In the poem, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, written and preformed by Gordon Lightfoot, loss and environment are central themes. This is shown throughout the poem, as it tells the story of a freighter that sunk on the Great Lakes during a storm, were every crew member had sunk with the ship. The theme of loss is represented through not only the wreck of the freighter, but also by the twenty-nine men who had lost their lives while working on the ship. In the poem, there are many lines that present this theme, such as, “[a]t seven pm a main hatchway caved in, he said / Fellas it’s been good t’know ya / And later that night when his lights went outta sight / Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (Gordon Lightfoot, 27-30). The author expresses not only the physical wreck of the ship, but also the emotional burden that faced the aftermath of wreck, “[a]nd all that remains is the faces and the names / Of the wives and sons and the daughters” (Gordon Lightfoot, 39-40). This shares the importance to remember these men, as their families were left with loss.

The theme of environment is also made clear by the author, as he not only speaks of the physical setting of the Great Lakes that day, but the effects that this had on the ship and it’s members. This is expressed denotatively by the weather that day, “[w]hen the gales of November came slashin / When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain / In the face of a hurricane west wind” (Gordon Lightfoot, 20-24). The author illustrates the physical conditions that caused the freighter to sink. However, connotatively, the author through the physical setting that the author describes, it shares a feeling of panic, darkeness and cold, with the reader, not only setting a mood of sadness and loss, but also to relate the reader to what the members of the ship faced. This is warning us as individuals of the dangers that mother nature can cause, and to be cautious and prepared, “Could it be the north wind that they’d been felling?” (Gordon Lightfoot, 16). Warning to also listen to your gut.
Overall this poem shows the effects of loss, and how the environment can play a role in our destruction.

Collaberated with Izzy and Liv.

Narrative Poem:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears:
There was once a story that seemed quite ordinary,
But contrarily it was only imaginary.
The true events that had passed began in a house,
With a Baby Bear, who was no bigger than a mouse.
Mama Bear prepared their breakfast to share,
While Papa Bear waited in his large armchair.
The Bears had been the heirs to their grandfather,
Who was a millionaire.
He had left them all his white knitwear,
Worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Since the Bear’s home was deep in the woods,
They kept it hidden under their floorboards.
Mama Bear had finished cooking their porridge,
As Baby Bear begged to go for a walk.
Mama and Papa shrugged and sighed,
Deciding to go, but forgetting to lock their door.
They began their walk through the bright sunny forest,
While Papa Bear dreamed of eating his porridge.
From the other side of the wood,
A small girl named Goldilocks crept, in a big black hood.
She had seen the Bears leave,
Their home surrounded by green.
She took a deep breath remaining unseen,
As she opened the big wooden door,
She quietly snuck in,
Remembering what she had come for.
She’d heard stories before,
And was sure the Bear’s knitwear was in some drawer.
She began to look,
Throwing everything in the house around.
She came upon the porridge Mama had cooked,
And took a bite,
“Mmm”, she had said,
“What a delight”.
She continued to walk through the house,
Feeling a board beneath her feet bounce.
She found this strange,
And checked beneath it,
“Azah!” She announced,
Her mission had been completed.
She lifted out the knitwear,
Holding it in front of her,
Realizing it was much too big to fit her.
She frantically searched through the rest of the loot,
Only to find the sizes grew.
She turned realizing the plan wouldn’t carry through.
It was impossible for her to fit into the knitwear,
All she had wanted to do was attend a show at Miu Miu.
She quickly remembered the porridge,
Still on the table behind her.
She ran past the fallen chairs and debris,
From her previous searching.
She reached the table, starting at the biggest bowl,
Grabbing the much too big spoon,
And began to chew.
Back in the forest,
The Bears were returning from their walk,
While they talked.
Papa told Mama of his dream to eat,
While Mama reassured,
That the biggest bowl belonged to him.
Back in the house,
The girl grew bigger and bigger,
Until she had finished the first bowl.
She stomped to the knitwear,
Trying it against her once more,
Only to find that it still didn’t fit.
She returned to the porridge, eating the second bowl,
Though this one was smaller, so she assumed that it would do.
As she ate the last bite,
Her pants unbuckled,
And the once loose shirt she wore began to suffocate her.
As suddenly, the front door creaked open.
The Bears had returned,
What would she do?
Scared, she ran to the knitwear and hid in the loo.
The Bears returned and Papa fumed.
Someone had entered and eaten their food.
Mama saw the mess, and held Baby tight,
Worried that the attacker might still be in sight.
Papa stomped to the porridge and let out an enormous roar.
It shook the whole house,
And the walls around Goldilocks began to break off.
She had squeezed into the space,
The walls no longer able to bear her weight.
They squeaked and squealed, until they broke open around her.
There she stood, worried for her life.
She never should have come,
As the Bears were a freighting sight.
Papa turned, angry and red.
Goldilocks could almost feel his heat spread.
He stomped over and Mama growled,
As Goldilocks stood shaking,
Stuck to the ground.
Her shaking shook the whole house,
Once Papa came over,
He took one sniff,
Screamed when he smelt his porridge,
And in just one hit,
The knitwear fell to the ground,
And with it,
Goldilocks crashed,
As the white knitwear dyed red.
Mama cleaned, as Baby took a nap.
Papa sat, trying to get his sanity back.
Mama looked at the body,
Lying where their bathroom used to be,
And knew what to do.
In a few hours Mama had made a new porridge,
For the family to eat.
Baby took his and looked up asking,
“What is this meat?”.