I chose “September Twelfth, 2001,” by X.J. Kennedy for my poem to read in class. It was a very powerful poem that took me back to the horrible memories of September 11, 2001. The poem uses blank verse that is arranged into three, four line verse paragraphs. It also uses a metaphor to compare Americans to bubbles bursting in a boiling pot, which I think very cleverly depicts what many Americans were feeling after this tragedy. The poem also uses very strong imagery when it portrays the people jumping from the buildings. It uses gustatory imagery when it talks about the couple waking up saying they are “tasting the air.”
I think this poem was spot on when describing what the American public felt after September 11. I think the couple felt very thankful for still being alive, but also had heavy hearts for the people that perished in the attacks. I think they also felt for the people that gave their lives trying to help the people in the building, and felt pitiful because they could not help. This was a very short but powerful poem that made this activity less painful than I thought.
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This was the first time I'd heard this poem, and boy was I glad you chose it, Ian. The ending, with the couple's renewal of life, really moved me. Tasting the air...that is so sensual, isn't it?
ReplyDeletei nearly picked this poem, too. i was really glad when you did, cuz it was so cool. short, but very powerful :)
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