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DJ Entry 1- Pr 1- “My Physics Teacher” by David Wagoner

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DJ Entry 1- Pr 1- “My Physics Teacher” by David Wagoner

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David Wagoner’s poem “My Physics Teacher” didn’t quite make sense to me at first, but I understood once it was broken down. When the speaker used allusion to reference Galileo I was sort of confused because directly referencing gravity would’ve been much more clear. I did understand the main idea in the end, and I did understand what the speaker meant when the teacher has “one foot forever in the wastebasket”, I just struggle with the tinier parts or lines. I could conclude that the meaning of this poem could be “not everything goes according to plan”. I also noted a lot of alliterations in this poem (ex. “floor first”, “fell fast”, etc). Overall I understood the basics of this poem and could identify basic literary devices, but I struggle to pick apart certain lines and phrases.

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1. Phosphorescence
a. “He saw the phosphorescence of the Gulf weed in the water as he rowed over the part of the ocean that the fishermen called the great well because there was a sudden deep of seven hundred fathoms where all sorts of fish congregated because of the swirl the current made against the steep walls of the floor of the ocean.”
b. I think phosphorescence is a sort of pretty film or material because it’s used while describing the Gulf weeds/water.
c. phosphorescence- light emitted by a substance without combustion or perceptible heat.
d. The phosphorescence of the stones was a breathtaking sight.
2. Bodega
a. “Perico gave it to me at the bodega”
b. I think a bodega is some sort of public place because the old man lives on a boat with no one, so it would have to be somewhere public.
c. bodega- a small grocery store (spanish)
d. Meet me at the bodega to buy some fish.
3. myriad
a. “The myriad flecks of the plankton were annulled now by the high sun and it was only the great deep prisms in the blue water that the old man saw now with his lines going straight down into the water that was a mile deep.”
b. I think myriad could potentially mean small because plankton is pretty small.
c. myriad- a countless or extremely great number.
d. There was a myriad of cupcakes at the bakery on Main Street.
4. coagulated
a. “But it coagulated and dried before it reached his chin and he worked his way back to the bow and rested against the wood.”
b. I think that coagulated could mean either grouped together or set.
c. coagulated- change to a solid or semisolid state
d. The jello coagulated inside its container in the refrigerator.

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I feel as if the emotion and connection between the old man and the boy is very strong and pure. It’s mentioned fairly often how one loves the other and you can’t help but feel how strong their connection actually is. The author also incorporates details about how the old man has known the boy since he was small which builds onto the connection already there. It’s heart-warming to read about how genuine the love they have for one another is.

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The ocean has some sort of deeper meaning which I cannot create quite yet, but I’ve noticed that it has been mentioned quite a bit. The old man can’t quite catch anything out of it but yet he still continues to fish after many letdowns. The author uses personification to describe the ocean as a “she” and goes on about how the ocean is like a woman. Perhaps women let him down, too.

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I feel as if the 85th day is of importance because it’s mentioned on multiple occasions that it means good luck. I know that towards the end they spotted a dolphin, but maybe the old man will finally catch some fish and be able to eat. The old man even makes a joke about a lottery ticket after mentioning the number 85, which may be a form of foreshadowing something. After reading the dolphin part I can infer that there could possibly be more good luck in store.

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The old man is extremely lonely and only has the boy to talk to and spend time with. He talks to himself multiple times while catching the fish, and even admits that he would’ve thought that talking to oneself was weird, but he “didn’t have anyone to annoy” by speaking what he was thinking, which is actually very sad. Not once is the old man pessimistic while speaking his mind, and even expects great things to come from the 85th day.

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Of all people the old man could have wished to have been there while he caught a fish after his long drought, he chose the boy. This shows how much he loves the boy and wants to be able to experience these things with him. Santiago is a lonely old man and basically only has baseball, the hope of catching fish, and the boy to live for. This is another example of how strong their bond is.