Genius: Mark Twain

After the Bukowski affair, it seemed like a good idea to lighten up the material on this blog with one of the most prolific satirists of history. Mark Twain, one of the most influential authors of the 19th century, often considered the father of American writing, is usually more known works like Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but he also wrote a number of poems Like his novels, Twain's poetry is comedic and satiric in nature- if Twain feels the anguish that poets like Shakespeare and Bukowski lived off of, he does not show it. Twain is out to have a laugh. Genius is a perfect example of this. It is written in free verse, letting Twain use whatever insults that catch his fancy to better prove his point without the concern of rhyme. It calls up every self-worshiping "genius" to the plate, slaps them in the face, and then has a good laugh about it.


Here is the eighth stanza: 

"If he is too proud to accept assistance,
and spurns it with a lordly air
at the very same time
that he knows he can't make a living to save his life,
he is most certainly a genius."

Every pseudo-intellectual reading this post just chuckled nervously. Twain calls out the worst parts of "Genii" and their habits--the superiority, the martyrdom, the perfectionism, the eccentricities and the attitudes that they bear like banners. Which brings into question of course- are they really genii, or idiots with larger vocabularies to spew? Are these eccentricities and pains just ways that "genii" make themselves "different"? Methods of attracting attention? Are these personalities truly intelligent, or does their bark dwarf their bite?

Mr. Twain would side with neither argument; he appears to be attacking the word itself. 

"Genius" is not a word Mr. Twain is fond of; he makes it abundantly clear that he considers its use an overblown bragging right, a useless word designed purely to pump egos and to impress employers on resumes. He does not associate genius with intelligence; he considers the word an insult, and dispenses it freely to those who think otherwise. 

 Twain isn't just attacking those intellectuals who "crush the affections and patience's of their friends", who "fill [their] souls with contempt for the gross and sordid things of earth", and who "do not pay their board, as a general rule". He is challenging the assumptions that society makes about genii. He stresses that genii may be intelligent, but are often social wrecks weighed down by their sense of superiority. In other words, Mark Twain is attacking the English language- and he is winning. 

Mr. Twain, in spite of how serious the subject writing may appear to be, is still clearly joking. His finale to the poem: 

"But above all things,
to deftly throw the incoherent ravings of insanity into verse
and then rush off and get booming drunk,
is the surest of all the different signs
of genius. "

Mark Twain, at the very least, can have a laugh at his own expense. He admits that he himself is one of the "genii" that he mocks, subject to all the vices of the word. He also makes a profound statement about writing- that the act of arranging words into verse, piecing together fantasies, and stitching dialogue together is in and of itself insane. And yet, those who do it are the perhaps some of the more prolific "genii" among us.  

Bluebird: Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski is a German-born American author, often considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century for his insights into lower-class life. Bukowski novels deal with complex issues like alcoholism, loneliness, and especially poverty- but through the lens of comedic relief. His novels are cigarette-stained comedies that recognize some of the darkest places the human soul can go- addiction, loneliness- and then spend a good few hours making fun of them. Post Office, one of his most famous books, is about a sex-starved, drunk mailman named Chinaski and his adventures. And despite how wretched Chinaski really is--he steals communion wine from a church, among other things--you cant help but laugh reading the book. Thats the magic of it. 

Bukowski was another side of Chinaski- indeed, Chinaski is usually considered to be Bukowski's alter ego. Bukowski, like his character, was a drunk. A witty one, a very smart one, but a drunk nonetheless. He was able to look past the problems in his own life though- was able to make fun of them. And that was what I was expecting when I read Bluebird--a work alternating between dark humour and farce, maybe with a sexual misadventure or a drunken brawl. 

Ironically, the best word to describe the poem would be sobering. 

Here is the first stanza:

"there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there."

The poem is written in free verse. There is use of meter and rhythm in the poem produced by the way the work is broken into lines. Use of these lines is probably intended to give the impression of a great deal of space between words in the poem to contribute to the atmosphere of depression the diction produces. And it works; you can almost hear a little bluebird singing away. The bluebird appears to be  a metaphor for the pain that Bukowski feels, and the agony of living underneath a premise- hiding ones true feelings. Something as innocent, small, and timid as a bluebird is the perfect contrast for the dark elements of Bukowski's world and of the writing that surrounds the bluebird. What better contrast for whores, whiskey, and cigarettes than an innocent little bird? 

Bukowski lived in poverty for much of his life- the income he made writing was the most he had ever  had.  Fear of losing book sales may have driven a lot of his writing- see these lines from Bluebird:

"I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?"

Bukowski was forced to look himself in the mirror every morning, at the harshest, most tormenting and wrenching parts of his soul, and then sit down for the day and make fun of it in his novels.  Bukowski knew just how bad his pain really was, what he maybe even really wanted to write down what he really felt on that paper. Bluebird is his way of expressing this pain. 

But the most memorable part of the poem is the ending, where Bukowski does not just accept his refusal to address his pain- he questions yours. 

Full link to the poem: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8509539-Bluebird-by-Charles_Bukowski

Ulysses: Tennyson

Ulysses is a captivating epic, immediately seizing its reader and dragging them to the days of its hero. Written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, it is centred around the adventures and character of Ulysses-the Roman name for the mythic hero Odysseus. 

Tennyson does not write of the hero's adventures that were detailed in just legends as The Odyssey, but of an old Ulysses, wasted and filled with regret. 

The opening lines:

"It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
matched with an aged wife, I mete and dole"

Instantly, the poems scope becomes clear. An aged Ulysses, not content with his life and home, willing to escape across the sea for a final adventure. To die with his companions, facing danger, and to see his deceased friend Achilles for the last time!

Okay, maybe the opening lines don't reveal quite that much. 

But the blanks are filled in- the poem later alludes to many of Ulysses's journey's and former companions and foes, making good use of the dramatic monologue style you can see in many epics. Ulysses shouts to the sea and his surroundings like a king on an iron throne, giving the reader all they need to know about his character. Don't associate this with the eye-numbing epics your teachers force you to read. Tennyson's wordplay, diction, and tone is incredible and easy to understand (it helps that the poem is in blank verse, the cheater) and the reader almost feels as if they are Ulysses, such is the power of the writing. There is something about the trapped nature of Ulysses, his longing for adventure, that connects with a very powerful part of the human soul. 

By the end of the poem, you may have an urge to fight a bear. Just look at the closing lines:

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

You might recognized these lines from the most recent Bond movie, Skyfall. And ironically enough, Ulysses has a lot in common with Mr. Bond. And its not just in the sense that they are both bold adventurers, indefatigable fighters for truth, but that both characters have their fair share of flaws that are not immediately apparent. With Bond it is drugs and women- but Ulysses has some deeper vices. 

Tennyson's Ulysses initially seems heroic and brave, but on second reading vanity begins to bleed from the writing. Ulysses explicitly states he would abandon his family and his kingdom for the thrill of adventure ("my son, mine own Telemachus/To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle)

He is not the most benevolent ruler, either- he refers to his occupation as "dole...unequal laws unto a savage race". And a close reading of the Odyssey will reveal more faults in his character, namely the 88 of his wife's suitors he slaughtered when he returned from his journey.

But the biggest flaw may be what many people admire the character of Ulysses for- his ambition. 

In traditional Christian texts, many scholars treated Ulysses's attempts to go behind human knowledge not as inspiring, but as sacrilege- in Dante's Inferno, Ulysses is condemned to the 8th circle of hell for overstepping limits set by god. And the last part of the poem- "not to yield"- is somewhat reminiscent of John Milton's description of Lucifer in Paradise Lost. Tennyson's decision to use that exact language can hardly be an accident. Is Tennyson championing an idol and hero- or is he mocking the old, corrupt man? 

Whatever the case, the poem is nonetheless worth a read. Even though the character may be representing Satan, or may indeed be a hero of yore, Ulysses is a fantastic epic, and is what I would argue to be Tennyson's most important work. 

Full link to the poem: http://www.portablepoetry.com/poems/alfredlord_tennyson/ulysses.html

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