LITR 3731: Creative Writing 2006

Author:   Joanna Ellis                                                                        9/18/06

Discussion Leader:            Theresa Mullins

Discussion response & questions for Joanna Ellis’s poem:

“Redemption”

Response:

I really enjoyed reading and re-reading this dense poem.  It seems that this poem is describing a person who fell in love with someone believing that this was a true love that would last forever.  The lines project a young and tender love that is tainted and bruised by the ugliness of betrayal.  By the end of the poem it becomes apparent that this person has been swept out of the depths of heartache by a new love that will stand the tests of time. 

Question(s) to Joanna:

1.  What aspects of love/romance do you wish the reader to take away from this poem?

2.   Do you feel that your line structure made your ideas more effective to the reader?

Class Questions / Comments:

1.  Does anyone have any initial comments or observations about this poem?

2.  Does each stanza provide a clear picture of the range of emotions within these lines?

3. Describe the author’s intent of also capitalizing the word “Savior”, “Roses”, and “Eternity”, in the last stanza.