Red Shift Model Paper Example 5

This was a particularly good essay at tracing the change in tone in the poem. (If you ever notice the tone change in a poem and can understand either why the writer chooses to do so or how the writer changes the tone for purpose, then this is usually a rock solid thesis since it investigates how a poem works.) The integration of evidence was nicely done. A couple of the body paragraphs could have stretched the analysis, but this may just be my carping obsessions. I do think it would've been interesting, not just in this paper, to pursue the pun on the word air as well as the "contradictions" that run throughout the poem that a lot of you had noticed.

Meaghan Period 6

In “Red Shift,” Ted Berrigan titles his poem as such in order to exemplify the change in his tone as it progresses. The word “red” is synonymous with emotions that convey anger, so his tone grows in intensity and anger as he develops his thoughts. His thoughts decrease in clarity, while they conversely increase in specificity. This digression, exemplified through his changing diction, clearly denotes the change in tone, because anger usually triggers ambiguity.

At the beginning of the poem, the speaker starts to describe the setting; this is the most concrete information in the entire poem. He states the time, “8:08 p.m.” (line 1) and describes the “biting, February” (line 2) air. The speaker clarifies that it is a “winter streetscape” (line 3) that he is painting in the mind of the audience. He describes his body as an “ample, rhythmic frame” (line 1) while the wind does “fierce arabesques” (line 2). He clearly defines the setting in order to establish a base of where his thought process began. Without a starting point, it would be impossible to follow the train of thought. It proves that the configuration of the poem is methodical, not random.

The first shift in tone occurs two lines further, at the point where the speaker is able to “lean/In,” (lines 5-6). It is the bridge between the foundation and the memories that will substantiate the rest of the poem. When transitioning between two such things, the clarity level decreases, because memories can never be remembered to perfect accuracy, as time morphs and distorts them. He also begins to sound disillusioned and reminiscent, commenting that the “streets look for Allen, Frank,” (line 6). These two names symbolize two of Berrigan’s contemporary beat generation writers, and according to the following line, “Allen/is a movie” (lines 6-7) and Frank is “disappearing in the air” (7). This suggests that Allen has become very popular, like a movie, and Frank is gone, essentially from the world. Thus, the speaker seems depressed and lonely, feeling as though he has been abandoned. This is a sharp contrast to the beginning of the poem where is describing the setting in an upbeat tone.

Consequently, from this point on, his thoughts seem to wander farther and farther away from where he began; each thought takes a turn from where it was originally going. He begins with a question, asking “Who would have thought I’d be here,” (line 13) and that indicates a shift in topic and tone. He then elaborates that “love, children…money, marriage/ethics, a politics of grace” (lines 15-16) are “up in the air” (line 16), which implies that the ideals that were once held are no longer there. The “up in the air” reference, that was used previously to describe Frank, suggests that the views that once held true no longer exist around him, and he is frustrated because of it.

The boy with eyes that “penetrate the winter twilight” (line 20) is his first answer to the question, and the first sense of anger in the poem because the word ‘penetrate’ has a connotation of deep-seeded emotion; his gaze is breaking through the setting that the speaker created at the beginning of the poem, which is also representative of that shift in tone. His second answer is a “pretty girl” (line 21) who is “careening into middle-age so/To burn & to burn more fiercely than she could ever imagine” (lines 22-23). Fiercely also represents the anger and tenacity of the speaker, and he sounds as if he knew that events would turn out in such a way, and the people whom the events were happening to had no idea that it was happening. He could have been angry because of their refusal to believe in the situations that life was presenting them with.

The next answer is the “painter” (line 24). The speaker says he will “never leave [the painter] alone until we both vanish/into the thin air” (line 25). The air reference means that he is intensely devoted to this other man and nothing can tear them apart. The painter, consequently, will never leave the speaker “not for sex, nor politics,/ nor even for stupid permanent estrangement” (lines 27-28). This represents his deep attachment, and almost obsession, with the painter, because neither of the most popular reasons for two people to no longer have a relationship/friendship will ever tear them apart. He is holding on so tightly that it is becoming overbearing, and that is what he portrays in this segment of the poem.

The last eleven lines are the most irate of all, and this tone comes to the forefront when the speaker discusses death. He firmly states that he “will never die” (line 31) and will “never go away” (line 32). Because of his strong sentiments here, the speaker is afraid of death in a way, because he says he is “only a ghost” (line 33) and “you will never escape from me” (line 32). This attempt at speaking directly to the audience begins here, and so does the high level of ambiguity. He says he is “only pronouns” (line 35) and that is the biggest key to the vagueness at the end of the poem because he uses a multitude of pronouns that do not always have antecedents. In this aspect, the speaker is leaving the interpretation up to the reader of the poem, because it had a certain meaning to him, but it may have other meanings to whoever reads it. He says “now nothing/will ever change/That, and that’s that” (lines 37-39). The short, choppy sentences with very few syllables reflect his anger because the complex thoughts from the beginning and middle of the poem are no longer in use. He just says whatever comes into his head.

The last lines show the outcome of the speaker’s anger and his internal struggle. He says that he “slip[s] softly into the air” (line 41), which defines his ascent from the world. He is finally leaving his anger behind. Overall, the multiple shifts in tone reflect the thought process. A thought can trigger a repressed memory, and that memory causes one to diverge completely from his or her intended path and stray into the realm of thoughts that reflect hidden emotions of anger, frustration, and fear. Such is the case with “Red Shift.”

Feel free to post any constructive comments here, or questions, or observations. Trenchant insights are always welcome but please (always) avoid pithy observations.

Red Shift Model Paper Example 4

As we discussed in class, this paper did a a particularly good job at developing a philosophical thesis. The only problem with it was the logical assertion that "though reminiscence, immortality is born." In order for the logic to hold, the writer of this essay should have promoted the theory that writing leads to immortality, since this would have been a much more relevant thesis for what Berrigan and the speaker were doing within the poem. Also, if the scientific angle were pursued in the thesis, then the idea of immortality would have been even more compelling and the images in the second body paragraph would have had extra relevance. The paragraph that dealt with the pronouns was especially insightful.

Quan Period 6

Throughout the history of mankind, humans aspire to live forever. Even today, scientists constantly research new methods to extend the human lifespan. In the poem “Red Shift”, Ted Berrigan suggests that immortality is achievable not physically, but spiritually. Through reminiscence alone, immortality is born. The speaker is relentlessly recollecting memories of the past. In this recollection, the speaker gives life to the memories of his deceased past.

Berrigan begins the poem precisely at “8:08 p.m.” (1) of a winter night in February to give the reader a sense of time. Berrigan continues describing the setting of this particular winter night in order to create the perfect mood for the speaker to reminisce. “The air is biting” (2), and the speaker is drinking and smoking. His actions suggest that he is alone because people often drink and smoke to avoid problems such as feelings of loneliness. This setting is ideal because winter has an association to death. This winter night also generates a melancholy atmosphere. The speaker brings life to this lifeless world when he remembers sipping Calvados on Long Island almost twenty years ago. The speaker’s statement, “who would have thought that I’d be here” (13) proposes the idea that the speaker is in deep thought. He is reliving those memories, thus giving life to the deceased memories.

Berrigan’s word choice assists in granting energy and life to the empty memories. The speaker recalls memories concerning love, children, money, marriage ethics, and a politics of grace. These memories are alive, “swirling” (17) and “burning” (17) within his mind. The speaker can clearly remember the boy’s “eyes penetrating the winter twilight at 6^th and Bowery in 1961” (20). This image is so clear that one would believe that the speaker is witnessing that event once again. Later, the speaker boldly claims that he “will never die” (31). He will live on as a “Spirit, who lives only to nag” (33). This statement suggests that the speaker will continue to live on even after his death. The speaker will not live physically, but will live spiritually in the memories of those who recognize him.

How can the speaker possibly achieve immortality? The speaker’s determination to become immortal is genuine. With utmost confidence, the speaker states that he is “all pronouns” (35). Pronouns are ambiguous and are frequently used in everyday language. This gives the impression that speaker will live on forever because it is nearly impossible to avoid using pronouns in everyday language. The speaker will “never go away” (32) because he gains life at any instance where he is remembered.

One achieves immortality at any instance where one is remembered. When a person is remembered, the person gains life and is alive once again. When the speaker reminisces about the past, his vivid details of the memory resurrect the event from the dead past. Like the speaker in this poem, people are able to escape death and gain immortality spiritually within the memories of those who reminisce about them.

Feel free to post any constructive comments here, or questions, or observations. Trenchant insights are always welcome but please (always) avoid pithy observations.

Red Shift Model Paper Example 3

I definitely wanted some elaboration in this essay, but this writer was particularly successful in explaining how Berrigan achieves meaning through language--and in this case, often though speed and rhythm. (By the way, these are very subtle things that writers do to affect the mood and tone of literature. Think about how Camus slows down or speeds up certain sections of The Stranger and what effect this creates.) I think the addition of the significance of the word "arabesques" to the thesis of this paper is essential and would allowed for more connections, depth, and layers, as well as added to the sense of rhythm and contrapuntal nature of the poem.

Benwit Period 6

People oftentimes find themselves with a yearning to escape from the harsh realities of the world. Those filled with regret of the past and discontent with modern times desire to escape from the real world and its pressures, much like the speaker in Ted Berrigan’s “Red Shift.” Berrigan’s use of dreamlike, surreal diction, along with the seemingly staccato verses conveys the image of the speaker’s hectic thoughts and ultimately his inner calmness.

The beginning of the poem has a defined sense of time with the speaker stating that it is 8:08 p.m. It is February and the “air is biting” out in “winter streetscape,” establishing a realistic setting and providing a chilling mood through the common association of winter and depression. After he “leans/ In,” possibly into trancelike state, he still constantly describes his real world surroundings despite detaching himself from the real world. It is clearly stated that he is in Long Island and that he is 43 years of age. By creating a realistic sense of setting, the speaker’s slip into nostalgia and deep thought is further enhanced because of the vivid contrast between the two. The reader realizes that the speaker is not the ominous character that he states he is but he is actually a normal human being.

The speaker reminisces on his unfading memories from nearly twenty years ago and now clearly recalls them with a scornful tone. Although he mentions “love, children, hundreds of them, money, marriage-/ ethics, a politics of grace,” all of which seem to be joys of life, they are “up in the air, swirling, burning even still, now/ more than ever before,” suggesting to the reader that even such pleasures in life are in disarray in his mind. The rhythm of the verses get lengthier as the poem continues and the breaks get less abrupt. Berrigan uses images to describe the speaker’s influences and emotions such as burning and disappearing into air to give him an angrier tone as if to resent his past. The speaker intensely and passionately rushes through his past experiences throughout the poem’s extended verses. By the end of the poem, he gains a bizarre burst of self-confidence stating that he “will never die, [he] will live/ To be 110” and that he is “only pronouns, & [he is] all of them.” Berrigan possibly implies that the stress of depressing winter nights and bitter memories of what the speaker once was drives him to the brink of dillusion, to the point where he believes that the “world’s furious song flows through his costume.” The speaker plainly shows his view on the world, that it is furious and unrelenting. The reader can also infer that, in the speaker’s mind, he is unhindered by reality and his mental world is the only place where he can obtain his much desired peace of mind.

The speaker is in no way considered, by society’s standards, emotionally healthy at first glance. However, through Berrigan’s appropriate word choice, vocabulary, complex imagery, and increasing verse length, the speaker is full of passion and resides as a god of sorts in the safety of his mind.

Feel free to post any constructive comments here, or questions, or observations. Trenchant insights are always welcome but please (always) avoid pithy observations.

Red Shift Model Paper Example 2

Though there are some analytical stretches that are made here, this is a fine example of a Marxist critique of the poem. If the analysis of the poem were more text based, this would have been very successful at an interesting socio-economic analytical angle. The addition to the significance of the title in the introduction would have also been helpful. The idea of eschewing a total capitulation to conform to societal norms seems to be a uniquely American form of Marxist criticism.

Christina Period 6

Ted Berrigan mocks the post-World War II American society in his poem, “Red Shift,” because the country becomes a living example of a broken dream. The setting of the poem takes place on a cold, February night in the streets of New York. The atmosphere is depressing, reflecting the conditions of the American people during the Great Depression in the 1950s. Homeless children and poor people are seen on streets such as 6^th & Bowery, a part of New York that had high crime rates and low-income families. America isn’t described as a land filled with sunshine and endless opportunities. It becomes a country of loss hope.

The speaker’s tone changes throughout the poem. First, he is calm, but disappointed while recalling his present surroundings. The air and smoke represent pollution. Berrigan is unhappy with the filthy American lifestyles—the way they are taking care of their communities and each other. He writes, “…smoke to have character and to lean/In.” (5-6) The poet is disappointed in how easily Americans conform. They smoke to look cool and to fit in with the crowd as if non-smokers are outcasts. Without a difference in beliefs and opinions, the country goes unchallenged and the people lead purposeless lives.

Then, he becomes depressed when observing the conditions that some Americans are forced to live in. The poet writes, “The Calvados is being sipped on Long island now…” (10) While some families are fortunate enough to be having the time of their lives, relaxing at a nice beach, other families are scrambling to find a way to put supper on their tables every night. It’s frustrating to see fellow human beings ignore the existence of those who need a hand. The streets of America are filled with helpless people. This isn’t the way it should be. Berrigan states, “everything/Love, children, hundreds of them, money marriage-ethics, a politics of grace…” (15-16) The people who are living the “American dream”—driving the BMW, maintaining a high-position office job, married and settled in with children—are too preoccupied with their own lives to look around and see that homeless children and families are suffering from hunger and unemployment.

Finally, he hardens with rage when blaming the people for allowing this national catastrophe to occur. He uses anaphoric repetition to emphasize his determination. Berrigan writes, “I will never die… I will never go away…and you will never escape from me.” (34) He sees the weakness of the American society and strives to warn people not to keep making the same mistake. He’s well aware of this, but it’s up to those who have already conformed to redeem themselves and those who haven’t conformed to remain so. He claims, “I’m only pronouns, & I am all of them, & I didn’t ask for this/You did…”(37-38) It is not the duty of one man to remake America. It is up to all of the American people to work together as one and overcome the obstacles together and redefine what their country stands for. The poet believes that people have to power to say no. He writes, “not for sex, not politics/nor even permanent estrangement.” (26-27). A person can refuse to accept an idea, and develop his own beliefs. Peer pressure shouldn’t affect a person’s decision on when to have sex or who they should vote for. It’s up to the individual to make his own decisions, or else he’ll lead a miserable life, tolerating the life that others have paved for him.

Like Frank O’Hara and Allen Ginsberg, Ted Berrigan worked to prevent Americans from being corrupted and accepting materialism. The Beat Generation and the anti-conformist movements influenced Berrigan by making him step back and look at the world he is living in. He wants Americans to maintain their individualities and hold on to their beliefs. Ted Berrigan breaks away from traditional poems by following the rhythm of his own voice and emotions. His pauses in the poem make the audience stop a moment in their lives to register his message and hopefully take action. This movement against conformity must carry on.

Feel free to post any constructive comments here, or questions, or observations. Trenchant insights are always welcome but please (always) avoid pithy observations.

Red Shift Model Paper Example 1

This is a solid example of a paper that investigates the shifts and growth of mood in the speaker. I think some more attention to the title in the thesis would be a nice addition. Also, I'm curious if the significance of the "painter" could be analyzed further here: it seems as if this structure of this body paragraph lends itself to further investigation.

Caitlin Period 5

Throughout the poem “Red Shift” by Ted Berrigan, the speaker of the poem sends out the impression of a pensive and pessimistic person of middle age reminiscing; this impression one gets is from the first line’s exact setting of the present time, the changes of time and thoughts, and his lamentation on life in general.

This deep thinking seems evident in the fact that after the 9th line in the poem (I heave/ through it, them, as”), there is no more description of the present place he’s in, but of all the many places he’s been before, with people he’s been with before as well. The speaker’s comments about “twenty years almost ago” and his reminiscing about people of his past show that he’s thinking back to certain periods of time that have nothing to do with the present, as they are past dates.

In the beginning of the poem, at “8:08 p.m.”, as the speaker walks down the street, seemingly to the reader almost at ease, he seems to travel with a walk that is “rhythmic”. Yet as he goes along, he seems to get more and more frustrated and negative in his views, and almost violent in his thoughts. He wonders, “ Who would have thought that I’d be here?”, as though he can’t believe where he is in his middle age. The people in his memories seem to have had a profound effect on him, such as “that pretty girl” of “nineteen” who has now entered the time of “careening into middle-age”. This is probably a lament for the time having gone by so fast as to have had himself and this girl of his enter their middle stage of life. Another person he recalls is “that practically a boy” whose eyes “penetrate the winter twilight at 6^th & Bowery in 1961”. He seems to be talking about himself here, or sees a parallel to his own self, as the narrator and this boy are both mentioned to be in the snow at night, only he sees himself as younger in this memory and laments about how he misses his youth. However, a painter seems to have had the most profound effect of all on the speaker. The speaker, from their “very first meeting” never will leave him alone until each “vanishes into thin air” they “signed up for”. This painter will in turn “never leave” him, “not for sex, nor politics, nor even stupid permanent estrangement” of which is only the “human lot, and means nothing”. This painter seems to have been a best friend of the speaker, who made these promises only to have them turn out untrue, and this seems to anger him by his excessive repeating of how they will never leave each other. The speaker seems to look back and feel naïve.

The speaker then goes on to mention the song “California Dreaming” from his subconscious. He states that he would not do what the song implies. The song is about how it is too cold in the winter and that the warmth of another place, such as California, would be better. There are parallels between the person in the song and the speaker of “Red Shift”; they are both walking on a winter’s day, and they are both daydreaming in their own ways. Yet while the song’s ultimate statement is sunshine and youth and happiness, the speaker of the poem seems against the warmth and happiness of dreams. He seems to be reveling in his coldness and depression. He feels too old at forty-three to daydream about bigger and better things, and takes in only the coldness of what he’s seen in the world.

The speaker even goes on to confirm his wallowing in misery. He states that he will never die, and that he is a “ghost” despite his frame, a “spirit/ Who lives only to nag”. His explanation of a ghost seems to be someone who never dies, and never escapes his fate of nagging, or finding fault to complain constantly. Again, he is being haunted by his age, which is evident by how many times he talks about never dying. He sees himself as a ghost, trapped in his frame, while his spirit lives on hating everything and wanting to be set free. He seems immune to changing what he is, “and that’s that.//”

In the end, he sums up his life as “alone & crowded”, with an “unhappy fate”, as the “world’s furious song flows through” his “costume”. With this depressing ending, you can clearly see how unhappy this speaker truly is. He’s lost in a world of middle age, reminiscing of sad memories that won’t go away, and seems to be trapped within himself, unable to escape. He is taking all the sadness of the world into himself and is suffering for it.

The speaker of this poem, walking down the street, is taking in all of the sadness of what’s around him and what’s viewed through his eyes. His memories, as he is indeed reminiscing, are upsetting him because it’s reminding him of the sadness that is in the world; the things he cannot change or stop from happening (like the “love, children hundreds of them, money, marriage ethics” that he feels or sees by day, “burning even or still” ). Being of middle age, these things have a profound effect on him as he finally takes an interest in them and realizes how naïve he has been in his younger years.

Feel free to post any constructive comments here, or questions, or observations. Trenchant insights are always welcome but please (always) avoid pithy observations.

Red Shift (Fill in the Blank) Poem

Here's a clip of Ted Berrigan on youtube reading poetry. I hope you find it inspirational, or can at least view it from your computer. He's reading about New York City here. What would you say about Malden?

Assignment:

This may surprise you after our lengthy discussions of this poem, but this poem was written as a fill-in-the-blank poem. I don't have the original (it was published in a poetry magazine in the 60s), but I went ahead and blacked out a bunch of phrases for you to fill in. See how easy it really is! (The last line, by the way, was an attempt at sarcasm.)

Post your new poems in the comment field by Wednesday at midnight.

Painting is by Alex Katz.

Red Shift Explication Assignment

Here is the link to the text of "Red Shift"





Here is the audio link to the text of "Red Shift"





Your open response paper explicating this poem is due on Wednesday. I would like a hard copy when you walk into class. Please reference the handouts, especially on how to craft a complex thesis.

Finally, a not-so-subtle reminder for those of you who have forgotten some “poetic truths” over the summer: 1. It is the speaker of a poem (not the narrator) who “speaks” the lines; it is also not the poet or the poem who speaks. 2. Indicate line breaks / with a slash. Indicate stanza breaks // with two slashes.

Remember, just because you say so doesn’t make something true. You need to prove it. (As explicators of writing, we must stick to what we can prove.) Also, avoid cliché like the plague (this, for instance, is a cliché.) It is a lazy use of language.