Mia Alexander Assignment 1

Ludvigson writes a short poem in which she portrays an unrealistically optimistic theme throughout. In "Inventing My Parents: After Edward Hopper's Nighthawks,1942", she alludes to famous authors such as Fitzgerald. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "The Great Gatsby", which has been interpreted in such a way that the author is said to have been mocking the materialistic nature of America and the American Dream. Ludvigson even addresses it specifically saying. [The authors] disagree about the American Dream. Just as the theme of this poem is dream-like optimism in times of trouble(the war), Fitzgerald uses events such as the car accident and the untimely death of the protagonist to show how despite awful circumstances, people fake a smile and press forward like everything is okay (characters used their money and left the town like nothing happened). The author further shows this theme with the parents encounter: "my father's gestures are a Frenchman's. When he concedes a point, he shrugs, an elaborate lift of the shoulders". It seems excessive in that the author would characterize the dad this way. It was such a simple movement but she I includes the extra. It parallels the ornate nature of the characters in "The Great Gatsby". Both groups of characters ignore the bigger world, the bigger problems and choose happiness over reality, which is dark, blunt, and violent, not always easy and full of success

Alex Cooper Assignment 1

In Ludvigson’s poem “Inventing My Parents,” she alludes to many things including several famous authors, but the one that stands out, that is set apart from the rest, is towards the end when she alludes to, “Canonization.” This allusion I believe is on its’ own away from the other allusions to the authors, because it is more important than the others, it is more important for the reader to connect this allusion to the theme of the poem to see the theme.

The theme made evident by the quote from “Canonization”: “For God’s sake hold your tongue, and let me love,” is the presence of underlying tensions even in the best of times. There are many examples of tension in the poem, the first is of the war. “They sit in the bright café discussing Hemmingway and how this war will change them.” This sentence makes it seem as though it were small talk in a nice café with no worries and yet the topic is war which is not a light topic. Following their discussion of war, “they disagree about the American Dream.” This is the opposite of the previous example, because now the topic is light but it seems tense because the woman, “she imagines it a hawk flying over, its shadow sweeping every town.” The use of the word shadow here makes it seem unwelcome. At last they seem to be completely at ease when they decide to walk home and the quote from “Canonization” comes up, but then it begins to rain.

Olivia McCrary Assignment 1

One of the many allusions made in Susan Ludvigson's "Inventing My Parents" is an allusion to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, The Great Gatsby, features a hopeful protagonist, Jay Gatsby, who creates his dream and fantasy out of a doomed situation. He doesn't let the fact that Daisy is living a separate life, married to someone else, stop him from wanting to repeat the past that he longs for. Over the course of the novel, he is aware things aren't going well, but he doesn't let go of his naive optimism. This theme of holding on to hope and joy despite all else is reflected throughout "Inventing My Parents."
The entire poem offers a strange feeling of hopefulness to a bleak situation. The context of the poem is not so hopeful. The very beginning makes this clear- "They sit...discussing...how this war will change them." The poem is set in 1942, during World War II. Yet, it only seems to provide a positive outlook on the setting. The poem is so oddly optimistic and lighthearted. The underlying trouble of the war is hinted at in the line, "Their coffee's getting cold." While this may be the case, "they hardly notice." The poem also mentions that they "disagree about the American Dream," but this is in no way a negative thing. The father's gestures are "declaring an open mind."
By alluding to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ludvigson is able to further hint at this theme and meaning by adding a reference that many people will identify and understand.

Sam Vandiver Assignment 1

      In Ludvigson's poem "Inventing my Parents," she alludes to many different great American authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald among them. The poem as a whole is a romantic attempt at describing what her parents may have been like when they were alone and she was young. At first glance, Fitzgerald's most famous novel The Great Gatsby may appear to be a romanticization of the American Dream that the author's parents are disagreeing about ("They disagree about the American Dream.") , but upon closer analysis, it is a scathing critique of this all too glamorized ideal. To me, this hidden meaning and the poem's allusion to it suggests a darker underlying message about the relationship of the narrator's parents. This feeling is compounded upon by the diction choices such as "hawk," "shadow sweeping," "and "cold."

Jeb Brumley Assignment 1

In her poem, "Inventing My Parents," Ludvigson makes allusions to the American Dream. The poem starts out as a description of the author's parents sitting in a cafe discussing how a "war will change them." This shows that people during this time period felt uneasy about how the war would affect them and if it would be of the good. They wanted to believe that the war may actually help them in some way. Then, Ludvigson mentions the "American Dream." The thought of the American Dream gave hope to people like the author's parents that were living through a world in war. As the two continue talking, the sad and somewhat depressing tone reminds us of the constant uncertainty that the world lived through during the war. Ludvigson's poem uses this allusion to drag us through the piece will the many emotions that people all over the world felt during World War II.

Meagan Hale Assignment 1

In Ludvigson's poem, "Inventing My Parents," she alludes to Hemingway and his written works of war. She writes how her parents, "discuss Hemingway and how this war will change them." At the time in which this was written, the author was a child but her parents were living in a world entrenched in war. Hemingway fought in world war 2 and later wrote about it so this allusion to his work is connecting to the theme of war. In the poem, the authors parents are having a light hearted discussion about a heavy topic and their actions reciprocate this. This discussion of war is done quite easily with her mothers face "lit with ideas" while her father's "smile [declares] an open mind." The allusion to Hemingway is done with the same subtleness. Speaking of Hemingway without mentioning his works or envolment in the war is quite the subtle action. Only those who are familiar with Hemingway's works see the connection to war. This mimics the poem's topic of world war 2 without directly saying it. The majority of the story within the poem is focused on the parents interaction with one another rather than the discussion topic of war. Ludvigson uses this subtle allusion to keep the poem vague while still reminding the audience that the context of the piece is that of a war.

Vincent Pisacano assignment 1

At the end of the poem, the author makes an allusion to Donne's "Canonization", which is a very sappy and heartwarming poem about the treasures of love. the poem at hand, "Inventing my Parents," is a poem in response to the painting "Nighthawks." The painting is dark and makes you feel lonely, while the poem is warm and lively. The author of the poem creates this obvious contrast with the purpose of portraying the light in a dark situation. even though the painting makes you feel sad and alone, the poem makes you feel happy and warm and fluffy. for this reason, the author chooses to allude to the poem "Canonization." Because the poem is about love, making an allusion to it adds to the feeling of "love" in the first poem. in turn, this allusion supports the theme of the poem, which has to do with the American Dream and finding light in a dark situation. to further support this claim, right after the author makes this allusion, she says "and she's laughing, light as summer rain." this quote even further supports the mood and theme of the poem, and backs up the allusion as well.

Charlie Blondell Assignment 1

In the poem Inventing  My Parents, Susan Ludvigson alludes to World War II multiple times throughout the piece. In lines 2-3, the author states how the characters in the bar discuss how "this war will change them." This poem was written in 1942, right in the middle of the war. People were concerned what the future would hold and/or how long the US would be involved. They were anxious of the draft and even more concerned with the total death toll. For obvious reasons, the American people would be forever changed, and these individuals were curious just how. Of course later she references to the "American Dream" and how the wife sees "it a hawk flying over." "It" is referring to the American Dream, which in the mind of the woman, has been tainted and conformed to the universal move to fight and destroy, as the shadow of this great hawk "sweeping every town." At first glance, it would seem as if this poem is directly disagreeing with the war effort, but then it tells of the man's opinion of it all, and he simply "shrugs." I believe this is pointing out how different the American population felt on the issue, while some were over-the-top about it, some simply didn't know how to respond.

Julia Wilson Assignment 1

A major theme throughout Ludvigson's poem is the concept of the American Dream. One allusion that enhances this theme is Lugvigson's allusion to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is best known for writing the novel The Great Gatsby. This book is about the American Dream of the 1920's and how it was idealized through wealth, as shown through the pedestal that Gatsby's extravagant parties were put on. In The Great Gatsby people ignored their underlying issues, so long as they were having a good time. This connects with the events of "Inventing My Parents". Despite being set during World War II, the poem puts a positive spin on what life was like and demonstrates the American Dream by recounting the evening of a couple with descriptions such as "My mother's face is lit with ideas" and "she's laughing, light as summer rain when it begins." Both works put positive spins on life in America at their respective times, which adds to the meaning of "Inventing My Parents".

Silvia Todorova Assignment 1

An allusion in “Inventing My Parents” by Susan Ludvigson is when she say “Sinclair Lewis’s name comes up, and Kay Boyle’s, and then Fitzgerald’s.” All these writers wrote about activists after World War One. They were dissatisfied with the state America was after the war; they discussed and commented on politics in their writing. The characters in the poem talk about the war but don’t really discuss the negative effects that it brought to our country, they just mentioned it. The allusion in the poem comments on the lost generation, such as the characters, and how the war changed our cultures’ mind set.

Mark O'Brien Assignment 1

         Ludvigson makes an allusion to the "American Dream" by using authors from the time period such as Fitzgerald.  Ludvigson stated, "Sinclair Lewis's name comes up, and then Kay Boyle's, and then Fitzgerald's.  They disagree about the American Dream."  A topic of conversation is posed which puts an idea in the reader's head.  Ludvigson is starting the poem by showing that a somewhat intellectual and riveting discussion is happening between who we think are the man and the woman sitting close to each other.  The theme that I interpret from the poem is romantic.  Because the writer is composing this poem from the position of their child, trying to convince themselves that their parents were in love.  The conversation is entertaining through the topic of the American dream,  they are gesturing as if excited, and they take a romantic walk home instead of merely driving.  All of this seems ridiculous when looking at the painting, and seeing two still and almost lifeless figures next to each other.

Lucas Soard Assignment 1

Ludvigson makes a direct reference to John Donne’s “Canonization”. “For God’s sakes hold your tongue, and let me love,” says the narrator’s father. This allusion to the poem follows a lengthy description of a night out between the speaker’s parents. After a lengthy night of conversation, dealing with heavy concepts and topics like the American Dream, the father tells his wife to be quiet, and to allow the couple to love each other in silence.

The pair was so involved in their conversation that “Their coffee’s getting cold but they hardly notice.” The issues that faced the nation were all-consuming in this way. Finished in 1942, Nighthawks the painting deals with issues of the oncoming war. Many Americans saw their country as a bright spot surrounded by an oncoming darkness. Ludvigson imagines her parents discussing the war and other heavy topics during her early childhood, but when that time is over, they just walk and love as the cleansing summer rain begins. 

Corey McMullin Assignment 1

Ludvigson’s allusion to Fitzgerald changes the meaning of her poem. Fitzgerald’s most well known work, The Great Gatsby, is a work of grand illusions. Everyone hides their true lives, instead partying and putting on appearances; living the “American Dream.”  Ludvigson’s narrator speaks about the happy life her parents were living- the bright look on her mother’s face, the grand gestures from her father- but it can be clearly seen in Hopper’s Nighthawks that this is not the case. They appear to be sitting in silence, wasting the night away. The five year old narrator was sitting at home wishing up a joyous life for her parents, wishing against the disillusionment of the 20th century that was wrought by the devastation of the two world wars. The narrator mimics Ludvigson, a child of the second world war.

Zach Whitehouse Assignment 1

In "Inventing My Parents" Ludvigson alludes to Fitzgerald and the Great Gatsby. Ludvigson alludes to the American Dream that is spoken of in the Great Gatsby. The American Dream was the desire/belief in the 1920's that people could work themselves up to be rich and powerful and live a wonderful life. This was the dream of the American people. In Ludvigson's poem it is alluded to when she says, "they disagree about the American Dream." This resembles an argument  or discussion that is being made in this setting. It adds dimension to the poem because people can easily understand and relate to the reference of the American Dream. People at this time were reaching and striving for this American Individualism and exciting life and this allusion really gets this message across of what was going on in this diner in her poem. Or at least her representation.

Scott Street Assignment 1

The author incorporates an allusion to Donne's "Canonization", which believe it or not adds significance to the overall meaning of the poem. "Inventing my Parents" is virtually the author's assumption of what her parents were like and how they acted and what they did. By saying that her father is "reciting Donne's 'Canonization'; "For God's sake hold your tongue and let me love,'" she is making the inference that her parents loved each other very much, as "Canonization" says that the character would love his partner even if people disapproved or looked down on his love affair.

Kaitlyn Nunnelley Assignment 1

Susan Ludvigson's "Inventing My Parents," she invents a date her parents went on when she was 5 months old. The poem is a stark contrast to Edward Hopper's Nighthawks which is dark, trapping, and lonely. The poem is light and happy despite the dark background. It is during World War II and her parents are talking of how the war will change them. Ludvigson makes an allusion to Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby and the American Dream, which is the opportunity for prosperity and success and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. This dream is so optimistic, like the parents in the poem, despite all the hardship around them. The American Dream is a false reality, while people cannot come to terms with war. Ludvigson says her mother's laugh is "light as summer rain when it begins" and this is also contradictory by putting an optimistic face on an oncoming storm. Referencing the American Dream shows that all the happiness and life in this time is not as wonderful as it is painted to be.

Amir Abou-Jaoude Assignment 1

Susan Ludvigson's poem Inventing My Parents is inspired by the Edward Hopper painting Nighthawks. Hopper created Nighthawks in 1942, and around that same time, a new aesthetic was coming into use in Hollywood--film noir. The plots of films noir were recycled from old gangster or thriller pictures. The femme fatale, the laconic private detective, and the hard boiled killers had all been haunting movie houses for decades. What was new about film noir was its style. It was distinguished by high contrast, expressionistic lighting. These films took place in deserted alleys and bars, in the underbelly of society. Much of the look of film noir derives from the contrast between little pockets of light and the pervading darkness, and a theme that surrounded these films was the consequences of bringing "dark" attitudes into generally, respectable "light" places.

Certainly, a distinct feature of Nighthawks is the juxtaposition of light and dark. Inside the bar, there is bright light and three or four people. Outside, there is nothing but quiet and darkness. However, it seems that some of the darkness has crept in along with the people. There is very little movement or conversation. Everything is still.

Everything is not still in Ludvigson's poem. In fact, she goes out of her way to describe movements--the "mother's face, lit by ideas," or the "father's gestures [which are] a Frenchman's." At one point in the poem, the father "shrugs, an elaborate lift of the shoulders." According to Ludvigson, this gesture connotes that he has "an open mind." There is artificial light, but its bright light nonetheless, and even the dark night is "warm as a bath." How is Ludvigson to connect her idealized depiction of her parents to Hopper's masterpiece?

The answer is an allusion to John Donne's "The Canonization." Ludvigson quotes the first line, but reading Donne's poem, more important are the lines that come after that. The narrator of Donne's work admits that he has palsy, gout, and gray hairs. He is imperfect. He pleads with his lover to overlook these imperfections so that they can love. After a couple entendres, however, Donne moves from how the situation really is to how it should be.

Donne believes that poetry can make nearly anything romantic. If reality fails the lovers, they will "build in sonnets pretty rooms." The bumbling lovers will become canonized, like saints. Donne writes that by "these hymns, all shall approve us canonized for Love." Their incompetence will be forgotten. Instead, their eloquence and verbal wit will be imprinted upon the minds of thousands of English students around the world.

The title of Ludvigson's poem is "Inventing My Parents", and like Donne, she believes that poetry can be a transformative tool. Maybe the relationship of the narrator's parents in Ludvigson's poems matches Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. Maybe they were truly creatures of noir and night, downing a few drinks without speaking to one another. Maybe they was serious trouble in their relationship. However, Ludvigson can use her poem to glide over these imperfections, to focus on how she would like the relationship between her parents to be. She can canonize her parents, just as the narrator in Donne uses poetry to ignore the comical ineptitude of his love. Hopper's painting is very much a film noir on canvas, and Ludvigson's poem is the polar opposite--a romantic, warm depiction of love. The allusion to Donne's "The Canonization" links the two together. The allusion speaks to the power of juxtaposition and art.

Eliza Jane Schaeffer Assignment 1

Edward Hopper's Nighthawks is a very gloomy painting. It has a somber color palate and fills viewers with a feeling of emptiness. Yet, Susan Ludvigson's "Inventing my Parents," which was written about Nighthawks, is a very happy, loving poem. Why? And how did the depressing "Inventing my Parents" inspire her to write such a positive poem?

If we look at Donne's "Canonization," which is quoted in one of the final lines of the poem, we might find an answer. "Canonization" is from the point of view of a man in a love affair. He says that love doesn't need to be affected by politics- "Soldiers find wars, and lawyers find out still Litigious men, which quarrels move, Though she and I do love." All of the bad stuff is still there, but it exists in a separate realm. He wants to focus on their love and canonize itthrough poetry so it will always serve as an example for others.

Ludvigson's poem has a similar goal. Although the World War II was tough and although Hopper's painting was depressing, this couple can be happy and in love. She is canonizing her parents, writing about them as if they were a saint-like couple, with this poem. The war and all that came with it does not affect their love. Her mother can laugh "light as summer rain" and they can "[savor] the fragrant night" even though the war's "shadow [sweeps] every town." That is her main point and the main point of Donne's "Canonization".

Leah Noble Assignment 1

In her poem, "Inventing My Parents", one allusion Susan Ludvigson makes is to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is widely known for his novel The Great Gatsby in which he addresses the idea of the American Dream. Through his book, Fitzgerald makes clear his belief that no matter how glamorous the American Dream may seem from the outside, in reality, it brings nothing but destruction to those living it.

In Ludvigson's poem, she uses phrases such as, "bright café", "warm as a bath", and "light summer rain" which all possess a happy and cheerful connotation. These phrases make life in the 1940s appear happy, like how the American Dream appears to those on the outside. Life then, however, was not actually like this. As seen in discrete words such as, "shadow", "sweeping", and "night", the underlying truth, as with Fitzgerald's American Dream, is that trouble is all around and life during this time is not as great as what the poem makes it seem to be.

logan cox assignment 1

Ludvigson alludes to Fitzgerald and the American dream that he wrote of in The Great Gatsby. it plays on them disagreeing about the American dream. Ludvigson says "they disagree about the American dream" which was a very big idea at the time. the allusion adds to the theme of American individualism and the easy nature of that time period. the American dream was what Fitzgerald identified in The Great Gatsby as the exciting and rich lifestyle of the '20s and that is what the people in the café are referring to.

Rena Childers Assignment 1

In Susan Ludvigson’s “Inventing My Parents,” a story is generated surrounding her parents and their lives. By coincidence, this painting was creating the year she was born, so she takes on the characters as her own parents. In the first quarter of the piece, she makes an allusion to the “American Dream.” Since the 1970’s, this concept has been viewed as more of a joke than a reality. Although some people still believe America provides the opportunity for all to move up in society, this is very obviously not always the case. Immigrants and those who grow up in impoverished areas have statistically less success than those given resources from day one. At first glance, this poem seems to be an optimistic view of the painting, but as you delve further into the meaning, it can be inferred that it is an ironic interpretation. The way Ludvigson refers to the “American Dream” illustrates a cynical view of America’s ideals. She writes that “its shadow sweep[s] every town” in an attempt to illustrate the disillusioned success of the concept.

Emily Chavez Assignment 1

One  allusion made in Ludvigson's "Inventing My Parents" is the American Dream. The American Dream is portrayed as falsely optimistic, despite phrases such as "the air outside is warm". The reference to the American Dream coincides with Ludvigson's allusion to Fitzgerald and his greatest work, The Great Gatsby. In this story, the fabulous and flawless facade on a life in the 1920's upper-class does not turn out to be as perfect as it seems. I believe in this poem, the reference to the American Dream was a major point in the theme of it.
People's inability to face the reality of the war and the hardships at this time is an idea that carries throughout the poem. When the author uses phrases like "light as summer rain when it begins", personally I got the feeling of artificial optimism. As working adults during the time, the people in the poem were unable to grasp the harsh reality that was right in front of them, and refused to let the simplistic idea of the American Dream go. Just as in The Great Gatsby, truth was hidden behind the desire for more and the desire for everything to be as easy the American Dream.
By referencing the American Dream and Fitzgerald's Gatsby, the author was able to portray the characters inability to come to terms with their reality, as well as the false hope behind the American Dream.

Anne Russell Assignment 1

"For God's sake hold your tongue, and let me love." Ludvigson's allusion to Donne's "Canonization" is all too fitting in her poem "Inventing My Parents." In her poem, Ludvigson describes a picturesque night on the town, taking a visit to a "bright cafe" on a night where the air is "warm as a bath." Everything about her description of this evening is lighthearted and beautiful, from her mother's bare arms, "silver under fluorescent lights" to her face, "lit by ideas," and her father's "elaborate lift of the shoulders." The overall feeling is very pleasant. Donne's "Canonization" is lit by a similar lightheartedness. The narrator is beseeching someone who is disapproving of his love affair to simply be quiet and let him love. He says he would rather he "chide [his] palsy, or [his] gout, [his] five gray hairs, or ruined fortune flout" than his love affair, which he is content with continuing. I think the reason Ludvigson included this reference in her poem was because in that moment, their amiable tones intertwined. Despite their talk of the war and its potential effects on them, as well as their disagreement of the American Dream, the two lovers are content to spend the evening together, in their own little world. "Canonization" implies that this love affair will never really work out, but in the narrator's mind, their love is a bond too strong to be broken. Perhaps the two lovers in "Inventing my Parents," have a similar dilemma, but tonight are choosing to put it on the backburner and be in the moment. When they talk of "how this war will change them," maybe the husband will be dragged off to the war and never return. Or maybe their "[disagreement] of the American dream" will intensify their political gap and lead to their eventual divorce. However, that is not what the couple, or the narrator, chooses to focus on. They are too busy "savoring the fragrant night" to get caught up in the uncertain heartache of the future, just as the narrator of "Canonization" is so affixed on the power of love that he chooses not to think of his affair's eventual demise. Without having to include the entire poem, Ludvigson's conveys the entire weight of "Canonization" with the one phrase- "For God's sake, hold your tongue, and let me love" - This is much easier to say than to dwell on than some hazy misfortune. It is this quote that leaves the mother laughing, as opposed to crying, comparable to "summer rain when it begins."