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Alzheimer's by Kelly Cherry
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Transcript
"ALZHEIMER'S"
A poem by Kelly Cherry
Alzheimer's as a Medical Condition
About the Disease
- Discovered in 1906 by Dr. Alois Alzheimer when he uncovered shrinkage and depleted brain tissue in one of his patients.
- The disease is a type of advanced dementia that causes problems with memory, behaviour and the loss of cognitive functioning.
Signs and Symptoms
- Memory loss/problems
- Vision issues
- Impaired judgment or reasoning
- Wandering
- Confusion
- Troubles recognizing familiar faces
- Problems reading/writing
- Inability to learn new things, cope with new situations,
- Agitation/Anxiety
- Sleeplessness
- Aggression
Cherry's Background
Timeline
- Born in December of 1940 in Louisiana, and grew up in New York and Virginia.
- Studied philosophy at the University of Virginia, received her MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
- Retired in 1999, currently resides in Virginia.
About Her Writings
- Has published over 17 books on poetry and over 20 different other works.
- The poem comes from Cherry's book Death and Transfiguration.
Context of Poem
- Both of Cherry's parents were professional violinists.
- “Alzheimer's” may have been written about her father, who was diagnosed with the disease.
Formal Elements
Tone
“crazy old man, mind rattling”
- In opening lines.
- Speaker seems frustrated with old man.
- Attitude changes from frustration to sadness throughout the poem.
Structure
- Free form of poetry, represents his scattered thoughts.
- Poor punctuation acts as further evidence of the character’s scattered thoughts.
- The poor punctuation and structure of the poem worsens throughout the poem, showing the progression of the disease.
- The unconventional way that the end of some phrases are at the beginning of the next line represent his "broken" mind.
Symbolism
“import”
- Represents him forgetting words, instead of Cherry using “importance.”
“roses and columbine slug it out for space”
- Symbolic of his thoughts battling for space against the disease in his mind.
“peculiar screeching of strings”
- Represents how music, something that used to be of great value to him, is now foreign and strange because of the disease.
Symbolism
continued
Significant Symbols:
- "Clutter"
- "Rain" and "Sun"
- "Plants"
- "Woman"
- "Memory"
Conclusion
Personal Anecdotes
Personal Anecdotes
Any Questions?
Any Questions?
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