“What We Might Be, What We Are” by X.J. Kennedy Dennis, Emma, Hannah, YiuWai.

“What We Might Be, What We Are”by X.J. Kennedy

Dennis, Emma, Hannah, YiuWai

Thesis In the poem "What We Might Be, What We Are" by X.J. Kennedy, the poet uses metaphor, imagery, and repetition in order to portray an incompatible relationship instigated by distinctive individual dispositions to covey the message of universal acceding of distinct characters and alienation of discrimination.

Purpose◦ To covey the message of universal acceding of distinct individual

characters and alienation of discrimination

◦ “What we might be,” and “What we are”

◦ The title itself is a theme

◦ Juxtaposition; realism and idealism

Emotion◦ Line 1-12: Objects that “perfectly match”

◦ Favorable and desirable in terms of relationship

◦ Scoop of vanilla & cone (line 1-2)

◦ Slowly pitched baseball & swing of a bat (line 3-4)

◦ Shiny new fishhook & bucket of worms (line 5-6)

◦ Pin & pincushion (line 7)

◦ Plate of spaghetti & piping hot sauce (line 9-10)

Emotion◦ Passionate, hopeful, optimistic, cheerful and bright

◦ “We might be on intimate terms” (line 8)

◦ “We’d not even need to write letters to put of affection across” (line 11-12)

◦ Correlates with the first part of the title

◦ “What we might be”

◦ Desirable, expectation, idealism

Emotion◦ Line 13-16: Objects that are “not correlative”

◦ In contrast with the factors introduced above

◦ Mood change, unexpected turn◦ “But you're just a piece of red ribbon…”

◦ “You” as a piece of red ribbon in the beard of Balinese goat, and “I” as a New Jersey mosquito

◦ No mutual connection. Neither similar nor opposite.

Emotion◦ I guess we’ll stay slightly remote (line 16).

◦ Guess: Diction.

◦ Ambivalent, he does not favor or disapprove

◦ Guess—he only cautiously implies that they stay remote. He suggests it as a solution.

◦ Accepts the fact that they are different, and to go their way, without requiring any conformity.

◦ Connects back to theme◦ Alienation of discrimination, universal acceding of distinct characters

◦ Correlates with the last part of the title◦ “What we are”

◦ Realism

Language -the language used is casual, as if the speaker were having a conversation

-the tone of the poem is mostly light hearted, the speaker musing about another person

-uses the word “if” a lot, the speaker day dreaming. He/she compares different things that commonly go together with what he/she and an unknown persons relationship could be like

-the tone is a bit regretful at the end of the poem, finishing with “I guess we’ll stay slightly remote."

-the language used is casual, as if the speaker were having a conversation

-the tone of the poem is mostly light hearted, the speaker musing about another person

-uses the word “if” a lot, the speaker day dreaming. He/she compares different things that commonly go together with what he/she and an unknown persons relationship could be like

-the tone is a bit regretful at the end of the poem, finishing with “I guess we’ll stay slightly remote."

Structure -poem has 4 stanzas, with 4 line to each stanza

-a large portion of the poem has the speaker wishfully thinking about “if” he and another unknown person were like similar things. Such as the comparison of vanilla ice cream and its cone, immediately followed by a baseball and a baseball bat

-this gives the poem a good feeling of structure and we get a sense of familiarity as we read

-the speaker leads us on until surprising us by saying that he and this person as completely different, which is why they are distant

Imagery

•Vanilla and baseball• Brimful, fulfilling feeling

•Vanilla and cone• Bonding, fusion, reciprocation of love

•Baseball and bat• Homerun: hit far away = far fetched

If you were a scoop of vanilla

And I were the cone where you sat;

If you were a lowly pitched baseball

And I were the swing of a bat

1

2

3

4

If you were a shiny new fishhook

And I were a bucket of worms,

If we were a pin and a pincushion,

We might be on intimate terms

Imagery

5

6

7

8

•Fishhook and Pin• Sharp objects – hurtful sensation

Imagery

If you were a plate of spaghetti,

And I were your piping hot sauce,

We’d not even need to write e-mail

To put our affection across,

9

10

11

12

•Spaghetti and piping hot sauce• Hot – Infatuation, passion, adore

Imagery

But you’re just a piece of red ribbon

In the beard of a Balinese goat,

And I’m a New Jersey mosquito.

I guess we’ll stay slightly remote.

13

14

15

16

•Balinese goat and New Jersey Mosquito