5/11/2019 "Poverty of Mirrors" by Jaylen Mans on Prezi

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"Poverty of Mirrors"
Jaylen Mans
JM Updated 7 March 2014

TRANSCRIPT

His outstanding high school career granted him admission to Spokane’s Jesuit Gonzaga University. There he had a successful academic career but began to abuse alcohol. In
1987, Alexie transferred to Washington State University and began writing poetry and short fiction. His work was published in Hanging Loose magazine in 1990. The success he
garnered gave him the incentive to quit drinking. ("Sherman Alexie." Poetry Foundation) Alexie played basketball sixteen hours a day to keep from boozing with his cronies(Lincoln,
Kenneth) He has remained sober ever since. He continued his schooling until he received his B.A. in American Studies from Washington State University in Pullman. ("Sherman
Alexie." Poets.org)

Personal Response
When I read this poem it forced to reflect upon my own life and even evoked thoughts of my own future and where I want to be later in life. I believe this poem offers insight to
the life of a Native American during those prejudice times.

Continued..
When the poem mentions mirrors it symbolizes self reflection
"Does the world out there revolve around rooms without doors or windows?" Is a rhetorical question
"rooms without doors or windows"- is a symbol of a box or another way of saying no escape

"Poverty Of Mirrors"
Attitude
"Poverty of Mirrors"
Depression
Alcoholism

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5/11/2019 "Poverty of Mirrors" by Jaylen Mans on Prezi
Self Reflection
Acceptance
Familiarity
The attitude of the poem is very contemplative as the poems seems to reflect upon the characters repetitive life
My initial thoughts for the poem based on the title was that the poem is about self reflection in some type of form because mirrors tend to be a symbol of reflection

After reading the poem the title stills seems to be about self reflection
Title
This poem is free verse because it does not use meter patterns, rhyme, or other musical patterns. Because of this tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech

Paraphrase
You wake these mornings alone and nothing
can be forgiven; you drink the last
swallow of warm beer from the can
beside the bed, tell the stranger sleeping
on the floor to go home. It's too easy
to be no one with nothing to do, only
slightly worried about the light bill
more concerned with how dark day gets.
You walk alone on moist pavement wondering
what color rain is in the country.
Does the world out there revolve aound rooms
without doors or windows? Centering the mirror
you found in the trash, walls seem closer
and you can never find the right way
out, so you open the fridge again
for a beer, find only rancid milk and drink it
whole. This all tastes too familiar.
Lincoln, Kenneth. "On Sherman Alexie." On
Sherman Alexie. The Board of Regents of the University of California, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Sherman Alexie." Poetry Foundation. Poetry
Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Sherman Alexie." Poets.org. Academy of
American Poets, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.

Connotation
Works Cited
Shifts
History of Poem
This poem was written during a time of Native American prejudice. A time when despair, poverty, and alcoholism often shaped the lives of Native Americans living on reservations.
Alexie uses these poems to depict the lives of Native Americans who attempt to escape their situation through alcohol and other forms of self-abuse. ("Sherman Alexie." Poetry
Foundation)

TPCASTT
At the moment there are no present uses for the poem "Poverty of Mirrors"

Themes
Type of Poem
Title II
Sherman Alexie
You wake these mornings alone and nothing
can be forgiven; you drink the last
swallow of warm beer from the can
beside the bed, tell the stranger sleeping
on the floor to go home. It's too easy
to be no one with nothing to do, only
slightly worried about the light bill
more concerned with how dark day gets.
You walk alone on moist pavement wondering

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5/11/2019 "Poverty of Mirrors" by Jaylen Mans on Prezi
what color rain is in the country.
Does the world out there revolve around rooms
without doors or windows? Centering the mirror
you found in the trash, walls seem closer
and you can never find the right way
out, so you open the fridge again
for a beer, find only rancid milk and drink it
whole. This all tastes too familiar.
Stanza 1- the mood is of a familiar tone as the author describes his routine like behavior
Stanza 2- the mood shifts from familiar to crestfallen or discouraged
Stanza 3- the scene shifts from his house to the outside pavement, and the mood shifts from discouraged to contemplative
Stanza 4- the scene shifts from the pavement and returns to his house and the mood changes from contemplative to indifferent as he begins to accept his situation

"Poverty Of Mirrors" By Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie was born a Spokeane/Coer d'Alene Indian in 1966 on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington.("Sherman Alexie." Poets.org) Alexie is not only a
poet, but also a novelist, performer and filmmaker. He has received much recognition for his poems and short stories of contemporary Native American reservation life. He was
born hydrocephalic and underwent an operation at six months of age; he was not expected to live. Even though he lived through the experience, he had frequent seizures as a
child and spent much of his time as a child reading. ("Sherman Alexie." Poetry Foundation)

Current Use
Biography
You get up lonely
and have
regrets; you finish the rest of the unwanted drink next to you,
dismiss the unwanted
business
on the ground. There's no challenge
for a nobody whose life's going nowhere, only slightly concerned about life's responsibilities, more worried about the
consequences of neglecting them
You strattle along the sidewalk
pondering
things about the world.
Does this earth consist
of only boxes
caging others in.
The reflection
from the dumpster, The box gets smaller
and the exit can never be found
you return again and reach for
yourself, only to find a minion and
you accept it
all. This is too recognizable.

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