Magic Lantern
Monday, January 11, 2016
Oliver Banton 1/11
My favorite Eileen Myles poem was Aunt Anne. I enjoyed the entire poem, and especially liked how it was sort of broken up into two sections. The first part of the poem begins with Myles reminiscing about sitting with her mother and aunt in her childhood home. She focuses on these two characters, but as she remembers the two prominent figures from her childhood, other memories begin to poor in. She sort of rambles on about different things she can distinctly remember from her childhood. This got me thinking about watching my mom cook, which I would often do as a kid. I then reflected on after school days similar to Myles. I believe this was intended in her writing, to evoke childhood memories from her readers.
I also enjoyed her talking about being half Polish and half Irish. I, like Myles, am from the Boston area, and a large number of my friends are Irish. I however, am not. She described how she felt like an outcast in school at times, which is also something I can relate to. But she didn’t just stop at that feeling of alienation. She talked about how it was tough at times, especially as a child. But she also reflected on the fact that being Polish in a predominantly Irish and Italian school made her feel special at times. It was something that made her unique, which of course isn’t always easy as a child. Overall, I liked Aunt Anne because Myles’ language helped to create vivid images in the readers’ heads. I also liked it because it helped me reflect on my childhood in Boston.
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Hi Oliver,
ReplyDeleteI related to "Aunt Anne" as well because of the ethnic outcast I have often been in many of the places I've lived. I think Myles was attempting to bring out our childhood memories, but in an indirect way. Do you plan to use this indirect emotion-eliciting tactic in your writing? Do you plan to write about your childhood as well? I love the idea of writing about your mother cook. There are so many senses that you can describe and write about when explaining a mother in the kitchen. The scents, the colors, the laughter can all be included in that type of story. I think that would be a wonderful story idea because of the large majority of people that can relate to their mother cooking in the kitchen, and the emotions behind it. I suggest possibly writing about the anticipation and waiting that we all feel when waiting for our mother's to cook; talk about the smells and the mouth-watering dishes placed on the counter, untouchable until Mom says dinner is ready. I think that these vivid images will really help to make a powerful piece.
I think that's great that you could connect with Myles on a deeper level. Throughout all of her readings she really allowed the reader to connect with her through many ways, such as her childhood, especially feeling like an outcast sometimes, which happens to the best of us. The fact that the two of you are from the same area means you must have been able to connect on a deeper level with myles. I think this is a great idea for your story and I think that if you can encapsulate what Myles does as far as emotion, and painting a picture in the reader's head, it will be a great story.
ReplyDeleteThe memories of her family members in comparison to your own is very cool. I also felt similarly because I can remember being little and watching my mom cool as well. That's very cool you can relate to Myles on location and background as well. Do you plan on following a similar personal reflection for your own story? I think encapsulating the conflicting feelings, alienated yet special, would be an interesting structure and a great story.
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