BLUEBIRD
by Charles Bukowski
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?
Monika Umba
2009
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2009
POEMS
Firstly, I have to confess that I did not know anything about this poet, so at the beginning the poem’s name did not caught my attention, I was thinking about a real bluebird and it was not interesting for me, due to I prefer love poems. I had to read twice because through my first reading I did not understand some words and the poem was so dull but the second reading was useful because I could infer some meaningful things which define me as a person.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, this poem makes us think that we have one part inside that we do not like show to others, because it could be our weakness and we would not want to be hurt. Also, it is maybe a side of our personality that we prefer do not let know our family or friends, because we just want to use our strengths in order to face up whatever situation that we go through.
Jessica Bandera.
Bluebird is an intimate poem in which Bukowski is describing a deep human truth: we are all vulnerable at the core. That is why we put on a mask in front of others, and we hide behind this mask so much that it becomes who we are. The bluebird is who we were before we put on the mask; the essence of our being; the newborn baby that we once were.Some of us never let it die; instead we put in a cage. We tend to neglect it when we are in the company of others, because to let it out, and let it sing, would be to put down the mask and bare one's naked soul. To let go of "one's self".
ReplyDeleteSometimes, in a rare moment of deep reflection, like Bukowskiw is capable of, we see that this bluebird is there, in its cage, and we make sure to let it out. Carefully, when no-one else is around to see. And we, the mask, acknowledge that the bluebird exists. We talk to it, and tell it not to be sad. Only then, the mask and the bluebird exist together in harmony. It's a beautiful and sad depiction of the profound nature of human existence.I think it is about fear and not letting others know the real you. The bluebird is the human being real self, true emotions. The fight for hiding who he really is. He realizes this but can't bring himself to let the bird self out.
When I first read the title of the poem, I immediately thought about freedom; because the blue bird represents what freedom is about. From my personal point of view I think that a bird is the best representation of freedom. This poem also made me think of depression and loneliness because, when you are sad you feel blue, you feel that you have nobody to be with and no one to talk to. That is why I want to talk about what this poem represents to me. I always see myself as a bird who wants to fly far away; however, in our life things are difficult, and sometimes we do not have the courage to pursuit our dreams because of the obstacles that we found in the way. I think that our life is like a rollercoaster, it has ups and downs; however, at the end of the road, we will see the light. As a humans beings we have secrets, we are afraid of changes and the things we do not know. Going back to the poem we are like the bird, we have feelings deep inside of our soul, and we do not show them because we think that is bad or people will make fun of us, in our minds there is desire, there are dreams, fears but of all them are hidden; for us, the best way to hide those things is to escape from them. Sometimes I think is because we are all vulnerable, we put in our faces a mask to show only the best of us; one friend of mine says that not all the people have the right to know how we are, not all the people have the power to understand the way we think, act or dress. It is hard to show how we truly are; however, sometimes we found friends, the only ones who know us so well that seems that there are not secrets between us, but most of the time we are like that bluebird who wants to fly but is afraid of going out and as the poem says “I’m not going to let anybody see you” the questions is: Why do we hide our feelings? For us, it is more important what other people think or what we really feel?
ReplyDeleteI must say that our life is perfect because if we suffer, we learn, if we cry at the end of the day we will be happy anyway. To sum up, I must say that we do not have to be afraid to show who we really are, neither to show what we feel inside, because all of us, is a world apart and we are all the same. We have to show our true colors, the colors that make us shine so bright and remove the mask of our soul and of course without losing our secrets and more important our essence.
There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out; that was the feeling that the poem “Blue bird” by Charles Bukowski left me when I read it, actually I think the purpose of the author was to remove the reader emotions, an also in the poem we can find imagery, we can say that indeed the reader imagination flies as the blue bird cannot do it.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, talking about the relationship between the author and the poem we can infer that the author reflects a wish of freedom or may be shyness taking into account the symbolism of the bird cage and making a contrast with his biography during his life he was shy and rejected because of some physical defects.
Blue bird
ReplyDeleteThis poem is one of the greatest I have ever read, it uses a different way of showing the inner person all people have and it also uses an attractive way of saying what we feel, besides the author shows us that no matter what you feel and what you see just do what you think is right.
On one hand the author uses a bird to show us that someone we have inside and also uses our body to let us know that is the cage of that bird, using those comparisons we can infer that are those elements what make us think of that person we have in. On the other hand, this poem made me think a lot about that inner me and also to understand why sometimes we act or react different in certain situations, because the author says that he does everything he can to keep that bird inside and not let it out, but sometimes he lets the bird out when everybody is asleep that made me think of those things we do when we want nobody to know or realize that, finally I can say that the author let me see the real person I am, the way I perceive the world and the way I behave facing the reality that surrounds me.
Fredys Beltran Betin
BLUEBIRD
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the poem “ Bluebird”, we realize that there is a man who wants to hide something in his life to get what he wants, I think that a dead bluebird for him represents the transition of an event that happened in his life, the bluebird in his heart represents the last bit of innocence he has and because of this, it is the most vulnerable part of him.
The color blue is associates with sadness, grief, sorrow, or despair. Birds are typically noisy and inspire so much happiness for its songs. Therefore, it makes sense to think that this “Bluebird” is some sort of sad emotion that wants to jump out. However, the Bluebird might be more than just feelings. Maybe, it’s his true self that’s trying to get out, but he doesn’t let it, to keep his reputation.
ADRIANA PAOLA MANOSALVA TORRES
Before reading « Bluebird » I had two opposite impressions. First and foremost, when I read the title “Bluebird” I thought of the qualities of a pet and its beauty. However, Charles Bukowski depicts a very meaningful symbol in “Bluebird”, because if one analyzes it carefully, one realizes that “blue” is not related to the blissfulness that one could experience when appreciating nature in its inner beauty, but “blue” has to do with the symbolic representation of sadness. In addition, a bird portrays the desire of freedom because of its wings; that is why Bukowski depicts in “Bluebird” his feelings of repression and frustration towards an inner torment (a bluebird ) that he is imprisoning inside him ( in his heart ) and he cannot release it because of the setbacks that it may cause.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, although Bukowski displays his inner weakness in “Bluebird”, he also shows his soberness to control his “Bluebird”, as he did not allow things to get out of hand, even if he looked for some relief in mundane things, which is the symbolic meaning of " whiskey", "cigarette smoke", " whores " and so forth. On the other hand, this poem made me reflect on the fact that one often blames others for one's misfortune; therefore, we often make the mistake of looking for foes outside, when we are the ones who turn into our own enemies and do not allow ourselves to overcome and get rid of problems but we made of those feelings our inner obstacles. Besides, being mentally strong does not mean restraining our feelings but being able to think deeper in order to find the right solution and then put it into practice, even if it goes against of the caprices that often mislead our minds.
COMMENT ABOUT THE POEM “BLUEBIRD” BY CHARLES BUKOWSKI
ReplyDelete“Bluebird” is a poem that shows us that every man has inside him another person, the one each individual really is. From this poem, I confirm that most of the time people hide something inside; they are not able to show or express what they really feel. But if we do not express what we feel we suffer, and that is why most of the time most of the people refuge on alcohol, drugs, or other ways for hiding their problems.
In addition, this poem which is really sad transmits the way how some human beings look for comfort (a futile comfort) in some abasing fiends of this miserable world. Only the weak persons do this, but it is true that the influence of groups is truly strong, and the society sometimes is the responsible some people have difficulties; for example racism, and all type of discrimination. Finally, we have to treat others as we want they treat us, in front of God all of us are equals.
MARTIN’S COMMENT
ReplyDeleteI want to say that this poem have been for me the exact representation what people do and have; as happens in the poem, there are people that drink and smoke in order to forget something that they have inside them. Almost all people have something inside them, which is the bluebird, something that we are not able to let it out, maybe we feel fear or perhaps we are insecure about them.
My personal view is that this poem represents the feelings of somebody; he has fear of showing his heart, consequently, he became a lonely man. Maybe he is a cold person. However, anybody knows about what he has inside him and the bird which is inside him. This kind of people is sensible, with feelings like us, but what happens is that they are powerless to demonstrate what they have or can do.
BLUE BIRD
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the poem, I could realize that the author is describing human beings inside, in which we are vulnerable. To protect our vulnerability, we put on a mask for protection and most of the time we forget the true essence of the life. The blue bird represents for me who we were before we put on the mask; it is the essence of our soul; for me it is like the child that we have inside and that in some occasions we have fear to show.
Now, this is a wonderful poem with a true story in the lyrics. Most of us have a secret part of us which we like to think is pure and good. It is considerate as our treasure (the blue bird) for that reason as human beings we feel pain and love each one of us has a secret in the heart that is going to leave at any time to show our real face.
Francy Katerine Bautista Boada
1094268215
“Heart is the cage of human beings bluebirds.” And bluebirds are not just tiles. According to Bukowski, these could be interpreted as hardships that we gather; problems that are hided inside us and which we do not share because of embarrassment or maybe because of fear. All of these bluebirds have names, and its names are related to the dimension of our pain.
ReplyDeleteEvery day, we face different situations. Some of them are good; others are excellent or fantastic and we share them. On the contrary, we also face bad and disgraceful circumstances, in these moments we keep our problems and we suffer in silence; the only one who knows our worries is our heart, and he becomes our friend, our accomplice, the one who takes care of our plights, our bluebirds.
LENNY JOHANA ALVARADO RICO.
What I could infer is that this poem has two senses; first of all the objective interpretation and secondly the subjective interpretation. The author used a blend of words which allow us to think about what the word “Bluebird” means for him, could be the author felt identified by the bird and the color blue could be synonym of sadness, loneliness or despair because of something.
ReplyDeleteTalking about the objective interpretation I inferred that a bird is just a pet that always was with him, a bird which sang when Charles was bored that inspired m to think of freedom or a real friendship, but if I think about what the poem really means, the bird is just what we have inside us, our other side, what people do not know about us; it is the representation of an internal fight in order to seem always as a good person in front of people, that is why the author secure that he just left it going out when people were sleeping. All people have a second personality which can be represented by an animal as bluebird represents the personality of Charles Bukowsky.
Heydi
We have a bluebird inside, but most of the time he is hidden because we are afraid of showing him to others because of his meaning, perhaps this bluebird represents an impossible love, a deep sadness, anger or fear, or a strong feeling of guilt, we do not let this bluebird out because if we do it, we will be weak and people will change the way they see us. It is just a way to protect ourselves.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I think that this bluebird is not always a bluebird, sometimes it is an animal, or a thing or even our inner child that is expecting go out and makes feel us that our innocence is with us again, we can show our bluebird without fear because it is the essence of our existence, it is actually who we are and it is part of our personality.
Maria Lisseth Gelvez
The poem reflects the torment we can feel inside when there is something about our personality that is hidden in the depths of our souls. Sometimes, we are afraid to let our bluebird get out and we restraint it maybe because the consequences after their appearance could destroy us and maybe other people’s life. Sometimes, in our weakness the bluebird is visible but rapidly we stop ourselves to succumb to the emotion that could make us feel miserable.
ReplyDeleteThus, as human beings we look for protection behind masks. For me the bluebird is the person we really are without that facade, in other words the essence of our souls. The difficult part is to recognize it, due to the fact that we never know it well enough to let it go and we are not secure enough to let it represent us. For that reason, we always try to find the way for them to coexist together even if sometimes the battle inside become fierce. At this point it is important to think about which side is strongest in our own heart.
Alfonso Rodriguez
ReplyDeleteComment about the poem “Bluebird”
“Bluebird” is a great poem written by the marvelous American poet Charles Bukowski. Through this poem the author states how a common person feels deep inside. Maybe the writer wants to express his own feelings during the life as a drudge.
When I first read the title I thought of someone who was imprisoned, because the idea I have about birds is that they are prisoners as they become pets. Afterwards, when knowing about Bukowsky, I realized the meaning of that bluebird inside a man. Also, I relate this poem to the story of the canary in the paly “Trifles” and then we confirm that the bird is the symbol of freedom. But in this case it made me think of depression and loneliness because, when you are sad you feel blue, you feel that you have nobody to be with and no one to talk to, or you think there is not a true friend in who you could trust without hesitation to open your heart and find support to your worries. If so, you will consider everyone would judge, criticize and punish you.
From my personal point of view, being sincere, I believe “there is a bluebird in my heart” and that is why I felt identified with the author. If we look around, there are plenty of people who do not accept others for being different. Society is afraid of finding someone different, when that happens, they try to shift him/her to the behavior they consider is the correct, avoiding for sure the enormous possibilities of doing a rich variety of points of view.
Finally, as human beings we have secrets, we are afraid of changes and the things that are unknown. According to the poem we are like the bird, we have feelings deep inside of our soul, and we do not show them because we think that is bad or people will make fun of us, in our minds there is a wish, there are dreams, fears but of all them are hidden. That happens because we are all vulnerable; hence we wear in our faces a mask to show only the best of us, instead of the black things. It is hard to show how we truly are; but most of the time we are like a bluebird that wants to fly away but it is afraid of going out and as the poem says “I’m not going to let anybody see you”.
BLUEBIRD
ReplyDeleteBy Charles Bukowski
Reading about Bukowski I concluded that in this poem there is almost a personality hidden in the author’s life. For that reason, I decided to read it and to understand how he perceived the world and what his feelings were. I suppose “Bluebird” is a symbol of the emotions he suppressed; this poem is a way to let his emotions out not only when he was alone but also when he wrote.
Since the first time I read it, I felt through this poem Charles Bukowski touches on themes of depression, and loneliness. However, even though these topics seem to be about those people who have no one to count on, Bukowski creates a beauty throughout the feelings and some techniques to escape of it trying to suppress the bluebird’s existence through means of denying it, such as smoking, drinking, and participation in prostitution to deter his mind from the presence of this behavior. “There is a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke and the whores and the bartenders and the grocery clerks never know that he’s in there”.
To conclude, I think this poem is about how most men are unwilling to show their emotions and tend to keep things inside. Men wrestle with their emotions within their own mind and do not show them in even their most private times, maybe because we are afraid of being hurt or not being understood by others. This poem shows all those excuses what we rely on to avoid showing the "weak" side we all possess.
‘’BLUEBIRD’’
ReplyDeleteBy: Charles Bukowski
Oftentimes, we find ourselves facing certain situations of life, in which we must be strong, in which, we have to be like rocks, in which, we must hide what we really are inside. This is a reflection of what this breathtaking poem aroused from me, and from my insight. Now, to describe a poet like Bukowski becomes not a hard but an overwhelming work to do, seeing that his personality is able to make us fall in an imaginary world, full of confusing feelings, and owing to how he was behaving in society, and what he could really be inwards.
However, this is not such a new deal for people who might read the poem, I could make sure that many of us felt identified by any of the ideas or the sentences exposed there, seeing that most of people use to have more than one way to behave, one way to feel and one way to think, like having more than one personality. But why do I say this? Sometimes, people show others just what they think is appropriate to do, what according to society rules must be done, but, what about what they really are? What about the way they think inside, the way they behave when being alone or what they would really like to scream out?
Not always, what we see enlightening our path is the moon, not always a smile is a synonym of ‘’being okay’’, and not always a tear means sadness. Bukowski spent his life concealing what he really was, stopping his feelings and showing his ‘’not best part’’, maybe he had his reasons to do it, but the question remaining will always be ‘’was he really HAPPY?’’.
“BLUEBIRD”
ReplyDeleteBY Charles Bukowski
“Bluebird” is a poem which describes the opposite that someone can think. At the beginning, people can infer that it is about the story of an animal, in this sense, the story of a bird which flies on the heaven expressing the freedom that people should have, live and sharing towards others. However, the intention of the “bluebird” ’s author is to show the situation of man that is in prison himself because of his great fear to express his feelings facing others.
Taking into account, the real context of the poem after doing an exhausting reading is clear to mention that this story involves several aspects with regard to the implicit meaning that has the expression “let get out the feelings”. Many words come to our mind when we talk to let getting out something that we do not want to let getting out. Words such as sorrow, loneliness, uncertainty, fear and low esteem to say something, to express something or to share something.
To sum up, the author of this poem aims that human being reflects with respect to his living condition, his mood, his personal judgment and his emotions which he finds similar to a bird into a cage what means they never get out because they are in prison and only a confident man what he believes and feels can be able to express them.
YULY PRADA
“BLUEBIRD”
ReplyDeleteBy:Charles Bukowski
This amazing poem was written by the hand of the controversial poet widely known as Charles Bukowski, who wrote his successful poems based on the hard critics to his time society, and its old socio-cultural precepts. They are reflections of old conservative archetypes, fashionable lifestyle, and the continuous consumerism in which people live immersed. Actually, Charles Bokowski in makes a huge tribute to the solitude in his poems, which was showed in one of the gloomiest poems I have ever read, and which I liked the most.
In that order of ideas, the poet showed in ‘’Bluebird’’his own autobiography revealing his double personality, and whose feelings were often fighting inside to get out, actually, he suffered and only showed the face that society had rather to see. However, the poet was a sufferer of the cruel society; I say that because he was very close to the nightlife which allowed him to live abusing of drugs, and his complaisance with the alcohol, and the relation with whores, made of his life a shadowy poem in which the main character was the author himself.
To conclude, through this poem, I learned that everyone has a bluebird in our lives, fear of being alone, also the depression that clings to us, they are not the best company to be happy. thus I was touched by the poem because I consider that sometimes I get a double personality; my first side is always visible to people, but the other one is repressed making me feel unhappy, now and again the two faces take me, but I am in calm, then… with a deep breath I realize that I am this bluebird which it is not able to get out.
BLUEBIRD
ReplyDeleteBy: Charles Bukowski
Sadness, it is the contrary of happiness, that is the first thing that people think about sadness, but in this poem “ Bluebird” is the principal word of this composition, when I read the title I related it with sadness because of the meaning of the colour blue. The poem is characterized by the line of bluebird that wants to get out represented the feeling of someone that experienced it inside. Sometimes we had feelings that want to show; however there are some reasons that support the action for not do it.
The blue bird in this poem, it was a remarkable symbol, I consider everybody have secrets, feelings and facts that can be illustrated through a blue bird. In this case, Bukowski the author showed through this poem his blue bird, he revealed his sentimental part of human beings. I think the word “bluebird” can characterize a talent, no always “bluebird” it is negative aspect of people; I know many people that have talent for something but they do not like to express or share it with others.
Moreover, I felt identified with this poem due to my behaviour in different situations of my life, I have hidden what really want to say or do, taking into account the real meaning of this poem, know I consider that we can have temporal bluebird or bluebird for ever, I also believe we can decide what will be the colour of the bird, and what will be our birds, we are owners of our lives and the only responsibles of our facts, as owners of the life we decide what aspect of our lives to show,to whom show and with whom share.
To conclude, I would like to say, that always we have to try to show the best, give the best part that we have and live every day as the last day of our life, I am aware that every person have their culture and they have lived the life different to other, I know everybody had passed bad and good moments in the life, nonetheless we have to fight for our ideals and dreams and avoid creating bluebird of the bad moments, we must keep up happy birds from good and happy moment of our lives ….
BLUEBIRD-COMMENT
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the title of this poem “Bluebird” I thought about freedom because of the bird, a common symbol of freedom, immediately I felt curiosity of reading this magnificent poem written by Charles Bukowski. The poem clearly showed us as reader, our daily life which we confront and sometimes we do not have the courage to fight it.
We as human’s beings are sensible because we have secrets, dreams, fears hidden, and sometimes we want to escape from them but we cannot because the society. That was really noted in the poem when the author stated: “there’s a blue bird in my heart that wants to get out” However, I would say that our lives are not perfect, but it is important to fight and learn every day of each experience.
In addition, “Bluebird” provided us a different way of writing, here the author used a contemporary style of writing poems, the structure was free, but when we started reading we discovered a variety of feelings, it was not necessary to hear it to understand what the author wanted to show us, that desire to cry and show himself as he really was.
To conclude, I would like to say that I felt identified with this poem due to we have inside a blue bird but we decide or not to share it to the others. I have a bird in my heart, a bird full of love and with a great desire to discover the world, because I do not have fear now.
Nataly's comment
ReplyDeleteBluebird,
by Charles Bukowski
The Bluebird symbolizes who we really are and how we really act in many aspects of our life like: our feelings, emotions, happiness, madness, sadness, our joy, our pleasure, our love as well as our depression: The bird in this case is what makes us human beings, although we reject that part of our life, forgetting that it is a part of us that will be forever in us and that make a fundamental part of us.
Sometimes we try to hide some feelings just because of the society or perhaps because of the social status, but it is impossible letting completely that part out of our history even thought if we are scared of those reactions, people is just ashamed of showing what they really are, they think avoiding feeling is a good behavior and also something intelligent, however people insist on repressing their true identity.
I would like to highlight the line "there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out" it makes me as reader focus on the thing that there is a side of you that only you know exists and it is clear that you cannot let anybody see that side that exist in you, the part that make you unique.
Nataly Guarin
Before starting talking about my impressions about the “Bluebird” poem, it is necessary to give you a background of Charles Bukowski’s life in order to better understand his way of writing and the facts that influenced him and his works as a writer. Charles Bukowski’s real name was Heinrich Karl Bukowski and he was an American poet and writer that was born in Germany and which writing was influenced by Los Angeles’ atmosphere, the place where he spent most of his life. Several times he has been associated with a 50s American group of writers which writings’ main concern was the phenomenon of that time, the rejection towards drugs, alcohol and sexual freedom.
ReplyDeleteTalking about the poem “Bluebird”, for me, the poet used it as a way of expressing himself and his fears but not in a direct way, it is not showed that he was feeling prisoner in his own body and that he wanted to free that bird that represents the author’s aspects that maybe are not acceptable for the society, all that information is inferred by the readers but only by doing an analysis of the poem, not just reading it, but getting involved in it. Maybe the author got immersed in that world of drugs, alcohol and women because it though it was the only way he had to forget what was happening to him and for him, those addictions would have hidden his fears. So, maybe that is the reason why he was considered as part of that group of American writers, because he expressed in his writing that phenomenon of the drugs, alcohol and women’s addictions.
Finally, I have to say I am not used to read poems because I found it difficult to write and obviously to analyze, because I though you need to know the author first, his childhood in order to understand what he wanted to express. But in the case of this poem, it was easy to understand what the author wanted to express because it is a common feeling that not only he experienced, and although author’s childhood was a little difficult, it inspired him to write and to use his writings to express his life, his experiences, his fears, his desires. That poem helped me to understand that we need to express our feelings no mattering if the others do not like us to be like that, because what it is important is to feel good with ourselves, to not feel prisoners in our bodies. The important is to be free.
First of all, I would like to share with you my passion for poetry. I started reading Latin American poets such Mario Benedetti, Neruda and José Ángel Buesa when I was twelve years old. Since that time the books and literature in general became the best part of my life. In this opportunity I could read a free poem called « Bluebird » written by the genius Charles Bukowski. I had already read this author and I consider him a bohemian genius. Bukowski represents for me the rebel writer that made us feel impressed because of his writing style which is very simple and easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the poem itself, I think that the author was searching a way for expressing himself and also to show us the reality he was experiencing. For me, the cage was his body where were placed all the beautiful feelings that he always tried to hide and the bird was the symbol of his free mind and heart. I think he suppressed his emotions because society was expecting the usual strong and rude man. In the story we can find alcohol, drugs and women as the addictions in which Bukowski covered his deepest fears and feelings.
To conclude, I would like to say that although the bad experiences Bukowski had when he was a child, he never lost his human part, he was a real man having good and really bad moments but always trying to tell people his reality. With this poem I could learn that despite the sad moments in our lives, we need to let our feelings and emotions out. This poem taught me that we need to feel better with ourselves, we need to face our fears, we need peace and we need to show to the others how we actually are.
"Bluebird" by Charles Bukowski
ReplyDeleteI always have admired poets because they are capable of doing something that most of the people do not: sharing their sincere thoughts through their poems. Humans are afraid of getting hurt and rejection, we feel scared of showing what we really are, so we use different means to be ourselves and express our innermost feelings; for example, through music, sport, writing and poetry. In this case, Bukowski was a genius because he was able to use all what he had been experiencing throughout his life, to exploit those bad and good situations creating a majestic art reflected through his poetry.
‘Bluebird’ is a poem written in a simple way, easy to understand and direct to the point. I felt the poet’s voice and in some way, I felt identified. For me, Bluebird represents the poet’s heart, his last bit of innocence, his most vulnerable part that he wanted to keep it safe. It is a symbol of the boy he once was, an adorable but frightened boy. Maybe, that is the reason of people wearing masks to feel safe and protected from danger of being different from the others. Similarly, the whiskey and cigarettes in the poem represent a mask covering the sadness and fears which keeps the bluebird from getting out, and singing which represents his happiness when the bluebird is out at nights where no one can see it. Likewise, the fact that his father regularly beat him as a child touched me deeply, I completely disagree with the parental abuse, some people think that children grew up and forgot those terrible moments and that is not true, they will always have those memories in their minds.
In this way, I appreciate Bukowski’s courage at a time where it was difficult for a man to show his feelings and be real without being judged in a society surrounded by judgment faces establishing that a man has to be brave and tough to be accepted. He might be thinking that if people do not look at him as a bad ass, they will not accept him. On the contrary, Bukowski decided to transform their vulnerability and overwhelming feelings into poetry, he taught me two valuable things: first, we must face our fears and feel comfortable being who we are, we are unique in a magic way and no one should make us feel that is not worth to be happy. Second, we must protect whatever happiness we have, no matter how little, and kept our bluebird deep inside so nobody else could get to it and take it away. Therefore, we decide if we want to share it or not because we are the only ones who know what our happiness is.
Poems are author’s displays that can reveal since his most outward appearances until his innermost thoughts. Most of these feelings are related to love, passion, tenderness and joyous. In the other hand, some poets express sadness, madness and melancholy. Nevertheless, there are other authors who can combine all those feelings creating complex and elaborated writings. An instance of this sort of poets is Charles Bukowski. Thanks to his poem “Bluebird”, we can know one secret he had in the depths of his heart.
ReplyDeleteThis magnificent poem shows the most tormented side of the author. Owing to his terrific experiences suffered when he was a child, Bukowski hides behind a false personality. He becomes a churlish, discourteous and impertinent man in order to avoid agonies and anguishes. Moreover, he looks for escaping ways to shun the reality like alcohol drinks, whores and cigarettes. At the same time, this poem demonstrates his innocent side which anybody knows. He has a blue bird inside of him which symbolizes his true personality. With this bird, the author can be who really is. There is no fear to be rejected or bullied by it.
Without doubt, Charles was an innocent genius. In spite of his cruel experiences during all his life, he became a great and controversial poet due to his style of writing. In addition, readers know what his true nature was. That teaches us, we should be and demonstrate our most saved feelings which are inside of our heart. This is the unique way to face our fears and be accepted for who we are.
To begin, when I read the title I thought that it referred to a pet, maybe the poem was dedicated to a lost bird. In my opinion, the title could give me a clue about the colour blue which could refer to the feelings of the author but feelings of sadness. Additionally, I could think that this poem was going to be sorrowful.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the poem, this was written by Charles Bukowski a German poet who grew up in Los Angeles, California. In the first place, the poem was about a bluebird which was inside a man’s heart and it wanted to get out but the man was against that. In the second place, we could do a comparison between the heart and the bluebird, in this way, this bird represented the feelings of that man and the heart represented a cage. So, as a result, we said that the purpose of this poem is to typify the manliness or masculinity of men which always is represented as rude and harsh.
Consequently, society has always tended to see men as heartless people who cannot show their sentiments because this could exhibit frailty or foible. Another argument is that this poem is a reflection of author’s life which was cruel and uninhibited; sometimes most of writers have tried to reflect their own life in their stories and of course they have accomplished this objective. I arrive at the conclusion that we have to show our real feelings, it does not mind if people criticise them, on the contrary, we have to be strong and be sure of ourselves.
Before reading “Bluebird” by Charles Bukowski, I had the idea that this was another story because I read a play of the same name two years ago and I did not remember its author’s name (Maurice Maeterlinck) or the fact that the second was a play instead of a poem so I confused them both; however, after reading the poem I was both surprised and amazed, because I really enjoyed the message that the author was trying to convey: sometimes, there is an internal struggle between being ourselves or being the one in order to survive in this cruel world. I think that the bluebird represents everything that we are but we cannot be if we want to stay strong; maybe it is our weaknesses, our innocence which can be hurt by the merciless reality or simply our other self, the one we have to keep inside to avoid our annihilation.
ReplyDeleteThere is a variety of meanings for the bluebird which is inside a cage, but one thing is true: it is too dangerous to let this bird fly in the world, because it is too vulnerable and it might die. This is a real shame because it means that we cannot accept a part of ourselves and we have to deny it since the world is a dangerous place, and letting ourselves exposed would mean fatality. If the world is supposed to be our home but we cannot be ourselves completely in there, what is it there for us then? Frustration, that is it. That is what I perceive from those lines, because the author is saying that he has to pour whiskey on his bluebird and inhale cigarette smoke to cover his existence and then “let him out at night sometimes when everybody's asleep”. I believe that he was feeling guilty for keeping the bluebird confined and unhappy, singing in the hope that somebody would hear it and set it free.
Poets are brilliant, because they can picture a feeling with words, which is hard for most of the people, for instance, describing what love or happiness is; nevertheless, poets can achieve that difficult goal. Moreover, they can express what they feel and sometimes make others feel it too; if that is not something extraordinary then I do not know what it is. Finally, I want to receive the message from Bukowski thinking positive: “Do not imprison your bluebird; let it fly in the sky, free and happy as it should be, because its happiness is yours as well”.
“Bluebird” written by Charles Bukowski, is an interesting poem, because it is based on the real situation that the author lived, due to his condition in front of the society. This is the way which the author expresses his feelings of fear, sadness and loneliness. When I read the title of the poem, I thought about different topics such as love, nature or blissful emotions, but after reading the whole text, I discovered the writer’s intension and how he described indirectly his uncertainties and desires.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I thought when I read just the title of the poem: the word "blue" I figured out it was something about sadness, considering the relationships of some colors with emotions or moods. So, I thought the poem was about love, but when I found some rude words, I felt disappointed, because it was a poem written in a different way than others that I had read. Similarly, I can say that in writing everyone is free to express his thoughts and the author is the one who decides how he wants to make it, thus to engage the readers with the feelings that the author felt when writing it.
Actually, I liked the poem, although I read it but I had not analyzed it, now, I can understand the reason why the author used those words to describe his unfortunate situation. This also allows us to think that there are things, thoughts, feelings and even experiences that sometimes people want to avoid or hide from others, in that way they do not see them as weak or anyone discover their fragile side.
Bluebird
ReplyDelete“Bluebird” was written by Charles Bukowski and first published in 1992. This poem depicts the innermost battle of every human being. When reading the text for the very first time I could realize this was the story of a real man that struggled with his inner torments. This perfectly characterizes the fear of letting people’s feelings out. Bukowski illustrates the inhibition of dreaming, and expressing affection by using imagery and metaphor. Additionally, I appreciated how this writer employed words in order to recreate each scene in the reader’s minds.
Once I read the text I could not be more agree. I immediately felt identified, due to the fact that I am a person that keeps things for herself, I am not a person is used to demonstrate affection easily. On the one hand, I strongly believe that “bluebird” illustrates the personality of the writer. The word “bird” means freedom and serenity. On the other hand, he describes himself as a tough man who his aggressiveness is his main characteristic, when he mentions cigarettes, whiskey, prostitutes. It is known that he used strong, explicit and violent language, maybe because of the way he grew up and the way he was raised. Taking into account that he was surrounded by an atmosphere of drugs and violence. Somehow, he wrote poems because he felt the necessity to manifest his feelings by writing, perhaps to support others that are in the same situation.
All in all, this poetic work is a reflection of our real emotions, even if we seem to be heartless, if we do not care what people say. From my perspective, this is a mixture of anger, arrogance, dread and fragility that is inside human’s thoughts. I consider that it helped me to understand how complex and vulnerable we can be. Moreover, I learnt the meaning of never being rude and never hiding our deepest feelings.
“Bluebird”
ReplyDeletePoems are writers’ mirrors that can come to light from their most outward appearances to their innermost thoughts. Most of these feelings are related to passion, love, friendship, peace and happiness. On the other hand, some poets express melancholy, suffering, misery and affliction. Nevertheless, there are other authors who can mix all those feelings and emotions creating complex writings. An example of this sort of poets is Charles Bukowski. Thanks to his poem “Bluebird”, we are able to know one secret he had saved deep in his heart.
This marvelous poem shows the stormiest side of the writer. Owing to his painful childhood, Charles Bukowski hides himself behind a false personality. He becomes a churlish, disrespectful, discourteous and cold-hearted man in order to avoid agonies and anguishes. Furthermore, he looks for escaping ways to keep away from his reality, such as prostitutes, cigarettes and alcohol. At the same time, this poem presents his innocent side which nobody knows but him. The author has a bluebird inside which represents his real nature and all his purest feelings.
Finally, Bukowski was a genius. In spite of his hard experiences during his whole life, he became a majestic and controversial poet due to his extraordinary style of writing. In addition, readers were able to know what his true character was. It teaches us that we should express the true feelings that are inside of our hearts. This is a unique way to face our fears and be accepted for who we really are.
CAMILO ANDRES CASADIEGOS NIZ.
"Bluebird", written by Charles Bukowski, it is an interesting work based on people life experiences and emotions. The author, through this bluebird that represents sadness and loneliness, wants to show his childhood which was full of suffering because of his abusive father’s treatment and the insulting comments of his neighbors, facts that brought him into a great depression. This poem shows the fact that several times people have secrets, fears, ideas, or even dreams that they want to express but they do not have the courage to do it for fearing to be rejected or ignored.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this poem, we can notice that the author’s intention is to express something that is very common in the life of all people, as it is the situation of feeling desolate, without having someone to count and to trust their intimate problems or issues. Therefore, this people try to seek refuse or to vent through some means as it is smoking, drinking, and even resorting to whores. These actions will lead to people to become more vulnerable, developing personality problems, and depending extremely of these means in order to feel good. These people create a kind of mask to protect themselves from neglect and rejection of society, and also to cover or hide their true personality, either to avoid any disappointment or not to live moments of disillusion and anguish such as they have been doing it previously.
To sum up, I really enjoyed this poem, as it leads us to analyze about our personality and our personal relationships with everyone around us. Also, something that caught my attention was the way as it can be expressed an infinite amount of emotions through this literary composition, allowing people to show their feelings or experiences, or conversely, to discover someone else emotions.
“Bluebird” by Charles Bukowski was first published in the collection of poems named “The Last Night of the Earth Poems” in 1992. It is a short poem that makes reference to an innermost battle. There is an alternate personality buried in the nadirs of the speaker’s life, who I assume is the author of the poem himself. He is afraid of letting the bluebird out, at peril of losing what he has managed to hold onto through his dejection and sorrow experience. The author tries to overpower the bluebird´s existence by means of denying it, using distracting methods such as smoking, drinking and searching for prostitutes at bars, and in this way he daunts his mind from the presence of the bluebird. It is also noticeable how at the end of the poem the author, alone, addresses the bluebird and lets it escape, at least for a while. Therefore, there is a small fraction of weakness shown when he comforts the crying bluebird, though, it does not last long. He puts the bluebird away and stops himself from yielding to this emotion that would destroy him.
ReplyDeleteI believe this poem is a shout for help from the author. He has been known for depicting the depravity of urban life, using direct language, sometimes violent and offensive. This, I think, is due to his own abuse when he was a child. His father, his classmates, even the rejection by girls when he was a teenager, are factors that pushed him to go that way and eventually end up at the bottom, emotionally. Bukowski was a prolific author, but on the inside is very clear that he was suffering and asking for liberation.
I can identify myself with the poem’s main idea, in the same way that everyone else. I consider that we all have our secrets, our own stuff that we do not want anybody else to find out. Maybe we are afraid of being rejected, or perhaps we are not sure how others are going to react. There are tons of reasons why we keep things hidden, but also I think there will be a day in which we take courage and let them all out, not giving a care about what other people think.
Bukowski intended to express his realistic nature within the poem “Blue bird”. He decreed to portray a man’s inner and deepest emotions which he must hide due to the image he himself created to face society. The composition exposes what an individual flocks in order to suppress the tough weight it represents to hide his real self from others by smoking, drinking, and spending money on prostitution.
ReplyDeleteFor the author, wearing a psychological mask is a human truth present on the daily basis that a few aboard or are aware of. Every human being deep inside is vulnerable. Some have worn a mask for so long when facing society that it has change what the person is.A bluebird is what Bukowski represents as our real selves; what make us authentic. It is very likely to conserve that fowl lock in a cage, action that lead to neglectingbeing surrounded by others as that bird can break free and put down the mask and bare our essence. For the poet is crucial that the feathered creature and the mask meet at some point when none is around, so that one is aware of the existence of the other and both can coexist in oneness.
Bukowski probably experienced that feeling in a moment of sad depiction, which took him to a state of introspection and a questioning of the nature of human existence.In the end, “Blue bird” was his desperate scream embodied as a limerick to proclaim how vulnerable and insecure, he really was. Withal, the softness beneath in thelayers of hurt and anger he amassed during his life were perhaps partially release with each word he wrote to compose the poem.
"Bluebird" by Charles Bukowski, is a poem that reflects the most tormented side of the author, given the experiences that he suffered during his childhood. As a reader, I could not discover what the title meant until I finished reading, but I must admit that when I was over, I realized that the expectations I had from the beginning were right. And, despite never having read about the author or his poems, it was easy to discover his true intentions and purposes that I even dared to give the poem a new name: “Life through a Mask”.
ReplyDeleteThis is a poem that represents the poet’s heart, his last bit of innocence, his most vulnerable side that he wanted to keep safe, but at the same time it represents the best way the author found to express his emotions and to transmit his deepest fears without seeming weak in front of the people who know him as a rough and rude man as usual. It is necessary to highlight that although the author transforms his feelings into a great literary composition, I disagree with him because a person must be shown as he is. We must learn that in spite of the sad moments in our lives, we need to let our emotions out, in addition, we need to show to others how we actually are, we must also demonstrate a single version of ourselves, love ourselves and accept ourselves without fear that people hurt or reject us.
To conclude, I can say that every day we face different, both good and bad situations and some people prefer being quiet and drown in their own pain, but this is the opportunity to tell them that though I am not the most expressive person in the world, I am conscious that the best way to heal our heart is to share what we really feel and realize that around us there is always someone ready to listen.
“Bluebird” is one of Bukowski’s best-known poems in which his presence is totally evident. It deals with one of deep-seated human emotions: vulnerability (the poem's theme). It is important to emphasize that this poem requires an understanding of the author's context to explore fully and deeply the text. His childhood was marred by a violent father who regularly beat him, likewise, he suffered an unpleasant case of acne that made him feel like an outsider creating not only a rebellion against his father but in general against society. In fact, the title itself "Bluebird" in literature refers to happiness and cheers, but in the poem in some way it represents the author's ethos that constantly prevents his softly, delicate and deep feelings to bloom up.
ReplyDeleteThus, for me the bluebird symbolizes his subtle side and his humanity; probably that is the reason why he hides his best part as treasure; so, he is afraid of being hurt and he decided not letting people know the real mankind. If we notice, in the text there are several key elements that brings out to readers to understand the background of the theme. For example, being clever to him means that he won't be able to let his pretty side exposed to others, so, he just let him out at nights when he is alone and nobody can see his "self". Other example is at the end of the text, " ... and it's nice enough to make a man weep, but I don't weep, do you?” Clearly, by leaving an open question, the author dares directly readers to think about their reaction, facing that situation.
As a conclusion, I consider that Bukowski is describing a deep human truth: that we are all vulnerable at the core. That is why we put on a mask in front of others, so much so that the mask is who we are. The bluebird is who we were before we put on the mask; the essence of our being; the newborn baby that we once were; the lovely in all of us. Some of us never let it die; instead we put in a cage. We tend to neglect it when in the company of others... Because to let it out, and let it sing, would be to put down the mask and bare one's naked soul.
“Bluebird” written by Charles Bukowski is a poem in which I assumed the author expressed his deepest feelings. What I could notice when reading the text for the first time was the life story of a man who had always been repressing his heart, inhibiting it of being free to dream, to feel, to explore maybe love, pain, suffering or deception; a man who feared for his weak heart so preferred to push it away to keep it save from the world.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the poem may denote also a man who seemed to be another person in order to avoid being rejected, pointed, and judged. A man who had to pretend all his life been a rude, careless, strong, maybe arrogant and selfish person to protect himself from others. However, he was perhaps a kind, sensible person, full of solitude and sadness, someone who lived a meaningless life, who was hungry for companion and truly love.
I really agreed with Laura when she said that the word “Blue” connoted psychologically speaking sadness, solitude, depression; and the word “Birth” an animal condemned to be caged, to be prisoned, maybe because the world thinks that’s how they can admire its beauty. In that sense, I consider the poet tried to reflect himself in the poem, his entire life, and his biggest inner fight.
“Bluebird” by Charles Bukowski is a best-known poem which illustrates everybody´s dilemma at some point in life, the dilemma of hiding the real human being we have inside us, because sometimes we are afraid to show our real persona in order to not be rejected or feel embarrassed before people.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the title of the poem clarifies the mix of emotions that the author emphasizes, and those emotions that readers can perceive, because on one hand, the blue colour represents sad emotions such as melancholic, depression and hopelessness, and on the other hand, birds are harmless and innocent creatures who sing beautiful melodies projecting an image of happiness. Hence, the title represents clearly what is all the poem about; thus, as a reader I was curious to see by myself what would be the topic within the poem; for me there were two topics: split personality and vulnerability, why? The first topic is split personality because in the poem the narrator shows a mask to those around him by giving a false image, and hiding his real human essence; and the second topic is vulnerability, because he does not want to show his true feelings to avoid getting harm or being rejected by his audience, for instance, he stated: “stay down, do you want to mess me up? You want to screw up the works?” Suggesting that his inner being may expose who he really is, thinking that people would repudiate him.
In conclusion, “Bluebird” is an inner part of the narrator who he knows well and he only lets it out at night when he finds privacy, in others words, bluebird is trapped within himself, is another inner part of him waiting to be free. On the whole, the poem “Bluebird” is a reflection of vulnerability that all humans beings have even if they seem to be rude or heartless, likewise it represents a mix of weakness and innermost torment inside every human person.
‘’Bluebird’ , is a short poem written by Charles Bukowski which illustrates the author’s hidden personality and his fear of showing himself as he really is. When I read the title of the poem for the first time, I immediately thought about freedom since birds usually represents it. However, when I read the whole poem, I realized that bird also represented through his blue color feelings such as loneliness and sadness.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think this poem represents the situation of many people that have secrets and they cannot show themselves the way they are since they are afraid of being rejected by their families, their friends and the society. It could be the reason why some of them refuge their problems on drugs, alcohol, and it causes they finish leading their lives into a bottomless abyss. This situation made me wonder if is it better to hide our problems in order not to hurt the feelings of those we love? Or if is it better to take the risk of opening our hearts without regard to the possible consequences this decision can lead? Finally, I concluded that it is better to show our true colors, those colors that represent the essence of who we really are.
To conclude, I consider it had been the best poem I have ever read in English since I could appreciate the author’s feelings in each word and in each line of this magnificent work. Furthermore, I must admit I was really touched by the poem because I used to hide some colors of my life for fear of what others think. However, over the years I have learned to mature and value what I am without the need of using a mask in my soul and in my life.
Bluebird
ReplyDeleteThis poem was written by Charles Bukowski, an American writer who is recognized by his literature works and his essays related to his personal life. In this poem the author displays us what he lives like his behaviors and sorrows, and also the way he hides his deeper feelings. Similarly, with this poem, Bukowski shapes a representation of the human being in which everyone covers their feelings of love, hatred, deception and acceptation. In some respects, Bukowski uses a decadent mask to hide his good feelings and nobody can discover what he really feels. It is only at nights when he can experience and release his deeper desires and real substance.
This poem is addressed to those who have to live a second life, behind their own mask, due to the obligations and the superficial norms applied by the society. Thereby, there is a phrase which the author pushes his second face up “I pur whiskey and inhale the cigarette to my bluebird”, he tries to cover his corny and real feelings, because he really does not want to be criticized for others. As a matter of fact, we are used to showing a strong, rude and hard position to the majority of people and we hide our noblest feelings as not to be taken as the weak ones. Because, being a fragile person is not worthy when living in a violent and indifferent world.
Finally, I consider that this poem has as a purpose to criticize the unconscious manner people have adopted in order to hide our own substance, since we are so fragile or human that indeed we are totally alone, as an unprotected baby, and that tenderness, sweetness and fragility is our hidden bluebird.
“Bluebird” is a poem written by an American poet called Charles Bukowski who was born in Germany and which writing style was influenced by Los Angeles’ atmosphere. He has often been associated with a 50’s American group of writers whose writings were intended to describe and criticize the phenomena of that time, like the rejection towards drugs, alcohol, and sexual freedom.
ReplyDeleteAt the very beginning, I was thinking that the “Bluebird” poem was about an exotic bird with a beautiful blue plumage which represents the blue sky and freedom of a colorful bird. Nevertheless, when I read the whole poem I realized that it was a way that the author used in order to express himself and his fears indirectly. Indeed, the author was feeling such as a prisoner in his own body and he wanted to feel free like a bird without the judgment of the society for the problems and addictions (drugs, alcohol, and women) in which he was immersed.
To conclude, I am not used to reading poems because I found it difficult to understand, thereby, I think almost all poems are subjective and one needs to seek for the author’s biography in order to understand what the author wanted to express as we take into account his childhood and influence. In this case, Bukowski’s childhood was difficult, and he wanted to express through his poems all the sufferings, fears, experiences, and desires he lived. This poem helps me to understand that we need to be and to express what we are without mattering if the society in which we live agrees with our feelings, with the purpose of having infinite moments and enjoying ourselves and not to be prisoners in our own bodies.
‘’Bluebird’’ written by Charles Bukowski, is a short poem that expresses the current situation of a man, possibly the author himself, who is constantly endeavoring to hide his true feelings and personality for fear of being rejected. Indeed, the poem’s character tries to suppress those feelings that make him seem weak, by means of escape such as smoking, drinking, meeting prostitutes and resorting to immoral behaviors. All such means come into play when he tries to stand apart from situations that cannot be assimilated with his conscious self. However, despite his desperate attempts to hide certain emotions, they managed to escape captivity at night when nobody was around to see it.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading, I assumed Bukowski’s poem is an attempt to describe a well-known issue of human condition: vulnerability. Nevertheless, when this last makes its appearance, we rushed to put on a mask as a self-defense mechanism. Indeed, that mask represents the side that we are willing to show to other people and the hidden one, denotes he real essence of our being, the same one that we constantly put into a cage for fear of being rejected, jugged or even worse, for fear of disappointing the people you love. However, on rare occasions, we make sure to let those feelings out. Inconspicuously, when there are not people around to see it.
As a matter of conclusion, like all of us, I must admit that I identified emotionally with this poetic work, as I think we all have an inter fight between good and evil thoughts. One the other hand, I enjoyed reading about the poet and all the situations that he went through when he was just a child, this helped me understand the poem’s core, also I enjoyed reading the poem itself even though this genre it is not my favorite one.
‘’Bluebird’’ written by Charles Bukowski, is a short poem that expresses the current situation of a man, possibly the author himself, who is constantly endeavoring to hide his true feelings and personality for fear of being rejected. Indeed, the poem’s character tries to suppress those feelings that make him seem weak, by means of escape such as smoking, drinking, meeting prostitutes and resorting to immoral behaviors. All such means come into play when he tries to stand apart from situations that cannot be assimilated with his conscious self. However, despite his desperate attempts to hide certain emotions, they managed to escape captivity at night when nobody was around to see it.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading, I assumed Bukowski’s poem is an attempt to describe a well-known issue of human condition: vulnerability. Nevertheless, when this last makes its appearance, we rushed to put on a mask as a self-defense mechanism. Indeed, that mask represents the side that we are willing to show to other people and the hidden one, denotes he real essence of our being, the same one that we constantly put into a cage for fear of being rejected, jugged or even worse, for fear of disappointing the people you love. However, on rare occasions, we make sure to let those feelings out. Inconspicuously, when there are not people around to see it.
As a matter of conclusion, like all of us, I must admit that I identified emotionally with this poetic work, as I think we all have an inter fight between good and evil thoughts. One the other hand, I enjoyed reading about the poet and all the situations that he went through when he was just a child, this helped me understand the poem’s core, also I enjoyed reading the poem itself even though this genre it is not my favorite one.
in the nineth line it says " but i PUR whiskey on him..." but I think it's "but I POUR whiskey on him.."
ReplyDelete