--> The poem “Beginnings”(224) by Margaret Avison reminds me of when I used to go to church every Sunday. In church we learned about the workings of God, and we(the people in church) understood and believed in God and what God accomplished. Avison States that “Each of us has / some sense of God”(1-2), this means that some people believe in God, and some people may not, but either way they have heard of God and have chosen what to think about him.
--> Paul is the only character in this poem, other then the narrator, which is Margaret Avison. Although, I am not quite certain what Paul’s appearance in this poem is supposed to mean. The poem is stating that Avison has trouble combining her reality with her sense of god:
“some sense of God
and we’re all coping
with realities in our
life.
I have trouble getting the
two together.”(2-7)
Avison states that this problem of combining the two ideas is not just hers, it is everybody’s, including Paul and yourself: “You do too. / Everybody does. / Paul does.”(9-11)
and we’re all coping
with realities in our
life.
I have trouble getting the
two together.”(2-7)
Avison states that this problem of combining the two ideas is not just hers, it is everybody’s, including Paul and yourself: “You do too. / Everybody does. / Paul does.”(9-11)
--> I believe that Paul is a close member of God’s inner circle or family, or even God himself. If Paul is representing God, Avison is using this to show how hard combining your realities and God really is. Combining these two elements of life would be hard because God does not actually exists as a reality, although many people believe strongly in God, he is not actually visible and a big influence on your life. This idea is saying that if God, the leader of all, can not even combine his reality, then how are we supposed to be able to.
By: Rachelle Beuk
1 comment:
Wow Rachelle. You took a really tough poem and did a good job with it! Like before, there's really nothing for us (the commentors) to say. The only thing I can comment on is my interpreatation of who Paul is.
Like Professor Ogden said in lecture, Avison is really fond of taking a moment in time and expanding on it. I think that this poem was inspired by her hearing about St Paul the Apostle, a Biblical figure, perhaps in a sermon at church. Paul was not a Christian from the start. He began as a strict persecutor of Christians, and was named Saul. Then, one day during his travels, Jesus appeared to him in a vision that was so powerful, Saul was temporarily blinded. From then on, he was a strong and loyal follower of Jesus and changed his name to Paul. This conversion is what I believe Avison is talking about. When Paul was converted, he had "trouble getting the two together" (6-7) He could not combine both his sense of God and his reality, so he had to choose. This is what Avison means when she says "In a sense [Paul] starts here." (11) The early part of Paul's life was just the prelude to what happened on his travels, it was the reality in his life: he preached against God and persecuted Christians. However, when he saw Jesus, it was his sense of God that took over and became dominant. This is where he starts, where his real story begins. Further proof of this new beginning is Paul changing his name, so that he can start fresh.
- by Brianne Coffey
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