The poem comin thro' the rye has left an image on
my mind of a really unfaithful wife that usually cheats to her husband.
When I read the poem with this image in my mind a word always pops out into my
head. This word is "Ethics".
The tone of the poem is a heavy and painful tone. Somehow
we sense a felling of regret and guilt. The fact that Robert Burns uses a field
of rye instead of a field of grapes is a symbol for the pain because the rye
has sort of spikes so it would heart. The fact that Jenny is dragging her
petticoat can tell us that she cant carry it or wear it because it
may be a burden for something she did.
The
word ethics pops out into my head because I think that she is doing something
wrong. The fact that a petticoat is what women used closer to their bodies back
I the time, and that she was dragging it instead of wearing it as they were supposed
to do, makes me think that she is tempting the man who is at the end of the
field of rye.
In
class we touched the discussion for who was this man. At first we considered the
option of her husband but I am negative to this idea. I think that if he was her
husband she wouldn’t have to do such a great effort, like go trough a long
field of rye while getting wet.
With
some extra background we know that something sexual happened, or is about to happen,
however we really don’t know what was it. Another thing that we know is that someone is waiting for
Jenny. But who?
This
two facts re what make the poem so interesting and hard to get a complete understanding
of it.
Your image of the lady is very well described. It is very different from my image but after your explanation I think that my image was wrong and that your image makes much more sense than mine. I really like your use of the word "Ethics". I don't think we talked about ethics in class, which makes your explanation even better. It shows that you thought a lot about it. I think your blog could be improved if you give a better explanation for the last part of your weblog containing "But who?". I think that question deserves some thinking and that an explanation for that is needed.
ResponderEliminarI like how you have strong opinions towards this piece and I respect the idea of ‘ethics’ that you said. I thought your interpretation on how Robert Burns uses ‘rye field’ instead of grape field was interesting, it adds the mood of hurtfulness, pain and regret, like you’ve mentioned above. I interpreted this poem different from yours, but your response to this poem gave me a new aspect of this poem. I think that Robert Burns brings up the subjects of sexual intimacy and privacy; I’m not so sure whether he puts froth a strong opinion for her act, whether it was right or wrong. I thought that Robert Burns questions the readers saying “Need the warld ken?” I didn’t think who the man was in this poem was that significant, because I interpreted as how sometimes people tend to judge each others’ act. I think that Robert Burns was trying to question whether a sexual act should be known or not, and leaving the actual answer to the reader’s interpretation.
ResponderEliminar