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Anna BelknapIntroduction to LiteratureGroninga6 December 2011RestlessTo struggle with a situation is something that we all deal with at some point in life. The feeling of the unknown, broken promises, and agitated thoughts flood our minds in a way that takes over who we are. We turn into a monster of doubt, pessimism, and uncertainty that dictates our lives. There is a moment of realization that sets in at a certain point that harshly forces us to see that we are powerless. The only thing we can do in these situations is wait for the potential positive or negative outcome, and in the meantime, we become restless. In Cecilia Borromeo’s poem “Restless” (Borromeo, see appendix), this tense feeling is depicted in word form in a way that makes the readers feel the tension that has been created. This poem is not necessarily pleasant to read due to the use of sharp consonant sounds “urgent hiss of a new page calling” (8). However, writing in this style allows Borromeo to correctly portray to the reader the exact emotion she has intended. Another instance of this would be “From that odd wisp of steam” (7). Both of these sentences have the “ss” sound, which could have been used to make the reader feel the harsh environment in which such arguments take place. This use of diction is very appropriate in this case because it sets up the atmosphere of the context and makes the reader feel the emotion more effectively. The line that appeals to the reader initially is: “crouched in the corners are grappling by the hinges” (2). This is appealing to the reader simply because of the words in the line. These words are intriguing, and not very clear as to what they are describing. In this line, Borromeo uses personification with life by describing its features as if life were a human being. Life can’t “crouch in the corner”, but this helps the reader visualize an image of a human doing this. It creates an uncomfortable feeling, because when we think of crouching in the corner it is usually because we are hiding from something. What this exemplifies is that life is hiding from the misunderstood relationships we have to handle. Life is literally hiding “only to remain unseen” (3) from any problems we have. When first reading this poem, it has the potential to create many different images in the reader’s mind. The advantage of poems like these is that the reader can choose to take the meaning whichever way they interpret it. After reading this poem for the first time, the reader is left somewhat confused because there does not seem to be a clear meaning. Borromeo does not set out a clear theme, other than the title, which connects the ideas together. The main ideas in this poem are: “Perennial immateriality dwelling between living and dying” (1); “only to remain understood” (6), and “What am I doing here?” (12). The initial confusion sets in when Borromeo is referring to life (“dwelling between living and dying”). We will never quite understand the completely “right” way to live our lives, but only the way we choose to live it is right for us. This is where the line “We weave our web of what we believe we understand” (5) becomes relevant, because it is referring to how people live their life based on how they have learned to live their life. How these events “remain misunderstood” (6) are from the things we miss in life that are crucial to our success. We find ourselves in relationships that get to a point that we don’t know how to effectively communicate, and the “odd wisp of steam of heated discussions” (7) is all that is left. “That single space of uncertainty” (10) is all we have left to cling to, which leads us to the final question: “What am I doing here?” (12).The question of “What am I doing here?” (12) leaves an open-ended conclusion to the poem. This concept relates back to the title of the poem, Restless. The ending of this poem does not resolve, which is what we want to see as readers. Instead, it leaves a question for the reader to solve, which could make us feel restless. This was entirely intentional from Borromeo, and very creative and supported the overall effect of the poem.This poem conveys the message that we are raised a certain way and we learn how to live life from those around us. However, at a certain age we must choose how we want to live our lives regardless of what others think and even based on how we were raised. The line “I teeter on that thin ice” (9) is something that almost all people can relate to. We all have to make decisions every day, be it a big decision or something minor. Therefore, this causes “that single space of uncertainty” (10) and leads us to ask the ultimate question of “What am I doing here?” (12). After we leave the safety net of what is familiar and comfortable to us, we realize there is a lot more to the world than there was when we were growing up. We are faced with the overarching question of who we are as an individual, and it ultimately makes us realize who we are as individuals.We all face struggles and hardships throughout life. What makes us who we are is how we handle these hardships, and how they affect who we become afterwards. This poem depicts the stage in life in which we are at the deepest point of struggling with an issue, and how we feel like simply hiding it away will solve our problems. By the end of the poem, we realize that we have to ask ourselves who we are in order to move on from any struggle or hardship. This is not always easy, but it is highly important and well-illustrated throughout this poem. What matters is which way we fall after we “teeter on that thin ice” (10). After we have answered the question of “What am I doing here?” (12) we are able to become who we are without limits, and the meaning of life will be understood. Works CitedBorromeo, Cecilia. "Famous Poets and Poems." . N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2011. < Cecilia Borromeo1. It is that perennial immateriality dwelling between living and dying2. crouched in the corners and grappling by the hinges3. only to remain unseen;4. We weave our web of what we believe we understand 5. of the relationship of our acts and events6. only to remain misunderstood;7. From that odd wisp of steam of heated discussions8. to the urgent hiss of a new page calling;9. I teeter on that thin ice -- 10. That single space of uncertainty --11. And I ask12. “What am I doing here?”. ................
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