep going.
The lights burn through the night,
Then the stream meets up with a river,
a new part of the journey has begun.
The river flows endlessly,
providing for some, useless to others.
Eventually the mouth opens, the river has made it to the ocean.
Back in the city, it’s bigger than ever,
more factories are built,
many people pour in,
and a smog fills their heads.
Dave Kocinski
Eng 141.04
Bro Rob Peach
1/27/08
Koyaanisqatsi Poem
The waves of the ocean crash against my feet
Full moon makes the waves stronger
It makes the tide higher
The ocean is a heavenly place
I see soldiers in the distance
In airplanes, flying over the ocean
They are fighting for their lives
They are fighting for our freedom
I walk towards a city, lights shining everywhere
The city is illuminate, glows in the night
All darkness eliminated from it
This city is peaceful
Standing there, I watch a rocket blast into the air
Flying into space, into a whole dimension
Giving us hope and leaving us many questions
The rocket, like life, is a whole new mystery
Kevin Degener
Eng 141/04
Bro. Rob Peach FSC
Death, suffering, injury, war
Crashing waves of bullets and civilians
Dying innocent in need of medicine
Suicide bombers destroy skyscrapers
Destruction caused by bombs and tankers
Tanks, weapons, and soldiers line the city streets
Poor locals everywhere searching for food to eat
Media preaches that our opponents are evil
And they count the deaths of only our people
But they fail to tell us how many innocent we’ve killed
The oppositions country is burnt and demolished
While our streets are sparkling and our buildings are polished
Once it is over our country is the same as before
Yet the country that we’ve fought in is burnt to the core
Kevin Bojarski
Brit. Lit 141.04
Bro. Rob Peach
1-27-08
Koyaanisqatsi…
Every day the same path is taken,
The feet have memorized the route.
The brain dumbs down to fit this new life,
There’s nothing for it to think about.
It’s not just one, a society rather
All marching to a single drum
A world wide game of follow the leader
That isn’t all that fun.
Fall in line or get left behind
The motto has been adopted.
Out with the old in with the new
It seems that there’s no way to stop it.
Try as you may, your efforts are wasted
The fact is, we can’t compete.
An age of conformity has creped up on us
And its end we cannot see.
It reeled us in with flashy lights
And the lure of material treasure.
But we forgot our sunglasses and compasses too,
With which we would have been better
Off with to help us stand a chance,
In this fight where there’s only one victor.
So man your stations, and hold your ground,
Let’s fight this new era, and let’s start now.
Jon Brewton
Bro. Rob Peach
Koyaanisqatsi Poem
1/27/08
The flames of molten volcanic brilliance shine
The wind wisps through the empty space
The earth radiates its vibrant hue’s of red
The water flows through this place invigorating life
This place is home
The foul beast penetrates the sky leaving clouds of smog and death
The flames burn so intense they leave a path of immolation and destruction
Created by a people of greed and self-fulfilling culture
To even describe their ways leaves a particular disdain in my mouth
For they are Mother Nature’s prodigal son
They run the world with an iron grip
Abusing nature with every unchecked advance
They destroy for the pleasure of mere vice and what they claim to be a lifestyle
Infesting this earth like a plague of lice
As karma predicted” what comes around goes around” rung certainly true
These people worked to death as parts of a machine
Pleasant on the outside but their innards filled with strife
They had truly lost the meaning of life
As their crimes became worse Mother Nature cried
For she knew it was time for her son to die
Seeking more fun man shot to the sky
As man looked on with admiration, the vessel exploded to nature’s triumphant exaltation
Man had lost because of his ways, and the end was near for the destructive son
Mother Nature slowly changed the world, cutting man from his home
And just as she had brought him into this world she had taken him out
Zachary Polk
Bro Rob Peach
Eng.141.04
1/28/07
Koyaanisqatsi Poem
There are four adjectives that describe our life,
Two are that of peace and harmony,
And two are devastation and destruction.
A vast ocean represents the adjective of peace,
Simply just moving along,
With no boundaries or interruptions.
It also gives life to many creatures,
Which in turn give food to man
To keep man peaceful and happy.
A volcano represents destruction.
When it erupts its ashes bury
The life beneath it and cause death.
Its magma destroys trees,
And towns which lead to death
And cause devastation to mankind.
Sam Viola
British Literature 141.04
Bro. Rob Peach
1/27/08
Koyaanisqatsi Poem
Nature in all its perfection
Gained our respect and admiration
From the mountains touching the clouds
To the rivers and the oceans
Everything in harmony
Just like it should be
But Humanity, in all its greatness
Wanted more than what nature gave us
We created things ridged and cold
Wanting only new, nothing old
Death, fighting, and destruction
Is someone going to have the gumption
To begin to change our ways
Or is it going to be the next generation that pays?
All of our achievements on this path
Will be nothing against nature's wrath
Jordan Botta
Brit. Lit. 141/04
Bro. Rob Peach
Jan. 27, 2008
Clouds melting into nothing,
Water crashing gracefully against the shore,
Fog rising from the tops of mountains into the heavens,
Clouds spilling over the hillsides,
Birds floating over tufted treetops,
Across the shiny surface of the water,
Across the multicolored plains,
Approaching an island of stone.
Machines rumbling across the rocks,
Spewing black smoke that clogs the sky,
Marring the azure surface,
Industrialization as far as the eye can see,
Power lines plaguing nature’s beauty,
Racing across the plains, staining her green, chrome.
Dams choke the flowing rivers,
Obstructing their way.
Unnatural fires burn under cold relentless steel.
Atomic flares blow holes in the earth,
As mushroom clouds rise to pass the clouds.
Heat ripples across the earth as metal kites approach,
Dancing to the tune of roaring engines.
Cars tango, and move to the beat of their daily lives,
Racing in all directions, but lacking a destination.
Human spirit reflects through the eyes of society;
The will to live and the desire to survive,
Specks of light race through the veins of the city,
The moon rises high to the skyline,
Another day passes quietly into night.
Mike Nuttle
Eng 141.04
Bro. Rob Peach
1/27/08
Sausages
Look at us now, being manufactured like sausages
If you ask me, I just think we’re all just hostages.
Being told what to think, and instructed what to say,
Why don’t they just go ahead and take my soul away?
Because we are all part of the institution,
Part of the problem, cause of the pollution.
This world is beautiful; it’s what surrounds me,
But it’s this lack of concern that’s really what astounds me.
And so you ask “Will everything be alright?”
I think there is hope, I think it just might.
Just take some time to ponder our fate,
If it really does turn out that it is too late.
If you just consider what is at stake,
You might dread the thought, and start to quake.
It may take change on an international scale,
But this is our test, and we don’t have to fail.
Trevor Ruiz
Br. Rob Peach, FSC
Eng. 141. Sect. 5
Koyaanisqatsi Poem
A New Beginning
Life began but as mere dust
In a world once empty before
But as time passed by, soon life roamed Earth’s crust
And soon a sound could be heard, of life’s dull roar
Life expanded and the population started to soar
At times leaving the world in disorder
And this chaos was often met with many a war
And when the last sounds could be heard of the booming mortar
The world fell silent and tried to create order
Life would now go on with people moving around like bees in a hive
Trying to live the life and the way they once were
They would finally awaken and truly realize what it means to be alive
And their new life would begin within a new era of peace
And thoughts of the past would inevitably cease
Sam Loughrey
Eng 141.04
Bro Rob Peach
1/27/08
Koyaanisqatsi Poem
As I gander upon mother nature's gifts,
I am more than humbled by her work.
While trying to absord the beautiful view,
I can't help but notice the on-going destruction.
As alluring birds hover over the trees,
Men are at the bottom bulldozing their homes.
I feel for the birds,
They cause no harm.
All they ask, is for somewhere to perch.
Apart from the tree's lies a bountiful lake.
Its calm and peaceful streams,
Is music to the ears.
As a drunk fisherman waits upon a bite,
He throws his empty cans into the lake.
At that point I had had enough
So I threw his ass into the lake.
I yelled "Koyaanisqatsi",
And he picked his trash up.
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