Hahaha, there are such wonderful allusions in this poem! As an English major (like the author), I cannot help but laugh…and even maybe cry a little. I think this poem is wonderfully effective stylistically. I love the fact that it is broken up into two distinctly different (yet terrifyingly related) sections. It’s so beautifully poetic and clever. Obviously, the purpose in this poem is to use these two sections together to create a mocking commentary on the author’s view of life, knowledge, literature, and (possibly even) religion.
One thing I find particularly effective is the author’s use of line breaks in Part I. For example, with my first reading, I wasn’t at all expecting the line, “God is pretty much going to wax me”—and because of that, I (as the reader) feel pretty “waxed” by the poem at this turn. Another example of this effective tool comes a few lines down: “stopped beating and yelling at grandma / in between sermons.” Clearly, every line is intentionally spaced. Another thing I love is the fact that the last line of Part I leads us directly into Part II, therefore giving us some kind of unity when otherwise there would not be. I love this section, first because it’s just fun to see the rulers of hell talking in such a casual way about the destruction of a human soul, secondly because it’s clever. One thing I didn’t get was the sound that Prince of Darkness makes: “ft-ft-ftftft.” All I can figure is that it was some sort of hissing, but I found myself distracted from the poem with trying to figure out this sound. Oh my god, I LOVE the last line. I cracked up the first time I read it. I’m also not quite sure about the characterization about the two dwellers of Sheol. It seens kinda like Satan is a little bit out of it, which seems backwards to me, although that’s probably exactly the point. He knows more than the boss, but he still has to “Bend over.” I guess that says something…
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