"Naming Power" was hard to interpret at first, but a common theme was conveyed throughout the poem. It would frequently say "There has to be someone to name you," which seems to be rather odd to be repeated over and over again. However, it seems that poem is meant to display a sense of confusion in that the story is about someone who is unsure about themselves. That there is always someone that helps to take care of you in a way not just in health, but in all necessary means of life. In other words, there has to be someone to give you a meaning in life. It is hard to comprehend, but it just seems like this person is trying to find that someone who will complete them.
There were a couple choice words that could suggest what this poem is all about. In the last verse, it mentions that "I dance my body through a dozen shapes and search for the sky for pollen." This could possibly demonstrate how the woman in the poem is now grown up, that she her body has changed over the years until now she is a grown woman. She could also be searching for a husband when she says that she is searching for her "pollen." That way she can acquire a new name through marriage and thus give birth to a child who will in turn recieve a name. Her life is always dependent upon someone else's existence, and that she herself will give a name to someone else.
(David Roberts, Post 10)
Good meditation on the idea, or power of names from Rose's poem. It seems as though names give meaning to our lives because they place us as a part of one group or another, essentially giving us an identity. An important question to consider would be: what connections can we draw between Rose's biographical essay "Neon Scars" and this particular poem? Is the speaker Rose herself? Also, how might this poem relate to the characters of Julia and Truganinny?
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