The calm,
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss.
I know that in class a lot of people said that they didn't like this poem because it was too short and there isn't enough here for it to mean anything, but i disagree. For me this poem fully achieved its purpose. When I read this, I instantly got this feeling of utter hopelessness and could feel the despair that caused the speaker to say this sentence. the fact that the river is calm tells me that the person in the poem is not being forced to do anything, but rather is willingly meeting the river. It tells me that whatever is going on in this person's life is so bad that he/she is ready to just give up. The writter's choice of words in the last sentence "asked me for a kiss" makes the speaker's action seem almost sweet. I do not agree with suicide at all and yet this poem made me feel like i understood the person who wanted to go through with it. I still don't agree with it in the slightest but i though that was something.
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I agree, it does sound sweet. There's so much contrast between the action of suicide -- self-hatred, fear, angst -- and the simple, romantic notion of a sweet kiss.
ReplyDeleteI actually loved this poem... To me, it projects a sense of serenity and peace. Its so simple, but in the simplicity is tranquility and acceptance of death. (but maybe that's just the minimalist in me... ;D )
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this poem as well because I am not a fan of wordy people such as Dickens and what not. For me this poem depicts suicide as a return to nature with tranquility and peace but at the same time it correlates the feelings of fear and gut-wrenching emotion that are hard to come across with just 12 words. I think this is the epitimy of what it is to be a truly great writer, that you are able to make your point with conciseness and presicion.
ReplyDeleteThis short poem did make it seem as a romantic thing to commit suicide. I think that, because it was so calm and short, that the person didn't necessarily want to die, but wanted to go peacefully in a calm and cooling environment before something more dangerous came along and killed them. Personally, I'm always afraid of how I'm going to go or when that would be. If I could have the strength to decide that for myself and then choose how, I would be happy. But, I don't want to know when my time is at the same time; I want the mystery.
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