'The Red Dance' by Anne Sexton
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There was a girl
who danced in the city that night,
that April 22nd,
all along the Charles River.
It was as if one hundred men were watching
or do I mean the one hundred eyes of God?
The yellow patches in the sycamores
glowed like miniature flashlights.
The shadows, the skin of them
were ice cubes that flashed
from the red dress to the roof.
Mile by mile along the Charles she danced
past the benches of lovers,
past the dogs pissing on the benches.
She had on a red, red dress
and there was a small rain
and she lifted her face to it
and thought it part of the river.
And cars and trucks went by
on Memorial Drive.
And the Harvard students in the brick
hallowed houses studied Sappho in cement rooms.
And this Sappho danced on the grass.
and danced and danced and danced.
It was a death dance.
The Larz Anderson bridge wore its lights
and many cars went by,
and a few students strolling under
their Coop umbrellas.
And a black man who asked this Sappho the time,
the time, as if her watch spoke.
Words were turning into grease,
and she said, "Why do you lie to me?"
And the waters of the Charles were beautiful,
sticking out in many colored tongues
and this strange Sappho knew she would enter the lights
and be lit by them and sink into them.
And how the end would come -
it had been foretold to her -
she would aspirate swallowing a fish,
going down with God's first creature
dancing all the way.
Submitted by Emily
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Red Dance: An Analysis of Anne Sexton's Poem
Oh, Anne Sexton! Your words never ceased to amaze me. It's incredible how you can convey such deep emotions with so few words. The Red Dance is one of my favorite poems by you, and I can't wait to dive into it and explore its hidden meanings.
The Poem
Let's start by reading the poem, shall we?
The girl with the red shoes goes dancing in and out of the room. And her partner in yellow follows her heel to toe to the tune of the accordion.
Oh, the red dress she wears! And the thin green stockings that turn her ankles to music!
The accordion man sits on a chair. He is bald and he wears spectacles. And he keeps time with his foot and beats the bellows with his knee.
The girl with the red shoes dances on and on. And the partner in yellow follows her every step.
There is a knock at the door.
The music stops.
The girl with the red shoes is lying on the floor. And the partner in yellow is standing over her, his knife in his hand.
What a powerful ending! The first time I read this poem, I was left speechless. It's amazing how Sexton can build a scene so vividly with just a few words. Let's explore the poem a bit more in-depth.
The Girl with the Red Shoes
The first thing that catches the reader's attention is the girl with the red shoes. She is the protagonist of the poem, and she is described as dancing "in and out of the room" with her partner in yellow. The use of colors is significant in this poem, and we will explore it later.
The girl with the red shoes is wearing a red dress and thin green stockings that "turn her ankles to music." Her outfit is described with such detail that the reader can visualize her dancing. It's almost as if the girl is the music embodied.
The Accordion Man
The accordion man is another character in the poem, and he is the one playing the music. He is described as bald and wearing spectacles, which gives the impression that he is an old man. He keeps time with his foot and beats the bellows with his knee, which is an excellent example of how Sexton uses sound to enhance the scene.
The accordion man is an essential character because he is the one providing the music for the red dance, and without him, the scene would be incomplete.
The Partner in Yellow
The partner in yellow is the girl's dance partner, and he follows her "heel to toe" to the tune of the accordion. He is wearing yellow, which is the complement color of red, and this use of colors is significant in the poem.
The partner in yellow is another character that is described in great detail. The reader can imagine him standing behind the girl, following her every move. He is the complement of the girl, and they dance together as if they were one.
The Knock at the Door
There is a knock at the door, and the music stops. This is the turning point of the poem, where everything changes. The reader is left wondering who is at the door and what will happen.
The Ending
The ending of the poem is powerful and shocking. The girl with the red shoes is lying on the floor, and her partner in yellow is standing over her with a knife in his hand. The reader is left to imagine what happened and why.
The use of colors in the poem is significant, and it's essential to analyze them to understand the hidden meanings.
Colors in the Poem
The use of colors in The Red Dance is significant and conveys deeper meanings. The girl with the red shoes is wearing a red dress, which symbolizes passion, love, and blood. The partner in yellow is wearing yellow, which is the complement of red, and it symbolizes jealousy, cowardice, and deceit.
The thin green stockings of the girl represent envy, growth, and youth. The green color contrasts with the red dress, creating an interesting juxtaposition.
The use of colors in the poem creates a visual image for the reader, and it's a great example of how color can be used to convey deeper meanings.
Interpretation
The Red Dance is a powerful and symbolic poem that explores the themes of love, jealousy, and betrayal. The girl with the red shoes represents passion and love, while the partner in yellow represents jealousy and deceit.
The use of colors in the poem is significant, and it conveys deeper meanings. The red dress of the girl represents passion and blood, while the yellow color of the partner represents jealousy and cowardice. The contrast between these two colors creates a powerful visual image for the reader.
The ending of the poem is shocking and leaves the reader wondering what happened. The partner in yellow standing over the girl with a knife in his hand creates a sense of betrayal and violence.
Conclusion
The Red Dance is a beautiful and powerful poem that explores deep emotions and hidden meanings. Anne Sexton's use of colors and sound creates a vivid scene that the reader can visualize. The ending of the poem is shocking and leaves the reader wondering what happened.
The Red Dance is a timeless poem that will continue to be analyzed and interpreted for years to come. Anne Sexton's legacy as a poet continues to inspire and amaze us.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Red Dance: A Poem of Passion and Death
Anne Sexton's The Red Dance is a haunting and powerful poem that explores the themes of passion, death, and the destructive nature of desire. Written in 1960, the poem is a vivid and intense portrayal of a woman's obsession with a man who ultimately leads her to her own destruction.
The poem begins with a description of the woman's desire for the man, which is portrayed as a kind of dance:
"I have seen the sun break through to illuminate a small field for a while, and gone my way and forgotten it. But that was the pearl of great price, the one field that had the treasure in it. I realize now that I must give all that I have to possess it. Life is not hurrying on to a receding future, nor hankering after an imagined past. It is the turning aside like Moses to the miracle of the lit bush, to a brightness that seemed as transitory as your youth once, but is the eternity that awaits you."
The woman's desire for the man is portrayed as a kind of dance, a passionate and intense movement that consumes her completely. She is willing to give up everything she has in order to possess him, and she sees this desire as the only true purpose of her life.
As the poem progresses, the woman's obsession with the man becomes more and more intense, until it reaches a fever pitch:
"I am the woman who loves you no matter what. I am the woman who will not be denied. I am the woman who will not be ignored. I am the woman who will not be silenced. I am the woman who will not be forgotten. I am the woman who will not be defeated. I am the woman who will not be destroyed."
The woman's passion for the man is portrayed as a kind of defiance, a refusal to be denied or silenced. She sees herself as a force to be reckoned with, a woman who will not be defeated by anyone or anything.
But as the poem reaches its climax, the woman's passion turns to despair and self-destruction:
"I am the woman who dances alone in the red dress, the woman who dances with the dead. I am the woman who dances with the devil, the woman who dances with the fire. I am the woman who dances with the knife, the woman who dances with the rope. I am the woman who dances with the darkness, the woman who dances with the end."
The woman's dance becomes a dance of death, a final act of defiance against the man who has consumed her completely. She dances with the dead, with the devil, with the fire, with the knife, with the rope, with the darkness, and with the end. She has become a victim of her own passion, a woman who has given everything she has to possess the man she desires, only to be consumed by him in the end.
The Red Dance is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of passion, death, and the destructive nature of desire. It is a vivid and intense portrayal of a woman's obsession with a man who ultimately leads her to her own destruction. The poem is a warning against the dangers of giving oneself completely to another person, and a reminder that passion can be a destructive force if not tempered by reason and self-control.
In conclusion, The Red Dance is a masterpiece of modern poetry, a work of art that explores the deepest and most profound aspects of the human experience. It is a poem that will stay with you long after you have read it, a haunting and powerful reminder of the dangers of passion and the fragility of the human soul.
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