Name of Poem ___________For Hiedi With Blue Hair_______________ Group_1_ Date: ____________________________________

SUMMARY: Summarize of literal and inferential meaning and symbols. Consider the structure of the poem.

IMAGES: Discuss the images in the poem and discuss how they shape meaning. Colors/ styles of hair develop the differences in ideologies of cultural acceptance and the relative ages of their followings - Hiedi has blue and black hair is the color of a bruise, symbolizing her damaged soul for the loss of her mother and indicating the punk subculture through which she expresses that pain. The black can also indicate youth as it is a natural hair color that will keep its color until it greys (school color, symbolizing old age) and the blue shows bothe rebelliousness in color choice and sadness (ie "I'm feeling blue"). The style which the father depicts is not only indicitive of the punk subculture in fashion but the level of detail he illustrates creats Hiedi as the unique and complex individual that only he can appriciate and unerstand because he is a caring father. He is seemingly the only member of societywho can see this uniqueness and individuality with

fondness and ironically belongs closer to the age of the disapproving headmisteress, providing an antithesis among conservative institutions and societal conventions and more liberalmindedness and adherence to or at least acceptance of radical subculture within a generation. It is this antithesis that develops the conflict of conservative versus liberal sectors of society (in both institutions and ideas or lifestyle). The conflict is also achieved through the youth and rebelliousness symbolized in the colors of Hiedi's hair which juxipose the school colors of "white, gray, and flaxen yellow" which symbolize old age and old ways of conservatism. Tears and their possible colors and meanings - Tears could be either clear if she is not wearing makeup which symbolizes raw human emotion and sadness, or black from punk mascara or eyeliner which emphasizes the punk culture and not being accepted. If it is black, it helps to develop how not only was Heidi not accepted, but the black of Heidi's tears - symbolizing, punk culture - were also not accepted. Heidi turned to this alternative lifestyle to express her grief, yet by the tears not being in the school colors, the author is saying her sadness was not accepted, making an alternative lifestyle the only outlet for her to mourn openly as her emotions would not have been accepted in society. This creates a bittersweet negative feedback loop - she can t mourn openly by crying or she will be rejected so she disguise her mourning in a dark subcultural expression of punk culture, were again she will not be accepted. This shows the complete hopelessness of a situation for those experiencing grief in institutions - or societies - were only conventional ideals are accepted and anything unorthodox is shunned or eschewed. If the tears are clear, this creates pathos in the reader for the girls situation and makes her more human and like everyone else, making her appeal to all readers, not purely those of the punk culture. This ambiguity is important not only to transcend across all readers and make them feel pathos and empathy, but also to create an image in the reader s head of both possible options and in doing so bring focus to this sad comment.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Discuss the sound devices and other figurative language and relay how they convey meaning.

Repetition of the words school colors - Makes the pressure to fit in and follow societal mandates inevitable because the words are ubiquitous throughout the poem, creating the feeling that neither Heidi, nor anyone, can escape what society accepts as the norm, dictates, and expects people to follow for a sense of control and order. It also lends an authoritarian sense to the institution of school and society by pounding in the the words, almost with a rhythmically though ominously, a beat such as that also being constant, consistent, fatalistic, and unavoidable. This creates the fatalistic tone observable in the poem and lends hopelessness to the situation. Diction of black friend in final paragraph - This conveys the persona s - the father s - lack of caring and respect for being politically correct or speaking in a way that is acceptable by society s standard for manners or equality because his family was not shown the same sympathies, equality, or respect. This develops the father s spiteful and bitter tone, while also conveying his never explicitly expressed emotions of anger and distrust towards the school. Also, the fact that the friend is black also builds on the image of punk-ness. A large part of punk expression darkness and the color black. The person who was black by predisposition and race rather than by choice was accepted more readily than Heidi who choose to be dark simply because she choose to adhere to the school policies, and this was something that was quite radical because there was much racism lingering in the era towards blacks. It showed that society was even more ready to accept that which they had hated and still did not approve of than this new hated unknown. Diction (and alliteration) of freedom-loving father - Freedom and father are alliterative because of their repeating f s. It also pulls emphasis to freedom. This is a choice word because freedom is typically associated with more sweeping and political matters. This helps to develop the idea that the poem could be politically based and symbolic of society and its inhabitants and customs. It also helps to declare, in this senerio, that the father symbolizes a defender of the people and of justice, as he stands up for his daughter and fights for her freedom of expression.

TONES AND THEMES: Look for shifts in tone. What thematic concepts appear to be the concern of the poet.

BIOGRAPHAL INFORMATION: How may this pertain to the meaning of the poem.

SOURCES: Our beautiful minds :) ; and