In using one of the poems from Kettle Bottom, analyze what the poem reveals about the setting of the collection.
Look at the language, the voice of the characters, and the imagery used to create meaning.
Write an analysis of the setting from your poems using textual evidence to support your thinking.
Your post should be two paragraphs in length.
The setting of Kettle Bottom is a setting of suspense and fear. The poem “Journal of Catherine Terry” focuses on the moment that everyone heard the siren signaling that the men were in trouble. Terry explains, “It blew/ and the world froze” (Fisher 3-4). This was the moment everyone had worried about. They knew that the mines were a dangerous place and that there is a good chance the men will be hurt. At this point in time, the mines had collapsed, trapping their family members inside. The voice of this poem represents the thoughts going through everyone’s mind at the time. She describes, “Don’t look, I thought,/ for I had never seen a man die-/ and wasn’t Eurydice lost/on account of just such looking down toward the underworld?” (Fisher 26-30). Eurydice was the wife of Orpheus. Orpheus tried to get her out of the Underworld but he lost her if he looked back to see if she was there. Her situation is similar- she’s afraid to look because she’s afraid to come face to face with the reality that they are not coming out. However, she also needs to look and hold on to some hope that she will soon see them exiting the mines.
ReplyDeleteThis town is built around the mines. Everything that happens there controls their life. It’s the source of torture, loss, and terror. Its control is seen in the way that everyone stops and looks at the mines. Terry notices, “Another, arms half-lifted in her reach/ to a clothesline, face whipped back/ toward the siren’s wail” (Fisher 10-12). Her face is described as “whipped” to show how important this is to her. She immediately turns to the mines because she knows this is a crucial moment. The people can’t stop staring at the mines, “their gaze was the only spell they had/ to conjure faces out of that dark” (Fisher 31-32). They had to see if anyone would come out. This moment could change everything in their lives and they are waiting for the mine’s final decision. They desperately try to conjure faces out of that dark knowing that there is a good chance no one will come out of it. The setting is centered around the mines, where there is a constant weight of suspense and fear.
The poems from Kettle-bottom depict the type of setting being used, especially by how dark and crucial it was during that time period to be working in the coal mines. It seemed like every male figure was apart of that responsibility to carry out the "proper" functions of society. This is intrusive in the poem "Abe" because the speaker is worried about sending her son Henry away from the labor in the mines. She wanted to keep him as innocent as possible, "I tried to keep Henry away when all this union trouble started" (L.I. 1-3). This was what she wanted,because as later in the passage she shows she isn't ready to lose her son yet. This takes hold of emotional value to the household, the woman wanted a different settlement for the child Henry, she expects more for him. The type of imagery being portrayed here is the lady being afraid to let go of her son and he doesn't get to live through the entity of his life, "I would not want a name such as would fool a son up the mountain to his death" (L.I.26-28). This foreshadows the aspect of birth being given soon to a son, and the mother doesn't want the name of Abraham that will carry him all the way to the grave. Further on she comes to the decision of naming him Abednego, because she feels the entitlement from it. That name gives off proper strength that will bring bravery, as being put to work in the mines. The times were especially basic back then, there were the lower class system and the higher class system of people. Money was spare during those times,the men were placed at work. That's because with everyday passing by with the normal routines going on, with feelings being hidden, because it provided comfort that wasn't typically handed out. These people were used to hard times, and there was nothing to change that, but inside that attacement placed a sense of security.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning placed from the poems in Kettle-bottom is to show a sanction of the time period. That the men were expected to do the work, and bring cash home to their endearing families. Even though that being involved in the mines had included that death would sometimes contribute to that because it wasn't a safe working environment. Yet the wives always stayed home, and did the cooking and cleaning and keeping up with the maintenance of their children. This being said, the poem "Walter and His Mama Talk about Angels" indicates that father figures are gone for majority of the day. Some have passed away, and that is what comes with the job, so the wife has to get used to providing on her own, "once I did, when you was being born. I seen a man,like made of light in the corner of the room" (L.I. 5-7). This enforces the idea, that the woman is worried to be taking matters into her own hands, but yet knowing that there is guidance is what led her along the way. There are people who come and go, but in the deepest of times, somebody is always watching and aren't expected to be alone on the roads. This falls hand and hand in with the concept in "Fortune" with taking life all at a leap of faith. That's because you only get life, at what you want in return, they are willing enough to be on their own. That is because at the end of the day they are only replicated to themselves in the picture. Relying on a man is one thing, but the poem "Fortune" shows that woman can have the independence they want that it's not always diamond and pearls. They have to build a way of boundaries they want for themselves, "Your life, I tell them, Yes, you keep it in your hands" (L.I. 16-17). This tells the story that from every other poem compared to this one it was always settling for the coal mines, but here it's about rising up and doing what makes the characters happy. The happiness that one gives off, aspires to the others, even with family or friends around, that one has to be satisfied for where they are at before sharing it with anyone else.
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ReplyDeleteIn the poem "The Rocks Down Here" setting is used to represent the speaker metaphorically. The location of the mines is related to a couple of physical sensations that the speaker experiences throughout the poem. The poem states that the speaker feels "cold sweats" (l.i 2), which can be assumed to be caused by the coldness of the mines. Being underground is very cold through temperature and so while the poem doesn't directly state that the mines are cold, it can be assumed that the coldness of the speaker is caused from being in the mines. Another example where the poem uses setting in a metaphorical description of the speaker is when the poem states, "I begin to feel easy-like moving through the dark." (l.i 5-6). This shows that the speaker feels as though they are moving through the dark and we can assume that the mines are dark. The Kettle Bottom also seems to use setting to describe wishful thinking and desire for something to escape the mines. In this poem, it states "craving to be somewhere else, somewhere clean in green leaves and sun" (l.i. 10-12). While the speaker isn't in this blissful place that they wish to be, the beautiful setting is used to describe this desired place in which the speaker wants to be. In this case, the setting is used to create an outlet for the speaker to express where they would rather be, instead of being used to describe where they currently are. Overall, the setting of this poem seems to be a representation of the emotions within the speaker. This is because the setting is directly being correlated to the speaker's feelings and thoughts which creates meaning behind the piece. By giving the physical setting/area of the poem an emotion, it helps readers understand why the speaker feels and thinks the way they do.
ReplyDeleteNot only is “Pearlie Tells What Happened at School” morally horrifying, but this poem also paints the foundation of the books setting. First ‘unleashed’ in the title, the setting appears in broad daylight. Choosing to place “school” in the title of the poem was a descriptive move. Kids learn mannerisms and lifestyles in school. The setting is less about the town’s condition and more about the interactions that happen in a schoolhouse.
ReplyDeleteTwo different generations show in this poem: the youngsters and the adults. Miss Terry is on the older side of the spectrum; she holds the belief that her students should learn their hometown in the coalmine (1-3.) Knowing one’s hometown is essential. Taking education from this approach is very nihilistic. Education is a powerful tool. Terry is using this tool to teach her students about the coal mines instead of any essential learning. The cherry on the top is her inability to teach her students the dangers of coal mines, only the cool rocks that make them up. Having an education like this only prepares the nippers for a life in the coal mine.
Nihilism comes shortly after because they are unable to live the life they want to live. Though the ankle-biters are not unaware of a dangerous form of living, they have no other choice. Walter Coyle is a student who lost their uncle in the coal mines. He knows how they function, as he responds to Terry’s question with “Miss Terry, can a person get petrified?” (17.) His answer could have been a chance to gain a further understanding of his uncles’ death. Though, the context shapes the meaning more into a factual statement in the disguise of a question. It is morally horrific. Rewriting this analysis for the second time led to the realization that the teacher’s response to Walters’s answer was not overboard. In the poem, she sent him home. Though she probably did not understand the actual extent of the knowledge that these kids have over the mines, she only slightly realized it after he physically brought in rocks. A day after his short medical leave, Walter walks back in with a rock and says, “This here, is the hand” (33-34.) This only could lead to the conclusion that the students understand what they learn beyond the pages, but due to their current situation, they have no choice but to live in a nihilistic manner. The setting is the most important part here because this whole interaction takes place in a schoolhouse. If pessimism happens in a place where unicorns and rainbows shoot out of some dinosaur, then one could only imagine the life of the rest of that city.
It says Unknown, I'm Deza :((((((((((((
DeleteThe poem ¨Two Hundred Million Years¨ is narrated by a girl describing where people go when they die. The setting in the poem is on top of Stepp Mountain and in the bottom of the mines. The top of Stepp Mountain represents the freedom of the mines while some people dont make it out and are left in there to become part of the mine. ¨Company says couldnt nobody have lived, says they cant go in for the bodies without risking more men¨(l.i. 24-26). This brings in meaning to those families like Robert Warren leaving the feeling of unknown and closure. There could be a slight possibily that men couldve survived down there but they just will never know. The narrators brother goes into the mine at sixteen leaving him to provide for his family since the father died three days before the son goes in. ¨We´d buried Daddy three days before, right next to Alma¨ (l.i. 13-14). The mother tells the narrator thatthe top of Stepp Mountain where her sister and daddy was buried as ¨safe in the earth¨ (l.i. 7). This brings a light tone to this poem as the rest of it is dark since the main topic is revolved around death. The first half on the poem focuses on Stepp Mountain, which is above ground, brings in a light side of them poem. The second half of the poem focuses on down inside the mines bringing in a dark tone to the poem. I think this can relate to heaven and hell. The people who make it out of the mines and pass rest in peace on top of a mountain compared to getting stuck in the mines which already is hell but to have ones body sit there for two hundred million years leaves the family with hell on their shoulders. Overall, the two opposite tones of each part of the poem and the difference of both settings bring together one cohesive poem about the harsh truth of the mines.
ReplyDelete- Abbey
DeleteIn “Violet’s Wash”, this woman talks about the stress of having to keep everything clean because there was so much dirt her husband brought home, working in the mines all day. She's like a very stereotypical wife back then when this was written, very doting, loyal to her husband, and wanting to make him happy and not have to worry about all the dirt and dust that surrounded them everyday. This was not just her story however this is just a glimpse into what many women at that time must have felt with their husbands in the mines and the constant stress to keep everything clean and normal. The dust was everywhere, she writes, “ After that, I went down the clothes line every time, but no matter, you can't get it all off.” ( Lines 9-11).It wasn't just her clothes at her husband's clothes that got the dirt and dust on them every day. it was all around them in their house and they couldn't seem to find a way to get rid of it. To them it was like a permanent mark where they are and in the rest of the world eyes, where they belong. People who worked in the coal mines were not well liked by other people in America. the Coal Miner's at that time were mostly immigrants and mostly hated by everyone else oh, so they give the worst job to the ones they hate. and the workers and their families knew that oh, but they try to make a sense of normalcy from it and make the best out of a situation that they were put in to survive. but there is still a sense of love for each other oh, despite the worst situation. in line 15, she writes, “ I thought I died that first week when I saw him walk off to the mine, black burnt-looking marks on his shirt over his shoulders, right where wings would have folded.” there's still a sense of love and compassion in this group of people who are not well-liked, respected, or thought of as equals at that time. they made the best out of a situation, and try to see the light every day.
ReplyDelete-Amanda
The setting of the novel is one seen as mostly compacted and gloomy. In the poem, "My Dearest Hazel", the writer shows how the mines are dangerous due to the fact that people are dying and the guards are locking people inside the camp. She states to her sister, "But, honey, do not come down here." (3-4) which shows how chaotic everything is now. Because the setting is compacted not only in this one poem, but in most of them, it can show how each situation can affect one another and how easily it is for people to die. She goes on to describe the situation she is in and how so many people are dying and who each person is.
ReplyDeleteSince the speaker makes a connection to the title of the collection, a deeper meaning is revealed because of it. This can be interpreted as the major conflict of the collection because the use of Kettle Bottom is portrayed as a negative factor when she claims, "...that old kettle bottom is waiting to drop." (39-40). The overall setting is affected and it becomes gloomy and almost sorrowful because of the constant fighting and life risking factors like working in the mines and women raising a family on their own. Because the speaker compares the drop of the kettle bottom of a mine to the camp she is in, the tension of the camp can show how trying to get in or out of the situation will only lead to more violence and the overall pieces within the collection is just one huge situation that may have multiple paths but will evidently lead to the same place and outcome.
-Bri
In the poem "Dear Diary" from the Kettle bottom collection it reveals quite a bit about the setting of the poems through the lens of a little girl. This little girl is a poor miners daughter, named Edith Mae, who doesn't often or at all get to indulge in the luxuries life because of her family's financial situation. Their position is evident in the beginning lines of the second stanza "Every few months, church ladies in Cincinnati sends us at Winco a mission box". This line grazes the surface of where they are geographically and how as a whole their community suffers. This establishes the poor miner town because they depend on a church mission boxes for some necessities.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of the perspective being through a little girls point of view is that we then get to see how through a child's eyes how being poor is just how they are and it doesn't seem foreign or out of place for them until it is pointed out and made to seem out of place. Like once the letter from Emily Lawson in the second to last stanza of the poem when Emily Lawson points out the fact that Edith Mae is poor and that Edith should just be grateful to have Emily Lawson's scraps, it is then that Edith Mae becomes cold and bitter towards her situation. This reveals the setting in a way that is more intimate than just the geographical location.
NORA HAYCOOK
The poem collection Kettle Bottom is one heavily surrounded by depression, oppression, and danger. However within the assortment of poems there is also clear voice of rebellion and faith within the words. This can be seen in many of the poems, such as "Samson". This poem revolves around a young man of color who is in the mines with his superiors when he makes the choice to collapse the mines on them. Within this poem it shows the oppressive nature of the elite who make money off of the poor mine workers who suffer and die each day in the dangerous tunnels. Such a moment can be seen in the quote, "Boss didn't call me by my name,/ just holler, Come on over here, son.Bragged how big I is, how strong/ a colored boy get when he shovel and haul," (6-9). These words show the level of disrespect the mine workers are given. Beyond being racist it also is dehumanizing. The mine workers have little beyond their names and their bosses do not bother to even learn them. This characterizes the miners as being insignificant and disposable. The usage of the term "son" is degrading, treating the narrator with a false sense of compassion. This is where the voice of faith and rebellion lies. In the ending quote it states, "With my right hand/ I pressed one pillar, the other with my left... I pressed harder and told them my name." (21-24). This is a clear connection to the story of Samson who prayed for his strength to return and was then able to destroy the pillars, killing all of the enemies around him. This Samson finds the strength and faith inside himself to destroy their oppressors and thus himself inside the mines that they had forced the miners to suffer and die in while they sat back collecting the money for so long. He had the faith that things would work out if they all continued to fight back. This shows their setting of how everyone works operates, and thinks. It is the reality of life, they are all faced with and confront.
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