Response #3

Victoria Anderson

Mrs. Jernigan

English IIV AP

8 February 2011

Poetry Response #3

In this poem “Hazel Tells Laverne,” the speaker sounds nearly illiterate and uneducated. Slang words are persistent throughout and her thought processes seems short and choppy, but to the point. It also seems to mock princess fairy tales, here an opportunity comes knocking on her door to become a princess through kissing the frog and she simply flushed it down the toilet and “has ta flush/ the toilet down three times.” It’s actually pretty humorous, what girl wouldn’t want to live in a fairy tale and marry prince charming. Also it becomes evident that this girl had more of a rough upbringing. She doesn’t believe that she could be special, chosen for something important and having good things happen to her life. 

The speaker chooses not to address the details of the frog’s appearance by stating “but sohelpmegod he starts talking/ bout a golden ball// and how i can be a princess...an he says/ kiss me just kiss me/ once on the nose.” It seems as if she is overwhelmed and frazzled, which makes sense, but on the other hand she doesn’t even bother with asking the frog what he is doing and what is all the talk about a golden ball. All she wants to do is flush the frog down to toilet, to remain comfortable in her miserable little life and experience nothing new or exiting. Then she ends by saying “me/ a princess” and continues on with her predictable life.