Comments on: “Death and Tacos” by Nathaniel Whittemore http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/ Poetry for everyone. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:32:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: plantit1 http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-2299 plantit1 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:35:46 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-2299 The is the first thing I have read all the way through today. It kept my attention not like most of the writings I find on the internet. Bravo and keep on writing The is the first thing I have read all the way through today. It kept my attention not like most of the writings I find on the internet. Bravo and keep on writing

]]> By: B. Collins http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-1670 B. Collins Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:37:06 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-1670 ...Perhaps, AG Jenkins, the lack of "emotive information" or "emotional connection" communicated with/to the reader was Mr. Whittemore's intent. Clearly in this poem death and dying is not something the speaker wants the reader to become "emotional" about. No fear, no sadness, no wonder. He renders it a simple word and nothing more. We shouldn't feel or fear for the man dying of cancer just as the little boy doesn't, and just as the "dying man" himself - by the end of the poem - doesn't seem to fear death but rather feels sorry for it having been stripped of its horrors and mysteries and turned into a casual conversation piece. Eat a taco in the sun and let this simple, natural process run its course & resolve itself spending as little emotional energy as possible on it. Stoic acceptance. It's rare but it does happen. …Perhaps, AG Jenkins, the lack of “emotive information” or “emotional connection” communicated with/to the reader was Mr. Whittemore’s intent. Clearly in this poem death and dying is not something the speaker wants the reader to become “emotional” about. No fear, no sadness, no wonder. He renders it a simple word and nothing more. We shouldn’t feel or fear for the man dying of cancer just as the little boy doesn’t, and just as the “dying man” himself – by the end of the poem – doesn’t seem to fear death but rather feels sorry for it having been stripped of its horrors and mysteries and turned into a casual conversation piece. Eat a taco in the sun and let this simple, natural process run its course & resolve itself spending as little emotional energy as possible on it. Stoic acceptance. It’s rare but it does happen.

]]> By: AG Jenkins http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-1590 AG Jenkins Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:55:27 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-1590 I have to disagree with many of you. While this takes a sensitive subject matter and does offer some commentary on death in society it is a poetic piece of prose at best. The evocation of emotion via poignant and new figures would do well to provide an emotional connection in the reader. That is, my criticism lies mainly in the fact that this "poem" fails to communicate emotive information in its adherence to starkly mediocre view of death - albeit an interesting suggestion as to how we may re-consider death as yet another mediocrity, one more banal feature of existence no more important than a taco and therefore warranting no more thought than the same. I have to disagree with many of you. While this takes a sensitive subject matter and does offer some commentary on death in society it is a poetic piece of prose at best. The evocation of emotion via poignant and new figures would do well to provide an emotional connection in the reader. That is, my criticism lies mainly in the fact that this “poem” fails to communicate emotive information in its adherence to starkly mediocre view of death – albeit an interesting suggestion as to how we may re-consider death as yet another mediocrity, one more banal feature of existence no more important than a taco and therefore warranting no more thought than the same.

]]> By: Top 15 Poems on Rattle.com | Timothy Green http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-1252 Top 15 Poems on Rattle.com | Timothy Green Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:46:28 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-1252 [...] “Death and Tacos” by Nathaniel Whittemore (47,745) [...] [...] “Death and Tacos” by Nathaniel Whittemore (47,745) [...]

]]> By: Laurie http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-1243 Laurie Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:11:58 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-1243 my brother and i had the same conversation 2 weeks before he died. the only difference was i wasn't waiting for my dad to come out of the restroom and i'm not 6. i was just thinking about when my number would be up-like a lottery... no one knows when cancer grows. my brother and i had the same conversation 2 weeks before he died. the only difference was i wasn’t waiting for my dad to come out of the restroom and i’m not 6. i was just thinking about when my number would be up-like a lottery… no one knows when cancer grows.

]]> By: matador http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-941 matador Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:11:33 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-941 beautiful, just like the poet. and oddly comforting . . . made death seem less like a "dirty trick," and for that, thank you mr. whittemore. beautiful, just like the poet. and oddly comforting . . . made death seem less like a “dirty trick,” and for that, thank you mr. whittemore.

]]> By: Teena http://rattle.com/blog/2009/03/death-and-tacos-by-nathaniel-whittemore/comment-page-1/#comment-905 Teena Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:27:20 +0000 http://www.rattle.com/blog/?p=731#comment-905 Made me smile. Made me sad. Made me think. Thank you Made me smile. Made me sad.

Made me think.
Thank you

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