'The Evil Eye' by Anne Sexton
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It comes oozing
out of flowers at night,
it comes out of the rain
if a snake looks skyward,
it comes out of chairs and tables
if you don't point at them and say their names.
It comes into your mouth while you sleep,
pressing in like a washcloth.
Beware. Beware.If you meet a cross-eyed person
you must plunge into the grass,
alongside the chilly ants,
fish through the green fingernails
and come up with the four-leaf clover
or your blood with congeal
like cold gravy.If you run across a horseshoe,
passerby,
stop, take your hands out of your pockets
and count the nails
as you count your children
or your money.
Otherwise a sand flea will crawl in your ear
and fly into your brain
and the only way you'll keep from going mad
is to be hit with a hammer every hour.If a hunchback is in the elevator with you
don't turn away,
immediately touch his hump
for his child will be born from his back tomorrow
and if he promptly bites the baby's nails off
(so it won't become a thief)
that child will be holy
and you, simple bird that you are,
may go on flying.When you knock on wood,
and you do,
you knock on the Cross
and Jesus gives you a fragment of His body
and breaks an egg in your toilet,
giving up one life
for one life.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Evil Eye by Anne Sexton: A Close Reading
Poetry is often said to be a reflection of one's experiences and emotions. It is a way for the poet to express themselves and communicate their message to the readers. Anne Sexton's poem "The Evil Eye" is no different. This poem is a powerful and haunting reflection on the fragility of human life and the inevitability of death. The poem is not only a commentary on death, but also on the fear and anxiety that comes with it. Through her use of language and imagery, Sexton creates a vivid and unsettling portrait of death, making the reader feel the full weight of its presence.
Background on Anne Sexton
Before diving into the poem, it is important to understand a little about Anne Sexton. Born in Massachusetts in 1928, Sexton was a prolific poet who gained popularity in the 1960s for her confessional style of writing. Her poetry dealt with subjects such as mental illness, suicide, and sexuality, and often drew on personal experiences. Sexton's poetry is known for being raw and honest, and "The Evil Eye" is no exception.
Analysis of "The Evil Eye"
The poem begins with the image of a woman holding a baby, and immediately the reader is struck by the contrast between the innocence of the baby and the ominous tone of the poem. The woman is described as having "one eye as black as a crow's" and the baby is said to have "blue veins in his eyelids." This description sets the stage for the rest of the poem, as it creates a sense of unease and foreshadows the themes of death and decay that will be explored.
The imagery in the poem is striking and often unsettling. For example, the woman with the black eye is said to have "milk for blood" and the baby is described as having "a grave for a bed." These images are not only powerful in themselves, but they also create a sense of dread and foreboding. The use of the word "evil" in the title of the poem further emphasizes the dark and unsettling nature of the poem.
Throughout the poem, Sexton uses language to create a feeling of unease and anxiety. The use of alliteration, such as "black as a crow's" and "milk for blood," gives the poem a musical quality, but also adds to the sense of unease. The repetition of the phrase "the baby" also serves to emphasize the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.
As the poem progresses, the tone becomes increasingly dark and foreboding. The woman with the black eye is said to have "a smile like a cat," which adds to the sense of anxiety and fear. The baby is described as having "a skull full of air," which serves as a reminder of the inevitability of death. The woman is also said to have "a tongue that rolled like a dice," which suggests a sense of unpredictability and danger.
The final stanza of the poem is particularly powerful. The woman with the black eye is said to have "a fist full of charms" and the baby is described as having "a pocket full of stones." These images serve to emphasize the sense of doom and impending death. The final lines of the poem, "I swear I saw Satan laughing with delight, the day the baby died," are chilling and haunting. They serve to drive home the message of the poem: that death is inevitable and often comes with a sense of fear and anxiety.
Conclusion
"The Evil Eye" is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of death, fear, and anxiety. Through her use of language and imagery, Anne Sexton creates a vivid and unsettling portrait of death, making the reader feel the full weight of its presence. The poem is a reminder of the fragility of human life and the inevitability of death, and serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of living in fear. Overall, "The Evil Eye" is a powerful and thought-provoking work of poetry that will continue to resonate with readers for years to come.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Anne Sexton's "The Evil Eye" is a haunting and evocative poem that explores the themes of jealousy, envy, and the destructive power of the human gaze. Written in 1962, the poem is a powerful meditation on the ways in which our perceptions and desires can shape our reality, and the ways in which we can become trapped in our own obsessions and fears.
At its core, "The Evil Eye" is a poem about the dangers of envy and jealousy. The speaker of the poem is consumed by a sense of longing and desire for the things that others possess, and this desire becomes a kind of curse that distorts her vision and poisons her soul. She becomes obsessed with the idea of possessing the things that others have, and this obsession leads her down a dark and dangerous path.
The poem begins with a description of the speaker's desire for a particular object, which she calls "the thing." This object is never named or described in any detail, but it is clear that it represents something that the speaker desperately wants. She describes how she has been "eyeing it for weeks," and how she has become fixated on the idea of possessing it. This fixation is so intense that it has begun to affect her physical and mental health. She describes how she has become "thin and sick" from her longing, and how she can no longer sleep or eat properly.
As the poem progresses, the speaker's obsession with "the thing" becomes more and more intense. She begins to see it everywhere she goes, and she becomes convinced that it is mocking her and taunting her with its unattainability. She describes how she sees it "in the eyes of the butcher," and how it "smiles at me from the windows of the bank." This sense of omnipresence is deeply unsettling, and it suggests that the speaker's obsession has taken on a life of its own.
As the poem reaches its climax, the speaker's obsession with "the thing" becomes a kind of curse. She describes how she has become "the victim of the evil eye," and how her vision has become distorted by her envy and jealousy. She sees herself as a kind of monster, with "eyes like a fly" and a "mouth like a cat." This image is both grotesque and tragic, suggesting that the speaker has become trapped in her own desires and fears.
The final lines of the poem are perhaps the most haunting. The speaker describes how she has become "the thing" that she desired, and how she has lost herself in the process. She has become a kind of ghost, haunting the world with her envy and jealousy. The poem ends with a sense of despair and resignation, as the speaker realizes that she has been consumed by her own desires and that there is no escape from the curse of the evil eye.
Overall, "The Evil Eye" is a powerful and deeply unsettling poem that explores the themes of envy, jealousy, and the destructive power of desire. It is a poem that speaks to the human condition, and to the ways in which we can become trapped in our own obsessions and fears. Anne Sexton's use of language is masterful, and her ability to evoke a sense of unease and dread is truly remarkable. This is a poem that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it, and it is a testament to the power of poetry to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche.
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