I'm Sitting On a Porch Today- By Joseph Francis Fendt
I'm sitting on a porch today
Watching traffic drive by
It makes me wonder where and why
Some go straight while others take a turn
Some seem to be in a hurry
While others just seem to be there
And as I look past the traffic
Theres buildings everywhere
Some are dilapidated some are new
And pollution is everywhere
On the ground and in the air
I'm sitting on a porch today
And as I look around this is what I see
Fields, Trees and Mountain Peaks
Creek running by Beaver building a dam
The air is fresh and clean so is the land
With no other people or traffic to be found
The one porch is called the progress of man
While the other is creation by Gods hand
In this poem Joseph Francis Fendt describes the destruction of man by using his point of view from his "porch". Fendt describes two different images, the first is a modern and industrialized society, while the other is serene, beautiful and not yet reached by man. The poet's disappointment is shown when he is describing the first image; he seems sad and confused to see "the progress of man". Fendt's confusion of the reasoning behind destroying God's beauty is demonstrated in beginning of the piece, "Watching traffic drive by/It makes me wonder where and why" (2-3). I too sometimes feel this confusion, like Fendt. Why does our society always seem to be going somewhere or having something to do? We live in a society that is nonstop going, going, going, and I sometimes think that we miss the small beautiful things in life. Fendt goes on to describe the progress of man which is harmful and destroying our beautiful Earth. He uses words like, "buildings, dilapidated, and pollution" to point out the ugliness that has become of our once undisturbed and contented world (8-10). Although I am not against modernization and the progress of our society, I sometimes feel that cities and overbuilding can be dirty, destructive, loud, and ugly. I too sometimes feel suffocated by our busy and, at times, overbearing society.
Halfway through the poem, Fendt changes his view to the "other porch" to see the natural side. This side is beautiful, clean, and fresh. Fendt describes nature's treasures and other peaceful images. One description that really stuck in my mind was the picture of the animals building their home, "Creek running by Beaver building a dam/The air is fresh and clean so is the land" (15-16). This picture really just says, "We are undisturbed nature, the way we were intended to be". The poet's capper is also very powerful. It sums up the whole poem in two lines and leaves the reader thinking about how our society really can take over, "The one porch is called the progress of man/ While the other is creation by God's hand" (18-19). After reading this I kept thinking, the nature was here first, not our society. Although I do not think our society is evil and destructive, I do believe that we disturbed a once very peaceful and placid setting.
Watching traffic drive by
It makes me wonder where and why
Some go straight while others take a turn
Some seem to be in a hurry
While others just seem to be there
And as I look past the traffic
Theres buildings everywhere
Some are dilapidated some are new
And pollution is everywhere
On the ground and in the air
I'm sitting on a porch today
And as I look around this is what I see
Fields, Trees and Mountain Peaks
Creek running by Beaver building a dam
The air is fresh and clean so is the land
With no other people or traffic to be found
The one porch is called the progress of man
While the other is creation by Gods hand
In this poem Joseph Francis Fendt describes the destruction of man by using his point of view from his "porch". Fendt describes two different images, the first is a modern and industrialized society, while the other is serene, beautiful and not yet reached by man. The poet's disappointment is shown when he is describing the first image; he seems sad and confused to see "the progress of man". Fendt's confusion of the reasoning behind destroying God's beauty is demonstrated in beginning of the piece, "Watching traffic drive by/It makes me wonder where and why" (2-3). I too sometimes feel this confusion, like Fendt. Why does our society always seem to be going somewhere or having something to do? We live in a society that is nonstop going, going, going, and I sometimes think that we miss the small beautiful things in life. Fendt goes on to describe the progress of man which is harmful and destroying our beautiful Earth. He uses words like, "buildings, dilapidated, and pollution" to point out the ugliness that has become of our once undisturbed and contented world (8-10). Although I am not against modernization and the progress of our society, I sometimes feel that cities and overbuilding can be dirty, destructive, loud, and ugly. I too sometimes feel suffocated by our busy and, at times, overbearing society.
Halfway through the poem, Fendt changes his view to the "other porch" to see the natural side. This side is beautiful, clean, and fresh. Fendt describes nature's treasures and other peaceful images. One description that really stuck in my mind was the picture of the animals building their home, "Creek running by Beaver building a dam/The air is fresh and clean so is the land" (15-16). This picture really just says, "We are undisturbed nature, the way we were intended to be". The poet's capper is also very powerful. It sums up the whole poem in two lines and leaves the reader thinking about how our society really can take over, "The one porch is called the progress of man/ While the other is creation by God's hand" (18-19). After reading this I kept thinking, the nature was here first, not our society. Although I do not think our society is evil and destructive, I do believe that we disturbed a once very peaceful and placid setting.
8 comments:
I really like your poem; it makes an interesting comparison. There still seems to be hope in the author's mind, because he spends the second half of the poem describing nature's beauty and what he envisions it could be like, which is comforting. Good analysis, and I of course agree with your opinion on the environment.
Amanda,
I loved the poem you chose and your analysis is so true! Our world has taken over and destoyed this earth that was once beautiful and serene. I'm not against construction of new buildings and such, but I feel as though it has gone to far. I also like what you said about our lives being non-stop. Everyone is always going somewhere and we don't take the time to enjoy what nature has to offer us. Great job!
Sometimes in our world there's not much time to stop and consider the little and beautiful things in our lives. Modern day society is a bustling and busy place that is almost overpowering as it can takes us away from the things that are truly important. Good analysis. Nice Poem.
the poem you chose was really good. it was very true about today's society and your analysis was great!I agree that today's world s so industrialized and busy.But because there is still another proch to look out of it gives hope that there is stilkl nature that is undisturbed.
Amanda~
I really enjoyed reading this poem. I agree with your analysis and that man has taken over the earth. People look past the beauty that it has to offer. Today, society doesn't realize how much we are polluting because everyone is on the go all of the time! Your analysis opened my eyes, I love this poem!!
Amanda,
Very good analysis of this poem. I feel that the poem itself really makes readers think about the contrasting parts of the country. I don't think he is saying that we aren't protecting the environment though, because then he wouldn't be able to make the shift he did in the second half of the poem. This is just my opinion, which may have something to do with my politcal views. Nice work.
Your analysis was strong and thorough. The poem was good, like many of the other poems however, it carried a depressing meaning. I think that everyone is focusing on the large scale bad things that happen in life. But few people are focusing on the little good things that happen, like having a nice family, going to a good school, and most importantly, having a great EE 10 teacher...
Good Work.
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