Pieter Brueghel the Elder, The Blind Leading the Blind (c.1568). Oil on panel. 34 1/2¨x 60 5/8" Museo Naziionale di Capodimonte, Naples. Alinari/Art Resource, New York.Lisel Mueller (born 1924)
The Blind Leading the Blind
Take my hand. There are two of us in this cave.
The sound you hear is water; you will hear it forever.
The ground you walk on is rock. I have been here before.
People come here to be born, to discover, to kiss,
to dream and to dig and to kill. Watch for the mud.
Summer blows in with scent of horses and roses;
fall with the sound breaking; winter shoves
its empty sleeve down the dark of your throat.
You will learn toads from diamonds, the fist from the palm,
love from the sweat of love, falling from flying.
There are a thousand turnoffs. I have been here before.
Once I fell off a precipice. Once I found gold.
Once I stumbled on murder, the thin parts of a girl.
Walk on, keep walking, there are axes above us.
Watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light--
birthdays for you, recognitions: yourself, another,
Watch for the mud. Listen for bells, for beggars.
Something with wings went crazy against my chest once.
There are two of us here. Touch me.
Silvia Chacón Guevara A51486
ReplyDelete1- For me, the most powerful images that the poem evokes are the ones related to the senses (imagery :P). For example, the fact that the poem keeps repeating: Watch for the mud. The persona of the poem is blind as well as the person he or she is leading so it's illogical in a way to "watch" for the mud. Also, that "summer [blowing] in with the scent of horses and roses" is beautiful for the season is connected to those essences.
2- Yes, there is someone always guiding us since we are born: our parents. They start teaching us about the world around us; about colors and textures as well as scents and things. And eventually we will also guide someone; teaching him/her about the world we live in.
3- Yes, I agree because blind people are more sensitive about the world that we are. They can hear the singing of a bird and feel its beauty while we see it as something really normal or just don't pay any attention to it, while for them it is a connection to something they can't see. They hear the bird but cannot see it. And also, their senses are enhanced to compensate the lack of sight.
Pablo Orozco Campos A74675
ReplyDeleteFirst, it evokes the image of company because from the very beginning the author says "take my hand". Then there is a feeling of improvement or more development of the other senses, for example when it mentions the sound of the water or the rocks on the ground. Also, there's probably a supernatural or superior being guiding the blind, because the author mentions that he or she "has been here before", and that it somehow looks familiar to him or her.
It can be compared to our lives in this planet in a very special way. For instance, through the poem the person being guided is learning and discovering new things. The sound of the water is going to be heard always, and all of us have different purposes in this world (discovering, kissing, killing, etc). Additionally to this, there is the learning process to diferentiate right from wrong (diamods from toads), and the possibility of learning from our mistakes. Life is not easy, that's why there are turnoffs. There are also good moments (once I found gold) and some other events that mark our lives negatively (I once fell off a precipice). We also make wrong decisions, mistakes and some other actions we regret (like the murder in the poem), and finally, there is always something or someone trying to block our path in life, obstacles and rivals that make achievements more difficult to reach, and through experience is that we get used to them, that would be the recognitions.
Finally, I don't think that blind can perceive things better or worse than the rest of us, it's just that every person tries to cover his or her own needs in different ways. There is always a way to reach something, but multiple methods to perform that way, it would be similar to deaf people, they perceive things in a different way, so I think that it's a matter of taking advantage or improving what we have to reach a goal, or to survive.
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ReplyDeleteEnrique A23091
ReplyDelete1.Water flowing is for me one of the most powerful images in this poem. Water is an essential element for the existence of our world. That incessantly sound of life flowing through the arteries of the Earth makes us remember that we need each other to survive. Furthermore, the whole poem takes us to a marvellous land where all our senses are highly potentiated by the fact that we are unable to see. Indeed, we do not need to because life reveals its secrets only to those who close their eyes to the material world.
2.I consider that the author is revealing us the very experience of being alive. We have walked in this land since the day we were born and we will do that until our earthly swathe dissipates and returns to the place where it comes from. Existence is portrayed as a never-ending struggle that we all have to confront. Sometimes these battles are held in the depths of our inner self and sometimes they go further the boundaries of our understanding.
3.We do not need our earthly eyes to perceive what live is about. Indeed, we should learn to use our senses as a whole in order to enjoy being alive. Unfortunately, most of us deprive ourselves of this amazing gift. (I count myself as one of those who have not learned to glimpse the life with my naked eyes). We are saturated of a superfluous glimpse of the frenetic life we are living that we do not appreciate what is in front of us. Sometimes life seems to be deceitful and distressing; nonetheless, it may be just an invitation in disguise. An invitation to battle.
Maybell A31831
ReplyDelete1-The most porwefull images could be the feeling of a living experience. The author explains to a person, not only blind, but it cuold also be a baby startig his/her life in earth. In addition, the reference to senses and the way a blind person experiences, different from our lives.
2- I think the situation can be compared to our lives here because the poem evokes the way we can lead oue lives, the difficult times in which we get involved and the experiences that we will have in out present and future.
3- I agree with your statement because I've witnessed the way a blind person perceives the world. The blind not only evolve their sense of smell and their sense of touch, but they also can sense movements and other's feelings, exactly the way Mueller express.
Mayarí Pérez Arroyo A74838
ReplyDelete1.The phrase "take my hand" is very significant because it demostrates human's solidarity to one another; the desire of helping others to understand life better and give them support in special situations. In life, there is always someone who is willing to help and this image clearly states it. In the same way, the crystalline sound of water is beautiful; we can heard how it flows and probably falls down into a stream. It gives us peace, hope, and allows us to take a deep breath and scape from reality.
2. Yes, I do. This poem actually shows different scenarios of people's life. Even though we can be facing a difficult situation (once a fell off a precipe), we need to remember the good aspect that will come after it (once I found gold). The poem invites people to keep walking and overcome difficulties no matter how serious they are. At the same time, it reminds us to appreciate the little aspects of our life that some times seem to be insignificant; happiness is actually found in little details (watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light).
3. I agree because for me it is true that blind can see and perceive more things that the rest of people.The fact that people have the ability to see does not mean that they really hace the capacity of admiring or appreciating the beauty of dusk, or of a butterfly. Sometimes we are just used to see those things and we forget to watch carefully, so the blind's desire of seeing the world with our eyes just makes them richer and more sensible than us.
Maria Sanchez A75973
ReplyDelete1) I think that one of the most powerful imagery that the poem evokes is the imagery of life. Since I think that the whole poes is about life. For me since the title and the beginning when it says that there are on a cave means that they cannot see what the future is going to bring but that there will always be someone that is going to help you to succeed any difficulty that you mayb encounter.The idea that they are blind means exactly the same, that we are in this world trying to survive and that a lot of things can happen and we cannot see what problems we are going to suffer and maybe we are not going to be ready for them but we need to be strong enough to overcome them.
2)I totally agree with this argument since in the poem is really explicit that the author wanted to talk about the life in the planet. This can be illustrated when it says "Once I stumbled on murder, the thin parts of a girl" This can be an excellent imagery to the action of give life to another human being, and that to be born we need to pass through the womb of our mother. Also, when in the poem says "There are a thousand turnoff" and when it says "Once I fell off a precipice" , this means that life is not easy and there are going to be hard times and sometimes people will fell that their bodies are not going to resist so much pain but sooner or later their problems are going to pass and life is going to be the same.
3)I think that the author chose blind people because they appreciate the world more, since they cannot know the world with their eyes; they try to know it with their hands and ears. So, they are more sensitive with objects and sounds that people who can see do not pay attention or do not care because they take it for granted. Blind people are also really strong since there try to fo their best to be better and have a normal life like the rest of us. And this is a really important characteristic that human beings shoul have to overcome all the difficulties. Finally, they are not as materialistics as the rest of the people, they will normally prefer to hear to the sound of the water or to feel a rose that to have the cutest dress.
Shirley Barquero 870467
ReplyDelete1) The poem is full of dichotomies. For example, the cave: good things (to be born, to discover, to kiss, to dream) and bad things (to kill) could take place there. The ground is rock but there is also mud. So, people who walk there will have to deal with the instability. “Scent of horses and roses”, again… two opposite sides.
2) Every day, we get up and make a lot of decisions about everything. Some decisions are good, some are bad. However, all of them have consequences. The problem about this is that sometimes we do not know what is going to happen. So, we are walking in the dark just hoping for the best.
3) It is a scientific fact that a person who lost one (or more) of their senses improves the other ones. However, it is also true that some people have all their senses but they do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the beauty of life at all. The question is: are we the blind leading the blind, or the blind who is being guided?
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ReplyDelete1) One of the first images that this poem evokes is the image of the water. At first glance, it might appear that the author made reference to this element to evoke an image of life, but with a more profound reading of the extract that says “you will hear it forever” it makes paradoxical to compare life, which is something that we loose continuously (it’s not necessary to die to say that we are not living), with something that lasts forever. So, for me, the image of the water represents the never-ending path of searching for happiness that we are destined to walk forever without ever reaching the finishing line.
ReplyDelete2) Yes. There were two extracts of the poem that really called my attention that is when the author says “There are a thousand turnoffs”, and also “Watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light”. For me both phrases are very related to the difficulties that may appear during our life and the way in which we are supposed to face those times of trouble, always watching for light to get out of the dark abyss.
3) I do agree ‘cause in my case I have two relatives with this kind of problems, and it really amazes me the way in which they can feel and know things that many people can not see with their eyes. It’s incredible how the ability to see makes our feeling’s vision grow dim when trying to appreciate the essence of some details such as the morning’s breeze or the waves of the sea.
Juan Carlos Caravaca Bejarano A71418
ReplyDelete1- One of the first images that come to my mind is earth and how we are bound to it and we have no other choice but to live here. And while we are here we will do many things both good and bad."People come here to be born, to discover, to kiss, to dream and to dig and to kill".
2- Yes, s/he is a blind person, just like we all are in a certain way. We never know what is going to happen to us, which also the exciting part of being alive, the surprise. S/he is going to go through ups and downs in his or her life, and these ups and downs are going to keep happening over and over again.
3- Because they do not have their sight, blind people have had to learn how to use their other four senses. They have more ways to perceive things, unlike the rest of us, we rely too heavily on what we see. So, yes I would agree.
1- There are some omportant images that this poem evokes. For me one of the most important images is friendship. the first and the last line are very similar. They mean that we are not alone that we need to be in contact with other people in order to live. ther is always a person who guides us and helps us. "Walk on, keep walking, there are axes above us" this line is very important because it says that there is friend helping guiding and motivating. these people want to get their goal, their dream, and the only way to do it is by by being together.
ReplyDelete2- The sitution of the persona in this poem is very similar to our lives in this world. Life is very hard and there are many precipices in which we can fall because of our "blindness." It should not be a physical blindness but a mental one. Also, life has many turnoffs, they are different paths that we can chose for our futures; however, it is really difficult to elect the best one, that is why we have to look for those signs that leads us for the correct way.
3- For me there are two kind of blindness. the physical and the mental one. Without a doubt the worst one is the menatal. blind people teach us a very important lesson; it is not neccesary to see to enjoy life, on the contrary, the fact that these people cannot see gives them the power of dreaming, of a greater imagination in which the can see whatever they want. Also blind people learn to enjoy and perceive the life with all the senses not just with seen.
Luis Salazar A55125
ReplyDelete1. For me, the most powerful image that is used in the poem is that of the changing seasons. Even when being deprived of sight, the seasons have their own particular characteristic that is mentioned as a way of knowing that each one of them has come and that allows for them to know it, even in the dark reigned place in which they are.
2. I do feel that the situation in the poem has somewhat of a relation to our lives, for it is mentioned that there a thousand turnoffs, and the concept of company is mentioned twice in the poem, for in this darkened place (blindness), just as in the world for those who see, there are endless possibilities and obstacles that, as the social beings that we humans are, can be dealt with easier when in the company of others who are facing the same issues.
3. As I already mentioned with the perception of the seasons, it does seem as if the blind are capable of "seeing" farther than what most people do, for they notice the scent of the summer, rather than its heat and the quietness that comes when animals start to stay in their shelters during the fall rather than the fall of the leaves themselves. Also, they are capable of recognizing that they have already gone through these paths, as they say: "I have been here before", without the need of seeing where they are going, when most people in our fast paced society do not pay attention to their surroundings or what happens around them.
Cecilia Chan
ReplyDelete1. Take my hand is a powerful image that the poem shows because it evokes solidarity and companion. Also, there is a powerful force that guide the blind person through the path; even though it seems that the blind person had been there before. The most important thing is how a person can be so alive knowing of his disability.
2. Yes, because knowadays many people have somehow a disability,and we can see on the street blind people that can do everything without the help of other person in many cases. The obstacles that the society gives to disable people, are overcome by them. They are reluctant to face those obstacles, and they learn how to live "normal" with a disability. They also know that in this planet not everything is shinny, but there is also darkness like the poem said people kiss, dream and kill.
3.No, because every human being has the same ability to see the world, obviuosly in different ways. Blind people have the ability only that develop in another way. I think that the blind person of the poem have the guide of a powerful force and he is taking adventage of what he has. I also think that we as healthy people as we are, we do not take advantages of all the benefits that the world offer to us. And we are only complaining about everything.
For me, the most powerful image is the cave. This represents the darkness where the blind live as well as the condition of some of those who, though they can see with their eyes, cannot see with their souls; those whose skin is nothing but flesh and not a means for touching, for exploring, for seeing beyond. The blind man itself is an image of an invitation to discover the power that we all have within ourselves; beyond the senses, we have a soul and a spirit which are eager to fly or to fall. This is our innate human condition: to succeed and to fail. The turnoffs are all the experiences that we may have along our lives and some of them may hurt, but some others may be rewarding experiences. The blind man is not affraid of experiencing, rather he craves for seeing more and feeling more. If the rest of us were as determined as the blind, we would not turn our back on whatever comes in our lives. The blind can turn the worthless in gold, but we instead, have gold before our eyes and we never reach out for it because of fear, cowardice or mere complacency.
ReplyDelete1. The poem evokes some powerful images. The author plays with the senses: “take my hand”, which is relating to the values of company and comprehension; sounds: “the sound you hear is water”; sense of touch: “the ground you walk is rock”.
ReplyDeleteIt also talks about feelings such as love. And the author uses the seasons to enforce the importance of the senses in the poem.
2. It doesn't matter if we are not blind of the eyes, but many times we are blind of other things (maybe more important). Things that we cannot see because we don't want or because there are many distractions. Also, I think it is important to have the desire to know knew things and be humble to let other teach us.
3. Blind people, I think, have a different connection with the senses that we have. Even though they cannot see, they perceive the world by the other senses, which are more developed than ours. I think everybody have a 6th sense, that is perception, but we don't use it because we think we know everything; however, blind people use it in order to know the world where they live.
Thinking about every little detail the painting has and the poem itself. I love the way one evokes each other. It is interesting watching this four guys walking behind a blind. Sometimes life seems the same. We are used to follow people, but we never know what they really are like. Trends and religion are ways in which people are often manipulated, and although we know some things these so called leaders do are wrong, we continue on thinking they are right. Undoubtedly sometimes blind people can see better than us intentions into the heart, perhaps because of their conditions they can not see what people are like on their appearance, they look deeper with their hear eyes. Two of my favorite sentences: Walk on, keep walking, there are axes above us. Watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light— It is like a counsel for us nowadays. We should keep walking and searching for the light and truth... A54576
ReplyDelete1. It is interesting how the blind is expressing every single thing that is around him. Also, he is trying to give these details to the other blind. But it not just describing the physical appearance of each thing he describes too the feeling that the thing carried itself. For example; "Summer blows in with scent of horses and roses."
ReplyDelete2. Yes, It can be compared because it mention the obstacles of life and also he gives an advice of the danger. He always say "Watch for the mud. Describing what can be possible in life and also maybe what he had learn during his time in the cave. In addition, how he was able to take positive and negative things during this way " Once I fell off a precipice. Once I found gold."
3. It is interesting how the poem takes a lot of images of different situations of the life for example:" People come here to be born, to discover, to kiss, to dream and to dig and to kill", and how it is described for a blind. The images that are supposed to be described with the eyes. In my opinion these ones are powerful and also carried more meaning in the eye of the blind. Also the idea that the blind is transmitting his experience.
Erick
ReplyDelete1- Some strong images are the sound of the water and scent of roses. Those images appeal strongly to our hearing and smell. That sound and that perfume are almost universal, and they are recognized very easily.
2- The situation of the personae in the poem can be compared to our lives because even though most of us have all the senses healthy, we are walking on a road we do not know completely. We can have a vague idea but, it is just that, an idea of this route. Every single step we give in this path is the first one, different, and unknown. And just on the corner, the landscape changes. What was expected is not true; what is coming is absolutely new. Blind people are so careful when they are walking; they assure every moment. Thus, we must learn from this strategy of living.
3- I would not say blind people are more capable to see the world because they lack one sense and, this is an obstacle to perceive the world but, because of this lack, they have to resort the other senses to compensate the weakness. And it is here when they use their other senses and sharpen them, maybe, more than we do. As a result, their perception of the world becomes differently.
1- One of the most powerful images is the cave that is a place in which you always find life like the water this cave, hat flows persistently. In this cave, you will be able to be a new person that discovers that poetry allows us to “learn toads from diamonds (and) love from the sweat of love.” This image is related the one portrayed in the movie The Dead Poets Society in which the cave was the place where students were able to discover their new self like “Nowanda”, and to discover that poetry is life itself.
ReplyDelete2- Yes, life is a cave that shows how to discover, to kiss, to dig looking for truth, but at the same time, it shows that people have to be careful in the way they make decisions because they can be solid as a rock, or instable as mud. In life as in the cave, once someone has felt, s/he stands up and learns to be careful about people and problems that are like the axes that want to cut his/her wings. On the other hand, the experiences that people have to pass through life make them appreciate aspects in life such as real love that is distinguished from “the sweat of love.”
3- Yes, because they appreciate little details when they try to picture how real things are such as the “the smell of summer…the sound of fall… (and) the cold of winter.” In addition, they know people for how they express their ideas and opinions, they learn to distinguish between bad people and good people, not only for their appearances, but also because they are able to distinguish “toads from diamonds.”
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ReplyDelete1. There are many powerful images in this poem. Firstly, the sound of the water that appeals to the sense of hearing. The bells and the beggars also produce sounds, so they provoke the sense of hearing too. In addition, the rugged and hard surface of the rock in which they walk appeals to the sense of touch, as well as the "sweat of love," the toads, and the diamonds (despite the fact that they make reference to different textures, and they cause a great variety reactions; for example, one is more pleasurable than the others). Furthermore, the sense of smell is stimulated by the animal odor of horses and the sweet fragance of roses.
ReplyDelete2) I do feel that this poem is related to our lives in this planet. Since we are born, every experience is new for us... Somehow we are blind: we take every step blindly in our lifes. And those who guide us are also sightless. They are not sure about where the path is going to take us, about the results of their guidance... They just can keep moving forward. We are going to have good experiences ("Once I found gold") and bad experiences ("Once I fell off a precipice"), but we have to keep moving too. It says taht, in spite of the obstacles and difficulties, we are going to experience moments of happines ("Watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light-- / birthdays for you, recognitions..."), and we have to appreciate them. I think that the poem also refers to the fact that we are not alone ("There are two of us here"): someone cares about us and tries to help us to cope with the struggles and challenges of life.
3)I agree. The blind are more capable of seing and feeling the world. They use their other senses to perceive the surfaces, the sounds, and the smells of their surroundings. However, the way in which they do it is more deep, more intimate. Indeed, they enjoy life through their other senses. In some cases, sight is just a mere distraction; those who have this sense do not commonly admire the real beauty of other type of sensations (the sound of water, the smell of roses).
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. There are many powerful images in this poem. Firstly, the sound of the water that appeals to the sense of hearing. The bells and the beggars also produce sounds, so they provoke the sense of hearing too. In addition, the rugged and hard surface of the rock in which they walk appeals to the sense of touch, as well as the "sweat of love," the toads, and the diamonds (despite the fact that they make reference to different textures, and they cause a great variety reactions; for example, one is more pleasurable than the others). Furthermore, the sense of smell is stimulated by the animal odor of horses and the sweet fragance of roses.
ReplyDelete2) I do feel that this poem is related to our lives in this planet. Since we are born, every experience is new for us... Somehow we are blind: we take every step blindly in our lifes. And those who guide us are also sightless. They are not sure about where the path is going to take us, about the results of their guidance... They just can keep moving forward. We are going to have good experiences ("Once I found gold") and bad experiences ("Once I fell off a precipice"), but we have to keep moving too. It says taht, in spite of the obstacles and difficulties, we are going to experience moments of happines ("Watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light-- / birthdays for you, recognitions..."), and we have to appreciate them. I think that the poem also refers to the fact that we are not alone ("There are two of us here"): someone cares about us and tries to help us to cope with the struggles and challenges of life.
3)I agree. The blind are more capable of seing and feeling the world. They use their other senses to perceive the surfaces, the sounds, and the smells of their surroundings. However, the way in which they do it is more deep, more intimate. Indeed, they enjoy life through their other senses. In some cases, sight is just a mere distraction; those who have this sense do not commonly admire the real beauty of other type of sensations (the sound of water, the smell of roses).
Rebeca López Zamora
ReplyDelete1. A powerful image that the poem evokes is the cave.In my opinion, the cave refers to love. Caves are dark, which means that people who are in love are blind because they can not see love, but they can feel it in their hearts.
Another important image is related to the "thousand turnoffs". When I read this phrase, I can imagine that humans live different experiences with the person they love, or it could mean that they experience defferent emotions with different people.
The phrases "walk on, keep walking"(l.14) and "watch for occasional bits and bubbles of light"(l.15) are also beautiful images. For me, they mean that human beings fight not to lose their love, and they struggle to find a ligth during adversities. They want to keep their love alive.
2. I believe that the speaker's situation can be compared to our lives because it is true that when people are in love, they go through different situations . For instance, they can live beautiful moments, sometimes they can feel sad,or they can cry or laugh.
3. I agree, I think the blind have to learn to sense the world in order to see it in their minds and in their hearts. Their senses are very developed, they can hear, smell, taste and feel better than many other people. That is why, we are like blind people when we are in love, for we can sense our world in a deeper way.
Karen Estrada A72411
ReplyDelete1. The most powerful image that I see in this poem is life: your cave is your life; it has beautiful and amazing experiences, but it also has bad and painful ones. It is a rocky and tough road: you'll probably have to get dirty during the process of living and undoubtedly fall down due to many obstacles that is going to be placed in the middle of the way. What we do, what we live becomes familiar to us. Although we can't see it or touch it, we "have been here before".
2. Of course the personae can be compared to our lives in this planet; the title describes it pefectly. All of us are blind people who don't even know where to go, what to do, what to feel due to the darkness in our caves. Although we sometimes see light on our way, there will always be darkness on all the things we do, since we don't know if the decisions or actions we take are right or wrong until we experience their results.
3. I think this isn't about being blind or not, I think this is about being different human beings who can develop their senses in many different ways. There are people who see, hear, feel way farther than we do. But, of course, there are innumerous people who can perfectly have all their senses and don't feel a thing.
Karol Zúñiga Gómez/A66396
ReplyDelete1. Some of the images this poem evokes are very tangibles such as water, rocks, mud, but some are totally the opposite: life, darkness, happiness, sadness even loneliness. However, the most powerful one is THE CAVE that for me represents the world itself.
2. The situation of the personae in this poem can be compared to our lives in this planet since it seems to be that this personae is trying to teach someone else how to live in this world; someone that is just coming into this world for the first time, or at least in the world of blindness. Certainly all of us are kind of blind when we just came into it, without knowing how it is or how it works, or even when we face a new situation. Most of us need someone by our side to guides us, someone that already has experienced that situation
3.Blind people are very sensitive since their senses (mainly touch and hearing) are the tools they have to survive. For the rest of us to fully understand this world we need sensitivity. The blind really feel this world, what happens to it, they see with their souls and soul is able to see beyond
Tatiana Calderón Delgado
ReplyDeleteA71219
The images present throughout are very strong. The speaker depicts the cave to a the other person in terms of images and sounds and sensations (water, rocks, summer blows, scent of roses …) and in terms of what the experienced speaker knows about that cave (People come here to be born, to discover, to kiss, to dream and to dig and to kill… also the speaker uses examples such as falling of a precipice and finding gold to illustrate that bad and good things happen in this cave ), so the sense of company and help (solidarity) is very strong because the experienced person is helping the one that just arrived.
As I was reading the poem, I thought that there was an analogy between the cave and the world because the images that the speaker utilizes resemble the Earth pretty much. Phrases such as the one that talks about why people go to that cave or the experiences that the newly arrived can have in that place are very similar to the ones we have everyday. It is very realistic.
Usually people appreciate more the things they lack of, so the blind have to pay attention to all those little details that they perceive by their other senses in order to form an accurate image of the world they can’t perceive with their eyes. I wouldn’t say that the blind of the poem are capable of seeing things better, but that they had to come up with their own methods to perceive “the cave", and since they can’t do it with their eyes they use more analytical perspectives that are very descriptive and that everyone can understand due to they appeal to all five senses and even experience and logic.
1- The cave: there is a description of it. Someone is guiding another person in a dangerous or mysterious place… “I have been here before. People come here to be born, to discover, to kiss, to dream and to dig and to kill.” The author is speaking to the other person senses; we can also hear the water. Also, it is important to notice the different seasons and the description of each one; this makes us aware of the state of mind of the persona. Gold, precipice, turnoffs... they may symbolize the path of our lives, what we find at the end of a journey.
ReplyDelete2- Yes, in my opinion the author is making a relationship between the cave and our lives. That sometimes there is summer, everything is all right, but there are moments in which we are in winter, we are sad, we may feel alone. So the cave (our live) is facing different situations; in spite of this, it has to stay there, trying to survive. In fact, this personae is making us aware of our lives by saying “Once I fell off a precipice. Once I found gold.” So, even though a person faces problems (the precipice), he or she is able to survive. “Walk on, keep walking, there are axes above us”…and the author suggests us to keep on trying, no matter what could happen. “There are thousands of turnoffs”
3- I do agree, I think they develop their senses in a better way than we do. I believe that we are able to do so, but since we are able to see we may think that we are not forced to pay attention to the details as blind people do. In my opinion, they enjoy every little thing; they appreciate all the things that surround them more than most of us. And I think in some moments of our lives it is good to try to imitate them, maybe in that way we can sense the live and we will be able to appreciate it even more, and to use our imagination as I imagine they do.
1. The most strong image I can see throughout the poem is the planet in its natural form, this meaning that the poem evokes substantial nature forces like water, rocks, win, gold, diamonds, horses, and roses. Besides, the images that are related to senses like happiness, sadness, anxiety and curiosity which let us feel the world from a blind person’s perspective. The cave is a strong image too, in this poem because as the person describes: “I have been here before. People come here to be born, to discover, to kiss”, can be related to human emotions and how people feelings can provoke a series on intangible forces within them.
ReplyDelete2. Certainly the poem, and the situation of the persona in it, can be compared to our lives in this planet. Since we are born we need to be guided by someone, in most of the cases our parents. But also, we go through life experiencing all kind of emotions and vivid situations: walking on rocks, listening to water, kissing, dreaming, discovering. Besides, the way we experienced life is different in every person, for some life is just a path to follow, to go through until we meet death, for others, life is an adventure full of joyful but also sad moments that can defined the kind of people we turned to be. Another important aspect can be the fact that a blind person perception of the world is really different from a person that can see, sometimes blind people are happier and know and feel more about lifes and its little rewards.
3. I agree; blind people are capable to develop further their other senses in a way they can perceive the world more deeply than others. For example, a blind person would perceive people around them through their skin, because of the empathic forces within them. The way the blind person keeps repeating “I have been here before” give us the impression that he or she knows what the place looks like, he/she has discovered how water sounds, the cortex of rocks, the mud, the bells, and so on.
Ronald Logan Lobo A63209
ReplyDelete1. The images in the whole poem are very strong and easy to perceive. When you read any text you are actually like a blind person, since it is through your imagination that you can really "see" what is being described in the poem. Even though you are not physically in the cave you get to hear the sound of the water running, the feeling of the objects and other things described (the toad, the diamond, the rocky ground, the mud, etc). All these are common things that you can bring back to your mind and almost feel them.
2. I believe the poem is not describing a cave, but the world itself. All the situations the first blind describes are his life experiences, which are very close to what any other person might live. We as human beings always have to go through any situation a first time in order to learn; the first blind is just guiding the second one who will have to walk in that "cave" on his/her own someday. In the same way we have our guides, but at some point we will be alone to make our own path in the world.
3. I agree. I think the blind need to sharpen their senses in order to survive and to be independent. Therefore they are more likely to notice little details that for people who can see are almost hidden.
It evokes the image of not seeing where we are going to, and the need of being hand by hand with someone else. When the speaker of the poem tells: “Take my hand. There are two of us in this cave”, he is pointing out the necessity humans beings have to be together and to help each other.
ReplyDeleteI think each of us is that personae in the poem. The situation that he is living can be compared with our own situation. The majority of times, we do not know exactly where we are going to, but we have some axes, some lights, some sensations that help us to continue walking.
I do not think the blind can see and sense the world in a best way than the rest. I think that the blind perceives things in a different way because he is forced to pay more attention to some details because of his blindness. It makes him express his feelings making references to things that we do not pay attention or we do not mention. The blind must make allusions about things he smells, hears or senses to clarify his thoughts and feelings.
This poem evokes images that are related to our five senses. For example, when it says “Take my hand,” it evokes our sense of touch because every time we touch the hand of another person, our neural receptors activate, so we can feel if the hand is cold or warm. In adition, we can feel and differenciate textures “You will learn toads from diamonds, the fist from the palm.” The persona also feels the rocks on the ground. Moreover, when the persona says “Summer blows in with scent of horses and roses,” she/he makes reference to our sense of smell. Additionaly, the persona evokes our sense of hearing when she/he mentions “Listen for bells, for beggars” and “The sound you hear is water.” She/he hears the vibrations of the water movement through the ground.
ReplyDeleteI consider that, most of the time, our life is like the poem because the purposes of our lives since the moment we are conceived are “to be born, to discover, to kiss, to dream and to dig and to kill.” After we are born, our parents teach us to walk, to eat, to talk, to play, to learn the good and bad things about life, and so on. It does not matter how old you are, they are always there to help you especially in those moments when we make mistakes or when we “fell off a precipice.” Moreover, life is not easy, and if we want something, we have to fight for it. We have to “walk on, keep walking” to overcome those problems; thus, we will achieve our goals. In the end, life would be easier because we have previous knowledge to continue our lives.
Since blind people lack visual percepion, they have to pay attention to their other senses. Hence, they work hard to develop their other senses to compensate their vision loss. They perceive the world through their hands and ears. For example, an object does not exist if
they are not touching it. So, they perceive and explain the world differently.
I think that the most powerful images evoked are the mud and the rock ground. It is interesting how the blind is definetely more aware of his surroundings. I bet as we walk we do not pay attention at what kind of ground we are walking on.
ReplyDeleteThis poem could be related to our lives in regards to the fact that there is always someone that knows better than us and that at certain point we are all blind because we do not know what we have ahead us.
Blind people have a great sense of what is around them. I also think they are more capable of seeing and sensing the world which is a paradox because they can not see perse, but their senses help them feel what is around and that way they make their way in this world, paying a lot more attention than what us who can see do.
1. For me specially when it says at the very beggining take my hand because I can actually feel the hand falling into place with mine. Then when it says that people come here to be born, to murder, to kiss because somehow these are all easy to relate to. Not that I've ever killed anyone... Also when it says that you'll learn falling from flying also because I guess we've all had those dreams when we feel we are falling.
ReplyDelete2. I didn't get that comparison the very first time I read it, but now that you mention it, it can indeed be compared to our lives, to everyone's lives. Because the very first feelings that we get in life are partly our perception but also the perception of one teaching us what it is we are feeling and hearing and seeing. We learn the sound of water because of our parents, and in the poem the narrator is sort of parenting another bking and introducing it to the world.
3.I don't agree in that they are more capable; I think that they have different capabilities. We see the world and we perceive its color and we can tell how a cat feels just by looking at it. However, blind people learn to depend more on other senses, they learn to hear water and to feel the soft wind blowing and they learn to make something out of that. But that does not mean is something better
This poem evokes different powerful images that have a connection with people's senses. It is interesting the description given in this poem since it appeals our senses such as hearing when it mentions the sound of water and bells. Also,it appeals your sense of smell when it says "summer blows in with scent of horses and roses." This description awakens certain feelings such as security because of the person who stays beside you to help you.
ReplyDeleteActually, the situation of the personae in this poem is common for us as human beings. In our lives, we constantly face new situations, and it is hard to determine what to do; it is like staying in a dark cave that does not have a clear way out. However, this represents just a part of our learning process, which is not always easy. We get experience from it "You will learn toads from diamonds". There is always somebody else who can guide you through because she or he experienced the same "I have been here before."
I agree. Blind people see the world from a different perspective. They really learn to use all the potential of their other senses and perceive everything around them,which is an ability that most people who have their five senses do not have because they do not pay attention to their surroundings.
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ReplyDelete1-I consider that the most important images are related to our senses, and to our skin like a source of joy; not a simple touch, but all those simple things that make our body to exploit, and to feel really alive.
ReplyDelete2- I guess that it definitely can be compare because in this place like in our world (each one’s life) we cannot even expect what is going to happen, everything is new, but sometimes we have the power to see the ending cycles, and reborn with them.
3-Rather than the fact that blind can see and feel the world more vividly I guess that people, in general, should forget about what we see at the beginning of something and just feel the world, the water, the mud, and the people. We better Flow in a more natural way.
Marianela Ureña
ReplyDelete1. The poem evokes the image of companionship, and it is expressed thorough the phrase “take my hand”. It shows how human beings need from each other in order to survive in a world that is full of obstacles or difficulties. Moreover, the poem shows how people come to this world “blind” (without knowledge). So, it is through time and the help that somebody else give us that we acquire knowledge and discover the world.
2. Yes, the phrase “there are thousand turnoffs” shows how, in this world, we face a lot of obstacles that make life hard. However, the phrase “I have been here before” portrays that although sometimes life is hard with the companion of other people we can tolerate these difficult times and learn form our mistakes.
3. I agree. Sometimes, people who have all their senses cannot see or perceive what they have in front of their eyes; we tend to see and not to observe. In contrast, blind people develop their other senses to perceive the world and to appreciate what it offers to them.
1. This poem evokes so many images, every single line makes you picture the description that the personae is giving. You can use almost all of your senses like sight, touch and hear to picture this description; however, there was no smell or taste.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, it is a description of how the personae perceives life, so it is not a comparison because this description is very personal; every mind is a world, yet it has some phrases that may be familiar to us all.
3. Blind definitely use the rest of their senses a lot more that we do, consequently, they perceive things we may not even notice.
1.There are a lot of powerful images in this poem. Since the very beginning,
ReplyDeleteyou can imagine both characthers walking, together, hand in hand, and
getting involved with their sorroundings. The most vivid images you can notice
is when they appeal to the senses, touch, hear and smell. It is quite interesting
that, even though they are in a cave and they can not see what is inside of it, the
persona recognizes everything: the sound of the water, the smell of horses and roses,
the ground, and even the parts of a girl. Also, the persona knows there is mud, he can actually recognize
it and advises the other person to be careful about it, so it is really amazing can tell all that
from what he can perceive.
2.I think that the situation can absolutely be compared to our lives because sometimes
we found ourselves in places or circumstances that are totally new for us and we do not know how
to act or what to do, but then someone, (a friend, a relative), comes and opens our eyes so we can see the
way to understand and/or find the solution to the situation we are going through.
3.I agree. I consider that those who are blind can actually perceive the world better because they can "see"
everything with other senses and be able to pay attention to everything is around them in a different way. I denitely think
they can see more than we do because we usually do not pay attention to what is important because
we are looking at other things that we consider are more relevant