Nicole Ocasio
Dr. Johnson- Lewis Humanities 1020
764 Words
Good Bones by Maggie Smith
The poem Good Bones by Maggie Smith was published in an online literary journal in June 2016 and grabbed the world's attention. Good Bones was birthed from the worries that dwelled within her as a mother. It deals with the innocence of childhood against the harsh realities of the outside world. How or exactly when should the conversation of what really lies in the outside world, beyond our comfort zone, begin with our children. Maggie Smith is a poet that has published three full books of poetry: Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017); The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison (Tupelo Press, 2015); and Lamp of the Body (Red Hen Press, 2005). Maggie Smith works as …show more content…
Good Bones expresses the prejudice and pain that exist in daily life. The line "The world is at least/ fifty percent terrible, and that's a conservative/ estimate, …"(Smith) conveys the unfavorable attitude that she has towards the world. No matter how you try as a parent, at some point your children will learn about the unfairness of life. The poem reflects how injustice is prevalent in every aspect of life. The repetition in the last two lines with the use of the word "beautiful" exposes the poem optimistic nature. The last line " You can make this place beautiful." sends the message of hope and not losing faith for a better future. Smith uses the line "Any decent realtor, walking you through a real shithole, chirps on about good bone"(Smith) to explain the meaning of the poem's title. Smith's poem Good Bones shows the desire to be able to comfort and protect our children from the world while simultaneously instilling empathy in order to make the world a better …show more content…
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche determined that responses evoked from works of art can be either Apollonian or Dionysian in nature. With the Apollonian response, a person's reaction to the work of art is "dominated by reason and disciplined analytical, rational, and coherent thought"(Janaro and Altshuler) Where on the other hand, a Dionysian response is "dominated by feelings, intuition, and freedom from limits:"(Janaro and Altshuler). Good Bones would be classified as a Dionysian work of art. One reader's intense reaction to this poem and the desire to share it caused a ripple effect in social media outlets. Several different feelings can be aroused within the reader whether feeling helpless to the evils that exist in the world or feeling confident that change can still happen. "For every loved child, a broken child, bagged, / sunk in a lake..." (Smith) provokes the feeling of anger towards those who would harm innocent helpless
Dr. Johnson- Lewis Humanities 1020
764 Words
Good Bones by Maggie Smith
The poem Good Bones by Maggie Smith was published in an online literary journal in June 2016 and grabbed the world's attention. Good Bones was birthed from the worries that dwelled within her as a mother. It deals with the innocence of childhood against the harsh realities of the outside world. How or exactly when should the conversation of what really lies in the outside world, beyond our comfort zone, begin with our children. Maggie Smith is a poet that has published three full books of poetry: Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017); The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison (Tupelo Press, 2015); and Lamp of the Body (Red Hen Press, 2005). Maggie Smith works as …show more content…
Good Bones expresses the prejudice and pain that exist in daily life. The line "The world is at least/ fifty percent terrible, and that's a conservative/ estimate, …"(Smith) conveys the unfavorable attitude that she has towards the world. No matter how you try as a parent, at some point your children will learn about the unfairness of life. The poem reflects how injustice is prevalent in every aspect of life. The repetition in the last two lines with the use of the word "beautiful" exposes the poem optimistic nature. The last line " You can make this place beautiful." sends the message of hope and not losing faith for a better future. Smith uses the line "Any decent realtor, walking you through a real shithole, chirps on about good bone"(Smith) to explain the meaning of the poem's title. Smith's poem Good Bones shows the desire to be able to comfort and protect our children from the world while simultaneously instilling empathy in order to make the world a better …show more content…
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche determined that responses evoked from works of art can be either Apollonian or Dionysian in nature. With the Apollonian response, a person's reaction to the work of art is "dominated by reason and disciplined analytical, rational, and coherent thought"(Janaro and Altshuler) Where on the other hand, a Dionysian response is "dominated by feelings, intuition, and freedom from limits:"(Janaro and Altshuler). Good Bones would be classified as a Dionysian work of art. One reader's intense reaction to this poem and the desire to share it caused a ripple effect in social media outlets. Several different feelings can be aroused within the reader whether feeling helpless to the evils that exist in the world or feeling confident that change can still happen. "For every loved child, a broken child, bagged, / sunk in a lake..." (Smith) provokes the feeling of anger towards those who would harm innocent helpless