'The Expatriates' by Anne Sexton
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My dear, it was a moment
to clutch for a moment
so that you may believe in it
and believing is the act of love, I think,
even in the telling, wherever it went.In the false New England forest
where the misplanted Norwegian trees
refused to root, their thick synthetic
roots barging out of the dirt to work on the air,
we held hands and walked on our knees.
Actually, there was no one there.For fourty years this experimental
woodland grew, shaft by shaft in perfect rows
where its stub branches held and its spokes fell.
It was a place of parallel trees, their lives
filed out in exile where we walked too alien to know
our sameness and how our sameness survives.Outside of us the village cars followed
the white line we had carefully walked
two nights before toward our single beds.
We lay halfway up an ugly hill and if we fell
it was here in the woods where the woods were caught
in their dying and you held me well.And now I must dream the forest whole
and your sweet hands, not once as frozen
as those stopped trees, nor ruled, nor pale,
nor leaving mine. Today in my house, I see
our house, its pillars a dim basement of men
holding up their foreign ground for you and me.My dear, it was a time,
butchered from time
that we must tell of quickly
before we lose the sound of our own
mouths calling mine, mine, mine.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Expatriates: A Deep Exploration of Identity and Belonging
I'm so excited to write about Anne Sexton's classic poetry collection, The Expatriates. This book is a masterful exploration of identity and belonging, and it deserves close attention and analysis. Through her unique voice and poetic style, Sexton delves deep into the experiences of living abroad, of feeling displaced and disconnected from one's home and culture. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I will examine the themes, language, and imagery used in The Expatriates, and analyze how they contribute to the overall impact and meaning of the collection.
The Theme of Displacement and Identity
The Expatriates is a collection of poems that explores the experience of living abroad, of feeling out of place and disconnected from one's home and culture. Sexton's poems are deeply personal and introspective, as she grapples with the complex emotions and conflicting desires that come with being an expatriate. The theme of displacement and identity is a central one in this collection, and Sexton uses a variety of techniques to explore it.
One of the most striking features of The Expatriates is Sexton's use of metaphor and imagery. In many of the poems, she compares the experience of living abroad to being lost in a foreign land, or to feeling like a stranger in one's own skin. For example, in the poem "The Addict," she writes:
I am an American and I am lost in Europe. I've been wandering the streets, trying to find my way back home.
This metaphor of being lost in a foreign land is a powerful one, as it captures the sense of disorientation and confusion that many expatriates feel. Sexton also uses imagery to convey the feeling of being disconnected from one's cultural roots. In the poem "The Expatriates," she writes:
We are like trees uprooted and replanted in a foreign soil, our roots dangling in the empty air.
Here, Sexton uses the image of uprooted trees to convey the sense of dislocation and loss that comes with living abroad. The image of the roots dangling in the empty air captures the feeling of being adrift and disconnected from one's cultural heritage.
Another technique that Sexton uses to explore the theme of displacement is the use of repetition. Several of the poems in The Expatriates repeat certain phrases or images, creating a sense of unease and uncertainty. For example, in the poem "The Interrogators," Sexton repeats the phrase "I am an American" several times throughout the poem, emphasizing the sense of identity crisis that many expatriates experience. Similarly, in the poem "The Division of Parts," Sexton repeats the phrase "I am divided" several times, highlighting the sense of internal conflict and fragmentation that comes with living abroad.
Overall, Sexton's use of metaphor, imagery, and repetition in The Expatriates contributes to a powerful exploration of the theme of displacement and identity. Through her unique voice and poetic style, she captures the complex emotions and conflicting desires that come with living abroad.
The Theme of Love and Loss
Another important theme in The Expatriates is that of love and loss. Sexton uses her personal experiences of living abroad to explore the theme of love and loss in a deeply moving way. Throughout the collection, she writes about the pain of separation from loved ones, the difficulty of maintaining relationships across distance and time, and the sense of loss that comes with leaving one's home and culture.
One of the most poignant poems in The Expatriates is "For My Lover, Returning to His Wife." In this poem, Sexton writes about the pain of being in a relationship with someone who is already committed to someone else. The poem is filled with images of separation and distance, as Sexton describes the physical and emotional distance between herself and her lover. She writes:
We will meet as strangers meet, then smile and kiss. Their lives wagged hard before us.
I have been waiting all day, or perhaps longer. I would have liked to try those wings myself. It would have been sweet to go blind in the sky, to do suddenly like the hawk, to fly, crying among the delicate blades of the grasses.
This poem is a powerful meditation on the pain of love and loss, and on the difficult choices that expatriates must make when it comes to their relationships. Sexton's use of imagery and metaphor in this poem is particularly striking, as she compares the feeling of being in love to the experience of flying, of soaring above the earth and feeling free.
The Theme of Gender and Sexuality
Another important theme in The Expatriates is that of gender and sexuality. Sexton's poetry is deeply personal and introspective, and she uses her experiences as a woman living abroad to explore the theme of gender and sexuality in a powerful way. Throughout the collection, she writes about the challenges and limitations that women face in male-dominated societies, and about the complex relationships between women and men.
One of the most striking poems in The Expatriates is "The Division of Parts." In this poem, Sexton explores the theme of gender and sexuality through a series of vivid images and metaphors. She writes:
I am divided, split into two parts. One part is a woman, soft and yielding, with a mouth like a peach and skin like silk.
The other part is a man, hard and unyielding, with a mouth like steel and skin like leather.
This poem is a powerful exploration of the complexities of gender and sexuality, and of the ways in which women are often forced to navigate male-dominated societies. The image of being split into two parts is a particularly striking one, as it captures the sense of internal conflict and fragmentation that many women experience as they try to navigate their roles in society.
Conclusion
Overall, The Expatriates is a powerful collection of poetry that explores the themes of displacement, identity, love and loss, and gender and sexuality in a deeply personal and introspective way. Through her unique voice and poetic style, Anne Sexton delves deep into the experiences of living abroad, of feeling out of place and disconnected from one's home and culture. Her use of metaphor, imagery, and repetition creates a sense of unease and uncertainty, as she captures the complex emotions and conflicting desires that come with being an expatriate. The Expatriates is a timeless work of poetry that continues to resonate with readers today, and it deserves to be read and studied for years to come.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Expatriates by Anne Sexton is a classic poem that explores the theme of alienation and displacement. The poem is a reflection of the author's own experiences as an expatriate living in Europe during the 1960s. Sexton's use of vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and a haunting tone creates a sense of isolation and longing that resonates with readers even today.
The poem begins with the speaker describing a group of expatriates sitting in a café in Paris. The scene is set with the line, "We sit in a cafe in Paris, drinking apricot brandy." This opening line immediately creates a sense of place and time, transporting the reader to a specific moment in history. The use of the word "we" also creates a sense of community, suggesting that the speaker is part of a group of expatriates who have come together in a foreign land.
However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that this sense of community is illusory. The speaker describes the expatriates as "lost souls" who are "strangers to ourselves." This sense of alienation is further emphasized by the use of the metaphor of the "glass bell" that separates the expatriates from the world around them. The bell is described as "thick and green" and "impenetrable," suggesting that the expatriates are trapped in their own isolation.
The theme of alienation is further explored in the second stanza, where the speaker describes the expatriates as "ghosts" who are "haunted by life." This haunting is described in vivid detail, with the image of "the blackened trees that once had leaves" suggesting a sense of decay and loss. The use of the word "blackened" also creates a sense of darkness and despair, emphasizing the sense of isolation and disconnection that the expatriates feel.
The third stanza of the poem introduces a new element, with the speaker describing a "man with a red scarf" who walks by the café. This man is described in detail, with his "long legs" and "bright eyes" creating a sense of vitality and energy that is lacking in the expatriates. The man is also described as "a flame in daylight," suggesting that he is a source of light and warmth in a world that is otherwise dark and cold.
However, the man with the red scarf is also described as a "stranger," emphasizing the sense of alienation that the expatriates feel. The speaker notes that the man "passes by our table/with his head down," suggesting that even though he is a source of vitality, he is still disconnected from the expatriates.
The final stanza of the poem brings the themes of alienation and displacement to a climax, with the speaker describing the expatriates as "orphans" who are "searching for a home." The use of the word "orphans" creates a sense of loss and abandonment, emphasizing the sense of displacement that the expatriates feel. The final line of the poem, "We are the lost ones," brings the themes of the poem full circle, emphasizing the sense of isolation and disconnection that the expatriates feel.
Overall, The Expatriates by Anne Sexton is a powerful poem that explores the themes of alienation and displacement. Through vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and a haunting tone, Sexton creates a sense of isolation and longing that resonates with readers even today. The poem is a reflection of the author's own experiences as an expatriate living in Europe during the 1960s, but its themes are universal, speaking to anyone who has ever felt disconnected from the world around them.
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