Sunday, March 25, 2012
Poem of the Week: 3/26
Participate in an online analysis of "The One Girl at the Boys Party" by Sharon Olds. Continue to build on what others before you have noticed, and add your interpretation. Pose questions to your classmates about aspects of the poem that may be confusing. Consider key lines, images, structure, devices, metaphors and themes. Aim for 3-5 sentences. Due Friday.
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I see Sharon Olds' "The One Girl at the Boys Party" poem a comparison between boys and girls. "They tower and bristle, she stands there smooth and sleek, her math scores unfolding in the air around her." In this line, I can see boys as being big, intimidating, and messy. In contrast, the girl is sleek and intricate, her math scores "unfolding" around her. Folding and unfolding things is a method of organization, a precise way to do something. Overall this poem is one that draws the undeniable differences between males and females.
ReplyDeleteSummer period 5
The poem was a little hard to understand at first, but once I re-read it several times, I started to know what it is talking about. It is talking about a girl who is among an all boys party, but the girl is the brightest of the rest. I see how the author talks about the boys mindlessly jumping in while the girl is busy trying to find the gallons of water in the pool. I think the author is trying to say that the girl is the most outstanding in terms of knowledge and personality.
ReplyDeleteHenry Lau
P.5
This poem was very intriguing. I don’t really know where the poet was trying to get with all these math terms, but it makes her seem very brighter than all the guys. In my opinion the last sentence, “When they climb out, her ponytail will hang its pencil lead down her back, her narrow silk suit…and they will see her sweet face, solemn and sealed…and in her head she'll be doing her sparkle and fall to the power of a thousand from her body is trying to state the girl is the center of attention. Everyone is looking at her and envious of the guy that brought her. I feel like the guy the brought the girl intensions were to make everyone jealous.
ReplyDeletedan hilliard
period 5
After having read this a couple of times, I can see that this author, Sharon Olds is talking about a party with all boys, and just one girl. The poem begins as if Sharon is the parent dropping off her daughter off at the all-boys swim party. It contrasts her height to the boys as if she is not nearly as tall as them, “They tower and bristle, she stands there smooth and sleek” maybe saying that the boys are not even of the same age of her. “They'll plunge in the deep end, she'll subtract her height from ten feet, divide it into hundreds of gallons of water” this also I feel suggest that she smarter than the boys to wonder how many gallons of water are in to pool, while the boys just hop in. Over all I really do like the structure of this poem because it gets you thinking of many things Sharon is comparing.
ReplyDeleteZack Bortolan period 5
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGood Points Zack! Try to refer to the person speaking as the "speaker," and not necessarily as the poet him/herself.
DeleteI did not like this poem by Sharon Olds, it was hard to follow, strange sounding, and confusing. It started off like a corny math joke but then went back and forth from that; it seemed somewhat disorganized. It almost read like two poems made into one, or as if two authors wrote it.
ReplyDeleteThe point of the poem was to show the different way girls and boys think. While the boys were tall and rowdy, the girl was sleek and moved with purposeful actions. All her thoughts were precise, smart, and organized. This is the end of childhood where girls and boys start to separate into different groups.
Marisa
Period 4
After reading this a couple times, and reading what my other classmates thought it meant I think the other was trying to compare girls to guys through the whole thing. What I pictured in my head was how differently girls and guys minds are from one another. The boys are swimming and just enjoying the party while the girl is realizing the littlest but yet smartest things. Sharon Olds says, "they'll plunge in the deep end, she'll subtract her height from ten feet, divide it into hundreds of gallons of water, the numbers bouncing in her mind like molecules of chlorine in the bright blue pool." I feel sharon is trying to say that as the guys just jump into the pool the girl is relating things to the real world and not just jumping in. This poem to me was kind of confusing and hard to understand. I feel like I am missing the major point of this poem.
ReplyDeleteAshlie Forsberg
Period 5
"I feel sharon is trying to say that as the guys just jump into the pool the girl is relating things to the real world and not just jumping in. " Excellent Point, Ashlie!
DeleteAfter reading this poem I was very confused. At first I just thought it was a poem about a boy pool party that a girl showed up to. But, then I read it again and noticed that there are a lot of math terms in it relating to what the girl was seeing. So, now I think that it is some weird way of showing how girls think to much into things and boys just go for them and very rarely think them through. Overall I did not like this poem because it is very complicated.
ReplyDeleteKathryn Collins
Period 4
This poem connects math to the real world, and it seems to me that the poem is a puzzle that has to be taken apart and put back together. So, I dissected the words. I know that sometimes words have different meanings and I thought it would apply here with the math terms. Sharon Olds wrote, “They will strip to their suits, her body hard and indivisible as a prime number.” Indivisible can mean it can’t be divided or is in one piece. So, her body was hard and intact. A prime number is a positive integer that is not divisible without remainder by any integer except itself and 1. Prime also means of the highest rank. If it is put together, the line reads, ‘They will strip to their suits, her body hard and intact as she is of the highest rank.’ That makes more sense and it goes with Olds suggesting the girl is very intelligent more so than the boys in the poem. There is imagery in the poem and it is best seen by me when Olds writes, “the numbers bouncing in her mind like molecules of chlorine in the bright blue pool.” That is a scene I can imagine because it’s very descriptive. In addition, the part where it says, “they will see her sweet face, solemn and sealed” tells the reader the girl has something to hide. All the boys see her physically, but they can’t hear her math-oriented thoughts. The poem’s theme or moral might be it’s what’s on the inside that counts (no math pun intended).
ReplyDeleteMeglin Bodner Period 5
I needed to read this poem a few times to try understanding it. Even still, it was confusing. Her connections to math made the poem very interesting. You can picture what, either she is seeing, or what people around her are seeing. What I interpret this poem to, is that the girl has more knowledge than the boys. The boys seem to just see everything by looks and judge it that way.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Genovese (period 7)
I believe the poem "The One Girl at the Boys Party" is about connecting things in the everyday world to math or just logic. At first the author seems to be comparing the size of the girl to the other boys at the party, “They tower and bristle, she stands there smooth and sleek,” Then the author goes into the difference between boys and girls both mentally, “They will strip to their suits, her body hard and indivisible as a prime number.” Which then leads into the author dissecting every action the girl makes and compares it to math, “they'll plunge in the deep end, she'll subtract her height from ten feet, divide it into hundreds of gallons of water, the numbers bouncing in her mind like molecules of chlorine in the bright blue pool.” I think there are many ways to view this poem. At first it seemed like a simple poem, but the deeper you read into it the more complex it becomes.
ReplyDeleteEmma Corbett (period 5)
Sharon Olds defines a young girl who has the capacity to judge childlike emotion with the benefit of time because she is now a mother herself.This view of childlike values and thoughts are linked with the use of math, which represents a maturity of this girl as she grows into a woman.This poem also uses juxtaposition when saying "tower and bristle," suggesting something naturally intimidating is inherent to males.Then it gives the description of the girl “smooth and sleek," and the contrast between the two genders also is depicted in word choice. When describing the boy the words have two syllables which make them rough as opposed to the girls which flow smoothly.
ReplyDeleteKarlie
Period 1
I agree with Summer that this poem is juxtaposing boys and girls, implying that they are very different physically. This is especially apparent in the part that says, "They tower and
ReplyDeletebristle, she stands there smooth and sleek." As I've seen others say, the relation to math terms doesn't really seem to fit, but it creates a lot of interesting imagery through the use of obscure metaphors. I feel that these metaphors, however, make the poem a lot more difficult to understand.
Alessandra M.
Per. 4
I believe this poem is about a girl who has recently taken a test or has one coming soon. she is at a party but can not keep the thoughts of the exams out of her mind.
ReplyDeleteKC
Per 1.
When I read this poem I had to read it several times. Even after that I still didn't understand it that well. I believe that what Sharon Oldes is trying to say is that girls are competely different from boys. In,"they'll plunge in the deep end, she'll subtract her height from ten feet, divide it into hundreds of gallons of water, the numbers bouncing in her mind like molecules of chlorine in the bright blue pool." this shows how that when the boys are playing around the girl is thinking about math and how that applys to the real world. Also, the poet has the words," tower and bristle" for the boys and, "smooth and sleek" for the girl. Just the sounds of the words describing the girl sound better than the boys' words. All and all I thought this poem was very confusing, and I didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteJulia Annicelli
Period:4
I percieved this poem as a rather simple poem made abstract from the mathmatical metaphors. The author is merely describing the obvious differences that lie between the guys and the girl. She then describes her posture, and hints at her physique, using math terms (i.e. hard and indivisible as a prime number). Then, a description of how she jumps into the water and her body is "divided" into the water. I think in this poem, the most clever line is when she says "factor of 1," because there is only one factor of 1, which is 1, making 1 a unique number. This metaphor is saying that this girl is the unique one at the party, which is true because she is in fact the only girl at the party. I like this poem because it incorporates mathmatical terminology into the area of poetry, and it demonstrates that math is found everywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteAlex Gogliettino
Per. 4
"I think in this poem, the most clever line is when she says "factor of 1," because there is only one factor of 1, which is 1, making 1 a unique number. This metaphor is saying that this girl is the unique one at the party, which is true because she is in fact the only girl at the party."
DeleteExcellent Point, Alex!
After reading the poem a few times, I got to understand that Sharon Olds describes this girl and compares her in mathmatical terms. "Divide it into hundreds of gallons of water, the numbers bouncing in her mind like molecules of chlorine in the bright blue pool," Olds uses metophors to describe the girl and trys to allow you to picture the girl. I found it interesting that she compared a girl to math terms. "I set her down among the boys, they tower and bristle," makes me think she might be the only girl.
ReplyDeleteBrya
I really did not like this poem it did not make any sense the poet talks about math at a poolparty which dosent make any sense. I have read this poem over five times and dont have a clue what it is about. I read my other classmates comments and some kinda get it and others don’t get it at all. I guess maybe that Sharlon Olds is talking about how guys just do something and dont think about it that much and girls think about things very deeply and maybe thats why I don’t understand this poem maybe only girls understand it I really dont know.
ReplyDeleteRyan
Period 5
Unlike the reality we live in that is constantly changing and conforming to social norms, math is concrete and the logic used in its interpretation is of definitive form. Numbers can be derived through commonly known equations that always produce an expected result. Each number holds a specific value whether negative, positive, or imaginary, regardless of nature a number is still a physical representation of a quantified being. It is hard to believe mathematicians spend months even years of their life trying to derive new formulas or explain the perplexity of new constants used in mathematics. These brilliant minds never seem to succumb to failure and often use a wrong solution as motivation to find further purpose in reasoning. Dating back to the Scientific Revolution of the 16th Century one can see the importance of mathematics and questioning of all existence through the practice of mechanism and ideology of deductive reasoning. Similar to the “One Girl at the Boys Party” written by Sharon Olds, the single girl is alike that of Rene Descartes, a 16th natural philosopher, in that they both found security in the questioning of existence and explanation of action and being through the quantification of numbers. The reader of the poem learns early on that the girl is singled out at the party because of her gender and therefore is put into a situation that lacks conformity or similarity. The environment consumes the girl and she becomes overwhelmed by the boys who “tower and bristle” over her “smooth and sleek” being. It is evident that the girl is looking, or somewhat searching for her identity among the boys and she resultantly confides in herself the reassurance of math. Through the confusion of the party and the outward chaos occurring in the environment she is able to find simplicity and consistency in that of mathematics. The girl uses the math to find similarity between her and the boys and in a way to protect herself from what remains unknown in the solution of the problem. There is a unique sexual tone that is carried out throughout the poem found first in the setting in which the poem is taking place. Yes, a pool party, possibly the most sexually revealing party one could have whose focus is on that of the contours of the human body and the “curves of their sexes”. The sexuality adds another level to the poem which further deepens the conflict between the sole girl at the party and the multitude of boys.
ReplyDelete- Alexander Borkowski Period 1
"the single girl is alike that of Rene Descartes, a 16th natural philosopher, in that they both found security in the questioning of existence and explanation of action and being through the quantification of numbers. "- Excellent Connection, Alex!
DeleteI feel that this poem by Sharon Olds is a comparison of her own childhood to her current daughter. She speaks of the boys through the eyes of a young girl and refers to them as "tower and bristle" and almost intimidating to a girl's stature. Reluctant to participate in the boys activities, the girl is able to confide in numbers. She uses mathematics to reassure herself of her well being and role in the world. Even though she is very young, the girl is able to see the mathematics behind every situation, a great trait to possess.
ReplyDeleteTyler King
Period 1
After reading this poem several times, I have not been able to formulate the right words to explain the meaning behind the comparison of a girl and the fundamentals of mathematics. I assume that Sharon Olds was trying to describe the powerful existence of females. The importance of females and math have been exposed to the world over time. Females were once looked down upon, now they have become iconic leaders throughout the entire world. Similarly, math has evolved to become the universal language of the world. "Her body hard and indivisible like a prime number," explains the strength of females. Although females are surrounded by the competition of males, they have continued to be strong and weaken the beliefs of the many sterotypes.
ReplyDeleteBryanna Willaby
Period 7
I don’t think I understand the poem that well but this is the best I could get out of it. “Her math scores unfolding in the air” maybe a hint that the young girl is intelligent. From the beginning of the poem all she does at the party is thinks about math but at the end she realizes that she was surrounded by boys. "Curves of their sexes, one each”, may be showing the realization of young girls that young men are attracted or aware of them.
ReplyDeletesandrine Amin
period 4
This has to be one of the most interesting poems that I have come across in my whole life. I am a nerd when it comes to math, so when I first read this I was stunned but excited to see math used in the literature world. Everything I interpreted was stated earlier by both Alex B. and Alex G.
ReplyDeleteBut then I read the poem again, and don’t find me to be a pervert, but this poem could be relating to sex. All the math terminologies and other lines add up to an interesting configuration of how they were getting ready to take a “plunge in the deep end.” (I will not go further interpreting each line.) I know everyone who reads my comment must think I am crazy, but if you go line by line and think about it- It is like a step by step analogy of having sex. I may be completely wrong, but this is what I thought the second time I read this poem. Again, this has to be one of the most interesting poems I have ever read.
Pompeo M.
(per. 4)
Pompeo-You crack me up! Great job thinking critically-we won't judge you:)
DeleteAfter reading this poem about I believe that in many ways Sharon Olds is presenting a somewhat sexist or feministic view and favoring woman. In the poem she mentions the hardness of the boys and the “smooth and sleek” appearance of the girl which bring up the question “why?” I also wonder why Olds uses math in order to explain the appearance and physique of the young girl, she mentions her as “a factor of one” which shows independence and how the young girl is at one with herself as shell “be doing her sparkle and fall to the power of a thousand from her body.”
ReplyDeletejennifer lasman p1
What sense do you make of that last line?
DeleteAfter reading this poem, I have found it difficult to interpret the true meaning that the author is trying to portray. I was reminded of "The Sweetheart of the Song Trabong" story; Mary Anne was similar to this one girl that was surrounded by a large number of boys. The girl in the poem is the center of attention as she is the anomaly in the image of a boy's party, which mirrors Mary Anne's spotlight in her story. I feel that the mathematics of this poem depict the boys' efforts to understand this girl, who is much different than they are in terms of sex. This story may be centered around the idea of boys and girls growing to an age where they begin to realize the differences between male and female.
ReplyDeleteZhanneta.
Period 1.
This poem struck me as an odd way of explaining the differences between the mind of the herd of boys in comparison to the lone girl. Her mind is focused on exponentially more intricate thoughts whereas the boys are fixated on the tangible. She deals with the complexities of math in her mind while the boys roughhouse in the pool.
ReplyDeleteI personally strongly disagree with this statement and not just because I am a male. To generalize any gender is a sign of ignorance in my opinion. Boys are capable of complex thought as well. Some of the greatest minds in math are and have been males. Some may be too focused on tangible objects yet girls can be as well. If the author is going to generalize guys then she should also generalize girls. It's only fair.
Stephen Perrotti
Period 4
Interesting critique-I hadn't thought of the speaker being critical of the intelligence of the boys, but more fearful of what would happen to his intelligent daughter, but I can see how a male can take offense to this portrayal. Good point, Steven!
DeleteI feel as though the author of this poem is trying to convey what it's like to be a minority. At the party the girl is described as being "a factor of one", this basically means that she is the only girl there among a group of boys. Thus, she is unique. Throughout the poem every aspect of the girl is analyzed; her physique, posture, hair, and abstract thoughts. The main point is to show how different she is from the boys, her difference in thought the strongest. I think that the author wanted the readers to understand that when someone is the minority, physical differences can be made out to be more than what they truly are. In this case it's only gender, they're all still people. But, also, he wanted to show that when someone is a minority they think differently from the group often because they are treated differently and in a situation different from that of the others. I agree with how Stephen said that generalization is ignorance. Additionally, I think that the relation to math throughout the poem is showing that people who go along with social norms are ignorant because someone within a minority can be just as abstract or intelligent.
ReplyDeleteJessica Teulings
Period 4
I found this poem to be very interesting. It look me awhile to really think about what to write down. You can tell that this author thinks women are superior to men and that men are messy, not educated compared to a female. i agree alot with what Steven said that it is kind of offense in a way to males thinking that they are less in a society where we are all suppose to be equal people. As a girl though I do understand it because women have fought through a lot to get to where men are or even high for that matter. Over all not my favorite
ReplyDeleteJenny
my first reaction to this poem was that i was a little confused. it seems to me that the author is comparng boys and girls. the author talks about how the boys just jump into the pool carelessly while the girl is trying to find the gallons of water in the pool. my overall perspective of this poem is that the author thinks the girl is more superior to the boy in terms of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteErica Celentano
Period 4
This poem was confusing for me. It wasn't one of my favorites. My first reaction was being very puzzled but after reading it over a few times I started to understand it more. In the poem the author starts to describe the girl to give you a feel of her. I think this was to show how she was different from all the boys. Also another aspect of the poem was when the author connected the real world to math. I think this was to show that the girl was more serious about where she was where the boys were not. I think this poem was trying to convey the differences of males and females as the grow.
ReplyDeleteKayleen Period 4
I believe the author is trying to express how her little girl is brighter than the other boys in the pool. While the other boys are busy jumping in the pool and running around, she is swimming calmly and shining brightly. I think the author is trying to draw a parallel to how women are better in society. She is saying women are more elegant or composed. And somehow using math to help her. However, psychologists have found women are weaker at mathematics than men so I have no idea where she brought this mathematics idea up from.
ReplyDeleteDaneil Borrus
Period 4
Any different thoughts after the class discussion?
DeleteThis peom exemplifies the subtle differences between the female and male mind. The gilr thinks calmly, doing math and observations in her mind. The boys, on the other hand, have a group mentality and play together in more simple ways. She takes things in in more complicated ways before she begins to physically explore them. The boys, however, plunge straight into the unknown without giving it much thought.
ReplyDeleteI find this to be true, as i observe it when I babysit. I find that girls are much more koy whereas the boys tend to explore more aimlessly.
Chrissy B.
Period 4
Honestly, I really didnt like this poem. I couldnt find the meaning, even after reading it several times. I do agree with some of what my fellow students' said in their reactions above though. I think that Sharon Olds may be pointing out the difference between the male and the female mind. She portrays the boys as being very simple, physical and the girl as being more intellectual. I did not agree with this at first and I feel like its sexist. But as I thought even more about the girl and how her mind works, I realized maybe she is unique. It almost sounds like she could be a prodigy or maybe even autistic. It is strange the fixation her mind has on mathematics. It's to the point where her social interactions are inhibited. This is why she reminded me of someone with autism.
ReplyDeleteKaity Robbins
Period 4
Interesting interpretation, Kaity!
DeletePersonally, I did not find this poem amusing. I felt like there was no significance of the poem and that it really had no importance to it. In a way I could see where it might have been going, seeing the girl is always relating everything to math, and numbers which does in fact exemplify the title. However I still feel that there really wasn’t enough there. It does seem as if that the author is trying to point out that girls are more intelligent seeing the author said “the boy jumped in the pool carelessly, while the girl was trying to figure how many gallons was in the pool.” Maybe the author is a bit sexist?
ReplyDeleteJJ Carbone
Period 5
This poem was terrible; I didn’t get what it’s about. I think the author is trying to say what the difference between the two sexes is. It’s a boy’s party and there’s a girl there. The entire boy’s do their thing in the pool and she follows and wants to be part of their group and do what they do so she doesn’t feel left out. It says she uses math to figure them out and that makes no sense I don’t use math to figure people out. The author is trying to compare her to this girl, maybe this happened to her when she was young she went to a party and had to do this stuff to fit in.
ReplyDeleteNick DeBroi (period 5)
After reading this poem multiple times I am still very confused on where the author was trying to go with this. In my own opinion I did not enjoy reading this poem. I believe that Sharon Olds finds women to be much superior to men. She is always stating how they are separated throughout the birthday party. I feel as if she is a sexiest. I've never read a poem before that contained so much math. She has some strange fixation with numbers and and the way that they work.
ReplyDeleteDylan Carleton
Period 5
My opinion on this poem is that im not sure what she is trying to say. I got a feeling that she was describing the girl as unique within the group of boys. The way she tried to convey that message was confusing and I wasnt sure where she was going with this cincept. Maybe if she didnt use so many numbers it would have made more sense.
ReplyDeleteLAurel
Per. 5
After reading this poem, i was not very impressed at all. I did not understand what the author was trying to convey and get across to the reader. The way she wrote this poem made her seem like a feminist/sexist. The relation to math in this poem made no sense to me, and i dont know what the author was thinking in using it. You dont use math to figure people out, you do that by interracting and observing them. Overall i dont think this poem had significance to anything important.
ReplyDeleteMarc Canzanella
Period 7
This poem was confusing to me and I wasnt sure where she was going with all the math she put into it. The way it was written was very odd and didnt really make sense. This poem made it seem like she was the center of attention and all the other boys were staring at her and admiring her.
ReplyDeleteLauren Atkinson
Period 5
The poem was a little hard to understand at first, but once I re-read it several times, I started to understand what it is about. It is about a girl who is at an all boys party, but the girl is the brightest of the group. I see how the author talks about the boys mindlessly jumping in while the girl is busy trying to find the gallons of water in the pool. I think the author is trying to say that the girl is the most outstanding in terms of knowledge and personality.
ReplyDeleteMatt O'Neill Per.7
I was very confused after reading this poem. It didn't really have any meaning to me. It seemed that the author was trying to relate a real event to math. I thought it was weird when she said "her narrow silk suit with hamburgers and french fries printed on it" because that didn't really have anything to do with anything important. I agree with Nick's comment saying that she is trying to explain the differences between male and female. I was not a fan of this poem.
ReplyDeleteKarlie Komoroski
I think the author is trying to call all boys stupid and girls smart because in this poem she talks about how the girl is at a all boys party and how she cant stop thinking about her math test and that the boys are just simple and looking to have fun.
ReplyDeleteAustin Fries ( Per. 7)
I'm not really sure what the poet is trying to get at with this poem, she seems more like a doteing parent or math teacher than an author. it reall starts off like one of those corny math work sheets that tells a joke that usually does not make any scence. and she keeps going back and forth between the boys and the one girl making all the boys seem dumb and mindless, while making the girl seem endlessly smart and intelignet.
ReplyDeleteTom Gingras
Period 7
This poem just confused me and it wasn't very good. Even after reading this poem over and over I didn't understand it. The poet seems to trying to point out the differences between guys and girls. She is being sexist. She basically says that a guy is physical while girls are smart. Everyone is different. It really doesn't matter what gender you are so comparing those things seem pointless to me. Then, the whole part with math just made me more confused. Who uses math to figure people out? That just doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteKelsie DePino
Period: 5
I'm not going to lie, this poem is very confusing and that seems to be the trending first line of many peoples responses. To understand this poem you have to read it a few times and also have to think pretty hard. Some of the lines seem sort of random such as, "her narrow silk suit with hamburgers and french fries printed on it." I'm sure these lines do have some meaning, none which I have figures out yet. I would like to hear what the author would say when explaining her poem. When reading other peoples responses it makes sense that this poem is about how males and females think differently than one another. I think that statement is partly true in many ways but not in others. She makes the boys minds out to be simpler than girls but I disagree with that. I think girls' emotions may be more complicated than boys. However we are all different to trying to make any conclusions about gender is not even possible in many ways.
ReplyDeleteEmily McColl
period 4
To take this poem out of the pool party context, the main ideas presented can be a metaphor for this girl’s life in general. It feels as if she’s a truly different and unique human being that stands out from the rest of the group. I don’t think she was the only girl there, but the boys can be a metaphor for the rest of the people in the world. Using the opposite sex in the poem is just an easy way to show the juxtaposition between her and the rest of society. Using math terminology in the poem was something different, but I think it highlights her intelligence, particularly in math. The use of imagery in this poem really shows how distinctive this girl is all by herself. This poem made a simple idea about standing out from the rest of society and turned it into something different with making the setting at a boys’ party and including the use of math in describing her actions.
ReplyDeleteKelly Du
Period 1
Well put, Kelly!
DeleteThe poem was okay, I’m not sure I particularly enjoyed it. Also, I think the message the author is trying to deliver is that she is different and unique. The author is saying how she is something special and the boys are admiring her. I think the author tries to use humor in some lines of the poem however it doesn’t work out for me because the poem overall is a little bit dull and doesn’t have a funny tone to it. I think the author is saying that a girl is more complex than a boy is. I think what the author is saying is that girls are harder to understand and more interesting than boys are. This is not entirely true. The poem is basically saying that girls are superior to boys in terms of knowledge and that isn’t necessarily correct. The author is being sexist and the poem overall was not that appealing to me.
ReplyDeleteAisha
perod 1
This poem seems to address sexism by describing a young girl exploring a world where boys dominate. Her age is suggested by the "hamburger and fries" print bathing suit, and the narration seems to assume the tone and perspective of a responsible adult in her care that brings her to this pool party. As for the male dominance, it is obvious in the title of the poem. The pool seems to be a metaphor for the world as the world is the playing field of life, where people navigate from day to day through multiple gimmicks. The gimmick in this case is the deep water in the pool because it can potentially submerge and drown. However, as long as one can swim, one can overcome drowning and manipulate the pool so that it becomes enjoyable. This is the same with living: if one can deal with life's experiences advantageously, one can enjoy it. As the girl swims, she calculates the water, her depth, etc, overcoming the intimidation of the pool. The calculations described can be a way of expressing how she is figuring out the world, using logic which is the basis of math. There was once a stereotype back in the day where girls were said to not be bright in math, but in this poem, the girl defies this belief. At the end of the poem, the poet compares the young girl and the boys: "their eyes, two each, their legs, two each, and the curves of their sexes, one each..." She emphasizes that despite the difference in sex, the girl and the boys are all human with human features and abilities. A girl can swim in a pool as well as boys can, regardless of an assumed social dominance.
ReplyDeleteSidney
Period 1
Well said, Sidney!
DeleteAfter reading the poem, i found myself dumb-founded. The poem uses an extended mathematical metaphor. I believe the girl is searching, as well as learning, about her identity in a world surrounded by boys. The girl has obviously found a comfort in math, and she uses that comfort to begin understanding her place with the boys. Her situation at the party is math. It can "tower" and be intimidating until you "plunge" into it and begin to solve the problems. There are steps to take before you find the solution, just as there are steps and things for her to learn before she can establish her identity in life. The figures of speech in this poem transport the idea of a fun swimming party into a search for identity. The girl uses math to guide and protect herself against these boys. She is discovering how she is different from them-mentally and physically. Math is complex; the search for identity is a long, complex journey.
ReplyDeleteKelly Parker Period 5
Good Points, Kelly!
DeleteThis poem is so unique from any other poem I’ve read. There is so much math terminology thrown into it and, with my being my least favorite subject, I found it very hard, and almost annoying, to read. However, when reading poetry, you often have to dig deeper than what is on the surface. I think the author was trying to describe the difference in roles between genders. The girl was clearly petite compared to the boys, but she was not inferior to them. She has a sharp, observant mind and understands concepts beyond the average person. She’s standing up against sexism and stereotypes. She’s still a child, and wearing silly things like hamburgers on her baiting suit, but she’s growing up in the sense that she’s able to stand on her own, with elgance and pose. She maybe be a factor of one up against all the others, but she’s strong and unique-much like the poem itself.
ReplyDeleteNina Mariotti, period 1
The poem seemed vey intresting The poem seemed very interesting in the beginning but as I continued reading I felt the poem was very confusing. I didn’t understood what the poet is really trying to express through this poem. Is the poet trying to illustrate this love towards numbers? Is that only girl in the poem the poet herself? Is she trying to tell her story or is she talking about someone else? All the wordings of the poem sounds like coded so that it will take time for her readers to understand what she is trying to convey. Even reader the poem again and again I was not able to understand what she is trying to say in the poem, but still this poem left me empty and wondering.
ReplyDeleteShila Rajbahak
Per 1
This poem confused me for a very long time, but now I believe I am starting to make sense of it. To me it seems as if it discusses the differences between a boy and a girl in the social atmosphere. It seems to me that the author of the poem is trying to make it seem as if the female in this case has a more intellectual feel to her in comparison to the guys at the party. The author makes me feel as if the girl is trying to be more complicated in comparison with the boys that are really just laughing having a good time and not seeing the girl for who she really is. The girl is looking at things in a way that is more sophisticated where she see's the science behind things rather than the face value of them.
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Edgar Ortiz
at first i wasn't sure what the poet was trying to say, but then after further analyzing of the poem, i realized that she was maturing throughout the corse of the poem. the poet made it seem as if she was a middle school girl finally realizing the difference between boys and girls and beginning to be attracted towards them.
ReplyDeleteali nuzzo
period 7
I didn't really like this poem, it was pretty confining to me. I still wonder what the author's overall meaning is. All I can tell is that the author is trying to show how this girl is intelligent and maybe people don't look at the characteristics that she has inside. Being the only girl at the boys party they notice her physical features instead of noticing her intelligence.this poem says something about growing up and the difference between growing as a boy and a girl
ReplyDeleteJohn Ainson
Sharon Olds, "The One Girl at the Boys Party" was a well written poem. I really enjoyed the use of numbers “they’ll plunge in the deep end, she'll subtract her height from ten feet” at first I didn’t get what he was saying then when it hit I thought I was the coolest thing ever. He shows very good detail on little things that people doesn’t see or take in count of while thinking about swimming. I believe she is probably talking about her daughter and she’s at her friends or her cousins. Over all I don’t understand the meaning of this poem and what she was trying to say by writing it. She does show her love for the girl but the boys she refuses to them as “hard”. This poem was confusing and hard to find the meaning of.
ReplyDeletepierina lopez
When i first herd this poem i thought the person reading it was the girls boyfriend and they were at a highschool or college party but after hearing it a few times i came to the conclusion that the person speaking was the girls dad and they were at a kids birthday party or somthing.
ReplyDeleteJosh Celone Per7
Personally, I did not like this poem. I thought it was hard to interpret and at first it seemed a little bit sexist. But, after rereading the poem a few times, I finally started to understand what Sharon was trying to say. "They will strip to their suits, her body hard and indivisible as a prime number." Whoever this girl is, she is rare and hard to find. Prime numbers are terribly frustrating numbers to come across in math problems. Girls are hard to figure out, and they are especially tough when they don't know what they want. However, guys don't think before they act. I think this poem was trying to express the differences between teenage boys and girls.
ReplyDeleteKelly Smith
Period 1
In my opinion, this poem was kinda weird. The wording was just confusing and no one who read it really understood the whole concept of it. Therefore, reading it a few more times other than once, gave me another perspective on what the author was saying. Basically, this young girl was slowly being noticed as becoming more mature. She was at a boys birthday party, so she obviously stands out from all the others. She's hard to get, shes not like other girls. She's still too young for realtionships, but not too young to be noticed by boys.
ReplyDelete- Hannah K
Period 7
This poem was confusing, I had to read it a couple times and I kind of got it. It talked about a a girl who is kind of shy, but has a brillant mind. She is the only girl at a boys pool party and the boys see her for her apperances not her mind. She enjoys doing math and trys to turn everything she interacts with into a long math equation. Most guys see girls for their looks but this girl just wants people to notice what is inside her brain.
ReplyDeleteJennyfer Jarrin
Period 5
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