'Wallflower' by Anne Sexton
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
Come friend,
I have an old story to tell you—
Listen.
Sit down beside me and listen.
My face is red with sorrow
and my breasts are made of straw.
I sit in the ladder-back chair
in a corner of the polished stage.
I have forgiven all the old actors for dying.
A new one comes on with the same lines,
like large white growths, in his mouth.
The dancers come on from the wings,
perfectly mated.
I look up. The ceiling is pearly.
My thighs press, knotting in their treasure.
Upstage the bride falls in satin to the floor.
Beside her the tall hero in a red wool robe
stirs the fire with his ivory cane.
The string quartet plays for itself,
gently, gently, sleeves and waxy bows.
The legs of the dancers leap and catch.
I myself have little stiff legs,
my back is as straight as a book
and how I came to this place—
the little feverish roses,
the islands of olives and radishes,
the blissful pastimes of the parlor—
I'll never know.
Submitted by Venus
Editor 1 Interpretation
Wallflower by Anne Sexton: A Detailed Critique and Interpretation
Wow, where do I start with this one? Anne Sexton's "Wallflower" is one of those poems that really sticks with you. It's haunting, surreal, and packs a serious emotional punch. In this 4000-word critique, I'll be exploring the themes, symbols, and literary devices that make this poem so unique and powerful.
First, let's take a look at the poem itself:
Wallflower
Someone you love enters the room and your heart, as if it were a puzzle piece, slips into place.
You are whole.
Everyone else in the room becomes shadows of the wallpaper, background noise.
Your eyes lock onto the one you love and you know if you looked away you would never find this piece of your heart again.
You are whole.
Now your love walks to someone else and your puzzle piece snaps out of place.
The hole in your heart is like a small death, a lesson in forever.
Right off the bat, we can see that this poem is about love and loss. It's about that feeling of completeness we get when we're with someone we love, and the emptiness that follows when they're gone. It's also about the power of love to transform our perception of the world around us.
Let's break down the poem stanza by stanza and see what deeper meanings we can uncover.
Stanza One
Someone you love enters the room and your heart, as if it were a puzzle piece, slips into place.
You are whole.
This first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem. We start with the image of someone we love entering the room, and our heart "slipping into place" like a puzzle piece. This metaphor is powerful because it suggests that love is something we've been missing, something that completes us. When that missing piece finally falls into place, we feel "whole."
Stanza Two
Everyone else in the room becomes shadows of the wallpaper, background noise.
This stanza is all about the transformative power of love. When we're with someone we love, they become the center of our world. Everyone else fades into the background, becoming "shadows of the wallpaper" or "background noise." This is another metaphor that's both vivid and relatable. Who hasn't experienced that feeling of being completely absorbed in another person, to the point where nothing else matters?
Stanza Three
Your eyes lock onto the one you love and you know if you looked away you would never find this piece of your heart again.
You are whole.
This stanza further emphasizes the idea that love is something precious and fleeting. We're so afraid of losing it that we can't even look away for a moment. Our love becomes the only thing that matters, the only thing that makes us "whole."
Stanza Four
Now your love walks to someone else and your puzzle piece snaps out of place.
The hole in your heart is like a small death, a lesson in forever.
This final stanza is the gut-punch that brings the poem full-circle. The person we love walks away, and suddenly we're incomplete again. Our heart is like a puzzle with a missing piece, and that missing piece is gone forever. The hole left behind is "like a small death," a reminder of the impermanence of love and life itself.
So, that's the poem in a nutshell. But what makes it so powerful? What makes it stand out from all the other love poems out there? Let's take a look at some of the literary devices Sexton uses to bring this poem to life.
Metaphor
As we've already seen, metaphor plays a big role in "Wallflower." The idea of love as a missing puzzle piece is a powerful one, as is the idea of other people becoming "shadows of the wallpaper." Sexton uses metaphor to create a vivid and relatable image of the transformative power of love.
Personification
Another literary device Sexton employs is personification. The heart "slips into place," as if it has a will of its own. The puzzle piece "snaps out of place" when our love walks away. These personifications add an extra layer of depth to the poem, making it feel like love is a force that's outside of our control.
Repetition
Repetition is used throughout "Wallflower" to drive home the central themes of the poem. The phrase "you are whole" is repeated twice, emphasizing the idea that love is something that completes us. The repetition of the puzzle metaphor also reinforces the idea that love is something we've been missing until now.
Imagery
Finally, Sexton's use of imagery is what really makes "Wallflower" stand out. The metaphor of love as puzzle pieces is striking, but it's the vivid images of people fading into the wallpaper, of eyes locking onto one another, that really make this poem come alive. We can almost feel the emotions the speaker is experiencing as we read the poem.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anne Sexton's "Wallflower" is a powerful exploration of love and loss. Using metaphor, personification, repetition, and vivid imagery, Sexton creates a poem that's both haunting and relatable. It's a poem that reminds us of the transformative power of love, and the pain that comes when that love is taken away. As the poem says, we're all just puzzle pieces searching for the missing parts of our hearts. Sometimes we find them, and sometimes we don't. But the search is what makes life worth living.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Wallflower: A Poem of Self-Discovery and Empowerment
Anne Sexton’s poem, Wallflower, is a powerful piece of literature that explores the themes of self-discovery and empowerment. The poem is a journey of a woman who has been a wallflower for too long and is finally ready to break free from her shell and embrace her true self. In this analysis, we will explore the various literary devices used by Sexton to convey her message and the deeper meaning behind the poem.
The poem begins with the speaker describing herself as a wallflower, a term used to describe someone who is shy and introverted and tends to blend into the background. The speaker talks about how she has been a wallflower for too long and how she is tired of being invisible. She says, “I have been a wallflower. I have listened to nothing for weeks at a time. I have seen nothing for months.” This line sets the tone for the rest of the poem and establishes the speaker’s desire to break free from her shell.
Sexton uses repetition throughout the poem to emphasize the speaker’s desire for change. The phrase “I want” is repeated several times throughout the poem, each time with a different desire. The first time the phrase is used, the speaker says, “I want to be noticed. I want to be wanted.” This line shows the speaker’s desire to be seen and appreciated by others. She wants to be noticed and desired, to be seen as more than just a wallflower.
The second time the phrase is used, the speaker says, “I want to be loved. I want someone to look at me and say, ‘She’s beautiful.’” This line shows the speaker’s desire for love and validation. She wants someone to see her as beautiful and worthy of love. This desire is something that many people can relate to, as we all want to be loved and accepted for who we are.
Sexton also uses imagery throughout the poem to convey the speaker’s feelings of isolation and invisibility. The line “I have been a wallflower” creates an image of a person standing against a wall, blending into the background and going unnoticed. The line “I have seen nothing for months” creates an image of a person who is so isolated that they have lost touch with the world around them.
The poem takes a turn towards empowerment when the speaker says, “I want to be the sunflower, not the wallflower.” This line shows the speaker’s desire to break free from her shell and become something more. The sunflower is a symbol of strength and resilience, and the speaker wants to embody those qualities. She wants to be seen as someone who is strong and capable, not someone who blends into the background.
Sexton uses metaphor throughout the poem to convey the speaker’s transformation. The line “I want to be the sunflower, turning my face to the sun” is a metaphor for the speaker’s desire to embrace life and all its possibilities. The sunflower turns its face to the sun, soaking up its warmth and energy. The speaker wants to do the same, to embrace life and all its possibilities.
The poem ends with the speaker saying, “I am the sunflower, not the wallflower.” This line shows the speaker’s transformation from a shy, introverted wallflower to a strong, confident sunflower. The speaker has embraced her true self and is no longer content to blend into the background. She has found her voice and is ready to be seen and heard.
In conclusion, Wallflower is a powerful poem that explores the themes of self-discovery and empowerment. Sexton uses repetition, imagery, metaphor, and symbolism to convey the speaker’s journey from a shy, introverted wallflower to a strong, confident sunflower. The poem is a reminder that we all have the power to break free from our shells and embrace our true selves. We can all be sunflowers, turning our faces to the sun and embracing life and all its possibilities.
Editor Recommended Sites
Prelabeled Data: Already labeled data for machine learning, and large language model training and evaluationTerraform Video: Video tutorials on Terraform for AWS and GCP
DFW Community: Dallas fort worth community event calendar. Events in the DFW metroplex for parents and finding friends
AI Books - Machine Learning Books & Generative AI Books: The latest machine learning techniques, tips and tricks. Learn machine learning & Learn generative AI
Manage Cloud Secrets: Cloud secrets for AWS and GCP. Best practice and management
Recommended Similar Analysis
Love by Samuel Taylor Coleridge analysisParadise Lost: Book 03 by John Milton analysis
Women by Louise Bogan analysis
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair by Stephen C. Foster analysis
Ode To A Nightingale by John Keats analysis
Footsteps of Angels by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow analysis
Water Lilies by Sarah Teasdale analysis
Crossing The Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson analysis
Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy analysis
Spring Offensive by Wilfred Owen analysis