Board Home | Search | Login The Resistance HQ :: Resistance Forums :: Resistance Discussions :: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath Author Topic: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath (Read 3,919 times) Bane Wulfe Guest Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Thread Started on Jul 12, 2004, 4:48am » I did a little research and found this quite funny (interesting) for all of you who look closely at the film. Did anyone notice in the church scene, that Partridge was really thumbing through and reading Sylvia Plath's poetry--not Yeats'? We always see him holding the book, "The Poetry of William Butler Yeats," but if you pause the film where it does a close up on the pages, he is reading two long poems by Sylvia Plath: "The Detective" and "The Bee Meeting." He only reads aloud "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven," which is a Yeats poem. Look here and you will find the exact poem shown in the pages Partridge was reading! http://www.plathonline.com/poems/Detective.html http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/sylviaplath/1439 However, in my opinion, these two poems are still well chosen to portray Partridge's inner feelings. You can see the correlation between Libria and the "secretary of bees"--drone-like people, as well as the line, "they are making me one of them." And we understand the loss of emotion and sexual tension--the feeling that the body is dead--just as Libria enforces, in the next poem: "The breasts next. These were harder, two white stones." - Genevieve ^_^ Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged JenGe Evidentiary Storage Officer member is offline "Its just a vestigial word for a feeling you've never felt." Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 8,505 Location: Surfing the Net Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #1 on Jul 12, 2004, 10:07am » Wow, that is absolutely fascinating. It makes me wonder what else Wimmer has hidden in the film. It also fits with that fact that I believe Seamus is named for Seamus Heaney which Robert Lowell stated was "the most important Irish poet since Yeats." http://www.ibiblio.org/dykki/poetry/heaney/heaney.bio.html I also like to compare this film to The Da Vinci code as well where things have double meanings & hidden messages. Kurt Wimmer has certainly placed more in his film than I noticed at first glance & I noticed a bunch of them. « Last Edit: Jul 12, 2004, 10:08am by JenGe » Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." - Truman Show Libby Grammaton Cleric First Class member is offline Life is a rollercoaster, just gotta ride it! Joined: Nov 2003 Gender: Female Posts: 3,138 Location: England Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #2 on Jul 12, 2004, 11:05am » Amazing...I think we'd all been made aware that the poetry wasn't all Yeats, but I hadn't thought that the others would be significant...very often props are used which bear no relation to the film at all but which fit the bill visually. I have to say I'm not a fan of Sylvia Plath. I did go through the usual reading and discussing 'depressing poetry/songs' bit when I was a teen and at uni (many's the time Leonard Cohen could be heard droning from my room, mourning something or other!) but I tend to like my pessimism laced with a good dose of optimism, too! Still, the analogies are an exciting find and I think Genevieve should maybe get a coke...what do you think, Jen? Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged ] Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. JenGe Evidentiary Storage Officer member is offline "Its just a vestigial word for a feeling you've never felt." Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 8,505 Location: Surfing the Net Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #3 on Jul 12, 2004, 11:10am » Quote: Still, the analogies are an exciting find and I think Genevieve should maybe get a coke...what do you think, Jen? Libby, it must be your job to know what I'm thinking because I was just hunting down the link... Here Genevieve...the site's award for a job well done above & beyond the call of duty (or just for discovering something kewl)...a virtual coke for you... Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." - Truman Show Cleric Queenie Grammaton Cleric First Class member is offline The Council RULEZ! Joined: Jan 2004 Gender: Female Posts: 786 Location: Germany Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #4 on Jul 12, 2004, 11:45am » Great job! I always wondered about those lines in the book and I always wanted to check it, but never got round to it! GREAT! Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged "Equium est Libertas" - or wasn't it something like this? I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure! "Don't touch that, it's dangerous, honey!" "Come with me if you wanna live!" http://www.christianbale.net http://www.clericpreston.net Libby Grammaton Cleric First Class member is offline Life is a rollercoaster, just gotta ride it! Joined: Nov 2003 Gender: Female Posts: 3,138 Location: England Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #5 on Jul 12, 2004, 1:13pm » Wow! Inspired by Genevieve, I looked at the other Plath poems in Patridge's book... This one is called 'The Courage of Shutting-up'... One line, although about a surgeon, rings true... 'He has seen too much death, his hands are full of it.' http://www.plathonline.com/poems/Courage.html and the out-of-focus one, just before 'The Detective' is called 'A Birthday present'...make of it what you will... http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/sylviaplath/7849 Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged ] Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Bane Wulfe Resistance Member member is offline Lord Victor Bane Wulfe Joined: Jul 2004 Gender: Female Posts: 11 Location: CA Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #6 on Jul 12, 2004, 3:20pm » Quote: It also fits with that fact that I believe Seamus is named for Seamus Heaney which Robert Lowell stated was "the most important Irish poet since Yeats." Oh yeah! Good call, JenGe! I was trying to find connections to the character names as well but didn't catch the one you pointed out. Your Seamus Heaney relation is interesting and very plausible! Thanks for the link. Do you think John Preston was based off of John Preston (1587 - 1628), the English Puritan Divine, a cleric whose preachings in Calvinism had considerable popularity? Hmm... maybe it's too much of a stretch. If you find any more allusions, I'd love to hear! Quote: I also like to compare this film to The Da Vinci code as well where things have double meanings & hidden messages. Kurt Wimmer has certainly placed more in his film than I noticed at first glance & I noticed a bunch of them. Yes, I very much agree! One of the many reasons why I appreciate the film is for all of the subtle allusions to literary works and historical events that Wimmer entices us to find out. Quote: Here Genevieve...the site's award for a job well done above & beyond the call of duty (or just for discovering something kewl)...a virtual coke for you... *blinks and eyes light up* Wow!! What an unexpected but pleasant surprise! 'Tis such an honor. Thank ye, thank ye, thank ye!!!! ^_^ *beams widely* - Genevieve Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged Bane Wulfe Resistance Member member is offline Lord Victor Bane Wulfe Joined: Jul 2004 Gender: Female Posts: 11 Location: CA Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #7 on Jul 12, 2004, 3:24pm » Quote: Great job! I always wondered about those lines in the book and I always wanted to check it, but never got round to it! Thank you, Queenie! - Genevieve Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged Bane Wulfe Resistance Member member is offline Lord Victor Bane Wulfe Joined: Jul 2004 Gender: Female Posts: 11 Location: CA Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #8 on Jul 12, 2004, 3:45pm » Quote: This one is called 'The Courage of Shutting-up'... One line, although about a surgeon, rings true... 'He has seen too much death, his hands are full of it.' http://www.plathonline.com/poems/Courage.html and the out-of-focus one, just before 'The Detective' is called 'A Birthday present'...make of it what you will... http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/sylviaplath/7849 Ahh, thanks for finding out the out of focus poem, I've been wondering about that. It's a very interesting read, and I see many places where "Courage" ties into the movie's theme--I'm happy you posted the link! Quote: I hadn't thought that the others would be significant...very often props are used which bear no relation to the film at all but which fit the bill visually. I agree with you! That's one reason why I find the film and clues like this so intriguing. ^_^ Quote: Still, the analogies are an exciting find and I think Genevieve should maybe get a coke... Yay! Thank you very much, Libby! - Genevieve Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged JenGe Evidentiary Storage Officer member is offline "Its just a vestigial word for a feeling you've never felt." Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 8,505 Location: Surfing the Net Re: Mistaken Poetry! Yeats vs. Sylvia Plath « Reply #9 on Jul 13, 2004, 12:14am » Quote: Do you think John Preston was based off of John Preston (1587 - 1628), the English Puritan Divine, a cleric whose preachings in Calvinism had considerable popularity? Hmm... maybe it's too much of a stretch. ... - Genevieve It's difficult to say for sure but I would not be surprised especially since the costume is based on a 19th century deacon's frock. Interesting discussion here!! Thanks Genevieve!! « Last Edit: Jul 13, 2004, 12:16am by JenGe » Link to Post - Back to Top   Logged "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." - Truman Show Forum Jump--------------------» Home--------------------» ----------------------------------------» Resistance Forums--------------------- Resistance Discussions- Freedom Reading Room- Gun Kata- EC-10 Sense Offenses--------------------» Equilibrium MOD: Hall of Mirrors--------------------- Equilibrium MOD & Gamers Forum- Hall of Mirrors Project (Private)- MOD Testing (Private)--------------------» The Nethers (off-topic forums)--------------------- Nethers Pub- One Man's Vision --- UltraViolet- Cleric Bale Bonding- Evidentiary Reports- Hall of Destruction--------------------» Archive--------------------- Archive- Project EQ (currently shut down)