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Naomi Shihab Nye’s “I Feel Sorry for Jesus” is a personal guide to me. It seems as though she is talking about how we often can’t talk about Jesus and the story of him in itself because we end up talking for him. Deborah Paredez’s “Bustillo Drive Grocery reminds me of going around town as a child with my parents. It characterizes itself as free and spontaneous because you often see various images throughout the poem. Most of it is a narration and to me it takes on the role of a scene in a play because of how everything is laid out before you. I personally really liked Soto’s “What’s Your Major” because as it starts you think that it will run over the inner workings of decisiveness, but really it highlights how we as people end up in the ground when we die. It explores the idea that we all end up in the same place, and that no matter what he chooses he will make a difference. Gloria Vando’s poem reminded me of the addictiveness of shopping, which kind of helped me understand the story within it. She talks about how she thinks of her old love when she sees heels. I also like that she uses form. Villanueva’s poem is kind of funny to me when I was reading the middle because she talks about kids needing a fight. She’s comedic in her poems and I think more poems need that.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Campos
I really liked all five of these poems, and reread them each. I liked Naomi Shihab Nye’s double-meanings in “I Feel Sorry for Jesus”: she says, “I closed my eyes where He died and didn’t die.” The phrasing makes a paradox of Jesus both dying and not dying (which are both, in a sense, true) and sound as though he died, and she didn’t, because of the potential that He died in her place. I didn’t understand what she meant by the “secret pouch of listening” because I don’t understand what that is in contrast to, unless it is to all the people talking about Him. In Deborah Parédez’s “Bustillo Drive Grocery, Parédez revisits her literal childhood spent at a grocery store selling sweets, and the abstract feeling she experienced while dropping and rising in play with her uncle. Parédez is looking back fondly with nostalgia instead of expressing a bitterness about a scarring event from her past, which was a pleasant surprise and made me appreciate the poem even more. “What is Your Major?” by Gary Soto showed an intriguing connection between archaeology and mortuary studies, and the indirect connection (common denominator: death?) to college courses. Vando and Villanueva both expressed uniquely female perspectives. Connecting a man to high-heel shoes—"the higher, the better” was an original image to a cliché theme of remembering former flames… Villanueva’s “bitch bitch etc.” contained excellent imagery about the ocean inside of her. I felt this was an unexpected turn after the first three images of a woman with a man, with kids, and against the world—she suddenly turned into a container for something very deep and bitter (i.e. salty). This reminds me of the woman at the well that Jesus talks to (“The well is deep,” she says) from John 4.
ReplyDeleteNatalie Roeglin
In Nye's poem, I personally cannot connect to it, but from my understanding she thinks people get very carried away in Jesus' message and sometimes misconstruing it into different contexts. Her message seems to be very quick as if in a hurry to tell the message. In Paredez's poem I found it more story-like and vivid, but I really couldn't find the point in it? It just felt more like a recollection of a memory. In Soto's poem there is a bigger look into his major of archaeology and how as he dove deeper into it, it made him less afraid of death, in fact it just made him more comfortable to handle. Vando's poem is a shape poem where these new shoes reminded her of an old lover and I liked her comparison how the thought of them keeps coming back to her like gum and is constantly always on her mind even to where she finds herself still smiling over their very name. Villanueva's poem is by far my favorite, I read it out loud to get the attitude from it. I got a lot of attitude from the words in parenthesis. She really accepts and embraces being called a bitch and I absolutely LOVE that power she is showing.
ReplyDelete- Faith Ortiz
"I Feel Sorry for Jesus" by Naomi Shihab Nye was a wonderful poem bringing to people's attention that they all take advantage of Jesus(Jesus Christ). It's a biblical poem that I enjoyed, being a Christian myself. It shows so much care and thought, so much so that she said that she would never talk about it again. Bustillo Drive Grocery was a great poem employing literary elements like metaphor, personification, and more. I really enjoyed the vivid detail given to every item in the grocery, and the attention to detail described. I can really see what's happening. What Is Your Major? gives a simple question and glimpses far ahead into the future to show how one answer to a question becomes the road map for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteSidney Carranco
I really enjoyed “I Feel Sorry for Jesus” by Naomi Shihab Nye. The line that got to me the most was in stanza 6 lines 23 and 24, “It’s dangerous talking for Jesus. You get carried away almost immediately.” I feel like that happens a lot now a days. People feel the need to tell you what they think about the word of God instead of letting you interpret it yourself. Leading to people getting carried away. This poem really speaks loud and clear to me.
ReplyDeleteAnother poem that I really enjoyed is the poem “bitch, bitch, bitch” I have a thing for vulgarity and this somehow made me happy. I absolutely love what this poem is saying. Kind of reminds me of how women are subjected to be a certain type of women. How we always have to be kind, caring, loving. All the things we know we can’t be twenty four seven. And if we’re not that then we’re a “bitch”. It’s very comical in my opinion. I loved the last few lines where it says “maybe I look like a bitch, probably because that’s what I am.” What girl hasn’t felt like that to be honest? I relate to it so much. Probably one of the best poems I’ve read in a while.
Ilene Guevara
In the first poem, " I Feel Sorry for Jesus" they discussed how people often take advantage of Jesus Christ, and I can understand where that is coming from. However, I am not religious. I do think that people often mistake telling others their beliefs with trying to convert them to believe. I know a lot of people that quietly discuss their beliefs, but still have the means to want you to interpret it the way that they want you too. In "Bustillo Drive Grocery" there are childhood elements in it that I was able to feel. The fact that she was talking about her own childhood really made me realize that that she had matured when she wrote that poem. I loved the concept of having Vando's poem being in the shape of a heel. She mentions that she sees her old lover when she sees heels. Which is really funny because the shape of the heel is just making me interpret that she is intending for the poem to be about how the old love keeps coming back in her mind. IN Villanueva's poem " bitch, bitch, bitch" was really a sassy poem that I enjoyed reading because of the fact that she embraces her attitude. I can really understand how girls aren't supposed to be like that and love that the poem was so powerful.
ReplyDeleteLianna Andrade
Nye's I Feel Sorry for Jesus was very interesting to me due to how it has a person feeling sorry for Jesus and the sacrifices he made for sinners and how they repay him by blaming him for their problems. I like how Bustillo Drive Grocery shows a little girl experiencing work for the first time by selling sweets. I like how Soto's What is Your Major shows how a person decides their college major. I also like how the poet describes what she thinks of the concept of death. I like how New Shoes and an Old Flame is structured like a high heel, it gives the readers an idea on what the poem is about. Villanueva's Bitch Bitch Bitch Bitch was particularly interesting to me. I found the way the poet uses curse words to express her emotions.
ReplyDeleteKatia Garcia
In the poem I feel Sorry For Jesus, I find it really interesting how the concept of Jesus as an archetype is interpreted through by us and classism. I think it’s interesting how the poet calls out his readers and reminds them that in more than one way, the Jesus that they worship is a Jesus they created. The humility of Jesus in comparison to the pride of those who claim to know him is made a sharp distinction by the poet. In Bustillo Drive, the recollection of memories of a little girl are shown hours strewn with violent, sour, pessimistic memories which contrast the sweet, appetizing treat which were sold at the store her grandparents owned. As I am minoring in anthropology, I found Soto’s poem to be witty. The comparison to the dead and the connections therein are interesting to examine. The day of thousands of years ago and the recently passed share a connection in death as a shared space. Vando’s shoe fetish poem didn’t really call my attention, though the shape of the poem was interesting to say the least. Villanueva’s poem Bitch is an anthem of strength, where the word bitch is claimed as a synonym for power. Bitch, once hurled as a painful insult, has been taken back and claimed as a word of strength by the poet.
ReplyDelete-Jose Montoya
In the first poem called “I Feel Sorry for Jesus” by Naomi Shihab Nye was describing the hardships that Jesus had to go through and how she reflects on the situation. I like how she structured the poem into similar length stanzas because it made it easy to follow and read. The second poem called “Bustillo Drive Grocery” describes the adventures of a kid and him working at a grocery store. It made it relatable because it used Spanish words that we use here in the valley. The poem called “What is Your Major” by Gary Soto was very confusing for me. What I understood from it what was that he was a student of archaeology and he is describing death on the objects that he finds. It talks a lot about rotting flesh and coffins. The last poem called “bitch bitch bitch bitch” by Alma Luz Villanueva was funny for me to read. The poem goes on to describe the word bitch and what it signifies for the author. She goes on and on talking negatively about situations that she has been through. At the end of the poem, she goes on to mention that she herself might be a bitch.
ReplyDeleteFrancisco Rosales
I enjoyed reading each poem they each were wonderful to read. Naomi Shihab Nye “I feel sorry for Jesus” gives people a realization on how people take advantage of Jesus. I loved how she says “cozily they tell you what he wants and doesn’t want as if they just an e-mail… People blame terrible pieties on Jesus” it felt as if a hard reality she wanted to shed on it to me. Deborah Parédez” Bustillo Drive Grocery” the poem it self was wonderful as she speaks of her childhood it brought back childhood memories of my own that I loved. Gloria Vando ”new shoes and an old flame” had me intrigued from the first view of the heel and the title itself. To me it reminds me of how something we see can keep us tied to an old love, which is how I interpreted the poem. Alma Luz Villanueva “bitch bitch bitch bitch” was powerful because of how much sass she has in the poem. when reading it aloud I found myself giving attitude when reading which I enjoyed. Out of all five I feel sorry for Jesus and bitch bitch bitch bitch were by far my favorite.
ReplyDeleteAndi Rubalcava
The poem I feel sorry for Jesus seems a bit like the verge of a nervous breakdown or a step away from an existential crisis, but as someone who is religious i admire how Nye says "See? im talking like i know" and honestly none of us will ever know but i admire that clarification. In Bustillo drive grocery Paredez explains her childhood which goes to show that she wrote this years later to revisit her past and what made her the person she is today, to write such a poem takes a bit of concentration but its easier to write in a poem because of the bits and pieces possibly missing. int the poem what is your major was another personal poem, and another poem explaining a bit of their past just as Bustillo drive did. Soto never explains what major he is now but the major he was thinking about a possibly the reasons why he decided not to? or maybe the reasons he wanted to. in Vandos poem i think first off its cool how we see the poem structured in a high heel considering that's the point of the story, also enjoyed what she wrote about her "old flame" and how shes clearly not entirely over him. in Villanuevas poems, bitch wasn't as personal as the previous poems but ha a humor in explaining how "bitch" was such a interesting word, a word in the foul language dictionary, quite the free spirit.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Ruiz
Upon reading the title “I Feel Sorry for Jesus” I was instantly intrigued. It sounds very sarcastic, and I think the poem carried out that tone as well. I enjoyed how Shabib Nye incorporated the game “Telephone” and correlated the concept with her idea of how people get upset when he does not deliver what they initially wanted. I did not understand the second half of the poem very well, but I definitely interpreted this as a semi annoyed rant. In Paredez’ poem, “Bustillo Drive Grocery” she describes her memory of working at her grandparents grocery story. I liked this poem because I interpreted it as going in a descending order, from the moments that happened last, to the memories that happened first. I thought that was really unique, and important due to the fact that she was recalling a specific memory. This poem reminded me of my childhood. I used to always glorify corner stores because of the plethora of snacks they had. She uses such specific details and sensory images, I really appreciated that. I also admired how she used Spanish, it made the poem personal, and more relatable in a sense. Paredez presented action from beginning to end, it was easy to remain captivated though the poem was pretty long.
ReplyDeleteValerie Jackson
“I Feel Sorry For Jesus.” Author - Naomi Shihab Nye. An infatuation with Jesus lends a curse to becoming infatuated with one’s authority over others; the message and interpretations circle in your head, and when you’re the fellow responsible for preaching these messages and interpretations, you begin to be stuck in your head - stuck in your ideas - stuck in yourself. You’re used to the listeners, not used to the preachers. You are the preacher, but not the listener, despite being preached as a great listener. Strange deal is that it becomes unintentional, almost absent when considering such. He. Him. Jesus. Jesus is capitalize for importance, though he typically is capitalized in psalms and scriptures, or at least I do think he’s capitalized in scriptures.
ReplyDelete“Bustillo Drive Bakery.” Author - Deborah Parédez. Poem is based several decades ago when food industry and urban development safety expectations were of low standards compared to today, though I can put out an exact date as to when this poem is based. Bustillo is a derivative of busto, so it’s really just “Busted Drive Bakery.” Gives off that decadent sense to it a bit, except the poem goes out to capture its audience through allusions - Bayer aspirin, rolls of Charmin, Milky Ways, and Three Musketeers. The interesting bit is that the narrator spends time describing the dilapidated conditions of not just their location but also the food and drink items they consume, and yet the narrator bears a heightened interest for food prepared by hand with enthusiasm and drinks stored away for refreshments. This is a bit of a callback, because rarely do you see homes with storage units built within their walls. One thing I think I ought to consider is that perhaps this poem takes place during the prohibition era, which might explain the storage unit built into the wall.
- Gary Tolar