I enjoyed Zachary Schomburg’s poem, “Full of Knives,” quite a bit. I thought that the list format in “Full of Knives” was very strange and interesting. I wonder if there is significance in the number of items—eighteen. Is it symbolic? I don’t think so, but sometimes it’s difficult to tell. I don’t really understand the reference to notes, starting in the first line “Notes are brittle around the blades.” Is it a way of documenting who/why/how he was stabbed in the beck? I think that it must be something along these lines because later in the poem it says that the notes, not the knives, are slowly killing him. I find the tone of this poem especially intriguing. The theme of “being stabbed in the back” is a theme that I associate with feelings of bitterness, anger, sorrow, frustration, and betrayal. However, throughout the poem, there is an ironic, almost humorous tone. The line “He has difficulties with metal detectors,” seems even more amusing after having read the entire poem. The humor is subtle, which is why it seems so fitting. More humorous lines were number twelve and number eighteen. I think my favorite part of the whole poem was the end, number eighteen. “He was obviously stabbed, brutally and repeatedly.” That line is fantastic! It’s such an obvious understatement. It feels significant that the doctor delivers the news to some anonymous person rather than a relative or a loved one. It clearly expresses the sentiment that the speaker doesn’t really belong, and that he has no one to care for him. Although, on that note, number seventeen, “He is difficult to hold when he cries,” is interesting. I think the notion that he is difficult to hold when he cries makes it less likely that anyone would even try.
Sarah Corra
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I definately agree with Sarah's post about "Full of Knives," I think the poem was a very interesting read and I really enjoyed it! Upon first looking at the poem I noticed the numbers 1-18 immediately. Like Sarah questioned I wonder if these numbers represent something symbolic for the poem? Maybe the are an indication of age? Maybe 18 knives are being used? Whatever the reason, I think the numbers definately add to the poem and leave the reading guessing for their meaning. Another aspect of the poem that stuck out to me was the tone being used. The gesture of being stabbed with knives is one that is heavy and grusome but the tone of the poem was actually quite humorous in places, especially in the line "he has difficulties with metal detectors." I also agree with Sarah's interpretation of the poem. I think being stabbed by knives is something that people associate with betrayal and this is something that maybe the character in the poem is dealing with. It is also apparent that the character in the poem is getting fed up towards the end with the line "his back is running out of space." To me this line represents that the character is tired of the betrayal he is constantly experiencing. Though I was a little thrown off by the line "the knives are what hold him together." This seemed very ironic to me because knives cut, thus tearing something apart rather then mending it together. The irony here may yield a deeper meaning, though it is not one that I was able to grasp right offhand. Overall, I really enjoyed "Full of Knives" and I think it displayed some great lines and techniques.
ReplyDeleteKaty Haines