'Motel Seedy' by Thomas Lux
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The artisans of this room, who designed the lamp base
(a huge red slug with a hole
where its heart should be) or chose this print
of a butterscotch sunset,
must have been abused in art class
as children, forced to fingerpaint
with a nose, or a tongue. To put this color
green--exhausted grave grass--to cinder blocks
takes an understanding of loneliness
and/or institutions that terrifies.
It would seem not smart to create
a color scheme in a motel room
that's likely to cause impotence in men
and open sores in women,
but that's what this puce bedspread
with its warty, ratty tufts could do. It complements
the towels, torn and holding awful secrets
like the sail on a life raft
loaded with blackened, half-eaten corpses . . .
I think I owned this desk once, I think
this chair is where I sat
with the Help Wanted ads spread and wobbling
before me as I looked for jobs
to lead me upward: to rooms
like this, in America, where I dreamed
I lived . . . Do I deprive tonight
the beautician and her lover,
a shower-head salesman, of this room?
He is so seldom in town.
I felt by their glance in the hallway
that my room, no. 17, means
something (don't ask me to explain this) special
to them. Maybe they fell fiercely
into each other here for the first time,
maybe there was a passion preternatural. I'm glad
this room, so ugly, has known some love
at $19.00 double occupancy--
though not tonight, for a dollar fifty less.
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Motel Seedy: A Critique and Interpretation
Are you ready to embark on a journey through the seedy world of Thomas Lux's poem, Motel Seedy? This classic piece of poetry explores the dark side of American culture, taking the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions through vivid imagery and powerful language. In this critique and interpretation, we will delve deep into the themes and literary devices that make this poem a masterpiece.
Context and Background
Before we dive into the poem itself, let's take a moment to understand the context and background of Thomas Lux. He was an American poet who was born in Massachusetts in 1946 and passed away in 2017. Lux was known for his humorous and satirical poetry, often tackling serious social and political issues in a playful way. He was a Guggenheim Fellow and won several awards for his work, including the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.
Motel Seedy was published in Lux's 1972 collection, Memory's Handgrenade. The collection was known for its raw and gritty portrayal of American life, and this poem was no exception. Motel Seedy is a commentary on the seedier side of American culture, exploring themes of loneliness, desperation, and decay.
Poem Analysis
Motel Seedy is a short and powerful poem, consisting of only 12 lines. Despite its brevity, the poem packs a punch, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. Let's take a closer look at the poem and analyze its different elements.
Structure
The poem is divided into two stanzas, each consisting of six lines. The first stanza sets the scene, describing the motel in vivid detail. The second stanza shifts the focus to the people who inhabit the motel, painting a picture of their desperation and loneliness.
Imagery
One of the strongest elements of this poem is its vivid imagery. Lux uses concrete and sensory language to paint a picture of the motel and its inhabitants. The opening lines of the poem set the tone with their gritty and unflinching description of the motel:
The beds are produced of plywood, cheap,
and the sheets scratch like burlap.
The room smells of stale beer
and the bathroom of old piss and chlorine.
These lines immediately establish the seedy and uncomfortable atmosphere of the motel. The use of sensory language, such as "scratch" and "smells," creates a visceral experience for the reader, immersing them in the scene.
Tone
The tone of the poem is bleak and despairing. Lux portrays the motel as a place of decay and desperation, a symbol of the darker side of American society. This tone is established early on with the description of the motel's beds as "produced of plywood, cheap." The use of the word "produced" instead of "made" or "constructed" is significant, as it implies a sense of mass production and disposability.
Theme
The theme of Motel Seedy is the loneliness and desperation of those who inhabit the motel. Lux portrays them as lost and forgotten, clinging to whatever scraps of comfort they can find in the seedy environment. The second stanza of the poem focuses on the people who inhabit the motel:
In the bathroom, a man sings to himself
and a woman sighs on the bed.
The radio plays love songs, but no one
listens, or no one hears.
The use of the pronoun "no one" is significant here, as it further emphasizes the isolation and loneliness of these characters. They are trapped in their own worlds, unable to connect with each other or with the outside world.
Literary Devices
Motel Seedy is full of literary devices that enhance the poem's impact. Let's take a look at some of the most significant ones.
Metaphor
The entire poem can be seen as a metaphor for the darker side of American culture. The motel represents the decay and desperation that exists beneath the surface of American society, while the people who inhabit it represent those who have been left behind or forgotten by mainstream society.
Personification
The use of personification in the description of the beds and sheets ("The beds are produced of plywood, cheap, / and the sheets scratch like burlap") creates a sense of unease and discomfort. It also reinforces the idea that the motel is a place of decay and neglect, with even the inanimate objects contributing to the unpleasant atmosphere.
Imagery
As we discussed earlier, the use of vivid and sensory imagery is one of the poem's strongest elements. From the scratchy sheets to the stale beer smell, Lux creates an immersive experience for the reader, drawing them into the seedy world of the motel.
Repetition
The repetition of the word "no one" in the second stanza is a powerful literary device that reinforces the theme of loneliness and isolation. The repetition creates a sense of finality and hopelessness, emphasizing the idea that these characters are truly alone in the world.
Interpretation
So, what does Motel Seedy mean? At its core, this poem is a commentary on the darker side of American culture. Lux portrays the motel as a symbol of decay and desperation, a place where those who have been left behind by mainstream society are forced to cling to whatever scraps of comfort they can find.
The people who inhabit the motel are portrayed as lost and forgotten, trapped in their own worlds and unable to connect with each other or with the outside world. Despite the radio playing love songs, no one listens or hears, emphasizing the isolation and loneliness of these characters.
The poem can be seen as a critique of American society, where even those who have fallen through the cracks are expected to fend for themselves. It is a powerful commentary on the damaging effects of neglect and isolation, highlighting the importance of human connection and compassion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Motel Seedy is a powerful and evocative poem that explores the darker side of American culture. Through vivid imagery and powerful language, Lux creates a seedy and uncomfortable atmosphere, immersing the reader in the world of the motel. The poem's themes of loneliness, desperation, and decay are timeless and relevant, making it a classic piece of American poetry.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Motel Seedy: A Poem of Desperation and Hope
Thomas Lux’s poem “Motel Seedy” is a powerful and evocative work that captures the essence of human desperation and hope in the face of adversity. Through vivid imagery and a masterful use of language, Lux takes us on a journey through the seedy underbelly of American society, where the downtrodden and forgotten struggle to survive.
The poem begins with a description of the titular motel, which is located “off the interstate, / behind a diner, / next to a truck stop.” This setting immediately sets the tone for the poem, as it conjures up images of a bleak and desolate landscape, where the only signs of life are the passing trucks and the flickering neon lights of the diner.
Lux then introduces us to the protagonist of the poem, a man who is “down on his luck” and “out of cash.” This man is clearly at the end of his rope, and he has no choice but to seek refuge in the seedy motel. Lux’s description of the man’s appearance is particularly striking, as he notes that the man is “wearing a suit / that looks like it’s been slept in / for a week.”
Despite his desperate situation, however, the man still retains a sense of hope. He is determined to make the best of his situation, and he sets about trying to make the motel room as comfortable as possible. He “turns on the TV,” “adjusts the curtains,” and “tries to find / a comfortable position / on the lumpy mattress.”
Lux’s use of language in this section of the poem is particularly effective, as he uses short, choppy sentences to convey the man’s sense of urgency and desperation. The repetition of the phrase “tries to” also emphasizes the man’s struggle to find some semblance of comfort in his bleak surroundings.
As the poem progresses, Lux introduces us to a cast of characters who inhabit the motel. There is the “woman in the next room / who cries all night,” the “man in the room above / who stomps around / like a bull in a china shop,” and the “couple in the room next door / who fight and make up / and fight again.”
These characters serve to highlight the sense of isolation and loneliness that pervades the motel. Each one is struggling with their own demons, and they are all trapped in their own private hells. Lux’s use of vivid imagery and metaphorical language helps to bring these characters to life, and we can almost feel their pain and desperation.
Despite the bleakness of the setting and the desperation of the characters, however, there is still a sense of hope that runs throughout the poem. This hope is embodied in the man who is the protagonist of the poem. Despite his dire circumstances, he refuses to give up, and he continues to search for a way out of his predicament.
At one point in the poem, the man hears a knock at his door. When he opens it, he finds a “man in a suit / with a briefcase” standing there. The man in the suit offers the protagonist a job, and the poem ends with the man “packing his bag / and leaving the motel / for good.”
This ending is both hopeful and ambiguous. On the one hand, it suggests that the man has found a way out of his desperate situation, and that he is on his way to a better life. On the other hand, however, it leaves us wondering what kind of job the man has been offered, and whether it will truly be enough to lift him out of poverty and despair.
In conclusion, “Motel Seedy” is a powerful and evocative poem that captures the essence of human desperation and hope in the face of adversity. Through vivid imagery and a masterful use of language, Thomas Lux takes us on a journey through the seedy underbelly of American society, where the downtrodden and forgotten struggle to survive. Despite the bleakness of the setting and the desperation of the characters, however, there is still a sense of hope that runs throughout the poem, and this hope is embodied in the protagonist who refuses to give up, and who continues to search for a way out of his predicament.
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