Poem-A-Day/April 14
The poem for today is Moore's "The Paper Nautilus: https://poets.org/poem/paper-nautilus
Google "paper nautilus" and do a deep-dive on the creature itself--you'll become as fascinated and impressed by it as Moore was!
Here's a quick note from National Geographic:
The argonauts, also known as paper nautiluses, spend their lives drifting near the surface of tropical and subtropical seas far from their cephalopod cousins on the seafloor. Females do this tucked into fragile, translucent shells that they create themselves.
Keep in mind Moore's love of, admiration for, forms of adaptive self-defense which manifest as beauty. Also, note her marvelous wit: she begins by excluding from the nautilus's concern irritating types of people--thereby uniting the nautilus's own enemies with hers.
The poem for today is Moore's "The Paper Nautilus: https://poets.org/poem/paper-nautilus
Google "paper nautilus" and do a deep-dive on the creature itself--you'll become as fascinated and impressed by it as Moore was!
Here's a quick note from National Geographic:
The argonauts, also known as paper nautiluses, spend their lives drifting near the surface of tropical and subtropical seas far from their cephalopod cousins on the seafloor. Females do this tucked into fragile, translucent shells that they create themselves.
Keep in mind Moore's love of, admiration for, forms of adaptive self-defense which manifest as beauty. Also, note her marvelous wit: she begins by excluding from the nautilus's concern irritating types of people--thereby uniting the nautilus's own enemies with hers.
Reading this poem made me smile, because it reminded me of the science museum I used to work at in high school. I loved my shifts in the aquarium section, because it was always fascinating to be nose to nose with creatures who were so different than myself. The octopus will always be my favorite.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, to me this poem reads as a manifesto of self reliance. I like how Moore contrasts the independence of the paper nautilus, like when she describes them building their own shells: “...the paper nautilus constructs her thin glass shell,” with the delicate creation it makes, “a dull white outside and smooth-edged inner surface glossy as the sea.” This is not just a construct of Moore’s poem. The female paper nautiluses actually dismember males and take care of their eggs on their own, creating a beautiful, almost translucent shell to hold and protect their offspring as they travel across the ocean. Although to these animals this behavior is simply second nature, Moore personifies these traits, first by aligning their enemies with hers, then by talking about the “hope” of the eggs, the strength of motherly protection, and then the pain and joy of seeing your children swim away. This description is highly relatable, yet Moore also relates the story of the paper nautilus with a Greek myth. These creatures are also known as argonauts, a word used to describe the Greek heroes who sailed the world. Moore uses this imagery to dramatize the story, even adding a Greek villain, “a crab loyal to the hydra,” and she compares the paper nautilus to “Hercules.”
I hope all is well for you and your families!
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first came upon this poem, I loved the mysterious nature of its title, "The Paper Nautilus." The opening lines: "For authorities whose hopes/are shaped by mercenaries" fascinated me given the literal subject matter of the poem, as the discussion of the government's desires seemed to directly contrast the scientific nature of the species. I loved the paper nautilus as a metaphor for the internal strength that Moore develops, largely out of caring for her mother and herself while advancing her career. Some writers might be "entrapped by teatime fame," while Moore cannot become absorbed in these self-obsessive and narcissistic tendencies. The juxtaposition of the writer and the "thin glass shell" of the female paper nautilus is a captivating one, as the female creature was able to obtain notoriety by her superiority in size to the male and ability to reproduce continually throughout her lifetime. In this way, she has been known since ancient eras, but the male was recently discovered. However, I believe Moore then metaphorically recognizes that this sort of success for women in this society can be isolating. She presents the image of being closed within a shell, presenting a "dull/white outside" so as to avoid the attention that might come with boasting about one's laurels. Furthermore, she identifies with how the creature has a distinctive purpose and was created with intention by "the watchful/maker," in the same way that she derives personal meaning from poetry. The next stanza's opening line, with enjambment from the following stanza" presents an image of fragility and fertility. "..she scarcely/eats until the eggs are hatched," implies the constant overbearing pressure to follow a social clock that Moore entirely disregards because she is so dialed into her aforementioned purposes of poetry and caring for her mother, just like the paper nautilus. I also found the image of the crab to be interesting, as perhaps an allusion to her relationship with and obligation to her mother. She characterizes herself as like the "crab loyal to the hydra," as she is somewhat burdened by her own sense of home, but also fully derives her sense of identity from this bond. It is this home that acts as her facade, and one that she rigidly adheres to, because it "is the only fortress strong enough to trust to." Moore only knows this one sense of home, and builds a reliance on her internal strength to balance the cultivation of identity, obligation of caring for her mother, and advancement of her career.
See you Friday on Zoom! :)