Coping with the Waste

After studying for the final exam, I realized how Wendy Cope's name is so fitting for her poetry. For example, the first poem we read is called "Engineers' Corner" and it describes the harsh life of an engineer when the poets seem to have such a grand time. It is as if she is trying to help engineers by recognizing their hardships and helping them cope with the problems. Moreover, she points out specific differences between the lives of poets and the lives of engineers such as a "statue in the Abbey" and "must be hell" (Cope 12, 15). It's funny how Cope would point out these differences when she herself is a poet.

In the second poem, "Waste Land Limericks,” Cope helped me cope with trying to understand what Eliot’s “The Waste Land” was all about. She follows the five section patterns, but very briefly describes the sections. At first, it may seem like it's just a parody and there really is of no importance to her poem in relation to Eliot's poem. When I read it over again, I see how accurate her sections are to the actual "The Waste Land." She points out the death in the fourth section, the typist's encounter in the third section, the two couples in the second section, and the different speakers in the first section.

Although Cope’s poems are in a way mocking and fun, her points do get across. I would not be surprised in the Renaissance if there were many engineers who lived unnoticed because they were overshadowed by the writings of poets. I would not be surprised if people were able to understand Eliot’s poem just a tad better because Cope explains it with more pedestrian language. In addition, the parody format helps to lighten up the mood and not make it seem like an assignment.

Why do I bring up Cope? Well, she brings me hope to the final. Her style of poetry is kind of the life that I want to be able to live: Recognizing the hardships in life, but being able to live through them by poking fun at them. As finals week dawns upon us, may we be able to see some of the humorous aspects of our lives rather than just slaving over the textbooks.