Benchmark Essay
In the Man with The Saxophone the narrator takes the reader on a brisk journey through the city of New York but does not showcase New York’s characteristic loud side, instead showcases the calming encounter he has with a man playing a saxophone, and how everything he had hoped for on that day coincidentally fall in place once he meets the man with the saxophone . The narrator eloquently transports the reader to New York, and contrasts the scene with what the narrator wishes for and how his desires are met when he meets the ‘Man with the Saxophone’.
Initially, the narrator introduces New York city at 5 am as ‘empty’, covered with ‘brittle snow’, which coherently resonate with his mental statu, ‘empty’ and wishes to be a ‘bird’, which add to a bugger theme of how the narrator seeks to be peaceful, without being ‘earthbound’. He desires silence and for it to stay for the rest of the day, without worrying about the characteristic bustling New York.
However, since the narrator is well aware of how that is not a possibility he proceeds, only to realize that what he longer for was given to him once he met the Man with the Saxophone.
As stated” I think I must be somewhere else, not here, not in this city, this heartland of pure noise.” When the narrator and the Man with the Saxophone melodiously played their instruments together, ‘it struck a chord in the narrator’s heart and he felt connected, at a deeper level, a level so deep that it left the narrator content and steady.
Additionally , the narrator is not only left content and astonished after harmoniously playing with the man , but also refers to his other desire of being a bird, and states “I'm the unencumbered bird of my imagination.” He expresses his deep connections with the man and their instruments, embodying his gratitude for having met the man and finding peace through the connection they made upon playing their instruments together.
Reflection
I was tasked to write an essay upon reading the poem A man with a saxophone by Ai and analyze his use of literary elements and techniques that convey the complexity of the speaker’s encounter with the saxophone player at that particular time and place.
I expect to earn a 1-2-1 on the essay I wrote. As, my essay presented a defensible thesis statement, provided some relevant evidence, and consistently employed a style that was vivid and persuasive.
I hoped to earn a 1 for the thesis statement because the thesis presented, offered a defensible interpretation of the encounter the speaker had with the saxophone player. For instance, I offered an interpretation that explored the speaker’s desires and how his encounter with the man with the saxophone coincidentally fulfilled his desires.
I hoped to earn a 2 for the evidence I provided because most of the evidence was specific and relevant but there was no progression as can be seen when I introduce the idea that the speaker hopes for something before meeting the man with the saxophone, but I fail to elaborate on what he hopes for. However, most of the evidence presented is specific and consistently draws connections between the speaker’s word choice in relation to the bigger thematic statement of his longing for peace.
I expect to earn a 1 for sophistication as I consistently employ a style that is vivid and persuasive, as can be seen when I directly quote from the poem to elaborate on the atmosphere the speaker is in and connect that to his desires and encounter.
I noticed similarities between the reflection of this essay and the embrace your complexity powerpoint in that we were required to create a piece that encapsulated a variety of information but at the same time had a logical flow that harmoniously blended the different aspects of the work. For example: In the embrace your complexity power point presentation, we were tasked to use two adjectives to describe ourselves, all while considering the pictures, choice of colors, font size, font design, and other digital elements which all coherently showcased a more intense meaning to the slides used to describe ourselves, likewise, in the reflection of this essay, we were required to develop a line of reasoning that gradually accumulated information to ultimately exhibit a more profound meaning of the thesis statement, backed up by the evidence provided throughout the essay.
From this reflection, I have a clearer understanding of what is expected of me from a Poetry Essay and how I must make notes of the minute details present in the poems that add to a bigger thematic statement, as well as make sure that I clearly understand the meaning of these minute aspects before jumping into writing of the essay because this is vital to being able to articulate clearly and at a steadier and smoother pace with a logical and well written flow of words.
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