C. '81 Response

Christian P.

        I favored this poem by Alice Notley and chose to do a close reading because it simply delivered an impact. The several opening lines drew me in immediately and also conveyed the theme of the entire poem as well as the topic at hand: "People with more money than us don't seem to trust us (not strictly true). We have hardly any, ever. Maybe they shouldn't trust us. We're always looking to borrow five, ten or twenty dollars". This quote spoke to me in a political sense as Notley is almost directly spearheading the issue of inequality. In my opinion, it also tackles the immigrant situation where the poor are often reliant on the higher-ups for money and welfare.
        Throughout the poem, there are instances where events are described in a first-person context, as if this had been written by Notley to portray the thoughts of a person who has seen better days. For example, this quote in the fifth stanza: "I'm being self-righteous so I can own my own past again" and the sixth stanza: "of course I'm not right I'm never right. I'm fucking lazy unskilled and you deserve your money". The former quote seems depict that this person is the seeker of salvation from the past and is trying to make things right. The past maybe even caused this person such misfortune as if it was just retribution that followed. This may also just be the personal emotions of Notley but choosing to convey it poetically.
        As I stated previously, this is a poem that confronts certain political issues. This is one of the distinguishing aspects in this poem that separates it from the others in Mysteries of Small Houses. On the other hand, there is a striking similarity between each poem. The character of Ted appears and is mentioned is all poems. It gave me a surreal sense of continuity where Notley is trying to tell an unconventional biography through this stylistic, poetic format. Upon reading, the thought the poem highlighted the idea of money being power. All I could ponder was that "money is power only when nothing is free".