English 2XL / Shakely / 9.

15

PV Log: (circle one) Poem / Movie / Theater / Lyric / Photo

Date 1/11/16

Title A Word

on Statistics

Author / Director / Poet / Lyricist, etc. (if known) Wislawa

Szymborska

Context (Where Found / Viewed / Read . . . Variety of Sources, please, vis-a-vis Google Images only)

Handed out by Mr. Shakely in class, recently revisited this poem

Content / CD / Summary (Say? Plot? Setting / Situation? Key lines / Phrases, Scenes, etc? )

The poem condenses the entire human race into one hundred people and, gives the statistics regarding human
qualities and actions. Although the statistics show that humans are all different and capable of doing different
things and having different qualities, in the end everyone is mortal.

Content / CM / Meaning? / Theme(s)?

The poem generalizes all of humanity using a proportion out of one hundred people. Most qualities or actions
expressed in this poem are generally evil. Although there are some positive qualities stated within the poem,
the next stanza usually takes away some purity from it. All of the qualities discussed in the poem all leads up
to the last stanza, where the author states that everyone is mortal. Szymborska wants to show her audience
that everyone is mortal, and is capable of doing something evil. However, humans should do whatever they
can to try to limit the pain and suffering in the world.

Form (Diction? Construction Terms? Symbolism?) This section MUST be filled out for poems taken from the AP Poetry
packet provided prior to first library visit.

The poem is set up in a way where the trait or quality is first shown, and then the number of people
susceptible to that specific trait or quality out of one hundred. There is little symbolism throughout this poem
besides the one hundred people. The one hundred people described in this poem represents all of humanity.

Commentary: Why like? Poetic Traits? Relevance / Connections / Allusions (Lit, Bib, Myth, Histor, Other) / Relevance
to personal experience, 20Qs? etc.)?

I find this poem quite eye opening and shocking. I find the hard cold numbers to be powerful. For instance,
during the middle of the poem, Szymborska writes, Capable of happiness: / twenty one. The number
twenty one shows the minute amount of people that are truly happy in our world. I also find the last stanza of
this poem very impactful. It states that everyone is mortal, therefore; humanity will never be perfect.
Szymborska is trying to tell her audience that humans will always continue to make mistakes and feel pain,
because we are all simply mortal.

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