Explication of My Number and I Had Heard It's a Fight

     In the poem My Number, by Billy Collins, the nature and timing of death is described as one of the most mysterious and unavoidable phenomenons in the world. In the first stanza of the poem, he questions whether "Death", which is capitalized like a proper noun almost as if it was a person, is going to appear for a widow living in Cincinatti, or whether it will find the soul of a lost hiker all the way in British Columbia, Canada. This poem begins to give life and personify this term of death by giving it tasks, but they are not all the tasks of an everyday person. The speaker questions all different methods that could potentially cause death. For example, "tampering the air brakes" which would imply a tragic car accident, and "scattering cancer cells like seeds" which refers to the dismal disease are all different scenarios the speaker offers. I think that the poet describes death as such a nonchalant sensation that will pass over every single person that walks this earth. Although the last paragraph implies that he is not ready for death himself, "Did you have any trouble with the directions?/ I will ask, as I start talking my way out of this", it all seems so casual to him.
    In the poem, I had heard it's a fight, by Edwin Derby, the speaker describes the concept of death in a much different fashion. For Billy Collins, death was more of an inevitable given. But in Edwin Derby's poem, death is rumored to be more like a brutal and exhausting fight, "At the first clammy touch/ You yell, you wrestle with it, it kicks you/ In the stomach". However, when death is upon him, he realizes that it is a much "sweeter" experience that was it was told to have been. The tone of this poem is definitely lighter than the tone of My Number with the rhyme scheme and the present imagery.

Comparing Apocalypse Now to Heart Of Darkness

     The back of the DVD cover of Apocalypse Now, states that the movie is a stunning reveal of the heart of darkness in all of us, alluding to the Joseph Conrad novel, Heart of Darkness. The movie takes place during the Vietnam War, while the book takes place in the late 1800's during the era of the Belgian Congo. Both Marlow and Martin Sheen's character face the heavy and dreadful tasks of being on an oppressive mission. Both these characters find themselves estranged from their loved ones and find themselves getting weaker and weaker as time drags on.
     Martin Sheen's character is shown in the beginning of the film as a soldier, quickly losing his mind in Saigon from the incredibly taxing nature of war, before being put up to the mission of finding Marlon Brando's character (whose name is Kurtz in the movie!). This is comparable to Marlow's internal quest to find the elusive Kurtz. Both Marlow and Lieutenant Willard hold a great amount of responsibility whether it be leading a steamship down a river or for the latter finding Kurtz who went rogue (accused of murder).
     Apocalypse Now Kurtz was described as one of the most brilliant officers that the Special Forces had ever seen. He was glorified by many and this is extremely similar to the legend of Heart of Darkness Kurtz, being one of the most renowned chiefs of the various Stations in Africa. Both Kurtz's have been described as elevating themselves to the standard of a god and having amazing careers. Kurtz had many talents and "gifts" that he could list as Apocalypse Now was known as a brilliant warrior. In the movie, there are talks over how Kurtz has most likely gone insane. The conditions and incredible illnesses they were exposed to in Vietnam are comparable to the dreadful diseases many men succumbed to in Africa. There is a crucial difference however, in how Lieutenant Willard was ordered to kill Kurtz, and Marlow made it his mission to try to save Kurtz.
   

Siren Song by Margaret Atwood

     Siren Song, by Margaret Atwood tells the story of the boring and predictable lust of a siren. The entire poem is an allusion to the period of Greek mythology and how it was dangerous for sailors and men to be lured in by the seductiveness of the sirens along with the beautiful and enchanting songs they would sing. The narrator in the poem happens to be a siren along with two others, and she confesses that although she may find entertainment in the way "the song that is irresistible... that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons", she does not enjoy the vanity of her lifestyle. With the author's birth date being in 1939, it can be assumed that this poem was written during the time of sexual revolution and women's rights becoming more of an important topic. Therefore, the mindset of the beautiful siren that is just plain tired of the job is taking on the mindset of what a modern woman's would have been during that time.
     The siren is speaking to a person, assumed to be a man, thinking that she can confide in him without him becoming completely entranced by the ever-present beauty and illusion of the sirens. While she begins to sing a song as a cry for help to the man, it starts to lure him in. The last stanza, "Alas/ it is a boring song/ but it works every time" makes the reader believe that all this time, it was not the true purpose of the siren to confide in the man, but to trick him under the circumstances and have him succumb to whatever they want. However, this still goes along with the theme of a woman using the powers of sex and beauty to accomplish whatever they choose. The enjambment in this poem works to the advantage of the siren because just when the reader thinks one thing is going to happen, the next line arrives and the plot differs.

Congo Free State

     Before it was known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that area was known as the Congo Free State during the time period of 1885 to 1908. This piece of land in Central Africa was owned by Belgium and controlled by King Leopold II, who reigned for 44 years. King Leopold was awarded this territory during the Conference of Berlin in 1885. The Congo Free State became infamous across the globe for the cruel treatment of the local citizens and the pillaging of the natural resources available, such as Ivory and Rubber. Although King Leopold's objective for occupying this land was to raise it to a high standard in terms of it's people and abundance of resources, he ended up ruining them altogether. The Congo Free State even became an international scandal of sorts because of King Leopold's failed efforts and after a source reported that white Belgian officials were guilty of killing hundreds of Congolese people (They were later held responsible for their actions and were punished). 

     As Rubber was very abundant and one of the most important exports of the Congo Free State, it took lots of labor from many of the native Congolese people to make it a successful business. This brutal labor often went unrecognized despite it's importance, quotas were near impossible to make, and pay was painfully low. If the workers did not make the quotas, they could be put to death or even worse, being mutilated by having their arms or hands chopped off. Living as a rubber worker in the Congo Free State was almost an unfortunate given, but it was not an ideal lifestyle. Countries and nations everywhere were disgusted by the atrocities that occurred, therefore leading to worldwide disdain.