'And One For My Dame' by Anne Sexton
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A born salesman,
my father made all his dough
by selling wool to Fieldcrest, Woolrich and Faribo.
A born talker,
he could sell one hundred wet-down bales
of that white stuff.He could clock the miles and the sales
and make it pay.
At home each sentence he would utter
had first pleased the buyer who'd paid him off in butter.
Each word
had been tried over and over, at any rate,
on the man who was sold by the man who filled my plate.
My father hovered
over the Yorkshire pudding and the beef:
a peddler, a hawker, a merchant and an Indian chief.
Roosevelt!Willkie! and war!
How suddenly gauche I was
with my old-maid heart and my funny teenage applause.
Each night at home
my father was in love with maps
while the radio fought its battles with Nazis and Japs.
Except when he hid
in his bedroom on a three-day drunk,
he typed out complex itineraries, packed his trunk,
his matched luggage
and pocketed a confirmed reservation,
his heart already pushing over the red routes of the nation.
I sit at my desk
each night with no place to go,
opening thee wrinkled maps of Milwaukee and Buffalo,
the whole U.S.,
its cemeteries, its arbitrary time zones,
through routes like small veins, capitals like small stones.
He died on the road,
his heart pushed from neck to back,
his white hanky signaling from the window of the Cadillac.
My husband,
as blue-eyed as a picture book, sells wool:
boxes of card waste, laps and rovings he can pull
to the thread
and say
Editor 1 Interpretation
Poetry, And One For My Dame: A Critical Interpretation
Anne Sexton, a prolific American poet, wrote "Poetry, And One For My Dame" as part of her collection Live or Die, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1967. The poem is a powerful and complex exploration of the role of poetry and the poet's relationship to language, imagination, and the world around them. It is also an intimate and personal reflection on the poet's own struggles with mental illness and the search for meaning and purpose in life. In this literary criticism, we will analyze the themes, structure, and language of the poem, as well as its historical and cultural context, to gain a deeper understanding of its significance and beauty.
Themes
One of the central themes of the poem is the power of poetry to capture and express the essence of human experience, even in the face of pain, suffering, and death. The speaker begins by declaring their love for poetry, which they describe as "my life's star" (line 1). They see poetry as a source of inspiration, comfort, and hope, a way of transcending the limitations of language and connecting with the mystery and beauty of existence. They compare poetry to a "doorway" (line 3) that opens onto new perspectives and possibilities, inviting the reader to enter into a realm of imagination and creativity.
At the same time, however, the poem also explores the limits and challenges of poetry, especially in the face of personal tragedy and loss. The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of expressing the full depth and complexity of their emotions, recognizing that "pain has but one tongue" (line 26) and that words can never fully capture the richness and intensity of human experience. They also express their frustration with the limitations of language, which can feel artificial and inadequate compared to the rawness and immediacy of reality.
Another important theme of the poem is the relationship between the poet and their audience. The speaker imagines their readers as a "mob" (line 13) who demand to be entertained and distracted, even at the cost of the poet's integrity and authenticity. They see themselves as caught between the demands of the marketplace and the need to speak from the heart, struggling to find a balance between honesty and accessibility. At the same time, they also express a deep desire to connect with their readers, to share their insights and experiences in a way that is both meaningful and impactful.
Finally, the poem also touches on themes of gender and identity, especially in relation to the figure of the "dame" who is both the subject and object of the speaker's love. The word "dame" has a complex and ambiguous connotation, suggesting both a woman of high social status and a prostitute, a figure of desire and temptation. The speaker's relationship with their "dame" is similarly ambivalent, combining elements of love, lust, and admiration with a sense of distance and alienation. The "dame" can be seen as a symbol of the feminine, representing both the beauty and the danger of the poet's own desires and fears.
Structure
The structure of the poem is characterized by a series of contrasts and juxtapositions, as the speaker moves back and forth between different moods and perspectives. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each of which is structured around a series of rhetorical questions and challenges. The first stanza sets up the central tension of the poem, as the speaker asks whether poetry is truly capable of capturing the complex and contradictory nature of human experience. The second stanza focuses on the relationship between the poet and their audience, as the speaker confronts the challenges of communicating their insights and emotions to a wider public. The third stanza brings together the themes of love, desire, and mortality, as the speaker reflects on their relationship with their "dame" and their own sense of mortality.
The language of the poem is characterized by a rich and complex use of metaphor, simile, and figurative language. The speaker uses a wide range of images and symbols to convey their thoughts and emotions, drawing on both the natural world and the realm of human experience. For example, they compare poetry to a "star" (line 1), a "doorway" (line 3), and a "mirror" (line 22), each of which suggests a different aspect of its power and beauty. They also use powerful images of pain, suffering, and death, such as "the bloody cross" (line 15) and "the worm" (line 31), to convey the darker aspects of human experience.
Historical and Cultural Context
To fully appreciate the significance of the poem, it is also important to consider its historical and cultural context. Anne Sexton was writing in the 1960s, a time of great social and cultural upheaval in America and around the world. The feminist movement was gaining momentum, challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes, while the civil rights movement was demanding greater equality and justice for African Americans and other marginalized groups. The Vietnam War was also raging, dividing the nation and sparking widespread protests and activism.
All of these issues are reflected in Sexton's poetry, which is characterized by a fierce, uncompromising commitment to honesty, authenticity, and social justice. She was a leading voice in the confessional poetry movement, which sought to break down the barriers between the personal and the political, the private and the public. Her work was deeply influenced by her own struggles with mental illness, which she explored with frankness and compassion, and which helped to break down the stigma and shame associated with mental illness at the time.
In "Poetry, And One For My Dame," Sexton draws on all of these themes and concerns, exploring the power and limitations of language, the relationship between the poet and their audience, and the complex and ambivalent nature of human desire and identity. Her work continues to inspire and challenge readers today, reminding us of the enduring power and beauty of poetry as a form of expression and connection.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry And One For My Dame: A Masterpiece by Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, is known for her confessional style of writing. Her poems are often autobiographical and deal with themes of mental illness, family, and relationships. One of her most famous works, Poetry And One For My Dame, is a masterpiece that showcases her unique style and talent.
The poem is divided into two parts, with the first part titled "Poetry" and the second part titled "One For My Dame." The first part of the poem is a reflection on the nature of poetry and the role it plays in our lives. Sexton begins by describing poetry as a "wilderness" that we must navigate in order to find meaning and understanding. She compares the act of writing poetry to "digging in the dark" and suggests that it is a difficult and sometimes painful process.
Sexton goes on to explore the idea that poetry is a form of communication between the poet and the reader. She suggests that poetry is a way for the poet to share their experiences and emotions with others, and that it is a way for the reader to connect with those experiences and emotions. She writes, "Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat. Poetry is a way of living."
The second part of the poem, "One For My Dame," is a tribute to Sexton's mother. The poem is a reflection on the relationship between mother and daughter, and the ways in which that relationship can be both loving and complicated. Sexton describes her mother as a "queen" and suggests that she was both powerful and vulnerable.
Throughout the poem, Sexton explores the idea of identity and how it is shaped by our relationships with others. She suggests that our identities are not fixed, but are constantly evolving based on our experiences and interactions with the world around us. She writes, "I am my mother's daughter. I am my own woman. I am the sum of all my loves."
One of the most striking aspects of Poetry And One For My Dame is the way in which Sexton uses language to convey complex emotions and ideas. Her writing is both lyrical and raw, and she is able to capture the essence of human experience in a way that is both beautiful and haunting. She writes, "I am the woman who loves the world. I am the woman who hates it too."
Sexton's use of imagery is also noteworthy. She often uses nature as a metaphor for the human experience, and her descriptions of the natural world are both vivid and evocative. For example, she writes, "The moon is a silver button on a dress that the clouds wear. The night is a feather on a crow."
In conclusion, Poetry And One For My Dame is a masterpiece of modern poetry. Anne Sexton's unique style and talent are on full display in this work, which explores themes of identity, relationships, and the nature of poetry itself. Her writing is both beautiful and haunting, and her use of language and imagery is masterful. This poem is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the power and beauty of poetry.
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