ANIMALS
Have you forgotten what we were like then
when we were still first rate
and the day came fat with an apple in its mouth
it's no use worrying about Time
but we did have a few tricks up our sleeves
and turned some sharp corners
the whole pasture looked like our meal
we didn't need speedometers
we could manage cocktails out of ice and water
I wouldn't want to be faster
or greener than now if you were with me O you
were the best of all my days
[1950]
Why "an apple in its mouth"?
Why are the corners described as "sharp"?
Why "cocktails out of ice and water?"
What it the deal with "Time" here?
Does it matter to the poem that O'Hara was gay?
Who do you think he is talking to?
Monday, February 14, 2011
"Animals, " by Frank O'Hara
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Pale, yet nostalgic poem. Great choice for Valentine's Day. I like how it seems to be from a cow's point of view.
ReplyDeleteThe poet has made this poem seem like he is not very happy. The memory of him and his partner are still in his mind. The way he has put this poem really takes me back to memories that i have had in my past.
ReplyDeleteI like this poem. It sounds like he would trade anything to go back and feel the love again. He had a great life but apparently life has slowed. I think it is sweet that even though life is slowed it would be nice to spend it with company.
ReplyDeleteI like this poem, I like the line about making cocktails out of ice and water. I think that shows how simple their life was. I don't think it matters that O'hara was gay because love is love, no matter who with.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this poem. I love ramance stuff, and even thoough this was like a trasjic romance, I still found it very enjoyable. I don;t think it matters at all that O'Hara was gay. The way he writes makes you use your imagination on who he is writing about. When I read the poem, I did;nt once think that the people in the poem were gay. O'Hara lets you use your imagination to think of who the poem is about.
ReplyDeleteO'Hara seems to be missing his loved one. In the last line he mentions that those were my best days infers that there prurient relation has ended.
ReplyDeleteMr. Hill was clever to share this poem today because couples celebrate on valentine's day and this is about O'Hara's love loss.
This poem fits nicely in what Valentines day is. It obviously is a poem of love but makes you read it to find that out. I have no idea why the author would name the poem Animals if they wanted to write about love. In a way demeans us humans.
ReplyDeleteThis poem almost goes opposes what valentine's day is about. It seems that he is almost mad at the person he is writing about. Like he is mad about this person leaving him.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how when people first read this poem they most likely think that it is about a male and a female, but then you find out that the poet is homosexual. It shows that love is the same no matter who it's between; and this poem describes love in the same way as hetero and homo sexual people would relate to it.
ReplyDeleteI think he means that we are like animals, trapped in a pin, waiting to be slaughtered and roasted. When he talks about an apple, I think he means how pigs have an apple in their mouth when they're ready.
ReplyDeleteWhy "an apple in the mouth"?
ReplyDeleteInstantly I imagined a cartoon, Shrek I think did this, with a pig cooked with an apple in the mouth. O'Hara says " the day came fat...", in my opinion maybe he is describing a feast (of love). I picture the pig with an apple, and a lot of other food all sprawled out on dining table. If that is what he was going for, that's an odd way to describe love.
I enjoyed that this poem provided a lot of imagery and the diction is highly unique. It just make me a little mad that it is all in past tense making the relationship over. It doesn't seem like the women died, so I'm thinking that she left him, by the tone of his voice. Anyone agree?
This poem is good and also its a good choice for a Valentines day poem. It shows great emotion that is being displayed through the people that are being talked about in the poem. At times in the poem it feels like they are angry towards the person and feel like they have been forgotten. Overall it is a great poem.
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect love poem for Valentine's Day. The "apple in its mouth" reminds me of pigs in the cartoons when they're cooked with the apples in their mouths. The people in the cartoons would be happy to see the pig with the apple in it's mouth. Just like people were happy to see Frank O'Hara and his lover who has forgotten about their love. The homosexuality of the poet simply infers that love can be for everyone. I enjoyed this poem.
ReplyDeleteGLG.
For some reason, I feel like O'Hara wrote "Time" capitalized because its something were all so familiar with. Its almost like time is a person, a part of our life. We are so concerned with how much time we have left, it becomes something more than just an objective thing. I could be totally off base, but I guess that's my guess. And the sharp corners. I would say O'Hara says sharp corners to demonstrate the spur of the moment type relationship they had. They never knew what would come next. At the same time I think it meant they went through some challenging things. Its always hard to turn sharply when you're moving. So maybe he's referring to a memory when something suddenly changed, but they still loved each other.
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter to the poem that O'Hara was gay?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it matters whether or not O'Hara is gay. I didn't know he was gay until about half way through the poem when Mr. Hill informed us that he was. His writing isn't written directly to a man or a woman, you have to have knowledge about O'Hara in order to interpret that kind of information about his personal life. The whole poem talks about O'Hara's life with this man, "Turning sharp corners" represents the hardships and time of disaster O'Hara and his partner went through. Also he states that their relationship was easy and care free. "We could manage cocktails out of ice and water" means they didn't need to do extravagant things to have fun, they just needed each other.
This was a great love poem. I think the writer showed his true emotion and just let it all out on paper. But sorry bloggeret16 this isn't really the best valentines day poem. In this poem he is talking about the past because he doesn't have someone to be with isn't valentines day suppose to be celebrated with the one who is dear to you. He lost his someone.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem. I agree when Alice says that O'Hara leaves a lot up to you imagination, and i honestly don't think it matters that he was gay. I'm sure many straight people can relate because of the way he composed this, it can be about anyone, to me it doesn't even have to be like a love relationship. Personally it reminds me of my use-to-be best friend, we are no longer friends, but it reminds me of how we used to be and how we had so much fun together. This is one of my all time favorite poems.
ReplyDeleteI think that the writer is just saying that they do not need alcohol to have fun with each other, but rather just being with each other brings happiness.
ReplyDeleteoh and i couldn't agree more with Mariah, thats exactly what i was thinking, about time and the sharp turns. perfect.
ReplyDeleteThis poem portrays a doleful attitude about love. It does not seem as though O'Hara is against the idea of love but rather he has a natural anguish towards the idea. A few of the lines used in the poem suggest that even though he still loves the one whom he loves has lost the mutual feeling towards him... In other words it seems as though he has fallen out of love. The lines "Have you forgotten what we were like then when we were still first rate" and "O you were the best of my days" are good indications of his lost love. The word "were" is used repeatedly in each line strongly suggesting that the love he was in has now ended. I enjoyed this poem simply because it was about love. For some reason poems about love, whether it is falling in or out of it, seem to interest me.
ReplyDeleteI like the poem Animals on the top. Because of the memories put into the poem, it portrays a sense of drowsiness and sadness to the poem. Frank O'Hera, in my opinion, is talking about the one love of his life that he lost. His mind is wandering back to the old days when his heart was filled with love that no one could ever know. I believe because he is talking about how she/he (whatever way his door swings) was forgetting about all those memories, that she is not dead but gone out of his life. It is a sad poem because the love of his life has left his life and now he misses her.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know about this poem is why it is called animals. I don't really understand. I do like the rest of the poem though without thinking about the title. It seems very simple like they were maybe from the sixties when hippies just went with the flow. I think the comment about the ice and water being cocktails shows that they don't need to to have alcohol and can just be happy with being with each other. I think the line about not needed speedometers says that they are not in a hurry to go anywhere and don't care about he time. They just want to go with the flow and not worry about a thing. I think that that would be really nice not having to worry about things and just doing what you want. It would be a good change.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, humans ARE animals..so maybe that's why O'Hara titled the poem that, even though some people don't like to be labeled as animals. (oh well).
ReplyDeleteOr maybe he thought that since love is a wild thing, the title would be appropriate.
When i heard the line about "its no use worrying about time," I really believe that we should stop worrying about time and enjoy the time we have left. I think that everyone is so concerned about what is coming up ahead instead of living in the moment and enjoy what is going on. I think everyone just misses out on the opportunities right in front of us because we are all worried about what will go on in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt doesnt matter to me at all that the writer of this poem was gay. Most people do not judge an authors work by their background. It's a nice poem regardless. I think he was talking to someone he was in love with and they drifted apart. I think the line about ice and water means they can make anything good when they are together. The corners were described as sharp because they took risks. When he talks about the apple i think of a person that is already big has an apple. It might mean they had everything they needed and then some to do whatever they wanted.
ReplyDelete