Saturday, August 18, 2012

Poetry Assignment #1

1) The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski.
2) The irony is in the diction and video of this poem.  The point of commercials is to allow companies to show the public why it's necessary for them to invest in their various products.  To make their point valid, companies show the public exactly why they need to buy their products and how investing in them would improve their quality of life. Commercials impose the idea that one can only reach happiness if they buy certain products.  However, this isn't the case with this Levi's commercial.  The narrator clearly states, "You are marvelous, the Gods wait to delight in you."  Well, if I'm so marvelous the way I am, I obviously don't need to purchase a pair of Levi's jeans to improve my appearance.  Not only that, commercials usually show happy people enjoying their wonderful lives, while this comercial does the opposite in a way.  The people in this commercial look depressed and less than delighted in life.  For example, the man rolling down the body of water looked less than happy to have a bought a pair of Levi jeans.
3) This poem certainly reflects Bukowski's perspective on life as well as his repuatation.  After being arrested, battling near- death illnesses, and having a rough up-bringing, Bukowski learned to see that, "There is light somewhere."  After surviving treatment for a fatally-bleeding ulcer, Bukowski knew that, "You can beat death in life, sometimes."  Well, ovbiously he did exactly that.  All of his experiences in life such as alcoholism and an addiction to sex made Charles Bukowski who is today, which is reflected in the content of his literary work.
4) I found the answer to number one by googling, "Who wrote the poem in the Levis 2011 'Go Forth'  commercial?"  From here the search engine took me too, "The Levi's Go Forth with Legacy- The Inspiration Room", which was my first option on the page.  I found my answer to number three by googling, "The life of Charles Bukowski", which took me to a biography of his life on PoemHunter.com.

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