blog 2

So far, I have found the longer articles we read to be very confusing and hard to decipher, but really enjoyed the poetry. I also really enjoy that our class is so diverse in opinion. It is always interesting to hear another person's take on a poem because everyone comes up with such different ideas. 

Personally, one of my favorite and one of the most touching poems we have read is "A Story About The Body" by Robert Hass. I never expected such a lovey-dovey poem to take a harsh and superficial turn. I assume the woman in the poem had breast cancer and therefore a mastectomy. After I read it myself, I had a difficult time understanding how a man could act like that. I did the 3-DAY walk for breast cancer research this summer in Chicago. I walked with many breast cancer survivors and many of whom no longer had breasts. To me, their spirit and strength was sexy and inspiring. If I were someone married to a breast cancer survivor, I would celebrate them and be impressed and supportive of their battle and triumph with cancer. But, i guess when you are a "young" man, a woman without breasts is not what you are looking for. I hope that most men, as they age, realize that there is much more to being a woman than a pair of breasts. That surviving cancer is sexy. So, what I am saying, is I hope that no man thinks like the young composer in "A Story About The Body."