http://hist380.ferrellhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Hist-380-Cold-War-Poem.pdf
2 thoughts on “Cold War Poem – Jonathon Baker”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Search
http://hist380.ferrellhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Hist-380-Cold-War-Poem.pdf
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Jonathan, I felt your poem was well written and successfully portrayed the tensions and fears of the 1960s. The part that spoke to me was, “The stacking of metaphoric bricks Strengthening together like a wall.” Were you speaking of the Limited Test Ban Treaty negotiation issues between Kennedy F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev? Alternatively, was the strengthen of the wall a reference to the problems surrounding the East and West in Berlin? As I read that portion, I imagined the metaphoric bricks stacking upon one another to form concrete bricks in the Berlin wall. Each brick represents a portion or action of the Cold War era.
The title you selected, “Cold War Poem,” is straightforward and felicitous. Your reference to the Bolsheviks illustrates power within the line of the stanza while adding thoughts of revolution. The Cold War was a revolutionary period post World War II where the East and West were feeling one another out. Neither willing to fully understand the other.
Brian Branigan “I pledge” (168)
Jonathan, I also felt that your poem successfully portrayed the problems that people faced during the 1960s and how they might express themselves if this was one of their poems. And Brian I also really enjoyed the line “The stacking of metaphoric bricks Strengthening together like a wall “as well. I took the phrase as a way to express the multitude of political problems that stood in the way of the progress of the Test Ban Treaty as well. I did not even consider that the phrase could also be pointing towards problems between East and West Berlin. That is a very good observation. Also I am curious what else you might have added Jonathan if you were to continue your poem to include the end of the Cold War as well or if you think that might have to be a separate poem entirely? Did you look at Cold War era poems before writing yours and if so did you have any favorites?
(Word Count 164)
“I Pledge…”