Essay Questions

What is the desert mentioned by the author in the poem "Summer Song’’?

The desert mentioned in the first stanza of the poem is found inside the narrator’s heart and he discovers it when the narrator looks inside his heart, with the intention to write something. Instead of finding inspiration, the narrator found a desert, the complete opposite of inspiration. Thus, the desert in this poem has the purpose of transmitting that the narrator either did not felt inspired to write or that he did not had the appropriate disposition to write, the desert transmitting the idea of instability and harsh conditions.

Why are the women in the poem linked with the idea of sin in the poems?

In many of the poems, women are described in a negative manner, called all sorts of names that make reference to a woman’s promiscuity. The narrator does not shy away from claiming he does not believe there are good women in this world and in one of his poems, he even compares women to serpents, the image most common associated with the devil. Women are also associated with sin and this is because women have the power to convince a man without putting too much effort to sleep with her and men appear to be powerless in this sense. Women are thus linked with sin because of their capability to make a man commit the biggest sin, namely immorality.

What wanted the narrator to transmit through the comparison of the family in the poem "On a Friend's Escape from Drowning off the Norfolk Coast’’ and Orpheus?

In the poem mentioned above, the woman who is the major character in the poem is compared with Orpheus, a prophet in the Ancient Greek Mythology. The story goes that Orpheus loved a woman named Eurydice and on the day of their weeding, Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died. Overcome by grief, Orpheus decided to follow his wife into the underworld where he convinced Hades to let Eurydice return to Earth. Hades agreed, moved by Orpheus’s music and grief but he set up one condition. On their journey back to the surface, Orpheus had to be the first one, walking ahead of his wife and he must not look back until both of them reached the surface. Unfortunately, Orpheus was not able to follow the rule and when he turned around to look at his wife, she disappeared forever. The woman in the poem is compared with Orpheus because of her extreme devotion and love for her husband. When she saw her husband drowning, she did not hesitate to jump into the water to save him, knowing well that she was risking her life. Thus, through this comparison, the narrator wanted to point out the devotion and love the wife had for her husband.