Bishop’s poetry Essay

I agree with this assessment of Bishops poetry. Her poems on the syllabus certainly pose evoke questions about identity, awargonness and ones perspective in the world, indeed the universe, and they do so by means of a unique style. This style is influenced by Bishops acute awareness of the poets shenanigan and her ability to work with both traditional forms (sestina and sonnet, for instance) and free verse. The questions that interested me most are those posed in Questions of Travel.These fascinated me because Bishop dedicated so overmuch of her life to give-up the ghost, provided in this poem she questions the motives behind travel and exploration. One stylistic feature that is characteristic of Bishop is the conversational tone and it is evident in the open up lines, as she states There are similarly galore(postnominal) waterfalls here. The question raised in my mind is How can there be too many waterfalls? Surely the waterfalls are a sight of natural splendour?Yet, readi ng on, we see that everything in this place of natural beauty over-powers the poet the streams are crowded, they hurry too rapidly, there are so many clouds. Why is this? She says that the streams and clouds keep travelling, travelling and this poses the question of her own travels has travel become as monotonous as the relentless waterfalls or is it a type of addiction or compulsion for the poet? This question poses more than questions when we consider the poets alcoholism and the part played by addiction in her life.The questions raised in the next stanza address themes, which are central to her poetry home, exclusion, and the quest for new horizons. Bishop wonders if the idea of a place is more satisfying than the place itself Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? This apparently simple question is loaded with difficulties for Bishop as home was never a simple concept for her. She is acutely aware of herself as an outsider in this culture and feels she is watchi ng strangers in a play in this strangest of theatres.Bishop describes the urge for travel as a childishness and the flesh of travellers rushing to see the sun the other way around is an image of thrill-seekers consuming views and experiences without understanding or insight (inexplicable and impenetrable). I find this very relevant, as we live in a society, which is obsessed with consuming things and experiences, often at the expense of understanding.This image also prepares us for the question at the heart of this poem Oh, must we dream our dreams and have them too? I found this question very interesting because dreams are not reality and there are other references to illusion in this poem strangest of theatres and pantomimists. The question of why we travel and explore is not explicitly answered in the poem but one wonders if it has something to do with flight or escape from reality. The disparity between the real and the imagined is alluded to again in another ambitious quest ion Is it lack of imagination that makes us come To imagined places, not just stay at home? All of our preconceived, modern ideas about travel choice, freedom, excitement, broaden of horizons, understanding of other cultures are turned on their head and challenged in the questions raised here about travel. In both Questions of Travel, and The Prodigal, Bishop deals with beingness away from home and returning. In both poems, the idea of returning is difficult and complex Bishop is not even sure where home is Should we have stayed at home, wheresoever that may be? Her sense of displacement is much stronger than her sense of belonging.Similarly, in The Prodigal, the alcoholic in exile must struggle with uncertain astounding flight/his shuddering insights, beyond his control before he can face the journey home. A stylistic feature of Bishops work, which I genuinely enjoyed, was her tendency, in some poems, to move from sensory description of the apparently mundane to profound awa reness and insight, even epiphany. This can be seen in In the hold Room where Bishop begins with a description of a dull dentists waiting-room, full of grown-up people, arctics and overcoats, lamps and magazines. This is a scene from everyday life in Worcester, Massachusetts.The setting is ordinary, yet the title denotes a place of anticipation and stockpileation, and raises questions. What can the young Bishop be anticipating or expecting? What is to come? The National Geographic a magazine we could easily expect to see in any waiting-room transports the child, in her imagination, to the inside of a volcano, a far cry from the blandness of the dentists waiting-room. The images of other races and civilizations are both horrifying and compelling but the child cannot stop reading them.