Few things....
When you post you REALLY need to put down your entire name if you have the SAME FIRST NAME as someone else. Seriously, I know in your heads you are thinking " But this answer is so insightful and screams of my essence that it's inconceivable ( shout out to The Princess Bride and Shawn Wallace) that she wouldn't know it's me!" Well, to all the Amanda named, Alex named, and Sam named people out there....YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!!! ( Are you feeling the red font; are you?)Some of you are getting better at throwing down the last names, but from now on...no last name= no grade! I can barely remember the names of my own children on a daily basis...I can't read through the computer lines to feel your force...I'm not a Jedi...yet....
So, thinking jedis= thinking of Luke= thinking of heroes=thinking "hey, I just gave them a cool mock heroic poem on a skeeter. We should do something with that." (See the train of thought...note that it does end up at the station...sometimes...unless it's derailed by thoughts of food or my new video game.)
What I would like you to do is reread Updike's Mosquito and add your thoughts and feeling concerning the poem. Make sure to read what others have left and comment off the posts before you. Additionally, if you had to create a mock heroic on something usually viewed as insignificant, what would it be?
On the fine wire of his whine he walked
Unseen in the ominous bedroom dark
A traitor to his camouflage, he talked
A thirsty blue streak distinct as a spark,
I was to him a fragrant lake of blood
From which he had to sip a drop or die
A reservoir, a lavish field of food
I lay awake, unconscious of my size
We seem fair-matched opponents, soft he dropped
Down like a anchor on his thread of song
His nose sank thankfully in; then i slapped
At the sting on my arm, cunning and strong
A cunning, strong gargantua. i struck
This lover pinned in the feast of my flesh
Lulled by my blood, relaxed, half-sated, stuck
Engrossed in the gross rivers of myself
Success, without a cry the creature died
Became a fleck of fluff upon the sheet
The small welt of remorse subsides as side
By side we, murderer and murdered, sleep.
36 comments:
I can really relate to the poem. So many times I have laid in bed annoyed and kept awake by a mosquito. In this poem it tries to make the person more heroic than he really is, cause after all he is only fighting a mosquito, but if I were the person in the poem I would feel like a hero. I hate mosquito and when I finally kill them I am proud and feel as if I saved the nation. They are so annoying, to get rid of a mosquito is like saving a town from a deadly monster.
If I were to create a mock heroic on something usually view as insignificant it would probably be completely my english homework.I know that this is not something to be praised about or is anything magnificent, but I feel like a hero when I am done with it. I have had to write so much more in so less time this year than ever before and for me it is a very big accomplishment to be keeping up with it all. It takes me a while to get everything done so when it finally is done and passed in I feel pretty great and then when I get my grades back and they are not that bad I feel as if no ordinary person could do that. I feel like a hero. So even though english homework is an everyday thing I guess my mock heroic would be completing it because just the the boy in the poem, killing the mosquito is something to be proud of, just like me finishing my homework.
I was really confused by the purpose of this poem before I read the last question about it being a mock heroic. After that it made a lot more sense. It was kind of funny after that, too. The fact that the author feels so accomplished after killing a mosquito is funny, especially since everyone has killed an annoying mosquito before.
If I was going to write a mock heroic/epic poem, it would be about making a sandwich. It seems like a simple task, but if you think about it, it requires a lot of work. Gathering materials, ingredients, deciding what type of sandwich is all very hard work. Enormous tasks like making a sandwich is what makes life thrilling, so it is appropriate for a mock heroic poem.
This entire summer seemed like hell because of the infestation of these vile beings. There were far more than the years before. The mosquito population seemed to be growing exponentially. I can remember times where from the other room I would hear the sound of flesh against flesh, wood or couch followed by a victory screech. Not even PETA protests the destroying of mosquito. My uncle put a five cents bounty on each mosquito killed (unfortunately he did not pay up). Being the same situation as Updike, I too would feel victorious, proud and five cents richer.
One story that would make an epic mock heroic poem/story would be about one man's quest to find his keys in the morning. Searching across vast lands. All the way from the kitchen to the living room, the mans journey is dangerous, watching out for his sons shoes so he doesn't trip while trying not to spill his hot coffee. The moment he finds his keys, it is a joyous one, he feels as if he has conquered all evil from the land, freed the enslaved women and children, rescued the princess, and made the sandwich (Thanks Derek).
-ALEX IANNITELLI
This peom was funny cause jhe thought he was the best cause he killed the misquito.It was weird tho, the language he used, ihe tried to make it sounded bigger than it really was.If I were to create a mock heroic poem it would be about finding the right outfift to wear. They would have to go through the piles of clothes on the floor and clothes in the closet. Carefully choosing where they step to make sure they dont fall on anything, cause god only knows what lays under the clothes....
So I feel kind of dumb because i had no idea that the poem was really about killing a mosquito until I read the other posts... I didn't think that anyone would really write a poem on killing something so insignificant as a mosquito because thats just plain embarrising, but apparently I was wrong. The poem had such good diction that it seemed like the most heroic story ever when really it was about a stupid bug.
If I was going to make a mock heroic poem, I would probably make mine about peeling an orange. It is a very hard thing to do, so naturally it would be very easy to make it seem like a heroic gesture to peel one and eat it. You could be like,"I dug into the tuff exterior of the evil being, trying to conquer its turgid nature. "
Alex DeLorenzo
I really liked this poem. I thought it was funny how the author was making the mosquito versus the man this huge battle when in reality he was just tryign to kill a bug at night. I liked all the author's comparisons and how he gave the mosquito such character.
If I were to create a mock heroic poem on something, it would probably be cleaning my room. For me, it takes forever because I have so many piles of clothes and useless things everywhere scattered all around that it makes it such a hard task to complete.
I think this poem uses way too much imagery and descriptive language. I feel like it's at a point where it takes away from the meaning of the poem. It seems rather pretentious and it seems like the author just sat there with a thesaurus and a dictionary and just found as many words as they can to describe things.
My mock heroic story would be on passing Spanish class. It would be similar to Me Talk Pretty One Day except mine would be a lot better.
-Jacob Manning
Me Talk Pretty One Day was awesome.
Anyways...this poem is definitely somewhat funny. It's very epic, detailing the killing of a mosquito that preys on a victim who's just trying to rest. The small creature somehow irks him and is then destroyed. The images produced by the poem are that of an epic adventure, yet the actual actions of the adventure are meaningless and common. It's quite humorous.
If I made my own mock heroic poem, I would do it on something like...building a tower out of blocks only to have it fall down. Something like that. One could describe the process so majestically. It would be a ton of vivid imagery, something that would be worthy of an epic movie. (I typically write from within a camera.)
...I can't think of a sufficient end here so...BUH-ZA!
*Ninja poof*
I can't relate to this poem, it took me three reads through it until it started to make sense. When i finally realized that this is poking fun at heroics. The misquito is made out to be this stealthy assassin out for blood "literally",but i also go the feeling of remorse. Even though the "evil" mosquito has been killed it felt to me that the hero felt guilty as he lies there feeling the bite on his arm that reminds him of the life he took.
The night of Fourth of July was horrible, I literally got bit at least thirty times. I love how the speaker of this poem talks about killing the mosquito as if killing it was a giant, heroic task. There was so many times that I just lost it when they bit me over the summer, and I tend to get a little over-dramatic because i seem to think of it as a war between me and the mosquitoes. I can really appreciate it when the speaker finally kills the annoying mosquito and I would feel proud as well.
A mock heroic story would be one man's adventure from the comfort of his couch all the way across his living room, around the coffee table, over the dog, all the way to the top of the TV for the TV remote. Once acquired, he would return back to sit on his couch in his initial position.
Okay, so when I was first reading the poem, I did not really get it, so I read it again. After I finished reading it the second time, that is when I realized it was about a mosquito try to bite a human. I thought this was very humerous because it was this long descriptive poem about a pesky mosquito at night. I thought it was very clever.
If I were to create a mock heroic on something that would be viewed as insignificant, it would probably be about writing a paper. I always dread it, and it always seems so hard to me, but once I am done, I have the satisfaction with that I have finished. I feel so good because I feel like I have accomplished something so big!
When I begin to read The Mosquito by Updike, I can only picture the mosquito as the hero, not the man. If anything, the man is the beast which the moquito wishes to steal from, similar to how Bilbo steals from Smaug the Dragon in The Hobbit.
The mosquito is described as a sort of ninja assassin. He is prowling in the dark, blending into the room with his natural camouflage. His goal; the giant's blood, is in sight. He homes in, but is ultimately swatted. In this instance, the mosquito's undertaking seems meager in the sense that he was killed in an instant without any warning. He pretty much ran down the epic hero lane on the story track, but then fell flat on his face when he attempted to overcome his final challenge and wound up dead.
If I had to write a mock epic story about something, it would have to be about a kitchen sponge. Harvested from the sponge farm, he was brought in and sold in the local grocery store for $2.99 plus tax. He stayed upon his lofty throne (the ledge of the sink), until he had to fight the evil forces of leftover food on the dishes. He fought many battles and eliminated many food scraps, but in the end he became worn out and began to fall apart. Then the family who bought him realized "hey we should invest in a dishwasher!" and threw him out the next day when their Whirlpool dishwasher arrived.
Sorry, but sponges simply aren't epic. Unless its Spongebob.
This poem has zero effect on me. I just think it's gross that the guy left the dead mosquito on his bed. It did not evoke any emotions from me. I do hate the annoyng mosquito, and every time I kill one i feel so good. I would like to see somebody make channel-surfing seem epic. Even if the poem was dumb I'd have to give them props for making an epic poem about changing TV channels.
I agree with Gavin, hands down. I see the man in this poem as a complete jerk, and coming from someone who is intensely allergic to mosquitoes, that is saying something. The mosquito is made out to be some bumbling idiot but really he is just trying to survive. He is braver than the human who is much larger than he is, which makes him more heroic. In addition, he dies a valiant death fighting the gigantic monster that is the human. Its hard not to feel pity for the poor insect when he's described with words such as "whine" and "soft", and even in his demise, "fluff". It is as if the poet's intention was to make the reader sympathetic towards the mosquito and then feel anger towards the human. The human may be viewed as a hero in the piece, and I certainly understand why, but I think the true hero is in fact, the lowly mosquito.
As far as a mock heroic? Honestly, for me it would be walking. I have such a problem with such a rudimentary skill that it has become rather sad. I have a tendency to not pay attention to ANYTHING within my path, and as such, I'll run down my hallway at full speed and hit a wall on my journey and bounce off of it and hit another wall... I do this with desks and table corners too, just as a few other examples. So my mock heroic would consist of an epic battle with the inanimate objects... and the hero would finally conquer the evil furniture/walls.
To be completely honest, I found this poem rather silly. Like really Mr. Updike? You are going to write a poem on a mosquito nom-ing on a guy's blood. The whole concept I find rather cliche and as a whole the work just doesn't resonate with me. As far as this mock heroic thing, I think it would be rather humorous to have a epic story of essentially the lowest rung on the totem pole... toilet paper. Now I don't really know how one could right that in an appropriate fashion, but still it would be pretty dang hilarious.
The author hyperbolizes the mosquito to the max in this poem. This seemed to be an epic battle between cold stone killers when its really just a regular occurrence to the everyday man (or woman or child). I was actually scared while reading the poem. I felt like I had to hold my breath so this "fair matched opponent" could stay away from my reservoir of blood.
As for something insignificant, I would make Pogs the main subject. Nobody remembers them but my brother has a massive collection of at least 1000 Pogs that are still kept in my closet. Unfortunately, Pokemon took over and we all forget about the bunches of fun we had collection Pogs from McDonald's happy meals and baseball card stores. I even have the thick ones that shimmer and shine with metallic coatings. Pogs were one of the better parts of the 90s, along with Rugrats and Pinky and the Brain. Pogs, Good Times.
...And I feel like I should put my name down even though I'm the onyl one. -Seanna Cavanaugh
OKES DOKES SOOOOOOOO this poem is ironic because it is an epic story of how a mosquito was slapped to its death. I find it very refreshing because this sense of humor suits mine. I love exaggerating conversations and stories beyond human comprehension. I understood what the poet was conveying and I enjoyed.
One mock heroic story would be a video of someone eating cake. As the fork stabs and begins to mutilate the cake we would hear epic music such as Navras from the Matrix.The cake becomes consumed by munching and unmerciful teeth. Also in order to not allow his killer to have the satisfaction of his screams of agony the cake would remain silent.
I thought this poem was very interesting. It deffinately is a mock heroic, this is because during the summer we have all been laying in bed awake because of a mosquito. Whether its because we are itching all of our bug bites or if its because a mosquito is buzzy around our head. And when we finally kill the mosquito we all essentially feel like a hero because we have saved ourselves from another red itchy welt on our body. I agree with colleen I deffinately feel like a hero when I have finished my white and marroon day's homework because they are the days when I get the most homework and I always have this overwelming stress tht it won't get done. But once its down I feel free from those metaphorical chains that hang around my ankls.
Amanda Henriques
To be completely honest, reading this poem made me laugh during the quiz. Mosquitos are the worst. The poem begins describing the darkness as if something incredibly scary is about to occur. As the poem progressed I immediately picked out the mock heroic vibe. Last year, along with Jacob, we read a story in ap english about a man who conquered his french skills by understanding his teachers degrading remarks. Although the poem, along with the story have a small victory intended to become soo grand, the details successfully contribute to mock heroism. The man with the mosquito described it as a terror when it is only a small bug. I think the poem was easily understandable and related to many people dealing with mosquito 'demons'
If I were to write a mock heroic poem, it would be about picking out clothes for the day. Even though I usually look like I just got out of bed, it actually takes me soo long to pick out an outfit. As it is only a small pointless task, I could exemplify conquering the closet and clashing clothes together.
I liked this poem because I feel like it was humorous. Updike felt so accomplished over just killing a mosquito, but at the same time it is easy to relate to because mosquitos are so annoying.
If I were to write a mock heroic story it would be about cleaning my room. It always looks like it's been "hit by a tornado" in the words of my mother. It takes hours to do and doesn't happen very often, but when it does, i'm so proud of myself. My room will actually stay clean for about a week after that, too!
I really liked this poem because I felt I could really relate to it. I hate mosquitoes more than anything and if I ever kill them I get excited that it is one less pest in the world. Mosquitoes have flown by my ears and woke me up during the middle of the night and I hate it. It’s funny how such a small little bug can keep you awake throughout the night. I thought it was humorous that the speaker felt so accomplished by killing the mosquito because I too feel accomplished when I kill a bug. Getting a little off track, if I ever kill a spider by myself with no one to help me I get extremely excited. I hate spiders and the fact that I killed one makes me feel like a hero.
If I had to create a mock hero for something I would make it someone who has killed a mouse. Rodents freak me out and the fact that they could be crawling around my house is really freaking. I would be too scared to look at mouse traps to see if I got it, and I would be too scared to try to kill it myself. Basically, exterminators are my heroes. People think that killing a mouse is really insignificant when to me it is truly heroic.
-KATIE HARRIS
I agree with what Jacob said, it seems like the author used extravagant words in order to make the poem sound more heroic than it actually is. But I think he wanted to make it sound pretentious on purpose because he wanted to make fun of the way mock heroic poems stretch the truth and make things seem more courageous.
This is why I really like the poem. It does not take itself seriously and it ends up with a dead mosquito, which is a good thing because they are the most annoying things on the planet.
I feel that the rhyme scheme was very powerful and played a crucial role in making this mock heroic. It made the poem seem very bold and triumphant. I honestly was not aware that this was about a mosquito until I read Colleen's post, showing that it is either rather late or the poet successfully utelized mock heroic technique to make his feat appear greater than it is. I felt that this poem was very relatable because there has been many a night where I have sat in bed listening to a mosquito and gathering within me the strength and motivation to get out of my oh so comfortable bed and silence it. The dark imagery also served to make this appear as a more corageous, deadly triumph.
If i were to create a mock heroic poem concerning a subject, it would be to do lists. I feel as though to do lists are rather impossible to defeat, as they just seem to continue to grow. Some items may be pleasurable, while others you dread since the moment you wake up such as taking a test or writing a lengthy essay. While this seems dreadful and difficult, at the same time, to do lists serve as a way to organize our priorities, and tasks that we need to get done anyway. Nevertheless, as I cross each item off my list I feel a great sense of accomplishment, and would like to feel as though all of the hard work is completely behind me.
I can certainly relate to this epic struggle between man and insect. Oh the countless nights mosquitoes have deprived me of sleep. That lone mosquito that hangs out in the far corners of your room at three in the morning just buzzing away and ramming into walls. Even though the worst mosquito situations are when your out camping in the bugs home, the woods.
My mock epic hero story would be about my puppies daily activities. This would include his struggles with the life threatening vacuum cleaner, him chasing his tale, and him fighting a cardboard box. All formidable opponents to a golden retriever puppy yet insignificant to humans.
This poem is easy to relate to. In the summer, when the doors have been left open accidentally and a few insects are let in, they always seem to find you at night. Mosquitoes are the worst with their obnoxious high-pitched noise. Also, with the diseases they spread, they are dangerous, as well as annoying. So I like this mock heroic poem.
My mock heroic poem would be about waking up after a great weekend. Getting up early to go to school is so disappointing. It is a big feat for some people, so it would be easy to relate to, like the mosquito poem.
Chambers
I honestly did not know the poem was about a boy killing a mosquito until I read other peoples posts. I did not even make the connection with the additional question on this post. Like everyone else said, the way the poem was written was more very heroic sounding. But the poem makes sense to me now.
But if I could make a mock heroic poem about something insignificant, I would make it about killing a bug. I always hate killing bugs in my room. I always the sound it makes when you squish them…it’s like a crunching sound and it just so gross to hear.
In the poem “Mosquito”, Updike uses a mock heroic tone to victimize himself and make his battle against the mosquito more valiant. When describing the mosquito, he uses dark diction such as traitor, camouflage, and blood to create an image of a stone cold killer. He also describes his battle, which may only be a few seconds, in such detail as to prolong his efforts and make it seem more heroic.
If I were to create a mock heroic, it would probably be on opening bottles. I have the hardest time untwisting caps, so often times, I just smash them against other things in hope that it’ll loosen the cap. It takes quite an effort, and it could be manipulated in a way that makes the reader imagine a greater beast than a mere bottle cap.
As weird as this poem is, I feel the same way when I kill a mosquito. Everyone knows how awful it is to be trying to get comfortable on a hot sticky night and then to have a gross and annoying bug try to bite you the entire time.I'm not sure I'd feel very heroic though after. there is of course a satisfying feeling when you finally get the little guy, but it's not something I would chalk up as an accomplishment of mine. It's a good feeling, but really not something to gloat about in a versed poem...
If I had to make a mock heroic poem, it would be about trying to get to school on time after getting up late. I am very experienced with this; I do it every day. This may not seem heroic to someone who has never done it, but to them I leave a challenge: Shower, dress, eat, drive 6 miles to school and then make it to class EARLY in under 10 minutes and we'll talk...
I like how the speaker uses so much description and elaborate vocabulary to describe something as simple as killing a mosquito.
If I wrote a mock heroic poem it would probably be about making my lunch for school every morning. It's such a redundant process and kind of resent the fact that my mom does not make my lunch for me (even though I'm perfectly capable) so in my poem I'd write about the same steps I go through every day to make my lunch.
I really enjoy how poetry can be about anything and everything. The mock heroic aspect really glorifies a mosquito even though they are the reason why summer is not my favorite season. The imagery and metaphors in the poem are really striking though such as a fragrant lake of blood to describe the blood in our body that mosquitoes lust for. That really makes me want to be a bloodless corpse however because as "he walked / unseen in the ominous dark" I wanted to die. The mosquito bites on the toes are the worst. I really do want to chop my toes off because it burns and stings so bad! That line makes mosquitoes seem evil.. in which they are.
If I were to create a mock heroic poem, it would be about a stapler. It's the first word that came into my mind but it could be mock heroic because all it does is hold papers together or stick things on a wall but it can also do a lot of damage. A wall can't recover from all the punctures of a stapler unless you completely redo the wall. It has certainly made me bleed before. If it can draw blood, it can be mock heroic.
JEZARD
I thought that Mosquito was funny from the beginning. I thought it was something like a mock heroic poem but I just didn't know what the word for it was before this. I thought that the imagery was pretty impressive, especially considering that the entire poem is set in the dark of night.
If I was to write a mock heroic poem, it'd be about an office hero. You know, the guy that nobody cares about that feels so much pride in making a mean pot of decaf, the guy that the supervisor has make him sandwiches and go on dunkin runs, and the guy with the smallest cubicle in the world but decorates it like an 8-year old's room. He's gotta have like 14 pens shooting out of his pocket, just in case he has to write a lot.
JEZARD
I thought that Mosquito was funny from the beginning. I thought it was something like a mock heroic poem but I just didn't know what the word for it was before this. I thought that the imagery was pretty impressive, especially considering that the entire poem is set in the dark of night.
If I was to write a mock heroic poem, it'd be about an office hero. You know, the guy that nobody cares about that feels so much pride in making a mean pot of decaf, the guy that the supervisor has make him sandwiches and go on dunkin runs, and the guy with the smallest cubicle in the world but decorates it like an 8-year old's room. He's gotta have like 14 pens shooting out of his pocket, just in case he has to write a lot.
I can relate to this poem because often times I think what I do is a lot greater than other people do. The poem is very ironic and sarcastic and I find it comical. Killing a mosquito is not a very hard task but the author maks it seem like it is and it is very funny. One example of my everyday life that makes me feel like a hero is defeating one of my friends in FIFA. I usually brag immesley and puff out my chest in victory.
I really like this poem. Whenever a mosquito is flying near me I have a little one on one fight with it. Then if I kill it I have a little victory dance. Who wants a bug to suck your blood then leave an annoying and itchy mark? I don't, I keep scrating it and then it bleeds.
If I was to create a mock heroic it would be about going grocery shopping. Headed to the popcorn you realize that their is just one thing of it left. Someone else is headed that way, eye contact is made and your off slideing to get the container of popcorn before that lady can even bend down to get it. Now that is something that would deserve a victory dance!
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