Short_Stories_and_Poems_an_Artistic_Expression

Short Stories and Poems an Artistic Expression by David Hickox Ashford University Short Stories and Poems an Artistic Expression While some believe that poetry and short stories are simply a way to quickly express a thought without any real depth or meaning, it does not take long to disprove this way of thinking. Poetry can be expressed in a simple and straight forward form and still have great depth and meaning. Poetry can also be presented in very specific forms such as a sonnet which is very structured. The specifications as to format vary depending on if it is an Italian sonnet or an English sonnet. (Clugston, 2010) Another style of poetry with a very specific structure is known as a haiku. The Japanese originated this style of poem, “a haiku poem creates a clear picture that stimulates a distinct emotion or spiritual insight” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, Haiku and Free Verse, para. 1). As for short stories, it has been found that they are plentiful and many are known as very distinguished writing. Even short stories that may not be considered distinguished can offer great insight and exhibit very competent works of art. (Mirrielees, 1951) Short stories and poems can be used as a way to express ideas from various aspects, leading people in an artistic way to take a deeper look at things that may influence their beliefs or feelings. Short stories and poetry use specific techniques or elements in order to draw the reader in. The author may use a narrator approach, even if the narrator is part of the story or poem. This is used to define the basis or background of what the short story or poem is about. Metaphors, symbolism, and tone are also some of the elements that can be used in both poetry and short stories. (Clugston, 2010) In poems and short stories themes are also exhibited that portray a level of significance to the literary art being presented. The previously mentioned elements along with a theme of death and impermanence will be used to look into the poem, “Dog’s Death” by John Updike and the short story, “Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys (Clugston, 2010). As part of the discussion on this poem and short story, the theme of death and impermanence is very significant. Did the author’s set out to create a poem and a short story that fit into this theme, or did they write these literary works and then discover that they just happen to have a theme representing death and impermanence' This is certainly a question that only each author could answer for themselves. Viewing these literary works from the standpoint of the theme, death and impermanence, being the initiator of the poem and short story, there needs to be an understanding of the thoughts and perceptions of death and impermanence. People have an inherent need or desire to understand death and the impermanence of life. People deal with the thought of death and what happens next, if anything, in many different ways. Religion is one example. The basis of most religions is an attempt to explain the cycle of earthly life, earthly death, and what happens next. In essence how impermanent our existence is or is not. This takes us into the realm of religious theology, which comes in a great number of forms. Another way to look at impermanence is that what we have on earth, worldly things, are impermanent and insignificant in comparison to the bigger picture. If one believes that our time on earth is merely a temporary existence in the scheme of things than the impermanence of an earthly life and our inevitable death on earth is really of no great consequence. In addition to guiding us in these questions of our existence, religions also teach us how to live a moral life that gives us a feeling of worth and meaning. Religions or spiritual traditions look into death and attempt to formulate theories about what occurs after death, while also endeavoring to teach ethical principles. This could be to get us ready for a next life, to aid us in being better people here on earth, or to prepare us for heaven (Nichtern, 2010). The death and impermanence view of having a next life could be why Jean Rhys in “Used to Live Here Once” portrayed the women that approached the children and called out to them as a spirit or ghost. (Clugston, 2010) There are also those that do not believe in any type of existence after death on earth. This makes for a truly an impermanent existence. In “Dog’s Death” by John Updike there is no direction given as to what the family thought may happen to the dog now that it is dead. One could assume that the family believes that death is the final phase in the cycle of life, or they may believe that the dog goes on to live a next life. What we do know is that the dog has reached the impermanence of life as they know it for him on earth. In order to look into this further, a comparative review and an examination of some of the elements used in the poem, “Dog’s Death” by John Updike and the short story, “Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys (Clugston, 2010) are in order. An initial comparison is the format being used. Since one is a poem and the other a short story they will each have an entirely different structure or layout. That being said, I find it interesting that each of these start in a reflective context. In the first stanza of “Dog’s Death” the narrator is reflecting on how the dog may have been injured, and that the dog was young and just learning to be paper trained. She must have been kicked unseen or brushed by a car. Too young to know much, she was beginning to learn To use the newspapers spread on the kitchen floor And to win, wetting there, the words, "Good dog! Good dog!" (as cited in Clugston, 2010, Literature glorifies the commonplace, lines 1-4) In the first sentence of “Used to Live Here Once”, the protagonist narrator is reflecting on the stones used to cross the river, “She was standing by the river looking at the stepping stones and remembering each one” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 2). Although each of these begins in a reflective context, they are very different in structure as well as tone. In “Dog’s Death”, there is a feeling of hope and joy in the reflection of the first stanza. At this point there is not an indication that the dog is dying. In the reflective context of the first paragraph of “Used to Live Here Once”, it portrays concern and discusses the reasons why, yet ends in an acknowledgement of becoming easier and achieving success in crossing the river. This also displays a difference in form or format that is used. In short stories a sentence and paragraph structure is used. The sentences are typically a complete sentence that is grammatically correct. There are of course exceptions, such as when the author is specifically using language that would be from a particular culture or region, for example if backwoods hillbilly slang where to be used. Poetry is typically written is stanza’s and does not use paragraphs. Although proper sentence structure may be used, the style or structure of the poem may give the impression that the poem is not grammatically correct. Additional elements that poems may use are rhymes and rhythm. Short stories do not tend to use rhymes or have a rhythm to them. These structural or format differences of “Dog’s Death” and “Used to Live Here Once” are evident at first glance. Language can be used in many ways, beginning with the thought process and then using this to put these thoughts into words. Generally this is done in a way to precisely communicate some particular piece of information. It doesn’t necessarily have a goal of invoking deeper thought or the examination of beliefs. It doesn’t have a goal of rhythm, adventure, conflict, or some underlying meaning that must be pulled into existence by its precise selection of words that could be symbolic or metaphorical. The words selected in poetry give rise to a meaning deep within the psyche, beyond their natural or simplistic meaning; perhaps at a level beneath the formation of language itself (Kendall, 1977). The use of poetry attempts to bring back into existence a sense of mystery, excitement, fantasy, feelings and beliefs which are generally lost in typical language. As an example, there seems to be a bit of a mystery that then leaves a feeling of sadness in the following verse, “In the car to the vet's, on my lap, she tried To bite my hand and died” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, What Literature Contributes to Our Lives, lines 12-14). The mystery arises, why did the dog try to bite his hand, and the feeling of sadness is solidified by the fact that the dog is now dead. “Poetry is an attempt to put back some of the natural psychological fiber that is normally sacrificed when language is made. Literal signification is replaced by metaphor and implication” (Kendall, 1977, p. 190). This raises the question as to the intent of a poetic metaphor. The question is whether the metaphor is intended for clarity, or are there enough concealed interpretations to lend this comparison to multiple possibilities and leave the reader to ponder the options. (Tracy, 2011) “Literature has played a trick on us: clarity is murky, and ambiguity is clear” (Tracy, 2011, p.323, para.2). This creates a literary confusion and yet lends itself to mystery and the ability for us to discover a meaning all our own. A metaphor that has a good deal of clarity, but also leaves some ambiguity can be found in “Dog’s Death” by John Updike, “As we teased her with play, blood was filling her skin And her heart was learning to lie down forever” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, What Literature Contributes to Our Lives, lines 7-8). This metaphor tells us that the dog is dying right before their eyes. The part that is ambiguous is that they were teasing her with play. Was this to sooth the dog, or was this to make them feel better, did they even realize at this point that the dog was actually dying' Short stories are another literary avenue where an author can express hidden meaning, symbolism, and metaphors. In comparison to poetry, short stories make use of words and language in a paragraph format that directs reader’s thoughts as the story unfolds in front of them. The format of the short story allows the author to use longer descriptive phrases in order to get the message across. A short story example of a paragraph structure, unlike in a poem, that express a metaphor can be seen in the first paragraph in “Used to Live Here Once”. (Clugston, 2010) “The next one wasn't so safe for when the river was full the water flowed over it and even when it showed dry it was slippery. But after that it was easy and soon she was standing on the other side” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 2). Although, the women is talking about the struggle of using the rocks in order to cross the river. This is a metaphor of the struggles of life. Later in the story there is a realization that crossing the river also depicts the crossing over from life to death. A short story like a poem generally has a theme, but unlike a poem it tends to be more explicit by briefly giving some insight into the characters within the story, quickly creating a setting, and involves some sort of a plot tied to a conflict or some other kind of action or event. (Clugston, 2010) In addition to these attributes, a short story has a dramatic and concise completeness that is unlike that of a novel; it sticks with a single and specific theme; by its very nature it must be short and not long, and not in such a way that it would be viewed as a mini novel; it is based on a single incident, not multiple related incidents. (Dawson, 1909) A singleness of theme can be seen in “Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys (Clugston, 2010). The single theme of death and the impermanence is developed throughout this short story, yet is not completely understood until the end. This is shown as the women reflects on the past, the changes observed along the way and at the house, and finally the realization that the children do not know she is there other than perhaps the feeling of coldness as she comes close. The feeling of coldness is symbolic of the presents of a spirit. According to Dawson (1909), “Spread out into a novel the interest could not be sustained; the incident itself is so dramatic that any additional incidents would weaken the effect” (p. 801-802). Like all forms of art, there is intent to leave some things in the realm of our minds eye; giving us a hint or an idea of the meaning yet leaving it up to us to discover for ourselves what the artist is saying to us based on our life experiences and imagination. For a short story to be successful it must grab hold of us right away, there is no time for a long collection of details. This is to be left to those that write novels. (Dawson, 1909) Although “Dog’s Death” by John Updike and “Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys (Clugston, 2010) both have a theme of death and impermanence, they are coming from entirely different perspectives. “Dog’s Death”, has a perspective of death happening at the current time and the family dealing with the impermanence of life. “Used to Live Here Once”, comes from the standpoint of a women that already died, but shows an impermanence of death since she lives on as a spirit. She doesn’t have an earthly body that can be seen by others, nor can she be heard. One thing that does make them alike is that both authors give clues along the way, but the realization of death, past or present, is not absolutely understood until the end of each literary work. The following shows how each of these literary works progressed to the final realization of death and impermanence. In “Dog’s Death” by John Updike, the second stanza covers the affliction of the dog and moves the poem in the direction of the dog fading away, “And her heart was learning to lie down forever” (Clugston, 2010, Literature glorifies the commonplace, line 8). As the poem continues we are drawn further into the depleting condition of the dog as it finds its way under the youngest child’s bed to lie, and then off to the vet they go. In the second to the last stanza, Updike creates a mood of sadness as the dog dies while being stroked by the husband and being called by the wife in tears, “And my wife called in a voice imperious with tears” (Clugston, 2010, Literature glorifies the commonplace, line 14). This poem finishes with a picture of how in its last moments the dog having diarrhea drug itself to a newspaper that had been left, just as it had been taught to do. The entire progression of this poem ending with the death of the dog and it giving a final effort to do what it had been taught instills a feeling of sorrow and compassion for this dog as well as for its owners. This poem exhibits a theme of death and the impermanence of life from a current and immediate perspective with no hint as to what may come next. In “Used to Live Here Once”, the women reflects on struggling to use the rocks to cross the river. Later in the story it becomes apparent that this represents crossing over from life to death. She now reflects on how although things have changed, the road being wider, she has a feeling of happiness as she considers the past and how she has traveled this road before. Her feeling of this being a great day is further expressed in the first sentence of the third paragraph by the use of a direct comment and symbolism, “It was a fine day, a blue day” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 4). The author continues to create the setting by describing the conditions of the road she is on as she reflects on how the road has changed, but yet is still the same old road, “Yet it was the same road and she walked along” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 4). The author now begins to build excitement as the woman reaches the house. She begins to take notice of the things that are the same as she remembers and the things that are different now, “She stopped and looked towards the house that had been added to and painted white” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 5). She now notices a boy and a girl frolicking about so she waves and calls out “Hello”, but they do not respond. The question arises, do they not see her or hear here; are they ignoring her' She now makes note of how fair in complexion the children are. The author now creates an ambiguity by stating, “as if the white blood is asserting itself against all odds” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 6). The questions this brings about are: (a) is this purely in reference to the fairness of their skin and the harshness of the intense sun in this region, or (b) is it a reference to the cultural challenges they face as outsiders, white people, in this region. The woman strolls closer and again cries out “Hello” and then "I used to live here once" (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 7), but the children still do not reply. Why would they ignore her in this way; is there more to this' Now the women is very near and again says “Hello” as she stretches out her arms. At this point the boy is looking directly at the women, yet does not see her. The author now uses symbolism for death the as the boy says “"Hasn't it gone cold all of a sudden. D'you notice' Let's go in” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 9). The story ends with the women finally realizing that she is a ghost, “That was the first time she knew” (Clugston, 2010, An Annotated Story Illustrating Elements of Allegory and Motif, para. 12). In the short story “Used to Live Here Once”, one could say that the fact that she is already dead shows the impermanence of life. On the other hand, one could say that since she is alive as a spirit there is an impermanence of earthly life that includes a body, but there is no real or complete impermanence since the women didn’t cease to exist, but rather has transformed into another type of being or into another dimension. In both of these literary examples the authors use reflective statements in the beginning that create a sense of mystery that grabs the reader causing the reader to wonder where the poem of short story will go next. They then begin to unfold, each using symbolism and metaphors along the way that creates a deeper level of thought. Each author creates a mood that brings about feelings of sorrow as to what is taking place or has taken place. They each in their own way expose a realization of how precious yet fragile life is, as well as the fact that death is real and inevitable. Indeed, while some believe that poems and short stories are simply a way to quickly express a thought without any real depth or meaning, the preceding discussion has shown that short stories and poems use literary elements to create an artistic way to portray beliefs and feelings. Both “Used to Live Here Once” and “Dog’s Death” exhibit a great amount of artistic imagination and technic that center on the theme of death and impermanence. References Clugston, R. W. (2010) Journey into Literature, Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.10.2/ Dawson, W. J. (1909, December). The modern short story. The North American Review, 190(694), 799-810. Published by University of Northern Iowa, Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25106524 Kendall, R. (1997).The mind as poem: “A Life Set for Two”. Leonardo, 30(3), 190-191. Published by MIT Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1576445 Mirrielees, E. R., & National Council of Teachers of English. (1951, May). Short stories, 1950. College English, 12(8), 425-432. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/371752 Nichtern, D., Senior Shambhala Buddhist teacher. (2010, August 30). Death, impermanence and continuity. Retrieved from Huffpost Healthy Living website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-nichtern/death-impermanence-and-co_b_698385.html Tracy, D. H. (2011). Six Types of Clarity. Poetry, 197(4), 323-334. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com