I Want Radio-active Blood!

Jim Hall’s Spiderman poem distinguishes itself from the other poems I have become familiar with. Of course, one of these distinguishable qualities is the character Spiderman’s lisp, which makes reading the poem aloud very entertaining. But more importantly, the Spiderman poem has a deeper meaning that is unrelated to its comedy side. Jim Hall connects to the wide audience who wish to re-invent themselves or tweak certain aspects of their lives, such as a particular job. This poem helps individuals reflect upon themselves, analyzing strengths and flaws.

In “Maybe Dats Your Pwoblem,” even Spiderman wishes to re-invent himself and “buin” his suit. Having a superhero as the flawed narrator is extremely effective for Hall. Superheroes have had the connotation of being flawless, and the fact that Spiderman wishes to start over is surprising and ironic. One would expect a superhero to be living the good life, and having fun. But instead, Spiderman finds his job/responsibility dull and repetitive. Apparently for Spiderman, swinging from one skyscraper to another does not make his heart beat “at a difwent wate,” but racing cars does. Since Spiderman can’t burn his suit, and neither can anyone else, I would love to trade with him, as it has been most boys’ dream to become a superhero. Spiderman in the poem perfectly exemplifies a man struggling with the responsibilities he has been forced to live an entire lifetime with.

I, myself, have had this same opportunity of self-examination. As arrogant as it may sound, I found it very difficult to find even one minor flaw. Truly, It is a positive sign that I was unable to choose a single characteristic that I would change about myself. Maybe some people are lucky, or maybe some people have already learned to love what they do. However, with the plethora of opportunities that my parents and PCDS have made available, I feel I have been able to do what I love. And for this, I am very blessed.

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Throughout analyzing this poem, I decided that this is my favorite poem of all time, so far. I am really glad we were able to read this and expand on it.