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“It’s a green hollow, where a river is singing
Crazily hanging on the grasses rags
Of silver; where the sun, from the proud mountain,
Is shining: it’s a little valley bubbling with sunlight.

A young soldier, his mouth open, his head bare,
And the nape of his neck bathing in cool blue watercress,
Is sleeping; he is stretched out on the grass, under the skies,
Pale in his green bed where the light falls like rain.

Feet in the gladiolas, he is sleeping. Smiling like
A sick child would smile, he takes a nap:
Nature, rock him warmly: he is cold.

Fragrances do not make his nostrils quiver;
He sleeps in the sun, hand on the breast,
Peacefully. He has two red holes in his right side.”

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I agree with the reader’s perspective on the meaning of the poem. The poem is talking about the universalisation of the soldier’s experience helps the poem resonate with anyone who reads it. The poem is timeless, a soldier now could be sharing the same experience as one 100 years ago. Some of the major themes I identified were innocence, nature’s indifference, and anti-war ideology. The vulnerability of the young soldier represents his child-like innocence, signifying the tragic loss of a young boy in his prime to war. In the poem, nature is positioned to be indifferent to the soldier’s death, continuing on unaffected by it. However, the poem also uses nature to paint the picture of innocence around the soldier, the sun’s warmth, and the valley that cradles him comforts him even in death. The poem suggests that nature, destructive as it can be, can also offer peace and renewal. The poem overall highlights the loss of young life that war causes, and the impact of the inherent violence it has on young people. Le Dormeur du Val paints a picture of the tragedy of war.

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This image is an illustration of the poem. "Pale in his green bed where the light falls like rain," (Line 8), the image pictures this phrase accurately. The green grass cradling the soldier created the perfect contrast to the two bullet holes in his side, emphasising and condemning them.

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“Traveler, your footprints

are the only road, nothing else.

Traveler, there is no road;

you make your own path as you walk.

As you walk, you make your own road,

and when you look back

you see the path

you will never travel again.

Traveler, there is no road;

only a ship’s wake on the sea.”

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My interpretation of the poem was quite similar to Emilio's; the idea that you have to embrace the unknown to forge your own path in life is scary and comforting at the same time. When the poem says “you make your own path as you walk,” (Line 2), it emphasises the idea that each step you take is a choice you are making for yourself, shaping your life and the direction of it is entirely of your making. Additionally, when the poem says “Traveler, there is no road, only a ship’s wake on the sea.” (Lines 7-8), it means that there is no road ahead of you, all your past decisions will be washed away like a boat’s wake in the sea. I feel that these lines also create a sense of irrelevancy, your decisions are so unimpactful and small to the universe and the whole scheme of things, like the small waves of a boat in a big ocean. I feel that the poem presents the themes of freedom, uncertainty, individuality, and growth. The poem highlights our potential for freedom, if each step we take is entirely of our own willpower and motivation we will all end up walking a path of life we choose for ourselves. The individuality in these choices will result in a unique path we have the power to influence. The use of the phrase “there is no road,” (Line 1), reinforces the idea that we are not on a predestined walk of life, we forge our own paths with steps from the decisions we make. When the poem tells you to look back on your “footprints”, it means that it wants you to look back on your past decisions and learn from your direction. Learning from past experiences and choices can impact how you decide to lead your future.

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The poem directly references the "wake" (Line 9), which is a metaphor for looking back on your past decisions, acknowledging them, and learning from them.

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“Ay, ay, ay, that am kinky-haired and pure black
kinks in my hair, Kafir in my lips;
and my flat nose Mozambiques.

Black of pure tint, I cry and laugh
the vibration of being a black statue;
a chunk of night, in which my white
teeth are lightning;
and to be a black vine
which entwines in the black
and curves the black nest
in which the raven lies.
Black chunk of black in which I sculpt myself,
ay, ay, ay, my statue is all black.

They tell me that my grandfather was the slave
for whom the master paid thirty coins.
Ay, ay, ay, that the slave was my grandfather
is my sadness, is my sadness.
If he had been the master
it would be my shame:
that in men, as in nations,
if being the slave is having no rights
being the master is having no conscience.

Ay, ay, ay wash the sins of the white King
in forgiveness black Queen.

Ay, ay, ay, the race escapes me
and buzzes and flies toward the white race,
to sink in its clear water;
or perhaps the white will be shadowed in the black.

Ay, ay, ay my black race flees
and with the white runs to become bronzed;
to be one for the future,
fraternity of America!”

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I think the poem is representative of black identity and pride. The repeated use of vivid imagery: “pure black”, “black of pure tint”, “black vine”, “black nest”, all evoke the impression of a strong sense of self and pride in the reader and writer’s black identities. I thought the use of the derogatory term “kafir” was interesting, the term is an offensive one used towards black Africans, and the role of it in this poem is to reinforce the shameless sense of identity and acknowledgement of history this poem induces. The writer understands her cries and laughter as the “vibration of a black statue”, presenting an understanding in her appearance and how she is perceived. The writer also integrates her grandfather’s enslavement, invoking the emotions of sadness and anger. The lines “the slave was my grandfather is my sadness, is my sadness.” shows the generational trauma and effect it has on her to this day. The lines “if being the slave is having no rights being the master is having no conscience,” depict the consequence of enslaving a person, condemning the action as a moral injustice. The presence of hope in the poem, in the lines “wash the sins of the white King in forgiveness black Queen,” I think is what speaks to the reader most. Her promotion of the importance of diversity in her community includes integrating and working with other groups in the community as well. These lines recognise the grave sins of the past while also accentuating the importance of collaboration to a functioning, diverse community. I think the poem has a range of complex emotions, recognising historical burdens but also the continuous struggles of diverse minority communities in America today. The poem celebrates Black identity and history but also tackles current realities with racism and systemic injustice. The poem’s use of providing historical context explains why things are the way they are today, but is also a guide, a model for how diverse communities should operate in the present day and future.

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The poem speaks of the author as "being a black statue" (Line 5), I think this is because of the characteristic resilience of a statue representative of the persistence and strength of her people.

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“Night, a street, a lamp, a chemist's shop, a meaningless and dim light. Even if you live for another quarter of a century, everything will be like this. There is no way out.

You will die—and start all over again, and everything will be repeated, as of old: the night, the icy ripples on the canal, the chemist's shop, the street, the lamp.”

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My interpretation of the poem was a bit different than that of the reader’s, I thought it gave a more bleak outlook on life, it speaks of an endless cycle of life and death. The poem utilises both existentialist and absurdist themes that lead you to question how life and existence work, and that it is out of your control, making you feel a sense of entrapment and meaninglessness. Life and death is a cycle, death is not actually the end but the pathway to life anew. The poem does not offer an escape or an interruption in the cycle, leading the reader to believe there is no change from the bleak and repetitive cycle of life. I feel that the poem is a good representation of a monotonous routine, however, instead of accepting the bleak possibilities this cycle presents, you can find ways to break up the routine. I also recognise the theme of meaninglessness and the inevitability of death and human mortality. The idea that you will inevitably die one day is a terrifying fact for most, the fact that your life will have an insignificant effect on the universe is often an even more terrifying one. The poem tells me that it is futile to put effort into looking for a meaning for existence when my choices or life won’t matter regardless of what I choose to do. Another way I interpreted this poem was that it is a critique of modern societal structure and the lack of individual fulfilment people have nowadays. The way a reader could interpret this poem really is subjective, the poem could be applied to many different ideas.

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The timelessness and global aspect of a dark street that is dimly lit is directly representative of the poem. The poem specifies this scene and its global significance when it saus "Even if you live for another quarter of a century, everything will be like this" (Lines 3-4). The poem uses this scene because of its relativity to everyone, people understand the scene no matter what language they speak or where they live.