This week, let's discuss "Golden Retrievals" by Mark Doty on page 123 of your text. Be sure to read this one out loud! Use the questions following the poem to prompt your discussion.
The speaker is a dog, specifically a golden retriever as we can see from the title. I really enjoyed this poem! I read it and reread it aloud because it brought more meaning that way. If dogs could talk, without a doubt it’d be something like this! I thought it was so interesting how the speaker mentioned his owner and his thoughts about him. In the line “either you’re sunk in the past, half our walk, thinking of what you can never bring back,” the speaker is mentioning his thoughts on his owner and how he perceives him. The speaker acknowledges his playful demeanor and his everyday enjoyment over the simplest things such as a “bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel…” I thought this concept was so neat how he gives the audience the comparison between the thoughts going on throughout the walk between owner and dog. It’s basically like saying ‘hey this is me enjoying the walk, while you’re off worrying and reminiscing over past moments, and I’m in this moment now!”
What I Really enjoy about this poem is its title tied into a deeper meaning of the poem. The Title is “Golden Retrievals”. The picture on the side is a Golden retriever and most of the time the dogs that are capable of playing fetch and catch happen to be Golden Retrievers. This Golden retriever is not only retrieving sticks and balls, but it retrieving his owner himself. Now Ms. Gruver said that the owner is reminiscing over past moments, and I believe that at that moment the owner is worried but also about there future and there to worried to simply enjoy life’s present. Now when the dog barks Bow-wow it is mystically taking the owners thoughts away and focusing them on the dog temporally forgetting the worries and pains of the owner. When the poem says “My work: to unsnare time’s warp (and woof!), retrieving, my haze- headed friend” The dog is saying that his job is to bring the owner out of past or future, out of worries or fears, and into the joyful present.
The speaker in this poem is a dog (golden retriever) who like to play and walk with his master. The dog comes off as more understanding than the master. Realizing what is going on with the master. "Thinking of what you can never bring back," the dog understands what the master is does not. The dog realizes that the past is the past when the master thinks too hard on what has been done already. The dog wants nothing more than the masters full undivided attention, "calls you here, entirely, now." The dog can teach his "best friend"/"companion" that the past is the past and the present and future should be given greater thought. "a Zen master's bronzy gong" a gong referring to an attention getter object which is what the "bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow," is for a dog. Using golden retriever can be implied that the dog is retrieving the master to present instead of being stuck in past events.
I agree with Kassandra on "And you? Either you’re sunk in the past, half our walk, Thinking of what you can never bring back" and how the dog focuses on the present happy opportunities and the master is left with the past troubles. The speaker, the dog, is very frank with the intended purpose of each line. Here the dog attempts to teach wise life proverbs through action, "Or else you’re off in some fog concerning —tomorrow, is that what you call it?" This is a realization that humans seem to be obsessive with time and what tomorrow commodities will be achieved.
As stated several times by the others bloggers, the speaker is the dog. The one whom he speaks to is the owner (dog walker). This opens a very intriguing can of worms, because after all, who isn’t curious as to what a dog might have to say if it could write or pen a poem? Touching on something that Mr. Cantu began to speak on, I like very much how the dog is the golden “retriever” of the master. The poem paints the mind of the dog as from its perspective, and then transitions to the masters perspective, as perceived by the dog, and then finishes with how the dog (the speaker) fulfills his duty as the retriever of the master to the mindset that the dog so much enjoys. The dog appreciates the simple, the normal, the now, like “balls and sticks… bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel”. Natural things, taken for granted by man, whom the dog walker is included in, are what the dog finds most appealing and important. The dog, as the speaker, is also very flexible, as a dog must be, as he is “off again” at every “sniff” and “residue”. The human, as the dog portrays him and faults him with, is focused entirely on things that are not now. Whether the future of the past, the owner is consumed with meditating on that so called “fog”. The golden retriever thus becomes what the title infers, a means of “retrieval” for the master. He is capable, as many a dog, to grab his human from the past thoughts and memories and the concerns of the future with a simple bark “(and woof)”. The “shining bark”, making use of a description better fit for what the bark will be compared to, a gong, is the mechanism in which the dog can retrieve his master into the now; all it takes is a simple “bow-wow”.
The speaker in the poem is a dog, a Golden Retriever and he is talking to his owner. I think the dog has the ability to see and be intrigued by everything around him, while his owner's mind is fogged by something. I think the owner might have recently lost a loved one because in the poem the dog says about his owner, "Either your sunk in the past, half our walk, thinking of what you can never get back," The dog, i believe is sort of healer for the owner. I think he is there to help him move on with life and give him something to do things with and something to care for while he is grieving.
On the Golden Retrievals the speaker is a dog and is directed to the humans. When the writer uses the phrase " Bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow" It makes you think thath the dig is actually narrating the poem. The dog thinks that his master only goes up to him when he needs a friend and do not give him enough time to play with him, or take him for a ride. I consider that the tone of the poem is very sarcastic and ironic. On this poem the dog teach to his companion the meaning of a unconditional friendship. I believe that the author used the dog as a speaker because the dog is the man's bestfriend and the dog represents someone special or the animal with the best friendship with humans, Also for me a dog represents the friend who is always there for me even though when I do not share or spend enough time with him and he always will greet me happy when I get home.
The poem "Golden Retrieval" by Mark Doty is a poem where a dog tells a story of him and his master. It is evident that the dog is the speaker of this poem. The dog speaks of him fetching and catching things. The first line states "Fetch? Balls and sticks capture my attention seconds at a time" which shows that the dog finds fetching balls and sticks as a fun activity.
The dog takes keen attention to his surroundings as well as observing his master. He finds it disturbing when he is not given attention. evidence is seen in line 6 - 7 which states "of any thrilling dead thing.And you? Either you are sunk in the past, half our walk". This poem also tells us that when he is bored or tired of his master's inattentiveness he responds by barking to get his attention.
When the poet uses "bow-wow bow-wow bow-wow" is a very persuasive element in the poem. This shows the dogs response to the whistle which is blown by his master. I also shows that the dog is loyal to the call of this device and acts promptly when he hears it.
This poem “Golden Retrievals,” by Mark Doty is now one of my favorites. I am a cat lover, but still very fond of dogs. I have two cats and take them outside for about an hour daily. I like observing them running around and sniffing and climbing trees. I think to myself that they probably change their focus every 6 seconds and are on to the next thing they see, when people dwell in the past or in deep thoughts. This poem is depicted by the golden retriever as said in the title and he is speaking to his friend, his owner. Being the man’s best friend, the retriever teaches him a very important lesson every day: to live life happily and move one to better things. That is how I see my cats living. They don’t dwell on the ribbon they couldn’t take from me, or my shoe laces, but instead they look for a new string hanging around. One should not stay living in a hazed world, but to appreciate our surroundings and learn to live without worries.
The fact that the dog was the one speaking and thinking in the poem demonstrates a lot. First of all, it gives the reader a new point of view in the way to live life. And second of all, the dog represents happiness and examples of life. The author sees a best friend who he can learn so much from. And as for me, I see a dog that perhaps is smarter than many of us, for he doesn’t waste time on things that don’t do any good to him.
The speaker is a dog, specifically a golden retriever as we can see from the title. I really enjoyed this poem! I read it and reread it aloud because it brought more meaning that way. If dogs could talk, without a doubt it’d be something like this! I thought it was so interesting how the speaker mentioned his owner and his thoughts about him. In the line “either you’re sunk in the past, half our walk, thinking of what you can never bring back,” the speaker is mentioning his thoughts on his owner and how he perceives him. The speaker acknowledges his playful demeanor and his everyday enjoyment over the simplest things such as a “bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel…” I thought this concept was so neat how he gives the audience the comparison between the thoughts going on throughout the walk between owner and dog. It’s basically like saying ‘hey this is me enjoying the walk, while you’re off worrying and reminiscing over past moments, and I’m in this moment now!”
ReplyDeleteWhat I Really enjoy about this poem is its title tied into a deeper meaning of the poem. The Title is “Golden Retrievals”. The picture on the side is a Golden retriever and most of the time the dogs that are capable of playing fetch and catch happen to be Golden Retrievers. This Golden retriever is not only retrieving sticks and balls, but it retrieving his owner himself. Now Ms. Gruver said that the owner is reminiscing over past moments, and I believe that at that moment the owner is worried but also about there future and there to worried to simply enjoy life’s present. Now when the dog barks
ReplyDeleteBow-wow it is mystically taking the owners thoughts away and focusing them on the dog temporally forgetting the worries and pains of the owner. When the poem says “My work: to unsnare time’s warp (and woof!), retrieving, my haze- headed friend” The dog is saying that his job is to bring the owner out of past or future, out of worries or fears, and into the joyful present.
The speaker in this poem is a dog (golden retriever) who like to play and walk with his master. The dog comes off as more understanding than the master. Realizing what is going on with the master. "Thinking of what you can never bring back," the dog understands what the master is does not. The dog realizes that the past is the past when the master thinks too hard on what has been done already. The dog wants nothing more than the masters full undivided attention, "calls you here, entirely, now." The dog can teach his "best friend"/"companion" that the past is the past and the present and future should be given greater thought. "a Zen master's bronzy gong" a gong referring to an attention getter object which is what the "bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow," is for a dog. Using golden retriever can be implied that the dog is retrieving the master to present instead of being stuck in past events.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kassandra on "And you? Either you’re sunk in the past, half our walk, Thinking of what you can never bring back" and how the dog focuses on the present happy opportunities and the master is left with the past troubles. The speaker, the dog, is very frank with the intended purpose of each line. Here the dog attempts to teach wise life proverbs through action, "Or else you’re off in some fog concerning —tomorrow, is that what you call it?" This is a realization that humans seem to be obsessive with time and what tomorrow commodities will be achieved.
ReplyDeleteAs stated several times by the others bloggers, the speaker is the dog. The one whom he speaks to is the owner (dog walker). This opens a very intriguing can of worms, because after all, who isn’t curious as to what a dog might have to say if it could write or pen a poem?
ReplyDeleteTouching on something that Mr. Cantu began to speak on, I like very much how the dog is the golden “retriever” of the master. The poem paints the mind of the dog as from its perspective, and then transitions to the masters perspective, as perceived by the dog, and then finishes with how the dog (the speaker) fulfills his duty as the retriever of the master to the mindset that the dog so much enjoys.
The dog appreciates the simple, the normal, the now, like “balls and sticks… bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel”. Natural things, taken for granted by man, whom the dog walker is included in, are what the dog finds most appealing and important. The dog, as the speaker, is also very flexible, as a dog must be, as he is “off again” at every “sniff” and “residue”.
The human, as the dog portrays him and faults him with, is focused entirely on things that are not now. Whether the future of the past, the owner is consumed with meditating on that so called “fog”.
The golden retriever thus becomes what the title infers, a means of “retrieval” for the master. He is capable, as many a dog, to grab his human from the past thoughts and memories and the concerns of the future with a simple bark “(and woof)”. The “shining bark”, making use of a description better fit for what the bark will be compared to, a gong, is the mechanism in which the dog can retrieve his master into the now; all it takes is a simple “bow-wow”.
The speaker in the poem is a dog, a Golden Retriever and he is talking to his owner. I think the dog has the ability to see and be intrigued by everything around him, while his owner's mind is fogged by something. I think the owner might have recently lost a loved one because in the poem the dog says about his owner, "Either your sunk in the past, half our walk, thinking of what you can never get back," The dog, i believe is sort of healer for the owner. I think he is there to help him move on with life and give him something to do things with and something to care for while he is grieving.
ReplyDeleteOn the Golden Retrievals the speaker is a dog and is directed to the humans. When the writer uses the phrase " Bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow" It makes you think thath the dig is actually narrating the poem. The dog thinks that his master only goes up to him when he needs a friend and do not give him enough time to play with him, or take him for a ride. I consider that the tone of the poem is very sarcastic and ironic. On this poem the dog teach to his companion the meaning of a unconditional friendship. I believe that the author used the dog as a speaker because the dog is the man's bestfriend and the dog represents someone special or the animal with the best friendship with humans, Also for me a dog represents the friend who is always there for me even though when I do not share or spend enough time with him and he always will greet me happy when I get home.
ReplyDeleteThe poem "Golden Retrieval" by Mark Doty is a poem where a dog tells a story of him and his master. It is evident that the dog is the speaker of this poem. The dog speaks of him fetching and catching things. The first line states "Fetch? Balls and sticks capture my attention seconds at a time" which shows that the dog finds fetching balls and sticks as a fun activity.
ReplyDeleteThe dog takes keen attention to his surroundings as well as observing his master. He finds it disturbing when he is not given attention. evidence is seen in line 6 - 7 which states "of any thrilling dead thing.And you? Either you are sunk in the past, half our walk". This poem also tells us that when he is bored or tired of his master's inattentiveness he responds by barking to get his attention.
When the poet uses "bow-wow bow-wow bow-wow" is a very persuasive element in the poem. This shows the dogs response to the whistle which is blown by his master. I also shows that the dog is loyal to the call of this device and acts promptly when he hears it.
This poem “Golden Retrievals,” by Mark Doty is now one of my favorites. I am a cat lover, but still very fond of dogs. I have two cats and take them outside for about an hour daily. I like observing them running around and sniffing and climbing trees. I think to myself that they probably change their focus every 6 seconds and are on to the next thing they see, when people dwell in the past or in deep thoughts. This poem is depicted by the golden retriever as said in the title and he is speaking to his friend, his owner. Being the man’s best friend, the retriever teaches him a very important lesson every day: to live life happily and move one to better things. That is how I see my cats living. They don’t dwell on the ribbon they couldn’t take from me, or my shoe laces, but instead they look for a new string hanging around. One should not stay living in a hazed world, but to appreciate our surroundings and learn to live without worries.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the dog was the one speaking and thinking in the poem demonstrates a lot. First of all, it gives the reader a new point of view in the way to live life. And second of all, the dog represents happiness and examples of life. The author sees a best friend who he can learn so much from. And as for me, I see a dog that perhaps is smarter than many of us, for he doesn’t waste time on things that don’t do any good to him.