Author Archives: Trent Derrick

The evil Thomas the Tank Engine

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Trent Derrick

Simply put, I found the Oppen’s “Image of the Engine” to be a great piece of work. The first stanza really made a deep impression upon me. Clearly the wordiest part of the poem, Oppen spares no detail in the … Continue reading →

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Tilting at Windmills

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Trent Derrick

I cannot help myself but to find the image of the sunflower scepter in Ginsberg’s Sunflower Sutra to be of great interest to me. To begin my literary ramblings it may help to delve deeper into the title of the … Continue reading →

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Alienation

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Trent Derrick

Although the poem of Harvest Song centers on the plight of one man, the ideas encapsulated within it were shared by world leaders. Most notably, the notions of this poem were held by Vladimir Lenin of Russia. The ideas that … Continue reading →

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Whitman’s clash with society

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Trent Derrick

His first poem in the “Calamus” set is of course In Paths Untrodden, which I feel speaks to Whitman’s rebellion against societal norms.  The age in which he lives was a time when man-made creations were rapidly gaining a presence … Continue reading →

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Brokers and Speculators

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Trent Derrick

Seeing the images of halfway constructed buildings in Washington, D.C. particularly struck me as moving because they impressed upon me the true effect that the American Civil War had upon the country. The sense that accompanied the halting of construction … Continue reading →

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Plight of the Workingman

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Trent Derrick

The general consensus on Whitman is that he first appeared in Canonical literature as a voice for the workingman. The era in which Leaves of Grass first appeared (1855-1860) were crucial years in the Industrial Revolution in England. To be … Continue reading →

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