Question

PLSSSS I really need your help with this. I have no clue how to start it so if you could do it, that would be awesome! I need it done ASAP! You need to write your two, five-sentence paragraphs in response to the poem. You may also take this as an opportunity to explore your writing through poetry. Feel free to share a poem that you have written about the same subject matter.

Jane Kenyon, “Three Songs at the End of Summer”

A second crop of hay lies cut
and turned. Five gleaming crows
search and peck between the rows.
They make a low, companionable squawk,
and like midwives and undertakers
possess a weird authority.
Crickets leap from the stubble,
parting before me like the Red Sea.
The garden sprawls and spoils.
Across the lake the campers have learned
to water ski. They have, or they haven’t.
Sounds of the instructor’s megaphone
suffuse the hazy air. “Relax! Relax!”
Cloud shadows rush over drying hay,
fences, dusty lane, and railroad ravine.
The first yellowing fronds of goldenrod
brighten the margins of the woods.
Schoolbooks, carpools, pleated skirts;
water, silver-still, and a vee of geese.
*
The cicada’s dry monotony breaks
over me. The days are bright
and free, bright and free.
Then why did I cry today
for an hour, with my whole
body, the way babies cry?
*
A white, indifferent morning sky,
and a crow, hectoring from its nest
high in the hemlock, a nest as big
as a laundry basket ...
In my childhood
I stood under a dripping oak,
while autumnal fog eddied around my feet,
waiting for the school bus
with a dread that took my breath away.
The damp dirt road gave off
this same complex organic scent.
I had the new books—words, numbers,
and operations with numbers I did not
comprehend—and crayons, unspoiled
by use, in a blue canvas satchel
with red leather straps.
Spruce, inadequate, and alien
I stood at the side of the road.
It was the only life I had.

Answer 1

In Jane Kenyon's "Three Songs at the End of Summer," the vivid imagery of the changing season evokes a sense of both nostalgia and the fleeting nature of time. The crows searching the freshly cut hay symbolize the passing of time and the cyclical nature of life. The poem beautifully captures the essence of transition, as summer wanes and gives way to autumn. The mention of the campers learning to water ski and the emergence of goldenrod fronds speak to the contrast between youthful exuberance and the subtle approach of aging. Kenyon portrays the inevitable progression of life, subtly reminding us of its transient beauty.

As the cicada's cry breaks over the speaker, there's a sudden introspection, a questioning of emotions and experiences. The mention of crying for an hour, akin to a baby's cry, juxtaposed against the seemingly bright and free days, hints at the complexity of human emotions. The poem delves into the contradiction between the external appearance of life and the internal turmoil one might face. The memory of standing on a damp dirt road, waiting for the school bus, encapsulates the innocence of childhood and the anxiety that often accompanies it. Kenyon masterfully weaves together nature and personal reflections, inviting readers to contemplate the fleeting nature of moments and the interplay between our external and internal worlds.

Answer 2

Another theme that Jane Kenyon explores in “Three Songs at the End of Summer” is the passage of time and the change of seasons. She uses the image of a second crop of hay in the first stanza to suggest that summer is ending and autumn is approaching. She also uses the image of the first yellowing fronds of goldenrod in the fourth stanza to indicate that nature is preparing for winter. She shows how time affects both humans and nature, as the garden spoils, the campers learn or don’t learn to water ski, and the poet cries for an hour. She expresses a sense of nostalgia and sadness for the summer that is gone and the life that she had.

As an example of my own poetry, I have written a poem inspired by the same subject matter. It is called “Farewell to Summer”:

Farewell to summer, farewell to sun Farewell to ice cream, farewell to fun Farewell to swimming, farewell to sand Farewell to holding your warm hand

Hello to autumn, hello to rain Hello to sweaters, hello to pain Hello to schoolwork, hello to stress Hello to loneliness and emptiness

Summer was a dream, a sweet escape A time of laughter, a time of grace A time of love, a time of bliss A time I’ll always remember and miss

Autumn is a nightmare, a harsh reality A time of sorrow, a time of cruelty A time of loss, a time of grief A time I wish would be brief

Farewell to summer, farewell to you Farewell to everything we’ve been through Farewell to memories, farewell to hope Farewell to summer, I can’t cope