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= Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Literary Text: Introduction to Literature Hypertext Project = =// Michael Marx //= = //“TATTOO”// = //by Peter Johnson// //(1997) // There's a tattoo of a tiny gun on my hand symbolic of the tiny wars I wage inside myself. Its barrel beckons like the phallus that's visible when you stare directly at the sun. My father said, "A man who can't fight is disgusting." He was half-right about that. Most fathers are, even the one who erected a basketball backboard outside my bedroom window. In the evening, when the sun shrugs its tense shoulders, neighborhood children are rewarded with ice cream. But I'm sent to bed, where I stare at the tiny doorknob tattooed on my other hand until I fall asleep. =Way 1: First Impressions= My first impression of this poem in how unlike most poetry it is. There's no rhyme scheme. There's no "poetic license" taken with the grammar or line breaks. It's definitely a prose poem. In fact, if could easily be the first paragraph of a short story or novel. While I was typing the title I noticed that it was written in all capital letters. This could be important, or if could just be how it was written by the publisher. =Way 2: Engaging with the Text= The first discovery I made with this poem were the concepts of conflict and duality. There are "tiny wars" going on inside the narrator. Fighting is important to the narrator's father, and he's only "half-right" about that. There's a difference between other kids in the neighborhood, who get ice cream, and the narrator, who gets sent to bed. Lastly we find out that the narrator actually has two tattoos, one of a gun on one hand, and one of a doorknob on the other. Are these real tattoos, or just metaphorical? It seems strange to have an actual tattoo of a doorknob on your hand.

Secondly, fathers seem to be an important concept. The narrator mentions both his father and another father who erected a basketball backboard outside his window. The narrator also makes the comment that father in general are usually "half-right". The imagery of the sun's rays being a phallus and of a neighborhood father "erecting" a basketball backboard supports the idea that this poem has much to do with masculinity.

The concept of tattoos is undoubtedly important, along with their permanence.

There's an instance of assonance in the first line with two uses of the word "tiny" and one of "tattoo".

My working theory right now is that the narrator is deciding whether to join the military or not. Perhaps there's a draft, or perhaps his father was/is in the military and is expecting his some to follow in his footsteps. If this were a Vietnam-era poem I'd definitely lean towards the draft interpretation, but since it was written in 1997 I'm leaning towards the latter.

I've since come to realize that, while it's possible that the narrator is conflicted about joining the military, there's no way to sure sure. Additionally, it doesn't matter what the narrator is specifically conflicted about. What matters is that he's feeling conflict because of his father's expectations. =Way 3: Form and Content= As I said before, this is a prose poem and I think the freedom and restriction that implies furthers the theme of duality and conflict. As a prose poem it doesn't have to follow any rigid rhyme scheme, or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, or anything like that. It's free in that regard. However, as I said it, doesn't chose to take any poetic license with spelling or grammar, so it restricted in that way. This mirrors the freedom that the narrator has to make a choice, but the restriction he feels from his father's expectations.

= Way 4: Unpacking Figurative Language= The narrator states that the tattoo is symbolic of the tiny wars he wages in himself, and since symbols have to be physically present in order for them to be considered symbols, that points to the gun tattoo being literal. However, perhaps the narrator doesn't know the difference between a symbol and a metaphor. These two concepts are often used interchangeably.Taken with the tattoo of a doorknob on the hand opposite hand, it becomes clear that it's unlikely that there's an actual, physical tattoo of a door knob on the narrator's other hand, so this would be a metaphor. This represents the option to leave, to forget his father's expectations and go his own way. Taken together these two tattoos represent the choice that the narrator faces. It's a literalization of the phrase 'one the one hand, but then again, on the other...." The fact that these are tattoos are significant. Tattoos are permanent, or at least very hard to change. This represents the permanence of the decisions the narrator is facing.

"Its barrel beckons like the phallus that's visible when you stare directly at the sun" is an example of a simile (2). This line introduce the "phallus" imagery and accompaning masculine connotations, which is key to understanding this poem. Since the narrator says that the barrel "beckons" him, I think he finds this concept of masculinity, along with trying to live up to it, at least partially attractive. This would support the notion that the narrator is torn between living up to his father's expectations, which is assumingly appropriately masculine and another, assumingly less masculine, option.

Another example of figurative language is "the sun shrugs its tense shoulders" (8). This means that it's sunset. The fact that the sun "shrugs" it's "tense" shoulders" makes it seem like it's been a tough day. Of course, the sun hasn't actually had a tough day, but the narrator has. The tiny wars have been taking their toll. This personification of the physical environment makes the narrator's conflict seem all-encompassing. If the conflict is effecting his view of the physical world, it must be pretty tense.

The use of "erected" in the phrase, "Most fathers are, even the one that erected a basketball backboard outside my bedroom window" (6). In this instance the word is being used to describe the act of setting up or assembling something. However, it the word is also be used in reference to an aroused male's penis. This word choice furthers the theme of masculinity that is evident throughout the poem.

= Way 5: Analyzing the Setting= It's stated in the line "In the evening, when the sun shrugs it's tense shoulders..." that the setting is during the evening (8). Specifically it seems to be right around sunset. It also stated in the line "But I'm sent to bed" that the poem takes place in the narrators bed, and assumingly his bedroom (9). Even for a small child sunset would be a early bedtime. Is the narrator being sent to bed early as a punishment for something? Or does his father perhaps take the "early to bed, early to rise" philosophy? The fact that the rewards that other children are receiving is emphasized makes me think that it's the former. Maybe the tiny wars that the narrator has inside him isn't about whether to join the military, but about whether to run away from home. In any case, the specific reason for the narrator being in his bedroom isn't as important as realizing that it means that he's something of an outsider. He's not like other kids, and not fully engaged with his peers.

= Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View= The point of view in the poem is first person. The narrator uses the word "I" several times. We're privy to the narrator's thoughts and feelings, but no one else's. Since the narrator never states what he's so conflicted about, there's no one else provide any other information. For example, we're never given the father's perspective. In the interview with David Cass, Johnson reveals that when he first stumbled upon prose poems, "I was fooling around with character sketches" (Cass 2). "Tattoo", and it's first-person perspective, is a good example of the kind of intense focus on a single character that a character sketch would require. Introducing another point-of-view would lessen this intensity and the poem's impact.

= Way 7: Analyzing complexity, ambiguity, difficulty= Ambiguity is a major feature of this poem. The primary ambiguity in this poem is what exactly the narrator is so conflicted about. I've made a realization about that. I used to spend a lot of time trying to think of just what the conflict was specifically about. It would be easy to fall ino the trap of trying to figure out precisely what the narrator is so conflicted about, but perhaps knowing the specific reason isn't as important as knowing the author is in conflict. The fact that the narrator uses "wars" instead of "war" suggests that the narrator is facing multiple conflicts. The ambiguity would serve to help reach a larger audience who perhaps have never considered joining the military, or any single conflict, but everyone has been conflicted about //something// in thier lives.

=Way 8: Considering Canonicity= On way that a work can be considered canonical is if it has an effect on, or is somehow representative of other texts of the same era. In an interview with David Cass for Double Room Peter, Johnson speaks about his literary journal of prose poetry stating: "Twelve years ago I couldn't give my journal away. Now it's hard to pick up a book of poems and not see a prose poem" (Cass 6). There's even talk of "The Peter Johnson Prose Poem" (Cass 2). Johnson's work must be well know if his work is refered to like this. Of course, a writer's contemporaries don't decide if their work is canonical, future generations do. Only time will tell if "Tattoo" and Johnson's other prose poems are included in the canon, but popularization of the prose poem among the literary community speaks favorably to the prospect. A potential roadblock to canonocity is the danger of the prose poem being seen as a flash-in-the-pan fad among contemporary poets. Johnson is critical of much of the prose poetry currently being written, "The problem with the prose poem now is that too many people are writing bad ones because they think it's easy..." (Cass 6).

=Way 9: Biographical Context= There's no direct correlation between the poem's content and Johnson's life. However, it does feature several elements that Johnson has stated to be important to his worldview and work. The the interview with David Cass, Peter Johnson says that he's interested in opposites and how they play off each other (Cass 1). This same idea is seen in "Tattoo" in the themes of Duality, choices, and conflict.

It's also revealed that Johnson was in conflict with his teenage son when he wrote "Miracles and Mortifications: Prose Poems" (Cass 4). This book of prose poems was written four years after "Tattoo" so it didn't directly influence it, but the fact that Johnson has a son who he is occasionally in conflict with gives context to this poem. The fact that Johnson is the father in this instance, and not the son with the tattoo is very interesting. The usual way of reading this poem would be from the son's perspective, which sees the father somewhat negatively. This doesn't necessarily mean that Johnson sees himself, or fathers in general, in a negative light, but it does suggest a knowledge of fathers and sons have complicated relationships.

**Way 10: Historical and Cultural Context** "Tattoo" was only written 12 years ago, in 1997. Any historical or cultural analysis would be done with what is basically contemporary culture. There's no historical consensus on 1997, yet. Still, it's known that the U.S. wasn't involved in any major external conflicts at the time. If a person's generation is defined by their greatest tragedy, the narrator's generation hasn't been defined yet. Other generations had Pearl Harbor, or Vietnam to help define them, but teenagers in 1997 had nothing. 9/11 hasn't happened. This sense of directionlessness itself could be cause for the narrator's angst.

To look from a historical perspective at this poem it's necessary to look at history throughout Johnson's life, something that could be better described as a biographical context. = = = = If we look at the period of time from Johnson's birth (1951) to the years the poem was written we find an interesting fact. Johnson was a teenager and young adult during the Vietnam war. He was of draftable age. It would be easy to say that he was directly expressing the angst he felt as a young man with this poem, but I think that's unlikely. This poem was written several decades after the fact. At most, the Vietnam war and it's effect on young men was used as a starting point to express more a more general theme.

=Way 11: A Feminist Theoretical Application= Gender roles play a large role in this poem. This is most clearly seen in the line, "My father said, 'A man who can't fight is disgusting'" (4). This prominent line of the poem shows a father's attempt to impose a traditional gender role. Men fight.The implication is that women don't, although this poem isn't arguing that women should fight. In fact, it's not about women at all. Women aren't the only ones that struggle with, and are stifled by traditional gender roles. Men do as well. The narrator is struggling with his father's expectations of how he, as a man, should act and how he wants to act. We know that he's struggling because of the theme of conflict throughout the poem. The idea that men also struggle with the patriarchy isn't something that's often associated with feminism, but it's a natural extension of the concept. = Way 12: A Psychoanalytic Application = The conflict between the id and superego, managed by the ego, is central to psychoanalysis. This conflict can be seen in a number of different ways in "Tattoo"

Father-as-superego
When the father says, "A man who can't fight is disgusting," he's playing the part of the superego, telling the narrator what he should do. The narrator's id, symbolized by the doorknob on his hand, wants to do something else. The narrator himself, the ego, is trying to negotiate between these two internal forces, and he feels them as "tiny wars I wage inside myself" (2).

Father-as-id
The id is usually seen as a primal force, as is the desire for physical conflict. The father could also be seen as the the id, driving the narrator to give into his primal desires and fight. The son's desire to leave would then be the superego, wanting him to supress that primal desire and leave. Again the ego has to balance between these two internal forces

Ego
The uncertainty of which internal force is which would make the ego's job especially difficult. Not only is there a conflict between the id and superego, but there's conflict in knowing which is which. This must cause great stress in the narrator. Most people want to follow their superego, but it's not as simple as just doing whatever it says. The narrator doesn't know what's right, and what's wrong.

= Way 13: Comprehensive Interpretation= As I thought at the beginning of the project, conflict and masculinity are important themes in this text.

The theme of conflict is made evident by the two metaphorical tattoos on the narrator's opposite hand. These are a metaphor for the choices the narrator faces. The tattoo of the gun represents living up to the masculine ideal that the narrator's father is trying to impose on him when he says things like. "A man who can't fight is disgusting" (4). The doorknob represents the narrator's other option, somehow leaving. It's unclear if this would take the form of running away, or a more extreme solution like suicide. The theme of conflict is also made evident by the line, "He was half-right about that" (5). If the father was half-right, he must be half-wrong as well. Because the father isn't an entirely reliable guide, the narrator is conflicted about what to do.

The theme of masculinity is very strong in this poem. There are many mentions of guns, wars, fathers, and sports throughout the poem. These are things that are associated with masculinity. There are a number of word choices that make this theme apparent as well. "Phallus" is used in the third line. It's also said that a neighborhood father "erected" a basketball backboard. The fact that the narrator is sent to bed early implies strict parental discipline, something that is also traditionally with fathers. It's unclear what caused the father to say the line about men and fighting It could have to do with a bully, joining the military, or any number of things. Ultimately it's unimportant what the narrator's specific circumstances are.

Bringing these two themes together, we see a narrator who is struggling to live up to the expectations of his father. Should he embrace traditional male values, or should he somehow escape them? Whatever he does, it's going to be permanent, just like a tattoo.

=Works Cited and Consulted= Johnson, Peter. "Tattoo" __Pretty Happy!__ White Pine Press. Buffalo, NY. 1997.

"Peter Johnson." //Contemporary authors.// __Gale Literary Databases__//.// UW Online. Madison, WI. 6 May 2009. .

"Peter Johnson." Poets.org. 2009. 6 May, 2009. .

"Peter Johnson" Interview with David Cass. __Double Room.__ Web de Sol. Fall 2005/ Winter 2006. 6 May, 2009. .

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