Messing around with Binary.

[chrisoneill]

01001001

I'm sorry, what was that?
Oh, who am I?
Right.
That's what I thought you asked.

Well, sure,
I can give you the biography,
but that's just a history essay.

Isn't it?

With eyebrow raised, a retort:
What do you want me to say?
I mean, you already know the answer.

Don't you?

I am ... because of you.
Your eyes
tinted with life
penetrate me
and define who I am.

Comments

[katelivett]

You certainly set up a really effective I/you binary here, Chris -- the speaker's voice is very strong in its consideration of the relation of the 'I' to the reader. A profound sense of difference from/potential animosity towards the reader is created by the speaker's self-interrogation. This is a contrast to the more common function of the first-person, or 'I' in literature; usually the 'I' serves to bring the reader into the speaker's point-of-view. As with novels and short stories in the first person, the reader tends to sympathise with and feel 'the same as' the first person narrator. But in your poem it's working more like a dramatic monologue (as in Langston's poem), where the audience is present (and crucial, for your poem), but the speaker keeps that audience at a distance, deliberately.
Nice!

Binaries

[ofaolain]

I really like the way you have set the stanza's out, adds to the effect of the questions that are asked within the poem. I especially like the imagery that you have used.

Comment

[clopez_87]

Hi Chris,

I am fond of the way you write and how you can express yourself so freely. I feel as though at times it takes me a while to attain a productive train of thought.
I like the free flowing form of your poem, it is simple yet definitive.

“Who I am
is not as important
as who I am not.
And I'm not you.”

I thought this was an effective way to conclude your poem as it establishes the idea that was discussed during the lecture about defining an individual through proving what they are not in order to know who they really are.

All in all, I found your poem enjoyable to read. You have a refined style of writing which you should be proud of.

I look forward to reading more of your future posts.
See you in class!

Cristina