Poetry Analysis

Blue-Black by Benjamin Scott Grossberg

Understanding after the first reading: 7.65

An unknown character is describing their experience at the apartment of another man. The man owns a dog which has a seizure in the beginning of the poem and it was later explained that it had been beaten as a pup. The dog is a timid standard poodle that was unable to perform in a dog show after extensive training. The dog was just too shy. The owner (man) is also a little strange or socially awkward in some way. There is a line that talks about the owner faking an orgasm while the two characters are having sex.

The character describing the scene believes that he was beaten or molested in some way as a child. The narrator does not completely know how he or she is able to infer this from the man’s past, but the narrator attributes it as a talent that comes with extensive experience sleeping with guys.

The man tells the narrator in detail about the time he tried to show the dog. The narrator believes that the script for the performance was neither violent nor elegant. It was also stated that it seemed the man’s pleasure had no part in the dog’s performance.

In the last scene when the man is absent from the room the dog comes up to the narrator in a loving manner. The narrator strokes the dog’s head and says “You’re a good boy, a good boy.”

Understanding level: 9.14

The initial read and re-read of the poem were helpful in my overall understanding of the work. I was able to focus on the basics, what was going on, who was involved and the character relationships. I am still unsure as to the sex of the author, although I do suspect this to be a poem about a homosexual relationship. I plan on further researching the author, but his sexual preference will not have a big effect on the message of the poem.

I was unable to gain a deeper insight as to the message of the poem until I wrote about the poem. This forced me to pay particular attention to detail and form my own opinions about what the author was attempting to convey. After my summary was complete I felt to have an adequate understanding of the poem and all of its minute aspects. I will re-read the poem once more and then begin the close reading assignment. I am a fan of this process of analysis.