F08250_jhanke

 ** "Homer-Erotic" by Chuck Rybak (2007) ** Jackie Hanke

When I first heard the word "homoerotic" we were learning the Iliad in class , so naturally I heard "Homer-erotic," which, given the number of men stationed in one place for a decade with not much to do, made perfect sense to me.

Pleased with this sharp-edged word, I hoisted  it like a javeline, pointed at my friends, made jabs at parties  hosted by smart people. "O, that's entirely Homer-erotic," I would say into the profound pauses I understand to be the requisite awe.

I patiently explained to my girlfriend how being Homer-erotic was different than being gay, which was a whole separate deal, and that this love the epic love of friends, the bond beyond beers. This was marrow love, forearm-clasping love, I'd-play-on-your-team love.

Because theory is no good without practice, I brought my spear  to the bar  where Bud Light camps outside the walls of Miller, where men, without irony, wear jerseys and numbers of other men, just like the girls in high school who dated and fawned over the football players.

A man among men, I duly sacrificed hetacombs of peanuts and buffalo wings, watched giants gaze up at the Olympian big-screen and seize their neighbor's hands, "Brother, our team will not fail this dawn, and if they do, let the earth yawn and swallow me in shame."

Muses, who were the manly lords and officers? Dick, raider-of-refrigerators was there, and seated next to him was Frank, son of Ronald- they loved the waitress and her tits that launched a thousand ships, but they'd been dishonored at home, where the slaves weren't as grateful as they should be.

I'm embarassed to say when I first learned of my error, of "homoerotic" as reality, but let's just say that men had already packed and made it home from Troy while I was the last one standing, and not because I'd won a Homeric spelling bee.

Once it was gone I wanted my word back. I miss you Agamemnon, dick that you were. I miss the big cry baby, Achilles, as well. I miss the Homer-erotic annunciation of men who offend fickle gods and mispronounce all that they've heard with pride.

Now, I sit as quiet as a bowl in a china shop. I beg the gods for an escape goat because not knowing the score is cutting your nose, despite your face. Make no mistake- when you say it right, "homo" makes men see red, ill-fated pigment of the imagination. ** Way 1: First Impression **

When I first read through this poem/short story, I admit, I just glanced at it. But, after reading it the second time, I was taken back to my days in high school and reading about the "Iliad." Even though that is not the direct premise to the poem, it still took me back. I thought this writing was very interesting. It kind of threw me off with the "Homer-erotic" because I was wondering how this was going to be written about. But, everything that was written was very true. There was a line that mentioned men wearing jerseys like girls in high school (22-24). How true is that? Grown men wearing the jersey's of their favorite players like it matters. And when girls used to wear their boyfriend's jerseys in high school like it mattered. Image is all it is.

My overall impression is that I am going to enjoy analyzing this poem over the upcoming weeks. There is so much that is written in between the lines and that could be thought. There are the words on the surface, but what is the author really trying to say? This is going to be very interesting and I am looking forward to the challange.

**Way 2: Engaging with the text**

I have now read over this poem a couple more times, looking for a deeper meaning. If we were to look just at the words, we would think that this is a poem about a guy, who likes to go out with his friends and make comments to them. But, if we were to start looking at the deeper meaning, we would realize that there is much more to be seen between the lines. One of the lines that this could be true with would be "A man among men, I duly sacraficed hetacombs of peanuts and buffalo wings, watched giants gaze up at Olympian big screen and sieze their neighbor's hand (25-29)." The literal meaning to these lines would be a couple of guys, watching the game. But, if we were to look at the deeper meaning, we would see that this is a man among friends, watching the "holy" game somewhere, munching on "king's food" of peanuts and buffalo wings (typical game time munchies), watching the game on a big-screen television like rich men can. The basis of the poem is male friendship and the relationship between them. Some are homophobic while the author is "Homer-erotic," and making fun of his friends for not know what it is.

** Vertical Thinking: Close Reading of the Text ** **Way 3: Form/Structural elements and their relationship to content** Vertical thinking brings out many elements in a poem and how they relate to the form and structure. If we were to look at the specific language used, we would find words that are often used in "epic" stories such as the "Iliad," which is metioned in line 2. This is what starts the whole poem off. The language ties into the basis of the poem. "watched giants gaze up at the Olympian/big-screen and sieze their neighbor's hands," "Olympic Size" refers to just that, the Olympics. The Olympics are the greatest sporting event in the world. The entire world completes for glory. This line is a metaphor, explaining how huge the TV actually is. Additionally, the "giants" are watching sports, which also ties into the "Olympic size." Another example of the literary text and how it is associated with the classic works like the "Iliad" are the lines "but let's just say that men/had already packed and made it home from Troy/while I was the last one standing, and not because I'd won the Homeric spelling bee (39-42)."

"Now, I sit as quiet as a bowl in a china shop (49)." Ever hear of a bowl in a china shop? How about a bull? The saying that is most often said is "is a loud as a bull in china shop," meaning that if a bull were in a china shop, the bull would be running around, breaking all the china, causing a rukus. The image of a "bowl in a china shop" gives us one of complete silence. He wishes he could go back to the time he could use the word "Homer-erotic" again and sound smart, sound like he was important and all his friends should look up to him as if he were a "God." Just like people looked up to the Greek Gods.

The structure to this poem is basic. Every stanza has six lines, but with mutiple syllables on every line. There is no specific pattern, but it reads smoothly. There is no specific rhyming present, but with the metaphors used and the words associated with historical battles and Greek Gods, make this poem more than just a poem. It a history of a man and his word, a word that made him smart and then that word taken away from him.



Way 4: Unpacking an Instance of Figurative Language
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Figurative language is important in any piece written. "I hoisted it like a javelin pointed at my friends (7-8)." This is the use of a simile. A simile is a trope by comparing non-related object by using the words like or as. These words give the reader an image of a man with a javelin over his head, ready to throw. A sport of Olympians. This is also a symbol because a man would not have a javelin pointed at his friends. A javelin is a dangerous object that was used as a weapon. He could be using it as a weapon towards his friends to show the power that he has over them with this word.

Another example of figurative language would be the use of symbols and this poem is full of symbols. For example, the line "I brought my spear to where Bud Light camps outside the walls of Miller (20-21)." Now, literally, this would mean a man is standing with a spear outside a wall made of Miller Beer bottles. Now that is just an obsurd scene. But, figuratively, this shows a man holding a spear (the word "Homer-phobic"), inside a city where Miller is the only beer that flows and Bud Light is not allowed. This line goes back to the previous entry about the city of Troy and how the Greeks were not allowed. So, the Bud Light is being compared to the Greeks, another example of figurative language.
 * Way 4: Unpacking another example of Figurative Language **

**Way4: Unpacking another example of Figurative Language** Another example of figurative language would be the line "they loved the waitress with her tits that/launched/a thousand ships (38-41)." This is figurative language because a waitress would not launch a thousand ships, but gives us the image of a ship with the upper body of a woman. The woman on the front of the ship was a common site back in the days of the Iliad, giving reference to the story once again.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 5: Analyzing the Setting
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The setting in this poem is interesting because it does not take place in a single place, but multiple places. I believe this is because the word "Homer-erotic" is used in many situations as the narrator tries to explain the significance in everyday life. On the otherhand, the setting could be that of everyday life. "We were learning the Iliad in class (2)." This quote tells us were the poem first takes place. The narrator is in class when he learned the word "Homer-erotic." This shows us that the narrator had not heard the word before and this is where he began misinterpreting the definition and the word itself. The setting then continues on to parties where the narrator spends time with his friends, trying to show off to them with this new word. "made jabs at parties hosted by smart people (9)." A man, trying to be smart in front of his "smart" friends. Another setting that is in this poem is that of a bar, where the narrator uses this word to act imressive in front of strangers and, once again, his friends. "I brought my spear to the bar where Bud Light camps outside the walls of Miller."

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The point of view is that of first person. Textual evidence to show this would be "I patiently explain this to my girlfriend (13)." This line uses the word "I," which tells us this is being told from his eyes. "I'm embarassed to say when I first learned of my error (37)." This is another example of first person point of view because of the word "I." This point of view is effective in this poem because we can see the thoughts and actions of the narrator. We see how he is embarassed when he realizes the word that he has been using is not an actual word, but a misunderstanding that happened because of what he thought he heard in class.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, & Difficulty
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most difficult part of this poem to me is understanding the correlation between the words used and what they are really suppose to mean. I understand the meaning of the poem itself, but the words used to describe this puzzles me.

Ambiguity, according to our class notes is "uncertainty of mean (Chick 9-10:1)." Basically, this means that lines may have two meanings when analyzed deeper. When looking through the lines, I found it difficult to find any true senses of ambiguity. But, one line that did catch my eye was "Now I sit as quite as a bowl in a china shop." This line could mean two things in my mind. First, the obvious meaning would be that he was sitting there, as the saying goes "seen and not heard," but this line could also be ambiguity because it could mean the opposite. The word that he had loved so much had just been taken away from him and he could feel like he has to yell to the world! How would be like "a bowl in a china shop?" === <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> Horizontal Thinking:   Connecting the Text to Wider Contexts     <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">     <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">     <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">   <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 8: Considering Canonicity  === <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An example of a canon in this poem would be that of line 27 "watched giants gaze at the Olympic size/big-screen." This line represent American culture for men and their supports. Now, I know this sounds sexist since I threw sex into the mix, but if one were to watch commercials or television shows that involve men, they would often see a scene at a bar, revoving around me watching the game on a giant television. Sports are such a huge part of American culture and this line is a canon because of it. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"This was marrow love/forearm-clasping love, I’d-play-on-your-team love." The male bonding ritual of playing sports. Men slap each other on the butt when a touchdown is scored or a homerun is hit. This is not frowned upon in our culture because it is considered male bonding, or as the poem refers to it as "marrow love." This love runs deep into a man, blood brothers some may call it. A bond that is hard to break and easy to form.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 9: Biographical Context
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off, I am going to mention that my research on Chuck Rybak came up with virtually nothing. What I did find I don't think explains where this poem came from. Rybak grew up in Buffalo, NY and obtained his bachelors from NY State, Masters from Iowa, and his PhD from Cincinnati (Tongue and Groove). There was not much I could find in terms of his past that would give any indication that this poem came from experiences from his past. The only conclusion that I could come up with is that the premise of the poem is true. Perhaps he did learn the //Iliad// in class and he misheard the word "homer-erotic." "When I first heard the word 'homer-erotic/We were learning the //Iliad// in class (1-2)." When I first learned about this story, I was in middle school, but according to the poem, it had to have taken place when he was in college, past the age of 21. "I brough my spear to the bar." This line specifically states that he was over the age of 21, since he was at a bar.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 10: Historical and Cultural Contexts
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story of Troy is written about when the Greeks invaded Troy by getting into the city by buliding a hallow horse and giving this as a "gift" to the Trojans. There was one man left behind, Sinon. The line "while I was the last one standing (41)" is related to this information from history. He pretended to be angry with the Greeks and assured the Trojans that the horse was safe. The Trojan war is a very important part of the //Iliad//, which is what this poem begins with (Trojan). The Trojan war began because Helen was stolen from her husband Menalus, the king of Sparta, by Paris. //The Iliad// takes place during the last year of the battle of Troy when the Greeks built the Trojan Horse and invaded Troy. The references to "Agamemnon (44) and Achilles (45) are all from the battle of Troy as being key characters.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 11: Theoretical Application
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to psychoanalytic criticism, a piece is written to appeal to the reader's repressed wishes and fantasies. This is keyed by the psychologist Sigmund Freud. A line that would appeal to the reader's fantasy and/or wishes would be "where men/without irony, wear the jerseys and numbers/of other men (24-26)." This line according the psycholanalytic criticism, would show us the dreams of the men wearing those jerseys, being something more; being those players and winning the game winning touchdown or the game winning homerun. Dreams of men around the world that watch the big game. Maybe one day they will have that glory one day.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 12: Another Theoretical Application
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to feminist criticism, the female persepctive is used when reading a piece of writing. This gives a new perspective because, often, the piece being read is read in a male persepctive. Additionally, pieces of writing are also written with the male perspective. The lines "but they would be dishonored at/home,/where slaves weren't as grateful as/they should be (41-44)." These lines in the feminist criticism point of view would go to that of the woman's job in the home. At work, the waitresses bring the "men" food and are paid for their services, where as at home at home, they are not paid and could possibly considered slaves and ungrateful for what they have. This goes against everything in the feminist movement and the advancement of the women's movement.

===<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way 13: Unifying Interpretation   === <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I first read this poem, I have to admit I was kind of confused. I didn't understand why there was a mention of drinking and friends along with the mention of the //Iliad.// There was no correlation between the two. But, after I started anazlyzing the poem with the 13 ways, I realized there was much more to the poem than what meets the eye. Some of the Ways I did find to be easy and I did not have to reseach much, but some other Ways, I had a difficult time. When it came to the first couple ways, Ways 1-6, I found the poem very easy to interpret and my view of the poem did not change. But after diving into the Ways after 6, I found that my initial interpretation was correct, but I had missed many points to enhance my view.

Way 10 was very enlightening to me because I had known about the Trojan War, I remember learning about it in middle school, but I did not know that the //Iliad//'s ending was based around the Trojan war, and that the people mentioned in paragraph 8 were actually involved in the battle of Troy; actually they very important roles.

My final interpretation of the poem is close to my initial interpretation, but has changed now that I have had a chance to analyze it. I did not think that the //Iliad// had an important part on this poem, but after going into the history involoved, I realized that it has a very big part indeed! There were battles mentioned and the "Olympic sized," the Olympics origniating in Greek times, all go back to the time of the Iliad. But, on the other hand, there were also present time references made that brought this poem to the present. Additionally, the mentions to the past and the mentions to the present were all tied together with the words used and the figurative language used.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Works Cited and Consulted
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 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hooker, Richard . "Homer." __WSU.__ 6 Jun. 1999. 27 Nov. 2008. < http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MINOA/HOMER.HTM <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">>.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Tongue and Groove." __Main Street__ __Rag.__ 24 Nov. 2008. < http://www.mainstreetrag.com/CRybak.html <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">>.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Trojan War." __Wikepedia.__ 30 Nov. 2008. 30 Nov. 2008. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_War <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> >.  ||