Blog 2: Reading Rites and Artistic Process

Reading Rites: Passenger by Kathy D’Arcy

Interpret:

Passenger, to me, is about the different relationships one has with control. First, is being controlled by an impulse. The imagery of the male figure sitting in the driver’s seat scraping at something with a credit card paints me a picture of drugs and addiction. In addition to this, the lines, “He alternates; rhythmic, frantic” emphasizes the power and ritual-like behaviors addiction can have over a person. The second relationship with control is being controlled by a person. The female in this work seems to be trying to keep herself in check. Lines like, “Arranges her face.” and “Her lips stuck together.” make me feel as if she is acting in a certain way in order to please someone else- maybe the male- which suggests that one character holds control over the other. The third relationship with control in this poem is told through the idea of home. Home is usually where one feels safe and secure. However, it can also be obligations to a life and people that want you to be someone you are not. The male’s determination to get his passenger home and what seems to be the female’s hesitation to go home show readers how a simple idea can have so much power over you.  

Evaluate:

Having met Kathy D’Arcy recently, I know that she is passionate about women’s rights. Reading this poem with that context in mind, I feel like control can also be thought of as agency. As women, we not only have the right to our bodies but the capacity- the agency- to act with these bodies. She is not only examining the control we have over our physical selves as women, but also the control we have over our actions which in turn influences the way society perceives and treats women. Also, through the lens of a woman we can examine the idea of home and what it means. For example, here in Ireland women’s reproductive rights are being fought for. A place that so many women call home, yet they are not afforded a right to choose how their bodies are perceived by this home.  

Connect:

This poem is one of my favorites we have read thus far. I love the way it made me think, not only about its meaning, but about what my reactions said about me. I think this poem comes to me at a point in my life where I am becoming more and more aware of the power that I give things (emotions, relationships, responsibilities, etc.) while also becoming aware of the power that I hold. While I experience these relationships to control in different ways, I definitely felt as though I could re-read the poem multiple times and interact with this theme from different perspectives.

Question:

1. How or what would the author describe as home?
2. The last two lines read, “No matter what, it appears, he is getting her home.”
1. If home is meant to be a safe haven, why does it sound like the female character is hesitant to go home?
3. When, if at all, does home become less about the physical and more about the mental or emotional?

Artistic Process

1. Reading the poetry selections of Kathy D’Arcy and then getting to do a workshop with her has inspired me to challenge myself in my artistic practice. Reading her works had me thinking critically and digging deeper to find different interpretations of her words. Listening to her describe her artistic process had me brainstorming ways to expand my own artistic process.
2. The different workshops have been challenging me to work outside of my comfort zone and even getting me to realize that just because I haven’t been trained in a certain type of art doesn’t mean I should stay away from it.
3. My vulnerabilities still lie in sharing my work. Because so much of what I do is inspired by how I think and feel, sharing it feels like I am giving away the last piece of my identity I had all to myself.
4. I am trying to approach my work in a way that respects my vulnerabilities while still challenges me to grow. I think that spending more time with my work- sitting with it and fully processing everything- will help me feel more comfortable in sharing it.
5. Right now, my project is a poetry film that explores the definition of education and learning and how they relate to an individual person.
6. I am aiming towards a more self reflective piece that hopefully sheds light on the relationship between interpersonal and intrapersonal.
7. This piece requires a lot of self reflection as well as awareness. All I would really need is the space to be vulnerable and heard.
8. I feel like I already have this support within our group.