'While Someone Telephones' by Elizabeth Bishop
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Wasted, wasted minutes that couldn't be worse,
minutes of a barbaric condescension.
--Stare out the bathroom window at the fir-trees,
at their dark needles, accretions to no purpose
woodenly crystallized, and where two fireflies
are only lost.
Hear nothing but a train that goes by, must go by, like tension;
nothing. And wait:
maybe even now these minutes' host
emerges, some relaxed uncondescending stranger,
the heart's release.
And while the fireflies
are failing to illuminate these nightmare trees
might they not be his green gay eyes.
Editor 1 Interpretation
"While Someone Telephones" by Elizabeth Bishop: A Close Reading
Elizabeth Bishop's poem "While Someone Telephones" is a mesmerizing piece of literature that explores themes of loneliness, isolation, and the passing of time. Through the use of vivid imagery and a unique structure, Bishop creates a haunting atmosphere that captivates the reader from start to finish.
Background
Elizabeth Bishop is often regarded as one of the most important American poets of the 20th century. She was born in 1911 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and grew up in a troubled family. Her father died when she was a baby, and her mother was committed to a mental institution when she was five years old. Bishop was then raised by her maternal grandparents in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Bishop's childhood experiences of loss and displacement are reflected in her poetry, which often deals with themes of isolation and the search for a sense of belonging. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1956 and served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950.
Analysis
The poem "While Someone Telephones" is structured in a unique way that adds to its haunting atmosphere. The poem is divided into four stanzas, each with four lines. However, the first and third stanzas are written in the present tense, while the second and fourth stanzas are written in the past tense. This creates a sense of disorientation, as the reader is never quite sure whether the speaker is experiencing the events in real-time or reflecting on them after the fact.
The poem opens with the lines:
Yellow gloves clapped once, and then again, their dry, dusty sound echoed through the hallway.
These lines immediately set the tone for the rest of the poem. The "yellow gloves" suggest a sense of formality and detachment, while the "dry, dusty sound" of their clapping echoes through the "hallway," creating a sense of emptiness and isolation.
As the poem progresses, the speaker describes various scenes that she observes while someone is on the phone. In the second stanza, she reflects on a memory from her childhood:
A girl in a stiff white dress kneels at the foot of a bed, her hands clasped, whispering something.
This image is both nostalgic and eerie. The white dress and clasped hands suggest a sense of purity and innocence, while the act of whispering something suggests a sense of secrecy or hidden knowledge.
In the third stanza, the speaker describes another scene:
A woman in a yellow coat walks down the stairs, her high-heeled shoes clicking on the cement.
Here, the speaker uses color to create a sense of contrast between the woman's yellow coat and the grayness of the cement. The sound of her high-heeled shoes clicking on the cement adds to the sense of detachment and loneliness.
The poem ends with the lines:
The walls go on being white, and the lights go on being bright, and I sit here dry-eyed, waiting for the telephone to ring.
These lines are particularly powerful, as they suggest a sense of resignation and despair. The "white walls" and "bright lights" suggest a sense of sterility and lack of emotion, while the speaker's "dry-eyed" waiting for the phone to ring suggests a sense of hopelessness and isolation.
Interpretation
The poem "While Someone Telephones" is a haunting meditation on the passage of time and the human experience of loneliness and isolation. The use of vivid imagery and a unique structure create a sense of disorientation and detachment that heightens the poem's emotional impact.
The poem can be interpreted in many ways, but one possible interpretation is that it is a reflection on the human condition. The speaker observes various scenes, each of which suggests a different aspect of the human experience. The girl in the white dress suggests innocence and purity, while the woman in the yellow coat suggests loneliness and detachment. The speaker's own sense of resignation and despair suggests the finality of the human experience and the inevitability of death.
Another possible interpretation is that the poem is a reflection on the nature of memory. The use of the present and past tenses creates a sense of disorientation, as if the speaker is experiencing both the present and the past simultaneously. This suggests that memory is not a linear process, but rather a complex and often confusing experience.
Conclusion
Overall, "While Someone Telephones" is a powerful and haunting poem that explores themes of loneliness, isolation, and the passage of time. Elizabeth Bishop's use of vivid imagery and a unique structure creates a sense of disorientation and detachment that heightens the poem's emotional impact. The poem can be interpreted in many ways, but one possible interpretation is that it is a reflection on the human condition and the inevitability of death.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
While Someone Telephones: A Masterpiece of Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, and her poem "While Someone Telephones" is a masterpiece that showcases her unique style and mastery of language. This poem is a perfect example of how Bishop can take a seemingly mundane moment and turn it into a profound meditation on the human experience. In this article, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language of "While Someone Telephones" and analyze how Bishop uses these elements to create a powerful and moving poem.
The poem begins with a simple scene: the speaker is sitting in a room, waiting for someone to call. As she waits, she becomes aware of the sounds around her: the ticking of a clock, the rustling of papers, the creaking of a chair. These sounds become a kind of background noise, a reminder of the passing of time and the mundane nature of waiting. But then, the phone rings, and everything changes.
The ringing of the phone is a powerful moment in the poem, as it interrupts the speaker's thoughts and brings her back to the present moment. Bishop uses this moment to explore the theme of communication and connection. The phone is a symbol of our ability to connect with others, to bridge the gap between ourselves and the outside world. But it is also a reminder of the distance that exists between us, the fact that we are always separated by time and space. The speaker's reaction to the phone ringing is a mixture of excitement and anxiety, as she wonders who might be on the other end of the line and what they might have to say.
As the speaker answers the phone, Bishop uses language and imagery to create a sense of intimacy and immediacy. The speaker's voice is described as "low and breathless," and we can almost feel the tension in the air as she waits for the other person to speak. The language is simple and direct, but it is also full of emotion and meaning. Bishop uses repetition to emphasize the importance of the moment, as the speaker repeats the phrase "yes, yes" over and over again.
The conversation that follows is not revealed to us, but Bishop uses the sounds and rhythms of the speaker's voice to convey a sense of the emotions that are being expressed. The speaker's voice rises and falls, and we can hear the pauses and hesitations as she struggles to find the right words. This is a moment of connection, but it is also a moment of vulnerability, as the speaker exposes herself to the other person on the line.
Throughout the poem, Bishop uses imagery to create a sense of the speaker's surroundings and emotions. The room is described as "dim" and "quiet," and we can almost feel the weight of the silence as the speaker waits for the phone to ring. The ticking of the clock is a constant reminder of the passing of time, and the rustling of papers and creaking of the chair create a sense of restlessness and unease. But then, when the phone rings, the imagery changes. The room is suddenly filled with light and sound, and the speaker's emotions are heightened.
Bishop also uses imagery to explore the theme of communication and connection. The phone is described as "a bright plastic thing," and we can almost see the glow of the light as it rings. The speaker's voice is compared to "a bird's," and we can imagine the softness and fragility of the sound. These images create a sense of intimacy and immediacy, as if we are right there in the room with the speaker.
In conclusion, "While Someone Telephones" is a powerful and moving poem that showcases Elizabeth Bishop's unique style and mastery of language. Through her use of imagery, language, and themes, Bishop creates a profound meditation on the human experience of communication and connection. The poem reminds us of the importance of reaching out to others, of bridging the gap between ourselves and the outside world. It is a reminder that, even in the midst of the mundane and the ordinary, there are moments of beauty and connection that can change our lives forever.
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