Saturday, February 10, 2007

Poetry Blog #5 and Socratic Seminar: "Bringing My Son to the Police Station to be Fingerprinted" by Shoshauna Shy


I was originally drawn to this poem simply by the title. However, after reading it, I was fascinated by the author's use of imagery to create character.
I've tried to learn more about the poet, but little information can be found on the web. She is involved in a project to place poetry in unusual places to make it more readily available for people to read. One of her projects was to attach a laminated page of poetry to rental bikes.
Blog Directions: Read through the poem several times. Explicate the literary elements. What is the theme? How does the imagery create the theme?
Socratic Seminar Questions (due during block next week):
1. How and why does the poet use the various shades of yellow in the poem?
2. Describe the various conflicts. How does imagery reveal the relationship between the mother and the son?
3. Discuss the literary elements used by the poet. What is the theme of the poem? How has the poet used the literary elements to effectively communicate the theme?
4. Create one question and write its response. Bring your question to the meeting.

69 comments:

Anonymous said...

The theme of this poem is that the women is taking her son to the police station to get finger printed but she is more worried about her appearense instead.

Anonymous said...

I don't see how any of the poem is related to its title untill the end some what, most of the poem is about the womens clothes.

Anonymous said...

i agreed with rickyhenry3 i also think that this poem is about her son to the police station to get finger printed but she is more worried about her appreance, but still this poem is hard to understand...

Anonymous said...

i agree with jasmeet7henry and rickyhenry3 that the women is more worried about her aperrance then her own son going in to the police station for his finger printes.... Dang im smart yee yee yee..

Anonymous said...

i think in some ways this poem is related to the title because even though it doesnt mention her son going to get his finger prints taken the title mentions it so thats where shes going and thats what shes getten all dressed up for or where shes goin her way there and how she was feeling.

Anonymous said...

im assuming that she really was taking her son to be finger printed because she talks about going through a weapons check but i think the main focus of this poem is on her outfit. im not quite sure why but i agree with everyone else when they say she was much more focused on herself and her outfit then on anything else.

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem is about a woman trying to cope. I've heard of people not focusing on whats imprortant when something like that happens, so the woman is just trying to distract herself. It could also be a symbol how at first she thinks that her outfit is wrong because the colors are off. But then from a different perspective it all goes together, and she realizes that everything will be okay.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why this woman would be thinking about her appearance while her son is being fingerprinted, this is going to affect his whole future and all she could think about was herself. I agree w/ jquinlan2cerra because the poem barely has anything to do with the name. Then again, not all poems have anything to do w/ their title and most are very hard to understand.

Anonymous said...

I think that the poem is describing how the woman feels while taking her son to the police station to be fingerprinted. The mere point is that she is focusing on everything but the reality that she is in a police station taking her son to be fingerprinted. She notices the small details in her clothing that she hasn't noticed before.

Anonymous said...

In this poem the author tries to show that the women is focusing more on her outfit. She doesn't like the colors of her outfit, but then she relizes that what she is wearning is good

Anonymous said...

In this poem the main focus is on da womans clothing.She is more worried about her clothes then about taking her son to da police station.

Anonymous said...

The main theme is how she compares the prision with a place, creating an imadery of fear, anyway, she is afraid, thing that you can tell because of her description of the yellow an skinny figures she describes on her, maybe that's how she feels.

Anonymous said...

i think that the author of the poem is just trying to say that she thought she knew her son; paid attention to some details and not others, but then there is always something that jerks your head into turning and looking at that detail. Though you might not like it at first, you realize that everyone has their own flaws, and its kind of an essential to have them. You see, its better to just live life and make mistakes, it doesnt usually mean something bad, its like you need to make mistakes in order for people to see you more clearly, pay attention to the finer details about who you really are. Your more illuminate that way.

Anonymous said...

i think thatthe other is just thinking that shes scared about what was going on to her son, but then realized that she needs to accept- its easier that way

Anonymous said...

I think she cares to much about what shes wearing. I mean her son is only gona get fingerprinted she dosen't have to go all dressed up. I also think that the author thought she knew how her son was but i guess she was wrong.

Anonymous said...

i don't think this poem goes with the title. i mostly see the woman thinking more about her appearance.

bianca said...

The poem is free verse. The author used deep english in this poem. The woman described her clothes that she's wearing when they are going to the police station.

Anonymous said...

well personally i dont like this peom... there is no point to it!!! all she is talking about is her clothes... and it says nothing about going to jail and getting finger printed. Well the tone sounds like she is worried that she wont be dressed right, and on her looks. She also uses color to show diffrent types of emotion. She uses little details that many people never take the time to notice, like the stiches on her purss.

Anonymous said...

i didn't understand this poem that much, it seemed that the poems was more about what she was wearing then about taking her son to the police station to get fingerprinted.

Anonymous said...

the poem was real not about the title.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how so many could misunderstand this poem and not see why the woman is worried about her appearence? Can't you look and see the subtler side of such a facinating poem?

Yes the woman is overly attentive to her outfit but sometimes you have to pay attention to something else to escape the harsh realities of whats going on. In this poem the title means everything its the reality to whats really happening. The rest of the poem focusses on unrealistic importance of her clothes. Why she focused on her clothes was simply because she worried how her son having to get fingewrprinted made her appear. We had to focus on what she thought besides her appearence to figure out the poem. this forced us to also look at other realities, just like the woman had to in the poem.

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem is about about someone who thought she knew her son but didn't realize how different he has been acting and
then there is always something that is jerking in her head of what she could have done for this to happen.

Anonymous said...

Obiously,this woman isn't even worried about her son getting finger printed cause all she ever talks about is her appearanc. So that is more important for her, she wants to look good.

Anonymous said...

i think she is carring more about her appearance than her son at the police station or might not be showing that she is afraid for her son

Anonymous said...

well i disagree with rickyhenry3 and jasmeet7henry because the women is woried about her appearance because the fact that her son is going to the police to get finger printed is a example of what people view in her as a mother and yeah she talks about her personal apearance but kids are normally a refection of their parents and shemight think that if she doesnt look good than maybe her sn doent either because it may appear that she teaches her son what is seen in her and since he is being viewed as a crimial people might judge her and think that its because she doesnt take care of her son properlly!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

This poem really related to the people who have the trouble with someone.Yes she wanted to get her son finger printed but why did she make it seem it was about her appreance.

Anonymous said...

i dont see how the title relates to what she's wearing and how she wears it??? but other than that the poem is very interesting....

Anonymous said...

I don't see how any of this poem is related to the title at the very ending

Anonymous said...

this poem was really confusing at first and i didnt understand why she was descrasing her outfit when her son is suppose to be in jail. but then you learn she is just tyring to make a horrible situation better

Anonymous said...

i think the lady is trying to say that she was not happy when she took her son to the police station to be fingerprinted but later she realizes that she is doing right.

Anonymous said...

Amanda Pray 5th krueger

the mother was mad she had to take her son to the police station but was more worried about how she looked

Anonymous said...

i see the poem as being explaining how even in a place that terrifies many, a person can still feel some happiness from what they are wearing, such as the yellow dress. normally, in a police station, you see darker colors like black, or blue, and with the woman wearing a yellow dress of all shades, it brings out the relief and makes the dark situation lighter.

Anonymous said...

i think this poem is about a lady who is upset at her son for having to be fingerprinted but she knows i0t must be done. But also she is more focused on her apperance. She is confused about how she could be thinking about her looks when her son is in much bigger trouble.

Anonymous said...

i notice that this poem doesnt have that many punctuations so that the reader is able to pause once in a while....

Anonymous said...

this poem was very descriptive, and the use of colors and imagery as the woman is entering the police station is interesting, but i think that the woman's lack of concern for anything other than the ways the colors in her clothes clash or match says a lot about her personality, and her priorities, of which her son's unfortunate situation does not seem to be important. but this could also be attributed to her nervousness, and necessity to focus on anything other than the current moment, which is some people's way of dealing with things that are troubling them.

Anonymous said...

Richard7Henry
I think the colors and shapes try to tell us how the mother is feeling about herself.

Anonymous said...

i agree with sam. like, she is very detailed and descriptive on how she is looking this particular day and doesn't really mention how she feels about her son. this shows a little on her personality and her relationship with her son [which doesn't sound like a close one] because if my son was getting fingerprinted, i wouldn't be able to keep my mind off of it. butr it may be because she is nervous and doesn't want to think too much about it. this type of situation is very stressful, and to her she is reassured that her outfit looks good, which can give her confidence that this might end in a good way. i think that the theme is in stressful events, try to find something you can rely on, something you can depend to keep your hopes high and relax, and know you can get through anything.

Anonymous said...

i think the theme of this poem is that this woman is thinking too much about her self and her appearance at the police station then she is about her son.

*this poem really confused me so i thought of the best theme i could

kiarakreugar5 said...

in the beginning of the poem it seems as if the woman is being negative toward her outfit,but when they finally get there the woman now looks at the positive side of her outfit and it seems as if she is being optimistic of the situation. it also seems as if she's trying to block out the reason why her son must get finger printed.

Anonymous said...

I think she notices all the good things about her before she has to go to the police station. she is trying not to think about the bad things that are going to happen at the poice station

Anonymous said...

i think that the poem is about a women who thought she knew her son really well but then eventually finds out that she doesnt know know him like he use to...

Anonymous said...

this poem is confusing at first because first she's talking about her appearance and how she is looking but it has nothing to do with what the title is telling us. Its like she cares more about how she looks then taking her son to get finger printed. so it doesnt make sense but i just want to know why she talks about herself instead of telling us why her son is going to get finger printed.

Anonymous said...

The women in the story thinks about what people might think of her so she tries to dress her best anywhere she goes

Anonymous said...

this poem is talkin about a lady wants to bring her daughter to the police station to be finger printed but she cares more about how her daughter looks than what is going to happen to her.

Anonymous said...

i think its about the lady is goin to the police station because her son is trying y oget away with what he did and shes happy that shes doin the right thing

Anonymous said...

This poem seems to me that it's about a women talking about what she's wearing and she doesn't seem to pay attention to his son at all. by the discription of her clothes it seems that she's probably rich.

Anonymous said...

ummm...hmm...i relly dont understand the poem ...i read it but dont know what the author was talking about...and yeah...

Anonymous said...

it seems to me that maybe she wanted to take her mind off the fact that her son was being fingerprinted for maybe comitting some sort of crime.

Anonymous said...

I dont think that the woman is more worried about her appearance, she just uses a lot of good imagery about what shes wearing.I was sort of confused because in the poem it didnt talk about the police station untill the last stanza.

marlenem6Cerra said...

I think in this poem the women is taking her son to the police station and all she can think about is what she looks like. She wants to look her best and have them accept her and see that she is a very nice and easy going person based on her appearance and base how her son is on how the mother is presented.

jnoah6cerra said...

I didnt really understand this poem. All i can say is, the person is good at observing the details around them.

rmolloy2cerrA said...

i think it is about a woman taking her son to the police station, but trying not to think about it because its her little boy. so she takes her mind off of it by thinking about her clothes and things around her into detail.

Anonymous said...

I THiNK THE WOMAN iS MORE WORRiED ABOUT HERSELF THEN HER CHiLD GOiNG TO THE POLiCE STATiON. SHE SEEMS LiKE A PERSON WHO WOULD ONLY WORRY ABOUT HERSELF THEN ANYONE ELSE OR ANYTHING THATS GOiNG ON AROUND HER. THiS POEM WAS KiND OF HARD TO UNDERSTAND.

Anonymous said...

This poem talks about a women that seems to have some difficuties with her son, maybe he has some problems, so now he is going to the police station to get finger printed. But intead of worried more about was happening with her son, it seems like she cares more about her personality, because in the way that she is descring her clothes.

Anonymous said...

i think the mother is upset about her son's false. the images in the poem are used to show her feeling. however, she still loves her son and won't give up to him. the collor yellow is symbol that her hope and wish to her son

Anonymous said...

i think this poem have very strong topic. and i don't see how any poem is relate to its titlie. and i think this porm trying to women to wear the cloth. and i think the show about the women could be tinking about her son.

Anonymous said...

The woman is trying to forget or not to think about what will happen when her son and she is in the police station, she dress her self up nicely so it wont look as bad or she is trying not to focus on her son..

Anonymous said...

I think this woman is focussing on her clothes to make it through a hard situation. The bright color of her clothes don't match the dake setting. Her son only appears in the title.

Anonymous said...

i think the woman in this poem is trying to distract herself by concentrating on what she is wearing insetead of what is going on around her. At the end of the poem her opinion about the way she looks changes she seems alittle bit more calm or is reassuring her self that everything will work out.

tmobley6cerra said...

when i first read the poem, i thought about a nervous mother getting ready to walk into the police station. she kept looking at her blouse to try anddistract herself from being there. its probably a scary feeling to walk in there and have to watch your son get finger printed. the poem makes you think about how it relates to the poem, and then once you get towards the end, you start to understand the meaning of the poem

racheld2cerra said...

the whole poem is basically about what the women is wearing i dont understand how this poem relates to the title in any way.first she talks about how what is she wearingmakes her "queasy"

cheyannegkruger6 said...

the poem firsts discribes the appearence of the people. then as u read on u get completly lost. but after reading it 2 or 3 more times i came to the conclusion that it may have to do with a mothers love put at risk.

Anonymous said...

I think that the mother is telling her depression about his son throuh diffrent colors.

Anonymous said...

this poem is about a mom who takes her son yo the police station she doesn't seem like she cares and she knows that he didn't do anything wrong

Anonymous said...

souns like she just tryin to impress the popo by her looks so her son wont get into trouble

Anonymous said...

The poem used color of yellow and pink to descripe what the mother is thinking and how her mind changes, the mother's mind change from anger to peace. The poem also stated that she feels that her clothes is not very approperiate in the police station, but she is trying to impress people by her clothes.

Anonymous said...

I think that in this poem the author describes how the mother feels when she takes her son to the police statio. This women is worried about whats happening but she tries to forget about wahts happening at the moment and she takes care of what doesnt really is important;like small details in her clothing and her appearance.

Unknown said...

The poem contracts the authors neat, careful, attractive attire, with the unpleasant perhaps shocking experience of having her son in trouble with the law; she's creating herself a sense of normalcy, as if she does this regularly and there is nothing to worry about, so she dispositions herself by concentrating on her outfit rather then the task of taking her son to the police station.

Anonymous said...

People here have understood it is not by her close its about distraction, who wouldn't want to almost escape a present negative situation such as her son going to jail, and she does that by distracting herself with her clothes to kind of steer away from the bad situation