Elegy For A Tortoise 3e2u4h

Elegy for a Tortoise By Christine Godinez-Ortega

Background of the Author

Christine Godinez- Ortega The Author

The Poem

In Siquijor I watched Some old men hunt The tortoise-

Stanza 1 The Hunting of the Tortoise

His crawl of half-a-century Poised upon that moment, Yellow folds on brown. I saw the face The beak that bore The creases of the good years.

Stanza 2 The Killing Blow

And when the oldest man Raised his remaining strength, The head of the tortoise rolled, It rolled and stopped and watched.

Stanza 3 The Persona’s Reaction

The old man broke the shell The bolo pierced the lungs, Severed the heart, perhaps. Before I closed my eyes, I raised the tortoise and his tear To straighten the curls In my looking glass

Rhythmic Pattern |In /Siq|ui/jor| I /watched| → iambic trimeter (with trochee) |Some /old| men /hunt| → iambic dimeter |The /tor/toise-| → iambic dimeter |His /crawl |of /half|-a-/cen|tu/ry| → iambic tetrameter |Poised /up|on /that| mo/ment,| → trochaic trimeter |Ye/llow| folds /on| brown.| → trochaic trimeter |I /saw| the /face| → iambic dimeter |The /beak| that /bore| → iambic dimeter |The /crea/ses /of /the /good /years.| → ?

Rhyme Scheme Free verse

The pattern is: ABCDEFGHIJKLA MNOPQRS

First line from Stanza 1 “In Siquijor, I watched”

Last line from Stanza 2 “It rolled and stopped and watched”

Imagery Visual Imagery

As emphasized by the line: “In Siquijor, I watched”

Figurative Language

Ambiguity

“His crawl of half-a-century”

Hyperbole → Slow movement

“Yellow folds on brown”

Literal → Skin color → Shell Metonymy → Wrinkles → Frown of concentration

“The beak that bore”

Literal → Tortoise’s beak Metaphor → Focused pout

“The creases of good years”

Metaphor → Old Age

“Severed the heart, perhaps”

Metonymy → Stone-hearted → Empathy

“I raised the tortoise and his tear”

Metonymy → Tortoise shell comb

The Poem

Irony Allegory

Tone

The Persona Point of View

● Apathetic ● Air of Indifference

The Reader Point of View

● Sad ● Appalled ● Feeling betrayed

Theme

Allegory of Life & Death

● Culmination of a life lived prior, and death is the ultimate culmination

Materialistic Slaughtering

● Slaughtering for market demand and public consumption

Imiveness & Self-centered Nature of Humanity

● Reflects the tendency of people to overlook and never care

Symbol

Tortoise & the Old men

● Symbol of Age

The Persona

● The Individual ● The Society

Bolo

● Harbinger of Death

Severed Heart

● Jadedness ● Empathy

Closed Eyes

● To overlook ● Turning a blind eye

The tortoise & his tear

● Tortoise shell comb ● Tortoise’s suffering

Straightening the curls

● Attempt of bringing back any semblance of normalcy

Looking glass

● Self- centeredness

Presented by: Patricia Lluch (ENG 4 Report)