Their Story

Presentation by: Dani Thompson

By: Stuart Dybek

Biographical Information

Stuart Dybek is a poet and fiction writer. Both Dybek’s stories and poems unfold in the working-class Slavic and Mexican neighbors of Chicago, areas bounded by the freeways, cement rivers, and rail lines of the “city of big shoulders.” Dybeck’s works feature s kind of shifting realism, one in which dreams and the imagination are just as present as gritty details of urban life. His work shows a realm of lyricism and transcendence linked to music, art and religion. Dybek brings to bear a poet’s sensitivity to the power of imagery, cool observation, and social witness.

The Speaker

In this Poem the speaker is a mild child that is looking in our his/her parents relationship.. The Parents seem to either be going through a divorce or something bad maybe a happening to one of the people in the relationship(death). The child seems to know what is happening because this has happened before. “Same old wounds”

Their StoryBy Stuart Dybek They were nearing the end of their story.The fire was dying, like the fire in the story.Each page turned was torn and fedto flames, until word by word the book burned down to an unmade bed of ash. Wet kindling from an orchard of wooden spoons, snow stewing, same old wind on the Gramophone,same old wounds. Turn up the blue dialunder the kettle until darkness boilswith fables, and mirrors defrost to the quickbefore fogging with steam, and dreamsrattle their armor of stovepipes and ladles.Boots in the corner kick in their sleep.A jacket hangs from a question mark.

From the title of this poem, “Their Story”, I gather the poem is about two people who are in love or a relationship, and the people may be older

THEME

This poem is about two people who have had history together and have had bad things in past.. But their relationship has come to an end just like a fire going out. I think what this poem teaches you is that If you really love someone, you should do anything to keep that love alive; but when things keep happening you should let that person go and let the love die down.

Organization/Structure/Form

This poem is..

Ballad: Tells a storyOne stanza: The format is not like other poems because this

poem’s format is one stanza like a story and the title is named “Their Story”.

14 Lines

The Literal Meaning of this Poem

In this poem, I think the literal meaning is that two people’s story is ending because of things that have happened in the past.There may even be an actual fire going out.

The Figurative Meaning of this Poem

The figurative meaning of this poem is people are sitting around a fire during the winter time and is talking about a relationship and how it ended.

Literary Terms

Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another.

Simile: Two unlike things are compared using words (like, as, than, etc.)

Repetition: A word or phrase that is repeated/used more than once.

Imagery: A word or phrase that appeals to one or more of our five senses

Literary Terms Used in the Text

Methaphor: “The fire was dying, like the fire in their story” This is a metaphor because the speaker is comparing two people’s story to fire/flames. “The fire was dying” The speaker uses fire as a comparison to their story because someone maybe dying or their friendship/relationship is ending.

Simile:

Repetition: The word ‘Fire’ is repeated in this poem because it is a comparison to the people’s story and the word ‘Story’ is repeated in this poem because the title of the poem is “Their Story”

Imagery

“Before fogging with steam”- The people in the relationship’s mind is cloudy on what to do just like a mirror fogging up.

“Turn up the blue dial under the kettle until darkness boils”- The kettle represents the flames and the flames is like the people in the relationship making a quick decision.

Imagery Continued..

“Snow Stewing”- This means that just like it is getting ready to snow and the flurries begin, the snow represents the people in the relationship’s problem starting.

“ The book burned down to an unmade bed of ash”- This represents the people’s relationship being over.

Site’s Used

http://toughlittlebirds.com/2013/05/11/scouting-snow-fog-and-little-red-spiders/

http://www.kcra.com/Troubleshooting-a-gas-stove/14275886

http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/March-no-slouch-for-Seattle-area-snow-either-188881761.html

https://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/arsonist_hate_spreads_to_colorado/