Author's Note: This is a poem based on the duality between the two sides of Jekyll's home -- the "Hyde Side" which I have kind of come to call the Vault, and the other side, the Home, where he can recuperate and restore his friendships...and who comes out on top.
A Vault concealed
A Home unveiled
Whilst spirits whisper in quiet persuasion
A soul defiled
Whilst friends converse in pleasant gaiety
A man restored
The fog descends
A threat'ning knell of fears to come
With nothing fair that lies unhidden
A blistered block, it looms, unbidden
Watching o'er the street the crushing boulder
Home of man with hunchêd shoulder
The warming hall
A welcome respite from the cold
While fears outside do creep and murmur
A group of friends once strong, once firmer.
Cannot but with sorrow watch
As terrors lurk, good paths they blotch
A garden, measure of courage to face
The trials of hell with humble grace.
Now a hazy rift links true and traitor
The spirits seek to raze, efface
Caught betwixt the wrong and right
A spirit of enduring hatred
Or a soul of fading light
A life lived craven, torn fore'er
A tattered will, left to naught but
Abject terror and despair
The "Old English" type vocab in this, such as betwixt and naught, really gave this piece a somber feel which I loved reading. I also helped to drive home the message of "terror and despair" winning over in the end. The theme of the antithetical houses was one I hadn't thought of before. I see now how Stevenson used these two different houses to mirror the two men.I would have like a bit more clarity within the poem which would tell me what this piece was actually about. I wouldn't have guessed it was about those two houses if I hadn't read the author's note.
ReplyDeleteOther than that good job!
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ReplyDeleteI liked how there were so many ideas incorporated into this poem, also the change in organization was a great way to set and/or change the scene so I could really get into it. It was great when you had just the one or two line verses so that the effect was really able to take place and illustrate that that was an important factor in the poem and also in the story. The beginning when you introduced the opposites that represented Jekyll and Hyde was also a nice touch. Good job Jacob.
ReplyDeleteExcellent vocab like the word knell in the second stanza. Absolutely great syntax. Overall incredibly crafted piece of writing. Especially the stanza that began with "A garden". That was probably my absolute favorite. Quite a poem. Keep up the great work.
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