Skip to main content

DIZZY IN YOUR EYES




BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat. 2010. DIZZY IN YOUR EYES; POEMS ABOUT LOVE. New York: Knopf. ISBN 9780375843754.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

DIZZY IN YOUR EYES is a collection of 50 poems written by Pat Mora. The narrative voices of the poems are youthful, although there are different perspectives offered throughout the collection. The theme is, naturally, love. In her author’s note, Mora categorizes the collections as a symphony with four movements, each representing a piece of love’s cycle. The first poems explore young love with all its giddiness and joy. Then, the poems transition to the challenges and heartache of enduring love. As a balm, the third movement offers healing; and then, in true cyclical form, Mora guides the reader to fall in love again. Cycle complete. 

Sprinkled throughout the collection are references to poetic forms. Found on the bottom, lefthand side of the page, Mora provides the name of specific poetic forms followed by explanations. They are in gray typeset, which evoke a gentle feeling. Then, the poem on the righthand side is an example of the stated form. By doing this in such a nonthreatening manner, Mora introduces the reader to not only poetry, but structure. It’s a sneaky way to enrich the understanding of the novice poetic reader. Forms include the well known, like the sonnet and haiku, to the more obscure, like the triolet and sestina.

There is also a multicultural element evident throughout the collection, as Mora’s first language is Spanish. My favorite is the poem Conversation/Conversation. It’s a back and forth exchange between a young gringo and a beautiful latina, neither of whom speak the other’s language well. It is playful and engaging, leaving the reader with a smile.

Conversation/Conversation
New here?
Why so sad?
Sad? No hablo inglés.

Oh, buy muy bonita.
Ah, tú hablas español.

No. Muy poquito. I’m taking Spanish.
You think I sound funny, ¿sí?
No hablo inglés.
Nada.

The banter continues until the young man elicits a smile from the senorita and they agree to teach one another their language. It speaks to the global experience most youth encounter in our world today. Teens will connect with this piece and enjoy the notion of young love across a language barrier. 

Teens will enjoy reading this collection, which captures the spirit of love in a comfortable, fluid manner, although Mora does not shy away from exploring heartache. The imagery is strong, as in the poem Our Private Rhyme, which explores grief and loss, as the following verse suggests:

I try to smile, pretend and mime
I’m fine, survived disaster
but know I’m only half our rhyme

SPOTLIGHT POEM AND LESSON

This lesson is designed for middle grade and above.

On page 123, read the poem LOVE HAIKU. Here are the first two stanzaas:

I
Everything’s in love,
Bird’s butterflies, and now me,
dizzy in your eyes.

II
Love blooms in hot nights,
Under stars, hand-in-hand strolls,
Kisses like star sparks.

Students, writing alone or in pairs, can create a love haiku of their own. They will follow the Japanese line pattern of 5 sounds, 7 sounds, 5 sounds. Many teachers explain the sounds as a syllabic structure, which most students will easily recognize.


Once complete, students can share the poems aloud, or even Tweet them out from a classroom Twitter account. Often, haikus written tightly can be sent as Tweets, which has high student appeal and is likely to increase engagement.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FOREST HAS A SONG

Vanderwater, Amy FOREST HAS A SONG. Ill. by Robbin Gourley. ISBN 9780618843497. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Amy Vanderwater brings us a hearty collection of 26 poems. They weave together the story of one girl’s experience in the forest over the course of a year. The poems begin with spring and then merge into summer, with poems like APRIL WAKING and PUFF. Fall and winter poems wrap up this collection, including MAPLES IN OCTOBER and COLORFUL ACTOR. Each poem brings the reader into the forest, so we enjoy the romp through each season with the girl. VanDerwater’s use of language leads the reader to experience the sounds and rhythms of the forest. By employing italics, she brings the forest’s perspective in some poems, which serves as a wonderful point-of-view experience for the young reader. The collection is superbly  illustrated by Robbin Gourley. At its best, illustrations tell a visual story which parallels and enhances the textual message. Gourley does this brilli...
2 comments
Read more

SEEING EMILY

BIBLIOGRAPHY Wong, Joyce. 2005. Seeing Emily. New York: Amulet. ISBN 0810957574 . CRITICAL ANALYSIS Seeing Emily is the best of free verse, as it captures the mind of 16-year old Chinese-American Emily. Told in a rich style reminiscent of Sonya Sones, Seeing Emily is the journey of an American teenager grappling with typical teenage angst, albeit compounded by the complexities of growing up in an immigrant family. Her parents squeeze the American dream for all its worth, working tirelessly in their family restaurant, the Golden Palace. They expect the same ambition from their daughter. Through her art, Emily views her world and its pressures. Wong invites her readers along to view Emily’s unique take on the world. In Seeing Emily, we experience her friendships with Nina and Liz, her blossoming romance with first boyfriend Nick, and her attempts to honor her Asian heritage while finding independence. Are the two mutually exclusive? These are the issues which all...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS

BIBLIOGRAPHY Koertge, Ron. 2001. The Brimstone journals. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. INSB 9780763617424 CRITICAL ANALYSIS THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS is a free verse novel by Ron Koertge. Through the eyes of fifteen students, we learn about the realities of Branston High School, Class of ‘01. There is white supremacy, broken romance, bullying, anorexia, obesity, sexual abuse, black pride. There is also communication and peer support, albeit fragile. And, most importantly, there is problem solving. The narrative arc of the poems surrounds the character of Boyd, a white supremacist who is developing a “hit list.” As his list develops and his weapons stockpile, his plan for a school shooting at Branston give the story an urgency. As each character interacts directly or peripherally with Boyd, the puzzle pieces merge into a coherent set of poems which have the reader desperately imploring the students to intervene. We, too, know Boyd. As the reader, we are omn...
Post a Comment
Read more