"Cleopatra"

I am the air you breathe; I am the air that keeps you alive. I am the fire that rages in spirit destroying any enemies that fall in my path. I am Cleopatra. I have already kissed the cold dead lips of my love, Antony. I have already endured the embarrassment of bowing myself down to weep before Caesar. Still, I stand strong before everyone even though I have been betrayed by my own servants, who have lost their loyalty for me. Darkness begins to fall and death creeps closer. Am I now supposed to endure more mortification by walking, in the triumph, as a slave? That is what I am not, I am not a slave; people bow down to me, I do not bow down to them. Through this humiliation, I shall have my neck and head held high just like that of a swan’s. I will make sure to be in tranquility during this animosity. I will not let them belittle me; I walk and bow before no one, I am Cleopatra. Not a soul will take away from me the one thing I still hold; I refuse to give away my dignity. I refuse to let my children be put into chains and shame. I will do what I must. “Nothing remains except to tease this fellow out of mind.” I must end my life before I ruin it. I must take the black snake to my breast as “a parting act of pity.” I would rather face death than see my reputation die.

In this response, I decided to make it as if I was Cleopatra. I spoke the meaning of the poem through what I interpreted as Cleopatra’s point of view. By doing this, I believe that I got a better sense of the message that Akhmatova tried to portray through this poem. Cleopatra is a very strong-willed woman who refuses to be looked down on. She would rather die with her dignity than allow it shatter in front of her.

"Requiem: 1935-1940" – "Dedication"

This poem is a dedication to the victims of Stalin who have fought through countless years of suffering. The poem begins with the lines, “such grief might make the mountains stoop” and “reverse the waters where they flow.” These two quotes are significant because they oppose the nature of life; mountains do not “stoop” but rather are held solid and high furthermore, rivers never change the course or direction they flow. From here, we realize that everything is in turmoil; nothing is how it was. Akhmatova, in the poem, goes on by saying “we cannot burst these ponderous bolts that block us from the prison cells crowded with mortal woe.” This quote shows us that we cannot escape the restrictions in life, we, like prisoners, are captivated in a cage even though we are outside prison walls. Akhmatova continues mentioning that “for some the wind can freshly blow, for some the sunlight fade at ease.” These lines in the poem show us that there are those who are blessed in life with no worries or troubles; however, there are some who watch the sunlight fade at ease. Fading sunlight will eventually turn to night and night is a symbol of death. Therefore, it could be concluded that those who see “sunlight fade at ease” are fading too. The next few lines of the poem portray the extent of damage that the country is in. We realize that “less live than [die].” The Poem, “Dedication” concludes with the final lines describing the pain that overwhelms anyone and everyone that has lost someone, or even themselves in the midst of the war. One woman, who had a “sudden spurt of […] tears,” was described as if she had been “knocked […] to the ground [with her heart wrenched] out of her breast.” Everything around her was unknown, even the people, who were “nameless friends” that she had only met in the two years she spent in hell. She did not know them, and they did not know her, but they were alike in that they suffered through all the hardships they faced, together. This poem stood out to me among the other poems in “Requiem” because this poem, to me, showed the real strength that the victims have during times of trouble. They still find the ability to fight for what the think is right even if they are out of breath. Although they realize that what they do has not affect on anything, they continue to fight hoping for a miracle. This poem shows the true courage that victims obtain when they are faced with any sort of problem, like the loss of a loved one. Therefore, I felt really passionate towards this poem as it was a poem dedicated to the victims, more specifically, Stalin’s victims. This poem appreciates those who suffer, which I believe is crucial; we need to show appreciation to those who are sufferers.