Ferlighetti’s depiction of San Francisco through his poems vividly instills an image of a city with no limitations and no social restrictions. The poem “Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes” exemplifies the everyday life of the people of San Francisco. The small, compacted, and over populated characteristics of the city unwillingly forces different class structures to live and work amongst one another. In Ferlinghetti’s poem, he writes how the garbage men are “looking down onto the elegant Mercedes with an elegant couple in it.” The idea of people of lower class such as the garbage men, looking “down” upon others of higher-class status is the main point ferlinghetti is trying to get across in his poem. As the scavengers gaze down upon the couple in the Mercedes, Ferlighetti describes the moment as a “odorless TV add in which everything is possible.” The analogy creates a sense of equality amongst the people of San Francisco despite their significant financial and social differences. Ferlighetti’s creative desire to not only use words to get the point across to the reader, but enable the reader to engage in the text through the structure of the poem ultimately reveals his intellectual and unique style of poetry. The structure of the poem illustrates and sets the mood and tone of the entire poem. In the beginning of the poem, Ferlinghetti exaggerates how the two social groups are entirely opposite from one another by each stanza describing the two starts at one side while the next starts on the other. When the couple comes to the stoplight, the stanzas become significantly closer, creating a sense of equality, as both social structures are sharing the exact same moment. Ferlinghetti’s poetry style is interesting and in-depth because he does not only express himself verbally, but vividly through his structure of writing.
Danielle... your post nicely reinforces the good points that were raised in section. The idea of the "no restrictions" San Francisco is really strong in the poem, but at the same time, it also seems like there's a sense that San Francisco is too restricted. The contrasting images themselves seem to show restriction; but despite this, the poet seems to want a more equal society, really badly. Interesting how both the restricted and the unrestricted can come so close together.
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Here's a copy of Danielle's first post:
Ferlighetti’s depiction of San Francisco through his poems vividly instills an image of a city with no limitations and no social restrictions. The poem “Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes” exemplifies the everyday life of the people of San Francisco. The small, compacted, and over populated characteristics of the city unwillingly forces different class structures to live and work amongst one another. In Ferlinghetti’s poem, he writes how the garbage men are “looking down onto the elegant Mercedes with an elegant couple in it.” The idea of people of lower class such as the garbage men, looking “down” upon others of higher-class status is the main point ferlinghetti is trying to get across in his poem. As the scavengers gaze down upon the couple in the Mercedes, Ferlighetti describes the moment as a “odorless TV add in which everything is possible.” The analogy creates a sense of equality amongst the people of San Francisco despite their significant financial and social differences.
Ferlighetti’s creative desire to not only use words to get the point across to the reader, but enable the reader to engage in the text through the structure of the poem ultimately reveals his intellectual and unique style of poetry. The structure of the poem illustrates and sets the mood and tone of the entire poem. In the beginning of the poem, Ferlinghetti exaggerates how the two social groups are entirely opposite from one another by each stanza describing the two starts at one side while the next starts on the other. When the couple comes to the stoplight, the stanzas become significantly closer, creating a sense of equality, as both social structures are sharing the exact same moment.
Ferlinghetti’s poetry style is interesting and in-depth because he does not only express himself verbally, but vividly through his structure of writing.
Danielle... your post nicely reinforces the good points that were raised in section. The idea of the "no restrictions" San Francisco is really strong in the poem, but at the same time, it also seems like there's a sense that San Francisco is too restricted. The contrasting images themselves seem to show restriction; but despite this, the poet seems to want a more equal society, really badly. Interesting how both the restricted and the unrestricted can come so close together.
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