My second External Form poem is Mother Night by James Weldon Johnson which you can find here.
This poem is also an example of an Italian sonnet. Unlike my first poem, though, there is a break between the octet and the sestet, and the sestet follows the traditional rhyme scheme. The stanza break signals a shift from a wider, universal subject to a more personal application of that subject to the speaker.
The first four lines are expository. They explain that even before the sun and stars, light in general, existed, night ruled over and pacified the "chaos" that was the universe. In lines four through eight, the speaker explains that after suns and stars have "run their fiery courses," they go out and give way to the darkness of the Night. In this way, Night represents death. It also represents birth and beginning, because the suns and stars evolved out of it. Because of this, their death is a peaceful death, through which they experience "Nirvanic peace" in a state of absolute bliss and wholeness.
In the second stanza, the speaker uses similar terms of light and dark to relate himself to the suns and stars. He (like Hamlet!) will accept death when it is his time to go and almost be relieved of it. The "feverish light" of his life sounds more of a nuisance than a blessing, and, "feeble," does not appear to be wanted all that much. The weight and brunt of living has tired him, so he will gladly crawl into the comforting "quiet bosom" of maternal "Night."
Shape--> "My Body"
15 years ago
6 comments:
I really liked the breakup of thoughts by the two stanzas in this poem. The first stanza really introduces the author's idea that darkness preceded light in the very beginning of time. First the reader is made to understand this, then in stanza two the author relates it to himself, saying that he will accept death because it is merely completing the life cycle. We are meant to end where we began. I liked Michaela's point relating this to Hamlet. Indeed both are ready to accept death.
I liked the use of sonnet form in this poem as well. I found that the first part, the octet, did a good job of setting the scene for the points made in the sestet. I thought that the purpose of the poem was made much clearer because of this form. I agree with Fig in that I believe that the first section is meant to teach the reader and acquaint the reader with the idea of life and death, the circle of life, and the metaphor of life as suns. This way, when the reader makes his/her way to the sestet, he/she has a better understanding of the poem as a whole. I also like your comparison to Hamlet, it definitely discusses the same aspects of death as those Shakespeare identifies in his play.
I think the use of the Petrarchan Sonnet works in this poem. There are only two different thoughts. One is the very generalized view of the night, and the other is a very specific example. Since he is talking about day being the first-born, he may mean that night is death, as you have said. I really like this poem. It is quite insightful.
I really like the use of the Petrarchan sonnet for this poem. It's narrative form truly helps to clarify the feeling of explanation and acceptance, as Fig said. In all of the Petrarchan examples that I read I thought that the 8-6 form allows for the reader to organize himself more and further understand the meaning beneath the poem.
The night or darkness is everlasting and is the mother of everything. When anything dies it goes back to the night. Most sonnets don't have a physical split like this poem does but it doesn't seem to help or hurt its case. Both the octet and sestet relate to death. One, the death of a star and two the death of oneself.
While reading this, I saw in my mind's eye a sort of battle: in the first stanza the night exists, and then the light and sun is born and fights against the night. It cannot live without the night, for the night's dark contrast shows the light of the sun, but it strives to exist though the dark seems overwhelming. Still, the dark night is not fighting, it merely is. And it's described as a "Mother" so it's not evil. But nevertheless, the sun fights and strives until it's time has come to an end.
Then in the second stanza, the poem describes how the sun (clearly the metaphor for life) has to die, go out eventually. After the big fight and struggle to shine, it is tired and finally satisfied, and can peacefully concede to the comforting darkness.
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