Memories about Music(读书笔记）

Anne Sexton’s poem, “Music Swims Back to Me”, uses musical language to write like this way, “La la la, Oh music swims back to me and I can feel the tune they played the night they left me in this private institution on a hill”. Music can represent many different feelings such us happiness, sadness, calmness and nostalgia. In this way, feelings are transferred to readers. She writes about the dark feelings she had when she get sick. The music always make her think about been isolated. She does not want to be forgotten, which she demonstrates: “Wait Mister. Which way is home? They turned the light out and the dark is moving in the corner. There are no sign posts in this room, four ladies, over eighty, In diapers every one of them.” Clearly from this poem we can feel Anne Sexton’s loneliness, she uses imagery in the poem to show the reader her emotion of despair. Her poem sounds like music and creates a picture for readers. Sexton says, “Imagine it. A radio playing and everyone here was crazy, I like it and danced in a circle. Music sees more than I. I mean it remembers better；remembers the first night here.” Her poem describes when people dance with the music, she says: “Music pours over the sense and in a funny way.” she gives double meaning to the music: in one way she tells the reader how music so important, in other way is under the poem real meaning. ” Sexton uses the music’s meaning to tell the reader how she feels, “Music sees more then I.”Then she writes about real life like this way “It was the strangled cold of November; even the stars were strapped in the sky and that moon too bright forking through the bars to stick me with a singing in the head. I have forgotten all the rest.” She chose the words about cold weather to describe her isolated situation in the hospital. Music can conveys happiness or sadness, she write about her sad feeling, that’s why she writes like this way, “They lock me in this chair at eight a.m. and there are no signs to tell the way, just the radio beating to itself and the song that remembers more than I. Oh la la la,this music swims back to me. The night I came I danced a circle and was not afraid. Mister?” The la la la is supposed to indicate a happy song, but her poem about music under line is her sad moment she tried to tell the readers.

            My poem’s writing style follows Anne Sexton’s music idea but transfer to happy moment with my older brother, the music brings us many happy moments when we were young, until right now music is still so important in my life, no matter happy or sad, music is always with me. If I am sad the music could make me feel so peaceful. My brother’s music influence me to follow his footsteps to learn play instruments, then I have lifelong fascination with music. In Anne Sexton’s poem the music has double meaning for her. My poem recalls how little girl enjoy with music to grew up, all the memories of the music my brother been play, still fresh like yesterday. Every time I heard music he been played I will follow the song to sing with music. Nobody could forget yesterday, I can’t go back to life over again, only can do is look back over over again then write a poem to share with the readers about music and my brother.  

            My brother is most important person in my life; we did everything together when we were young. We helped my mother do the laundry and cook food for family need. Also, we played together when we were somewhere. Later when he started playing music, I was a big fan of his music and audience. I tried so hard to write my happy moment with my brother in my poem. Of course,music is main key to glue every detail in my poem together, it to show reader a wonderful picture. Which I write in this way “When he practices his harmonica His sister dances around him. Also, she sings the songs he plays, Music makes a five-year-old girl smile all the time. She is swimming in his music for a longtime. He catches on to the music quickly; there are many beautiful songs he plays quite well. What a wonderful song you played, daddy says to his son. His family enjoyed the songs he played. The music, sounds and laughter are all over the room.” I am so glad to write a poem about back where I belonged, my brother’s music and amazing song he been played; it was my childhood sweet memories,it will be always in bottom of my heart. Anne Sexton uses sad moment for the music, but I write a poem using the music to tell the reader about my happy memory.

Anne Sexton