Soman Ragavan
\"A little turbulence\" ; 27 July, 2023
Poem : \'A little turbulence\' ; 2 April, 2023.
4 May, 2023
Uploaded to ChatGPT for analysis
Poem : “A little turbulence”
Soman Ragavan : Hello. Can I post a poem of mine for analysis, please ?
ChatGPT
Hello Soman Ragavan, of course! I\'d be happy to help you analyze your poem. Please feel free to post it here and I\'ll do my best to provide feedback and insights.
Soman Ragavan : My poem : \"A little turbulence.\" Please analyse by each stanza, then give overall comments. Mention similar poems from other authors, where possible. A LITTLE TURBULENCE
ChatGPT :
Thank you for sharing your poem \"A Little Turbulence\"! Here is my analysis, stanza by stanza:
Stanza 1: The opening stanza sets the scene of the flight taking off and the plane climbing up into the sky. The perspective is that of a passenger gazing out the window as everything below recedes and grows smaller. The tone is nostalgic and sad, perhaps implying a sense of loss or homesickness.
Stanza 2: In this stanza, the focus shifts to the mechanics of the plane itself, as the passenger describes the engines and their \"sheets of fire.\" The speaker marvels at the engineering that has made the flight possible, emphasizing the technological feat of human achievement.
Stanza 3: Here, the speaker notes the plane reaching its cruising speed and altitude, thanks to the \"weird potion\" being fed into the engines. However, the mood takes a turn as drops of liquid start to drip from the ceiling, unsettling the passenger and causing him discomfort. The neighbor\'s explanation that it\'s a common occurrence does little to alleviate the passenger\'s anxiety.
Stanza 4: The speaker speculates on the cause of the leak, mentioning a possible equipment malfunction resulting in excess condensation. However, the focus remains on the passenger\'s experience, as he tries to plug the leak with tissue paper in order to avoid further discomfort.
Stanza 5: In this stanza, the poem shifts its focus to a larger theme: the silliness of human pride and vanity. The speaker describes a proud woman on the flight who is judgmental of her fellow passengers and finds solace only in her book. The tone is critical of this kind of behavior, perhaps suggesting that it is ultimately futile.
Stanza 6: The tension builds in this stanza as the plane hits some turbulence and the winds outside begin to howl. The pilots must navigate the rough weather and ensure a safe landing, but the speaker emphasizes the danger of the situation, questioning whether they will make it through.
Stanza 7: The speaker describes how the proud woman has transformed into a \"wreck\" as the turbulence hits, realizing how fragile her life really is. The tension and danger of the situation are palpable, and the poem emphasizes the human vulnerability in the face of nature\'s power.
Stanza 8: The final stanza brings the poem to a close, as the turbulence subsides and the plane lands safely. The speaker reflects on the fragility of human life and the importance of gratitude towards those who keep us safe. The poem ends on a note of caution, emphasizing that the only turbulence that truly matters is the one that leads to death.
Overall, \"A Little Turbulence\" is a poem that explores themes of human fragility, pride, and the power of nature. The focus on a specific flight and its passengers gives the poem a sense of immediacy and urgency, while the larger themes give it a universal relevance. In terms of similar poems, the works of W.H. Auden, such as \"The Shield of Achilles,\" come to mind as poems that explore similar themes of human vulnerability and the danger of technology.
Soman Ragavan : Thank you. Goodbye for now.
ChatGPT
You\'re welcome! Feel free to come back if you have more questions or need assistance. Goodbye!
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On a flight from Plaisance Airport, Mauritius, in September 1979.
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A LITTLE TURBULENCE
The flight had taken off from motherland :
Climb\'d the plane up and away from this land;
Everything reced\'d below, grew smaller,
As gaz\'d down sadly yon passenger.
Inside the roaring engines, long tongues of fire,
Unseen from outside, but sheets of fire : sheetfire !
From the firespitters streak’d fumes and smoke :
What a marvel made by some engineering bloke !
Soon the huge albatross reach\'d her cruising speed
And her set altitude, as the firespitters did feed
\'Pon their weird potion, that most strange nectar
Sloshing about within the entrails of yon scimitar.
Lo ! From the ceiling slowly start\'d to drip,
Start\'d to trickle some drops of a clear liquid;
\'Twas enough to put one off the whole trip,
As yon passenger\'s face turn\'d rather pallid.
The neighbour said, as of this he was appris\'d :
\"I have heard that these planes sometimes leak,
As if the ceiling were some sieve, so to speak :
Now must I admit it, though I\'m not surpris\'d.\"
There was surely some quite learn\'d explanation
To explain, of the leakage, the very apparition;
\'Twas perhaps relat\'d to some excess condensation,
Resulting from some sort of equipment malfunction.
But, for the poor passenger sitting below,
The result was still something of a sorrow;
For, he had to endure the disconcerting drip,
While he had bank\'d \'pon some rather dry trip.
With bits and pieces, with tissue paper,
The leak was plugg\'d, \'cause \'twas a disaster
For the poor fellow who below it had to sit :
The proud would have flown into some fit.
* * *
Anyway, in this plane was play\'d out the story
Of people\'s silly pride and pointless vanity;
Much have we rav\'d on about ashes and dust,
But, a mighty stupid show, for Man, be a must.
Yonder sat a proud woman with an austere face :
Her book, it would appear, was her only solace;
To all passengers clearly was she most superior,
If she were to be judg\'d by her terrific exterior.
A voice in the plane announc\'d some turbulence :
Some rough weather into which we were bound;
The winds were holding some conference
\'Pon whether to unleash havoc all around.
Soon, indeed, the mighty craft was buffet\'d :
By the howling storm pluck\'d with force,
Shaken to the very core and lift\'d,
Questioning a safe landing in due course.
All the more stark was the whole terror
As \'twas dark without, as dark could be;
The pilots couldn\'t afford the least error
If again land they want\'d us all to see.
Some external light \'pon the engines was direct\'d :
A welcome sight in the total darkness without,
Some reassurance to all about the strong clout
Of the nuts and bolts, firmly secur\'d and rivet\'d.
* * *
The proud woman had turn\'d into a wreck :
Her book had gone; she had return\'d human;
She had realis\'d how her life held by a speck :
A piteous sight was she, like piteous Man.
Into her trembling hands her head lay buried :
The plane was shaking, and shaken was she;
Death was so close by, as she could well see :
To a gory death we could all have been carried.
A little earlier \'pon others did she frown :
Marauding death had scar\'d her pants down;
If hell had broken loose, if the plane had split,
Quickly would she have crash\'d from her summit.
Her head in her hands still was buried :
A sorry sight was she, more to be pitied;
Others weather\'d out the storm calmly,
As the fury without diminish\'d gradually.
The tempest had come, the tempest had gone,
As a tinge of red yon horizon did release;
\'Pon life were we all given a new lease :
Another day began, as the sun again shone.
As words of thanks without fail we distribute
Left, right and centre, to all and sundry,
Why not now to the crew for their cool bravery :
And to yon smiling hostess, with a face so cute.
As finally towards land the plane did bend,
Yon woman’s pride, that nearing death did fend,
Anew had return\'d, to flourish on even more :
The little turbulence belong\'d to the day before.
The only whirlwind that, to vain Man, really matters,
The only turbulence that gives him terminal shivers
Verily be the one that turns him finally cold and stiff :
For, only this can topple him really from his high cliff.
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