Poem- "Blues" by Elizabeth Alexander

[Ms. Knarr]

Blues by Elizabeth Alexander





I am lazy, the laziest

girl in the world. I sleep during

the day when I want to, 'til

my face is creased and swollen,

'til my lips are dry and hot. I

eat as I please: cookies and milk

after lunch, butter and sour cream

on my baked potato, foods that

slothful people eat, that turn

yellow and opaque beneath the skin.

Sometimes come dinnertime Sunday

I am still in my nightgown, the one

with the lace trim listing because

I have not mended it. Many days

I do not exercise, only

consider it, then rub my curdy

belly and lie down. Even

my poems are lazy. I use

syllabics instead of iambs,

prefer slant to the gong of full rhyme,

write briefly while others go

for pages. And yesterday,

for example, I did not work at all!

I got in my car and I drove

to factory outlet stores, purchased

stockings and panties and socks

with my father's money.



To think, in childhood I missed only

one day of school per year. I went

to ballet class four days a week

at four-forty-five and on

Saturdays, beginning always

with plie, ending with curtsy.

To think, I knew only industry,

the industry of my race

and of immigrants, the radio

tuned always to the station

that said, Line up your summer

job months in advance. Work hard

and do not shame your family,

who worked hard to give you what you have.

There is no sin but sloth. Burn

to a wick and keep moving.



I avoided sleep for years,

up at night replaying

evening news stories about

nearby jailbreaks, fat people

who ate fried chicken and woke up

dead. In sleep I am looking

for poems in the shape of open

V's of birds flying in formation,

or open arms saying, I forgive you, all.

[veronicapuzio]

1. The overall meaning of the poem is that the author is looking for absolution. She is searching for "open arms" that show her forgiveness for the sins she has committed. In the beginning of the poem, the author says that in the present she is the laziest girl in the world, that does what she pleases. She even says her poems are lazy! In the past as a little girl, she behaved very differently than she does now. I also think that the author is trying to tell the reader that he/she should not be lazy or slothful because if you lose track of things, you will in turn be a lazy adult. I also think the author is trying to convey a sense of regret that she has on the way she lived her life. It also shows rebellion. The author could have been so sick of routine that she revolted against it.

2. Overall, I liked the piece. I thought it was very moving and inspiritational the way the author wrote about her old life and her life now. It reflects a sense of irony and rebellion. The poem gives a very gloomy image. The thing I diskliked was the way the poem was written. It was a bit confusing to understand, and it is not very clear as to why the author became the way she is I feel like you needed to read in between the lines to fully understand what the poem was trying to say.

3. Did something happen in the authors life to make her so lazy?
What sins is the author wanting pardon for?
What does it mean when it says "burn to a wick and keep moving"?
Do you think the author makes life look hard?

[trevorsocarras]

I couldn't agree with Veronica more. I think the overall meaning of the poem is that one should work hard during their lifetime, and avoid causing shame to their family name. In the first segment of the poem the author describes a character that is lazy and does not work for a living. The author describes herself as a girl looking for forgiveness for the mistakes she's made in her life. I believe that this girl can only blame herself for how her life is now. In the second segment of the poem the author describes herself as a hard working person that is on the right track guided by her family. Just because we have to grow up and make our own decisions in our lives doesn't mean one should choose to be lazy at the first sign of success. I must credit Veronica and say that I too agree the author is rebelling from something that she had always known and is now sick of doing.

I personally liked the piece. I think that the author did a great job of describing life. The author portrays a young girl that comes from a hard working family and then falls into the temptation of being lazy once she grew up. I believe that one can seek forgiveness for the mistakes made throughout one’s life. The one thing I don't agree with is that the character continues to be lazy after asking for forgiveness. If she asked for forgiveness she should do all that she could to stop the sins she sought forgiveness for, and not continue the same mistakes that put her in the situation in which she finds herself.

To answer Veronica's 4th question, I do not believe that the author makes life look hard, rather, life is fair. I believe that it is up to each individual to determine his or her future, whether good or bad. Yes, there are many different situations that can cause one to have more struggles than another, but perseverance defines a person’s character. If a person works hard and never becomes lazy, I believe he or she will be successful no matter what.

What can you predict about the author’s own lifestyle after reading this poem?

[gabbymcgovern]

1. I believe that the overall meaning of the poem is to warn people not to become lazy. After reading this poem, I think Elizabeth Alexander is trying to tell us how her life fell apart. She doesn't have responsibilities anymore, and she even admitted that she is the laziest girl ever. I agree with Veronica that in the author's past, she was responsible and healthy. However, the author clearly let herself go. However, I disagree that she was trying to rebel. In my opinion, the author worked so hard to impress her family as a little girl that when she became an adult, she was out of energy and passion. The last stanza makes me believe that the author is looking for love. I feel as if the author wants someone to tell her that she is forgiven for her laziness, and that there's still time to change her habits. This girl is stuck in life, and she does whatever she wants. But I think that the author really doesn't want to be like this. Rather, she wants someone to have open arms for her.

2. After reading this poem, I really didn't feel sorry for the author. She worked hard as a child, and she just let her achievements and skills go. I got a sense that the author's family wanted her to constantly work, while at the same time go to school and take ballet classes. This should have prepared the girl for adult life, but the pressure just got too much for her. I think that the author especially wants forgiveness from her father, for she spent his money. This was the man who probably pushed her to look for a job. Instead, she failed and disappointed him. It's sad to see that the author at one point had everything going in her favor when she was young. Sometimes, people make bad decisions while growing up. People often fall into slumps and live unhealthy lifestyles that they can easily fix, but they are too lazy to help themselves.

3. Veronica's first question- Yes, I do think that something happened in the author's life that made her so lazy. The author received an education, and she took ballet classes. I think what brought the author down in life was her family leaving on the radio station that talked about finding work. The author was so used to working hard for her family that she probably just couldn't take it anymore. This caused her to think lowly of herself, and she programmed into her head that she only brought shame to her family. The author now lives a life of eating fatty foods, and her laziness brings shame.
My question- Do you believe that the culture of the author's race advocates hard work and not laziness?

[veronicapuzio]

1. I agree with Trevor when he says that this girl can only blame herself for how her life is now. It's true. She had a great life and practically threw it away because she was lazy. Gabby also made me look at the poem in a different light. In fact the author may be looking for a savior. I also do agree that this poem was written to warn people not to be lazy because it shows you a prime example of laziness and its consequences.

2. To answer Trevor's question, I think that this poem reflects the author. She even quotes her own writing style in the poem that hints that she is the girl and woman in the poem. She states that her poems are lazy and so is her own writing style.
My (Q): The author mentions that she spent her father's money. Do you think that she is lazy because it hints that she is somewhat wealthy?

[jthimelrick]

1. I agree with veronica when she says the author is looking for "open arms" to which the author can find forgiveness in. I think that Elizabeth Alexander is starting to regret wasting so much of her time sleeping and doing nothing with her days. She is looking for someone who will say it is ok and that she still has more time so that she can do everything she wanted to do in life, not just sleep and waste her days.
2. I really like this poem because i can relate to it. I think that a lot of people now a days do exactly what Elizabeth was talking about when she said that she spent many days lying in bed and not even getting out of her pajamas. She also says that there were days where she didnt work, which i think many teenagers can relate to.
3. (answering veronicas 4th question) yes i think the author makes life look to hard, she said that there was once a time in her life when she spent most of her days doing something productive, so why doesnt she do that now?

my question- Do you think Elizabeth Alexander regrets spending her days doing nothing?