Rochelle Waldman

http://pippoetry.blogspot.nl/2008/12/andree-chedid.html

1: Today I will be talking about how the poem I have chosen is relevant to the
conflict I am doing and making a close analysis of the poem.

2: The conflict I have chosen to do is the Lebanese Civil War.

It lasted from 1975-1990 and was mostly caused by the influx of refugees and
migrants from the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, which then led to the spread of
ethnicities all over the country, there was an estimated amount of 250,00
fatalities.

3: The poem I have chosen was written by a famous French poet called Andre
Chedid.
Andre Chedid was born in Ciaro Egypt. Her mother was from Lebanon and father
from Egypt. She spent most of her teen and adult life living in France, which is
where she met her husband. In 1943 she moved to Lebanon with her husband
and lived there for 3 years, and moved back to France. So when the war had
begun Mrs.Chedid was not in the luckily country. Her inspiration to write a poem
about the War was the destruction of her mother land.

4: Resurrection or Resurrections is the name of the poem. It was originally

written in French but then translated by Lynne Goodheart.

5: This is the translated version. As you can tell the poem is divided into two,
but for now I will be concentrating on the first half.

6: I will read it out loud for people to get a first impression on it.
Before this Resurrection
This wind from other skies
This home in other worlds
This garden of aftaerward
whose compost and confines
escape the eye of the living
their hearts lined with memory
their bodies warped by time

Unable to name anything

I feel no call

Imagining these proud spirits

Their space without shores
Trees without season
Mirrors without dust

On the edge of the ultimate country

Where the flowing river
carries off all silt
Where the bottomless mouth
swallows up all reflections

Words darken
Vision stops

Ephemeral voyager
I penetrate nothing in this land without flesh
Touch nothing in this place without walls

In the red bracket: I wanted to point out how the lines are running on from one stanza to
the next giving no place to take a breath. Writers call this an enjambment. They use it as
a way of highlighting a couplet, or making you feel In need of air, which makes the reader
speed up.

In the yellow brackets: I wanted to point out how the mood changes from the
start of the poem toward the end. It the third couplet it describes more of a
happy and hopeful life, something the author wished or hoped existed. As in the
last two couplets the author wants to show a sad and helpless environment
something that she relates to the Lebanese Civil War.
In green I highlighted: the parts where the author attaches human traits with
objects, animals and phenomena, this is called personification.
In red I highlighted: parts of the text that really intrigued me, because as you can
tell Read the adjectives sound like they dont fit together. Especially Read.
Because words cannot literally darken. What the author means by this is that the
only thing that can describe the sight or feeling are only dark words.

7: In blue I highlighted: the important words that gives the poem the deep
feeling as well as visual imagery, showing instead of telling. Read off board

8: The reasons I chose this poem is because of the structure, language, author,
imagery, mood and audience.
What really hooked me into reading the poem is the title Resurrection or
Resurrections. Resurrection is a way of saying rebirth of something or
someone. Resurrections are many rebirths or the title is basically a question of a
Rebirth or Rebirths.
As I was reading the poem the language amused me, it felt as if I was in the
situation and the story itself. It was surprising that is was written in a totally
different language, because the translation is so good the language used is also
very ecstatic.
In this poem, the mood is not very clear because it makes you feel all different
types of ways. When reading the poem it feels like you absorbing the
environment the author has set by the tone and mood change. From happy and
hopeful to sad and hopeless.
This also relates to imagery. As I have mentioned before authors dont only want
to tell you the story but show you. Andre Chedid does an amazing job showing
us her thoughts through literature.
Every piece of literature is set for different types of audiences. Andre Chedid
doesnt choose a specific audience, because different people will react differently
towards this poem.

9: The Lebanese Civil War effected everyone in different ways.

The author includes many emotions and feelings ____ As well as the war, no one
knew what to think

The poem sounds like an unfinished point _____ The Lebanese Civil War did not
have a specific finish

The mood changes dramatically ________ Things go from being perfectly fine to
scary and sad

The poem effected everyone in different ways _____ As well as the Lebanese Civil
War everyone had different views on it

10: Thank you for your attention! Any questions?