'Where It Was At Back Then' by Anne Sexton
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
Husband,
last night I dreamt
they cut off your hands and feet.
Husband,
you whispered to me,
Now we are both incomplete.
Husband,
I held all four
in my arms like sons and daughters.
Husband,
I bent slowly down
and washed them in magical waters.
Husband,
I placed each one
where it belonged on you.
"A miracle,"
you said and we laughed
the laugh of the well-to-do.
Submitted by Emily
Editor 1 Interpretation
Where It Was At Back Then: A Journey Through Anne Sexton's Poem
Where It Was At Back Then is a poem by Anne Sexton, one of the most influential American poets of the mid-twentieth century. The poem is a journey through the poet's memories, exploring themes of love, loss, and nostalgia. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will delve deep into the poem's structure, language, and themes, and try to uncover its hidden meaning.
Background and Context
Anne Sexton was born in 1928 in Massachusetts and grew up in a dysfunctional family. She suffered from mental illness and had a troubled life, marked by numerous suicide attempts. However, she found solace in writing poetry, and her work became famous for its confessional nature and raw honesty.
Where It Was At Back Then was first published in Sexton's 1962 collection, The Awful Rowing Toward God. The poem is written in free verse, with no regular meter or rhyme scheme, and is divided into six stanzas of varying length. The title is a reference to a song by Bob Dylan, which was released in 1965, three years after the poem's publication.
Analysis
Structure
The poem is divided into six stanzas, each with its own distinct theme and tone. The first stanza sets the scene, describing the speaker's memories of a past love affair. The second stanza explores the theme of loss and the passing of time. The third stanza is a nostalgic reverie, recalling the joys of youth. The fourth stanza is a more introspective reflection on the speaker's own mortality. The fifth stanza shifts the focus to the natural world, and the final stanza brings the poem to a close with a sense of acceptance and resignation.
The poem's structure is deliberately loose and fragmented, reflecting the fragmented nature of memory itself. The stanzas are not strictly chronological, and the speaker jumps back and forth between different moments in time. This creates a sense of disorientation, as if the speaker is struggling to piece together a coherent narrative from their memories.
Language
Sexton's language is vivid and evocative, using rich imagery to bring the speaker's memories to life. The poem is filled with sensory details, such as the "damp air" and "green leaves" of the summer night in the first stanza, or the "smell of the river" and the "sound of the crickets" in the third stanza. The use of present tense throughout the poem also creates a sense of immediacy, as if the memories are happening in real-time.
The language in the poem is also marked by a sense of melancholy and longing. The repeated use of the word "was" creates a sense of loss and nostalgia, as if the speaker is mourning a time that has passed. The use of the second-person pronoun "you" also creates a sense of distance between the speaker and the object of their memories, as if they are addressing someone who is no longer there.
Themes
The poem explores several themes, including love, loss, nostalgia, and mortality. One of the central themes is the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The poem contrasts the speaker's memories of the past with the present reality, highlighting the ways in which things have changed. This creates a sense of loss and nostalgia, as the speaker mourns the passing of a time that can never be regained.
The theme of love is also central to the poem. The speaker's memories are focused on a past love affair, which is described in sensuous and passionate language. However, there is also a sense of distance and separation between the speaker and the object of their love, as if the relationship was never fully realized.
The theme of mortality is explored in the fourth stanza, where the speaker reflects on their own aging and eventual death. This creates a sense of urgency and poignancy, as if the speaker is trying to make sense of their life before it is too late.
Interpretation
Where It Was At Back Then is a deeply personal and confessional poem, reflecting the poet's own experiences of love, loss, and mortality. The poem is marked by a sense of melancholy and nostalgia, as the speaker looks back on a time that can never be regained.
At its core, the poem is an exploration of memory and the ways in which we make sense of our past experiences. The loose and fragmented structure of the poem reflects the fragmented nature of memory itself, as the speaker struggles to piece together a coherent narrative from their memories.
The use of vivid language and sensory imagery creates a strong sense of place and atmosphere, bringing the speaker's memories to life. However, there is also a sense of distance and separation between the speaker and the object of their memories, as if the relationship was never fully realized.
Overall, Where It Was At Back Then is a powerful and evocative poem that captures the complex emotions of love, loss, and nostalgia. It is a testament to Anne Sexton's skill as a poet and her ability to capture the raw, unfiltered nature of human experience.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Where It Was At Back Then: A Timeless Poem by Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton was a poet who was known for her confessional style of writing. She was a master of the craft, and her poems were often deeply personal and introspective. One of her most famous poems is "Where It Was At Back Then," which was published in her 1966 collection, "Live or Die." This poem is a powerful reflection on the nature of memory and the way that our past experiences shape who we are.
The poem begins with the speaker describing a scene from her childhood. She remembers a time when she and her friends would play in a field, and they would pretend to be soldiers fighting in a war. The speaker describes the way that they would run through the field, shouting and laughing, and how they would feel invincible in those moments. This scene is a powerful reminder of the innocence and joy of childhood, and it sets the tone for the rest of the poem.
As the poem progresses, the speaker begins to reflect on the way that her memories of this time have changed over the years. She describes how, as she grew older, she began to see the world in a different way. She became aware of the violence and cruelty that existed in the world, and she began to understand the true cost of war. This realization is a powerful one, and it marks a turning point in the poem.
The speaker then goes on to describe the way that her memories of this time have become distorted over the years. She remembers things that may not have actually happened, and she struggles to separate fact from fiction. This is a common experience for many people, as memories can be unreliable and subject to change over time. The speaker's struggle to remember the past accurately is a powerful reminder of the way that our memories shape our understanding of the world.
The poem then takes a darker turn, as the speaker reflects on the way that her memories of this time have been tainted by the violence and cruelty of the world. She describes how she can no longer look back on this time with the same sense of innocence and joy that she once had. Instead, she sees the world as a dark and dangerous place, and she struggles to find meaning in the face of so much suffering.
Despite this darkness, the poem ends on a note of hope. The speaker describes how, even though her memories of this time have been distorted and tainted, she still holds onto the hope that she felt as a child. She remembers the way that she and her friends would run through the field, shouting and laughing, and she holds onto that memory as a source of strength and inspiration. This is a powerful reminder that, even in the face of darkness and despair, there is always hope.
In conclusion, "Where It Was At Back Then" is a powerful and deeply personal poem that explores the nature of memory and the way that our past experiences shape who we are. Anne Sexton was a master of the craft, and this poem is a testament to her skill as a poet. It is a timeless work that speaks to the human experience in a way that is both universal and deeply personal. If you have not yet read this poem, I highly recommend that you do so. It is a work of art that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.
Editor Recommended Sites
Developer Recipes: The best code snippets for completing common tasks across programming frameworks and languagesModern Command Line: Command line tutorials for modern new cli tools
ML Assets: Machine learning assets ready to deploy. Open models, language models, API gateways for LLMs
HL7 to FHIR: Best practice around converting hl7 to fhir. Software tools for FHIR conversion, and cloud FHIR migration using AWS and GCP
Quick Startup MVP: Make a startup MVP consulting services. Make your dream app come true in no time
Recommended Similar Analysis
Sonnet 1: From fairest creatures we desire increase by William Shakespeare analysisSonnet XXV by William Shakespeare analysis
Vanity of All Worldly Things, The by Anne Bradstreet analysis
The Broken Heart by John Donne analysis
Final Soliloquy Of The Interior Paramour by Wallace Stevens analysis
The Dolls by William Butler Yeats analysis
Eurydice by H.D. analysis
Ode by John Keats analysis
Lycidas by John Milton analysis
Whoso List to Hunt, I Know Where is an Hind by Sir Thomas Wyatt analysis