charles bukowski power point
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CHARLES BUKOWSKI
By Shelbylyn Freeman
ABOUT BUKOWSKI:
Born: August 16 1920 Germany
German-born American poet, novelist, and short
story writer
Died: March 9 1994
ALONE WITH EVERYBODY
the flesh covers the bone
and they put a mind
in there and
sometimes a soul,
and the women break
vases against the walls
and the men drink too
much
and nobody finds the
one
but keep
looking
crawling in and out
of beds.
flesh covers
the bone and the
flesh searches
for more than
flesh.
there's no chance at all: we are all trapped by a singular fate.
nobody ever finds the one.
the city dumps fill the junkyards fill the madhouses fill the hospitals fill the graveyards fill
nothing else fills
ANALYSIS1) "Alone With Everybody" is a short but powerful poem. Charles Bukowski captures the emotional torture of loneliness which is
commonly shared between most people. With his intense word choice and usage, Bukowski makes the reader feel lonely just by
reading the poem. He begins with "flesh covers the bone", which we know all humans share in common. He creates this
introduction as sort of a cushion for readers, knowing that they can relate to what is presented.
"there's no chance
at all:
we are all trapped
by a singular
fate.
nobody ever finds the one.
the city dumps fill
the junkyards fill
the madhouses fill
the hospitals fill
the graveyards fill
nothing else
fills. “ Bukowski is trying to make a connection. He's trying to show that no matter who you are or where you are, there's a part
of you that is alone and that we can't be afraid of being alone.
FOR THE FOXES
don't feel sorry for me.
I am a competent,
satisfied human being.
be sorry for the others
who
fidget
complain
who
constantly
rearrange their
lives
like
furniture.
juggling mates
and
attitudes
their
confusion is
constant
and it will
touchwhoever they deal with.
beware of them:one of theirkey words is"love."
and beware those whoonly takeinstructions from theirGod
for they have failed completely to live their ownlives.
don't feel sorry for mebecause I am alone
for even at the most terriblemomentshumoris my companion.
I am a dog walkingbackwards
I am a brokenbanjo
I am a telephone wirestrung up inToledo, Ohio
I am a maneating a mealthis nightin the month ofSeptember.
put your sympathyaside.they saywater held upChrist:to comethroughyou better benearly aslucky.
ANALYSIS
2) In Bukowski's "For The Foxes", a lot of symbolism is used to warn
readers about others. Since we live in a world of diverse thinkers and
lifestyles, we should expect the unexpected from each other.
"beware of them: one of their key words is "love." and beware those who only
take instructions from their God" Bukowski shows a different side to his
writing by creating this idea to "watch your back" or be aware of who you
surround yourself with in your life. This is interesting because he's not just
trying to stick some mediocre moral or meaning to his poem. Bukowski is
actually taking the time to create his work to open up readers' minds. "put
your sympathyaside. they say water held up Christ: to come through you
better be nearly as lucky." Bukowski takes a bit of a risk by involving religion
into his writing. I personally see his use of religion as something that he
knows will grab a reader's attention. He wants to take the risks of offending
someone or pissing someone off because that's the risk he's willing to take to
get his point across as an artist.
FOR JANE
225 days under grass
and you know more than I.
they have long taken your blood,
you are a dry stick in a basket.
is this how it works?
in this room
the hours of love
still make shadows.
when you left
you took almost
everything.
I kneel in the nights
before tigers
that will not let me be.
what you were
will not happen again.
the tigers have found me
and I do not care.
ANALYSIS
3) In "For Jane", it is apparent that Bukowski is writing about a death. Beginning
with "225 days under grass and you know more than I. they have long taken your
blood, you are a dry stick in a basket", we can safely assume he is describing a
dead body. With death being such a touchy subject, the somber feelings are
commonly expressed through writing. In this poem, Bukowski does not only
describe his sadness, but also his surrender. "what you were will not happen
again. the tigers have found me and I do not care. " He uses the symbolism of
tigers, most likely as his emotions because he can not escape them. He's allowing
his sadness to take him because he knows that the death he is experiencing is
something he can't avoid. "I kneel in the nights before tigers that will not let me
be."
THE LAUGHING HEART
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
ANALYSIS
4) "The Laughing Heart", is one of Bukowski's more positive poems. While Bukowski often
writes about death and sadness, this poem provides a message that encourages readers to
take control of their lives. "your life is your life don’t3) In "For Jane", it is apparent that
Bukowski is writing about a death. Beginning with "225 days under grass and you know
more than I. they have long taken your blood, you are a dry stick in a basket", we can safely
assume he is describing a dead body. With death being such a touchy subject, the somber
feelings are commonly expressed through writing. In this poem, Bukowski does not only
describe his sadness, but also his surrender. "what you were will not happen again. the
tigers have found me and I do not care. " He uses the symbolism of tigers, most likely as his
emotions because he can not escape them. He's allowing his sadness to take him because
he knows that the death he is experiencing is something he can't avoid. "I kneel in the
nights before tigers that will not let me be." let it be clubbed into dank submission." By
saying "don't let it be clubbed", he uses the phrase to say that you shouldn't let someone
else bring you down because you are the one in control and you are the only one that can
bring your life into a downward spiral. "you can’t beat death but you can beat death in life,
sometimes." When Bukowski brings the theme of death into his poem about life, you can
tell he might not be necessarily talking about actually loss of life, but more like failure.
Death can be used a symbol of defeat, and here he states that it is possible to fight against
death in this form of failure.
A SMILE TO REMEMBER
we had goldfish and they circled around and around
in the bowl on the table near the heavy drapes
covering the picture window and
my mother, always smiling, wanting us all
to be happy, told me, 'be happy Henry!'
and she was right: it's better to be happy if you
can
but my father continued to beat her and me several times a week while
raging inside his 6-foot-two frame because he couldn't
understand what was attacking him from within.
my mother, poor fish,
wanting to be happy, beaten two or three times a
week, telling me to be happy: 'Henry, smile!
why don't you ever smile?'
and then she would smile, to show me how, and it was the
saddest smile I ever saw
one day the goldfish died, all five of them,
they floated on the water, on their sides, their
eyes still open,
and when my father got home he threw them to the cat
there on the kitchen floor and we watched as my mother
smiled
ANALYSIS
5) "A Smile To Remember", gives readers a special
point of view into Bukowski's childhood. In this poem
he talks about the abuse of a father, which is
something Bukowski actually went through when he
was young. The poem repeatedly shows the mother
telling the child to be happy, meanwhile she is going
through the domestic violence of her marriage. But
the child could see his mother was unhappy too and
could tell that all the smiles she wore were fake.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER
if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it
comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut,
don't do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or
hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don't do it. if you're doing it
for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your
bed, don't do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, don't do it. if you're trying to write
like somebody else, forget about it. if you have to wait for it to roar out of you,
then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else. if you first
have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or
to anybody at all, you're not ready. don't be like so many writers, don't be like so
many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don't be dull and boring
and pretentious, don't be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don't add to that. don't do it. unless it
comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness
or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut,
don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself
and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way.
and there never was.
ANALYSIS
6) "So You Want To Be a Writer" has a very blunt
and straight forward message. In this poem,
Bukowski is being upfront and honest when he says
that if you're not passionate about what you do, don't
do it. Using the example of writing, he goes on to say
that if you aren't dying to write, then you aren't a
true writer. This lessons really goes for not only
writing, but other hobbies and talents people
attempt everyday.,
SAFE
the house next door makes me
sad.
both man and wife rise early and
go to work.
they arrive home in early evening.
they have a young boy and a girl.
by 9 p.m. all the lights in the house
are out.
the next morning both man and
wife rise early again and go to
work.
they return in early evening.
By 9 p.m. all the lights are
out.
the house next door makes me
sad.
the people are nice people, I
like them.
but I feel them drowning.and I can't save them. they are surviving.they are nothomeless. but the price isterrible. sometimes during the dayI will look at the houseand the house will look at meand the house willweep, yes, it does, Ifeel it.
ANALYSIS
7) In the poem "Safe", Bukowski again writes about what it's like to
see people who pretend to be happy as he also
they are not
homeless.“
Bukowski writes about what he sees in his neighbors in this poem. He
sees their houses that look normal and plain and see the people but he
also sees past their fake happiness. It's almost as if he's saying that no
matter how hard we try, we are still sad inside. Bukowski feels the
other peoples' pain and its interesting how he can see past someone
like that.
YES YES
when God created love he didn't help most
when God created dogs He didn't help dogs
when God created plants that was average
when God created hate we had a standard utility
when God created me He created me
when God created the monkey He was asleep
when He created the giraffe He was drunk
when He created narcotics He was high
and when He created suicide He was low
when He created you lying in bed
He knew what He was doing
He was drunk and He was high
and He created the mountians and the sea and fire at the same time
He made some mistakes
but when He created you lying in bed
He came all over His Blessed Universe.
ANALYSIS
8) In "Yes Yes", religion is brought back into Bukowski's
writing. As he's known for not necessarily being a really
religious person, he brings in the subject of God almost in a
joking way or ironic way. It goes into talking about the different
things god did when creating the world we live in. While this
poem was short, it still had a lot that made you think. For
example, what was God really thinking or doing when he
created the sky or the sea or people? Bukowski makes you really
think about different possibility.
THE MOON AND THE STARS AND THE WORLD
Long walks at night--
that's what good for the soul:
peeking into windows
watching tired housewives
trying to fight off
their beer-maddened husbands.
ANALYSIS
9) "And The Moon, And The Stars, And The World" is a very
short poem. Since it's so short, Bukowski really got to the point of
the poem. It ends with "watching tired housewives
trying to fight off their beer-maddened husbands", which once
again brings in the themes of domestic violence, abuse, and
sexism. He's put a stereotype on the men and the women by
calling them "housewives" and "beer-maddened husbands". This
also brings back the thought of Bukowski's own childhood when
he grew up with abuse in his family.
BEER
I don't know how many bottles of
beer
I have consumed while waiting for
things
to get better
I dont know how much wine and
whisky
and beer
mostly beer
I have consumed after
splits with women-
waiting for the phone to ring
waiting for the sound of footsteps,
and the phone to ring
waiting for the sounds of footsteps,
and the phone never rings
until much later
and the footsteps never arrive
until much later
when my stomach is coming up
out of my mouth
they arrive as fresh as spring flowers:
"what the hell have you done to
yourself?
it will be 3 days before you can fuck
me!"
the female is durableshe lives seven and one half years longerthan the male, and she drinks very little beerbecause she knows its bad for the figure.
while we are going madthey are outdancing and laughingwith horney cowboys.
well, there's beersacks and sacks of empty beer bottlesand when you pick one upthe bottle fall through the wet bottomof the paper sack rollingclankingspilling gray wet ashand stale beer,or the sacks fall over at 4 a.m.in the morningmaking the only sound in your life.
beerrivers and seas of beerthe radio singing love songsas the phone remains silentand the walls standstraight up and downand beer is all there is.
ANALYSIS
10) "Beer" is a little bit more of a derogatory poem.
Throughout this poem, Bukowski describes beer and
other alcohol is a necessity. You can tell that alcohol
is something he heavily relied on. "I don't know how
many bottles of beer
I have consumed while waiting for things
to get better" Alcohol becomes a symbol in this
poem. It because a crutch or something to lean on it
Bukowski's life.
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