In “At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border”, William E. Stafford claims in an indifferent tone, through usage of personification that battlefields and memorials aren’t always the best way to depict nationality because the nature around captures the beauty and pride of the country. Throughout the poem Stafford uses personification to give lifelike attributes to nature. He describes the grass as “joined hands”, the sky as “heroic”, and the air as “so tame”. His purpose in doing so is to portray how one doesn’t need human war heroes to truly appreciate a country. Rather, human traits of heroism can be found in the strength and beauty of the Canadian border. Through Stafford’s use of personification, he is able to convey how the beauty of nature should define a country.
This analysis is also amazing. You were spot on about the personification in the poem and you used good examples from the text to back it up. When I read this poem I happened to get a different understanding of what the point was. I thought the author was trying to explain to the reader that the country doesn't appreciate land where no battle took place or no one was killed. I interpenetrated the poem to be kind of like a bash against the country for not caring about a perfectly beautiful piece of land just because nothing particularly important happened there. Your analysis made me look at it in another way and I really enjoyed thinking about it the way you wrote it. I can't say which one of our interpretations is correct (or if both are) but I really enjoyed yours. Great job! A+
ReplyDeleteI think Shoshana's interpretation is an added layer to yours Efraim. They are both correct. However, I definitely wouldn't call the tone "indifferent."
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