Dear Ms. Hacker,
First, I would like to compliment you about this beautiful poem which grabbed my attention from the beginning. My name is Nikola and I am a student in Sofia in Bulgaria. We just started reading poems at class and I can say that it is very interesting. I learned a lot of poetry terms and I can very easily find them in the poems we discuss. Our EEL teacher, Ms. Grimesey, told us about the month of the poets and I was very excited. When I read the title of your poem “Rune of The Finland Woman” for the first time, I was very interested in reading the whole thing and I was amazed when I finished.
I really like Scandinavian mythology and especially the stories of H. C. Andersen. The anaphora “she could” at the beginning of each verse made me realize how strong and self-confident the woman is. The hyperboles used after the anaphora show the inhumane qualities of the woman from the north. The consonance of the soft letters “w” and the hissing letters “s” made a great contrast of the imagery of the woman and her powerful skills. Sometimes I felt a little bit scared, but also I was very stunned from how many things can this queen do. In that way it is more interesting to read the work. I also like how you used high diction in some of the stanzas which helped me learn some new and interesting words in English.
I never had the chance to discuss a poem with the poet who wrote it. That is why I feel a little bit tense. Maybe I interpret the theme differently than you, but I hope this is not a problem. The literal meaning is very well shown by using the queen who makes everyone respect her. I love the figurative meaning because it teaches me think how important is to be proud of myself even in the most difficult situations. The friend of yours, who inspired you to write this poem, is really brave and I agree that she fits in the description of that woman.
I often read poems and I really enjoy masterpieces like yours. In my opinion, it is very important to have more poems because they expose part of the world that we can’t see.
Sincerely,
Nikola
Grade 9
Sofia, Bulgaria