When the Speaker asks "Is it good, friend?" I always imagined them being cautious, - maybe even afraid - having approached this creature in the desert. The question serving primarily to start a conversation in what is most undoubtable a desolate and lonely place.
An excellent unpacking of this poem. I haven't read it in years, but I remember thinking the change from "creature" to "his" to "friend" was a result of getting closer to the...person...eating the heart. Having spent some time in deserts, I know how optics change and the brain processes those optical changes as one nears an unidentified object. I also remember remarking on the enjambment proceeding "And ate of it" and liking it. I like your take on "Is is good, friend?" It is an odd questions--very allegory-like.
Yes, the sense of motion in the poem, of getting closer and closer, getting right into the face of this creature -- this 'he'. Getting too close is a part of its uncomfortable power. Love the idea of the optics of the desert, having spent some time in those kind of environments too. The air seeming to be an odd alien thing at times.
A poem about eating your feelings? Or maybe it's saying we often indulge in things that are sad because it gives us closure. Because it's relatable and cathartic. Maybe by calling it a creature he's saying that we don't look so good when we're crying. 😅 The word friend implies so many things. It means I like you, I relate to you, I want to be close to you, I want to make you feel better. That's why he asks him if the heart is good. He either wants the heart to make a difference for his friend or he wants to eat the heart too because he is feeling similar things and wants to know if it will help.
Hello Jay. I’m a new subscriber. I ventured over here from Bookish’s latest video where he recommended you. I’m very excited to see this video because poetry is a genre I have been wanting to spend more time with and this post was wonderful! And I also watched your Italy video. I’m doing the exact same, but leaning more toward fiction, though I did read SPQR. Enjoy your vacation!
A really interesting discussion of 'In The Desert.' (Jay, I just subscribed to your channel. And I created a new tag called 'A Poem For Every Agony' and I have tagged you. I wonder if Stephen Crane would feature in any of the responses. Have fun!)
Crane's economy of words and use of alliteration is amazing. Thomas Wolfe accurately says Crane began the only great era of U.S. literature and it ended with Steinbeck. Authors like Hemingway and Faulkner might have taken note. Crane, like Robert Russell Lowell are the forgotten poets of the 19th century. Shame. I would enjoy your reading/analysis of "A Man Said to the Universe".
When the Speaker asks "Is it good, friend?" I always imagined them being cautious, - maybe even afraid - having approached this creature in the desert. The question serving primarily to start a conversation in what is most undoubtable a desolate and lonely place.
An excellent unpacking of this poem. I haven't read it in years, but I remember thinking the change from "creature" to "his" to "friend" was a result of getting closer to the...person...eating the heart. Having spent some time in deserts, I know how optics change and the brain processes those optical changes as one nears an unidentified object. I also remember remarking on the enjambment proceeding "And ate of it" and liking it. I like your take on "Is is good, friend?" It is an odd questions--very allegory-like.
Yes, the sense of motion in the poem, of getting closer and closer, getting right into the face of this creature -- this 'he'. Getting too close is a part of its uncomfortable power. Love the idea of the optics of the desert, having spent some time in those kind of environments too. The air seeming to be an odd alien thing at times.
A poem about eating your feelings?
Or maybe it's saying we often indulge in things that are sad because it gives us closure. Because it's relatable and cathartic. Maybe by calling it a creature he's saying that we don't look so good when we're crying. 😅
The word friend implies so many things. It means I like you, I relate to you, I want to be close to you, I want to make you feel better. That's why he asks him if the heart is good. He either wants the heart to make a difference for his friend or he wants to eat the heart too because he is feeling similar things and wants to know if it will help.
Your passion is infectious and your inflection reflects a familar admiration. Totally hooked. Do you take requests?
Hello Jay. I’m a new subscriber. I ventured over here from Bookish’s latest video where he recommended you. I’m very excited to see this video because poetry is a genre I have been wanting to spend more time with and this post was wonderful! And I also watched your Italy video. I’m doing the exact same, but leaning more toward fiction, though I did read SPQR. Enjoy your vacation!
Thanks! I'm in the thick of it and loving Italy.
Really nice take, subscribed!
A really interesting discussion of 'In The Desert.' (Jay, I just subscribed to your channel. And I created a new tag called 'A Poem For Every Agony' and I have tagged you. I wonder if Stephen Crane would feature in any of the responses. Have fun!)
Crane's economy of words and use of alliteration is amazing. Thomas Wolfe accurately says Crane began the only great era of U.S. literature and it ended with Steinbeck. Authors like Hemingway and Faulkner might have taken note. Crane, like Robert Russell Lowell are the forgotten poets of the 19th century. Shame. I would enjoy your reading/analysis of "A Man Said to the Universe".