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Example research essay topic: Order To Reach Pop Culture - 1,873 words

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A Powerful Use of Language in First They Slaughtered the Angels Who barbecues the lamb of god? (Kandel ll. 21) Who raped St. Mary with a plastic dildo stamped with the / Good Housekeeping seal of approval? (ll. 24 - 25) These statements taken out of the context of Lenore Kandel's First They Slaughtered the Angels sounds at the very least crude and by many sacrilegious. These words are not meant to offend, but to tell a truth about our society. It is the poems language that shocks the reader, and it is through this perverse language that Kandel is able to bring forth a powerful message.

A message, which informs us that our society is destroying everything that, was once held sacred by its former occupants. We are no longer a people of faith and tradition, but a people based on spitefulness and pop culture. In reading the poets words the reader must look beyond the connotation felt toward the printed word and instead use the words as a source to the writers experiences and beliefs. Words are nothing without the thoughts that were intended to be seen through them.

Kandel did not choose the words she did for her poem in order to offend or ostracize any individuals. Her word choice was based on the emotion and intentions that she wanted her poem to contain. Kandel's message of society's corruption and its effect on spirituality could not have been accomplished by using gentle euphemisms (Kandel 275) The poem has to be real. Kandel would be deceiving herself and her readers if she used the sort of language that traditional readers consider acceptable. Kandel is aware that she will have critics in those who claim that what she writes is trash and not poetry.

The truth is that no one person or group of people can dictate what poetry should be. The very idea of conformity and boundaries is completely contradictory to the entire purpose of poetry. Poetry in large part is used a personal outlet and a forum for the free flow of emotions and ideas. To contain ones right to do this would be wrong. Lenore states in her own defense that whatever is language is poetic language. (275) A poet must use the words that best describe what they have to say, even if the language used is not deemed appropriate for all.

The desecration of a holy symbol and the raping of a saint are not pretty images, but in order that the poem be effective and maintain the vision of the poet they are necessary. If Kandel wishes to address a contemporary audience, an audience that is supposedly slaughtering the angels she must address them on a level that they will understand, and in a way that will open their eyes to the corruption that they have caused around them. The penises of men are become blue steel machine guns, they ejaculate bullets, they spread death as an orgasm. (ll. 42 - 43) Here we can see a graphic depiction of male sexuality, but we also find a message. The strong and mighty men of society, who pride themselves on their sexual performance, for that is what makes them a man, are acting in much of the same manner in reference to war. They are seeking to prove themselves as strong and capable men with orgasm or death as the intended goal.

It is true that Kandel could have portrayed with elegance and flowery language a vision of men who are fighting to prove themselves, but the line would have lost its punch. It would be just another poem about mans evil ways and how we are losing our faith. The reader would not have been moved in disgust. The poem wouldnt shove the fact in our faces that we are a spiteful and lost people. As readers and as members of society we must be brave and unafraid when facing the truths that others present on paper. A sugarcoated representation of life would only do the reader a great injustice.

Kandel's language is only offensive to those who choose to isolate the vulgarity and do not take the time or effort to look beneath the surface of the poem. Words are like icing on a cake. It gives the cake flavor, but it can not stand-alone. Those who choose to eat their frosting directly out of the can are missing out on the entire purpose of its presence. We are people of surfaces. We hide behind them and we judge against them.

This poem can easily be taken at surface value. It is not difficult to pick up Kandel's: First They Slaughtered the Angels and then put it down again in disgust. This is because most would choose to merely look at the words instead of using them to gain a better understanding of what the poet is trying to get across. Any poem that contains words like ejaculation, genitals, and censored , especially in the same sentences as sacred images is bound to be scrutinized.

Throughout First They Slaughtered the Angels Kandel uses language to show a large contrast between society and the sacred. To do this she creates phrases or word pairs that normally would have no relationship with each other. Who censored ed up Gabriel's horn (ll. 19) and they have denied both christ and cock (ll. 75) are two perfect examples of the type of phrases used. Perhaps these lines could have been worded differently, but in order to reach the focus audience the lines must stay as written. Word pairs were also used in the poem to express the contradiction, for example: the messianic cannon (ll. 36) and the paschal bomb (ll. 37) The mention of the messiah and of a cannon do not fit together. These terms are used to express the fact that this society has no faith.

They consider its weaponry to be of a holy nature, that they as men have the power to play god. This is why Kandel's message is so important to seek and to know and to understand. Kandel does not rely solely on seemingly vulgar language to get her point across. Often it is vivid descriptions that has much of the same effect: We huddle underground / listening to the slow blood drip from our severed veins / lifting the tops of our zippered skulls / to ventilate our brains. (ll. 64 - 69) There are no swear words present here and no illusion to anything sexual, but the picture that one finds in those lines is still grimacing. Kandel uses these images to depict the dead in the story. Those who have remained idle in their tombs as the living destroy mans connection to God.

There is so other satisfactory way to approach the description of the dead. Throughout history religion or at least the concept of superior beings has been the focus of life. To the society for which we live in it is merely a fad that has slipped away. We have watched from underground / from the gravestones/ they have wiped their asses on angel feathers / and now they walk the rubbed streets with / eyes like fire pits. (ll. 14 - 16) The poet speaks as one of the dead. The dead watch as the living slaughter the angels and offend God. It is often said that the eyes are a window to the soul, if this is so than the dead see in the living no souls.

A people without souls who denounce any ties to religion. The reader is able to see within these people through Kandel's description. It is more than a description of the individuals physical actions, and more of a peek within them. The knowledge that these people have no soul, or who act as if it is so allows one to make more sense out of the poem. These people mock the beliefs that our ancestors once held so dear.

Many live miserable lives and instead of asking for the intervention of a spiritual being, they curse and blame the beings for their failings. And they have censored upon the open mouth of god / they have hung the saints in strait jackets, and they have / tranquilized the prophets. (ll. 74 - 76) Everything done in spite of, or perhaps in order to spite the almighty forces of heaven... These are not unintentional harms that are merely consequence of ignorance or temptation, but rather conscious acts of evil by a people who should, but apparently fail to know better. Thrown into the poem are pieces of pop culture: credit cards, health food bars, and dishwashers to name only a few. This language is by no means perverse, but it is thrown into the poem to show one reason why society has become as it is. A spiteful people are also a materialistic people.

The idea of things, of obtaining them and trying to have the best is what in part has led to the corruption of society. Kandel mixes these words in with grotesque and vivid depictions of life Poems are written as an expression of the writer. The writer receives her inspiration found within herself. What is within all of our minds is not something simple or even explainable by normal standards.

As Kandel wrote First They Slaughtered the Angel she tried to write as closely as she could the thoughts and emotions that were swirling around in her brain. One wants their readers to feel overpowered and stimulated by the content of the poem, and to be passive would mean failure. The language that is used by the author helps her in her attempts to get her readers understanding what she is trying to say. Some say that those who do not have the intelligence to think of something witty or intelligent to say swear. The poet is not a dumb woman. She does not use words like censored (ll. 19) because she is dumb and at a loss for words.

She uses them for emphasis and the support of her message. To use such language in order to reach those in the dark is really quite amazing. It takes courage and boldness to stick your neck out and hope that your readers will understand and appreciate the effort. Kandel's poem is not elegant or flowery; it is realistic and vivid. This is only made possible through the language that she utilized. Yes, language is the key to any poem, but Kandel's unique style and word choice have enabled her to carry a strong message throughout the work.

Some images can be deemed offensive and immoral, but they are not meant to become propaganda for atheists. Kandel wishes to prove a point. The blackened hearts of those who now roam the earth are the cause of a slaughtering of angels, the slaughtering of the faith that past generations hung on to so tightly. Because of the strong language and images used throughout the poem Kandel First They Slaughtered the Angels will never be a classic, but to those who are open enough to strive at an understanding of the poem it will stay with them forever. Bibliography:


Free research essays on topics related to: angels, pop culture, order to reach, word choice, slaughtered

Research essay sample on Order To Reach Pop Culture

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