The poem "Good Times" by Lucille Clifton is a simple poem, yet it has a strong and important message. The repetition of the phrase "good times" multiple times throughout the entirety of the piece initiates the audience's first realization of the narrator's optimistic outlook on her situation and life. After listing a few hardships the family has experienced, such as insurance problems, electricity issues, and financial troubles, which are all referred to through the poet's language: "My Daddy has paid the rent/ and the insurance man is gone/ and the lights is back on," the narrator states "and they is good times/ good times/ good times." This person is overwhelmingly grateful for the overcoming of her obstacles and is appreciative of the positive aspects of her life. This can be assumed by the narrator's reflection on the celebrations that are occurring as results of this good news. The giddy imagery in the second stanza clearly portrays her happiness. The poet includes images that are regularly associated with pleasantness: "everybody is drunk/ and dancing in the kitchen/ and singing in the kitchen." From these common related images, the family can be perceived as happy and in a state of content.
My personal interpretation of this poem was that the family had recently faced some common troubles that are normal for an average family to stumble upon. They faced them, and were able to get over them and they had probable cause for celebration as it would not have been an easy task to overcome those issues. I thought that Lucille Clifton included interesting imagery with simple diction to portray her overall message that the outcome will be worth it, and to be proud of your accomplishments is a beautiful experience. (p.277 #209)
The poem "On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High" by D.C. Berry contains multiple literary devices to portray the ultimate message of the poem. The simile of the students "as orderly as frozen fish in a package" shows the obedience of the students, but can also show the lack of interest the students hold. The poet also includes the allusion of the classroom being an aquarium. The poet describes "and then I heard the sounds/ of fish in an aquarium/ and I knew that though I had/ tried to down them/ with my words/ that they had only opened up/ like gills for them/ and let me in." in the third stanza. The poet relates the commentary, or lack thereof, of the students to the 'sounds' of fish, where in reality fish make limited noise. The poet refers to the teacher's attempts at a lesson as the drowning of the fish, the students. There is also personification in this poem. The bell is given human characteristics, "till the bell rang/ puncturing/ a hole in the door" which can be perceived as the students anticipation to escape the classroom. There is also another allusion of hands as fins in the final stanza: "my cat met me/ and licked my fins/ till they were hands again." This allusion can be translated into two different atmospheres and two different, altering personalities of the teacher.
My personal interpretation of this poem was that the allusions referring to the classroom and to the hands of the teacher compare two different personalities and the differences of those. One is a normal, average life, a classroom and the hands, while the other is an unusual situation of an aquarium and fins and gills of the students. I think the poems ultimate message was that a person does not have to be black and white and this world includes a rainbow of different shades and it is never a clear, clean cut situation. (p 273 #203)
