Poetic Studies Lesson 4: Diction in "Aphrodite & Hephaestus"

Lesson Four: Diction in "Aphrodite & Hephaestus"

Materials needed: With Rough Gods and a dictionary


This stand-alone lesson can also be a template for further diction studies regarding the poems in With Rough Gods.

Read "Aphrodite & Hephaestus" (7) and answer the following questions about Palmer's diction in the poem.

1: Why does Aphrodite say Hephaestus "mewl[s]"? What does that imply about him? About their relationship?

2: The phrase "broken parts / that bore me" is an ironic double entendre. Why is it ironic? What other definitions do "parts" and "bore" have that may have further meanings beyond just two? How do these meanings and puns relate to later phrases, i.e. "bore," "mined," and "hollowed out"?

3: The use of "cant" and "can't" is repeated in "Tiresias & Oedipus" (37). What comparisons and contrasts can you make between the use of these two words in each poem? How are the words themselves directly or indirectly related?

4: What does "fix" mean in context? Can its meaning be "fixed"? Why or why not?

5: Aphrodite says "words are such trash." How does this reflect her relationship with Hephaestus? Her relationship with other gods and humans? How does a line like this function in a work of literature--that is, a work of art made of words?

6: What is the difference between "enchant" and "talk"? Do the ritualistic aspects of the word "enchant" apply in this context? How and why? How do both words relate to Aphrodite's function as the goddess of love--a goddess to whom prayers were chanted?

7: "Enlimed" is a word used in fowling (and used by Dante). How does it apply here? Can one "dive enlimed"? What role does paradox play in this poem as a whole?

8: In the final two lines, who are the vultures supposed to represent? Justify your answer.