addiction
Aubrey Christensen
March 12, 2014
Katherine Kinkel
Reading Response
Strike Sparks
Overall, as a text, I really appreciate Sharon Olds Strike Sparks. I think that it is wonderful that someone, especially a woman, can write about such vulgar things in a very poetic way. Although I did find some of the poems to be very disturbing, I was overall shocked at how moving most of the poems are. In Olds’ poem The Girl we hear the story of a rape victim, not only was she assaulted, and left for dead, her friend was there and had the same evil treatment of the other girl. Yet one of them lived. This poem made me feel awful. I was hurting inside when I read this. Though it was difficult for me to read, I think that this is am important topic to write about. Even though Sharon Olds is not openly saying, “rape is bad,” her poem conveys this message, and I don’t think anyone would be able to read the poem without noticing that humans can be cruel, and this act is probably one of the most evil things that a human could to do another human. I do like the point of the poem. While it is describing the event, we as readers become more aware of the evil that is present in the world, but we also the girl who survived having to overcome what has happened to her. I am sure that it is not as simple as the poem makes it seem. Its not like being a cheerleader would resolve all the issues that this young girl probably still struggles with today. But it shows the reader that not matter what happens to us, we must continue on. This does not mean that the journey back will be easy, but it means that you just have to keep living, and keep being thankful that you are in existence. Poems like these are difficult to read, but I feel like the reader can take away more from this poem than just feeling sick to their stomach. I was surprised by the lack of sensor in Sharon Olds’ poems; she does not try to cover up things by using flowery language. She is just blunt and to the point. In
March 12, 2014
Katherine Kinkel
Reading Response
Strike Sparks
Overall, as a text, I really appreciate Sharon Olds Strike Sparks. I think that it is wonderful that someone, especially a woman, can write about such vulgar things in a very poetic way. Although I did find some of the poems to be very disturbing, I was overall shocked at how moving most of the poems are. In Olds’ poem The Girl we hear the story of a rape victim, not only was she assaulted, and left for dead, her friend was there and had the same evil treatment of the other girl. Yet one of them lived. This poem made me feel awful. I was hurting inside when I read this. Though it was difficult for me to read, I think that this is am important topic to write about. Even though Sharon Olds is not openly saying, “rape is bad,” her poem conveys this message, and I don’t think anyone would be able to read the poem without noticing that humans can be cruel, and this act is probably one of the most evil things that a human could to do another human. I do like the point of the poem. While it is describing the event, we as readers become more aware of the evil that is present in the world, but we also the girl who survived having to overcome what has happened to her. I am sure that it is not as simple as the poem makes it seem. Its not like being a cheerleader would resolve all the issues that this young girl probably still struggles with today. But it shows the reader that not matter what happens to us, we must continue on. This does not mean that the journey back will be easy, but it means that you just have to keep living, and keep being thankful that you are in existence. Poems like these are difficult to read, but I feel like the reader can take away more from this poem than just feeling sick to their stomach. I was surprised by the lack of sensor in Sharon Olds’ poems; she does not try to cover up things by using flowery language. She is just blunt and to the point. In