Miniver Cheevy Essay Questions

Discuss the different levels of satire used in "Miniver Cheevy."

The most apparent satirization occurring in the poem is of the titular character himself. Cheevy, who "[loves] the days of old," spends all his time longing for the perceived greatness of the past (Line 5). He mentions the bright swords and prancing steeds of medieval knighthood, the kingdoms of Thebes and Camelot, Troy’s King Priam, the glory of Arthurian Romance, the Medici dynasty of the Italian Renaissance, and suits of armor. The verbs used to describe Cheevy's actions in the poem imply drama. This is a character who "assailed the seasons" while growing up, weeps for having ever been born, dances in excitement while envisioning bold warriors, sighs for what no longer exists, daydreams, rests from his labors, mourns the glory of the past, curses the commonplace, and scorns the money he seeks, among other things. These descriptions are ludicrous to the point that it is clear the narrator is laughing at Cheevy. The final image of Cheevy drowning his sorrows in alcohol ties a neat bow of satirization around the poem. Cheevy's dreams and hopes are merely self-delusions. He does nothing to improve his circumstances.

According to scholar Robert Gilbert, Miniver Cheevy can be taken as a caricature of the poet himself. In the early years of the twentieth century, Robinson struggled a great deal. Until 1904 when Kermit Roosevelt brought Robinson's poems to the attention of his father (President Theodore Roosevelt), Robinson drifted between jobs and drank heavily. The reason for his suffering during that time was that the public and the press largely ignored his poetry, which leads to the next level of satirization taking place in the poem.

Robinson satirizes the modern times of the poem (set in the early twentieth century) and particularly, the literary tastes of those times. Cheevy's obsession with chivalric knights is a gesture towards the romance literature that was widely available and popular during Robinson's time. American historian T.J. Jackson Lears, in his book on "Antimodernism and the Transformation of American Culture" between 1880 and 1920, writes about the consumption of these medieval-style romance books as a relief from the difficulties of modern life. He states that "What they sought was not the romance of encrusted convention and pale idealism, but the romance of fierce emotions and manly action — of 'real life'"(Lears 102). Part of the ethos of anti-modernism was the "recoil from an 'over-civilized' modern existence" (Lears XV). In the poem, Cheevy drifts between jobs, daydreams, and drinks. In short, he is the antithesis to the action-oriented social values of the time. In addition, Art is personified as a "vagrant" in the poem, which can be taken as a criticism of the literary tastes of the period (Line 16).

How does the poet's portrayal of Cheevy change over the course of the poem?

In the beginning of the poem, Cheevy is portrayed as a figure of pathos undermined by his own absurdity. He thinks of himself as out-of-sync with the modern world, as evidenced by his weeping for having been born (Line 2). The poet writes that "he had reasons" for his dissatisfaction—already the tone can be taken as a bit humorous due to the exaggerated way Cheevy acts out his sorrow.

The details of Cheevy's romantic fascination with the ancient world reveal a lack of intellectual understanding and depth. He sees only the bright swords, prancing steeds, and bold warriors. Most of Cheevy's dreams are constructed from popular literature, myth, and legend. There is no acknowledgment of the realities of sickness and poverty that people faced in ancient times. For example, Cheevy dreams "of Thebes and Camelot, / And Priam’s neighbors" without thinking of the way these ancient societies fell or of Priam's violent end (Lines 11-12).

The poet uses an anaphora in every stanza. The repetition of Cheevy's first name establishes a false sense of closeness to the character, the way one might indulge a child or a drunk person. The way "Miniver" is pronounced begins the first line of every stanza with a trochee: the emphasis is placed on the first syllable. It is as though Cheevy is inserting his presence in the poem as a man to be pitied.

The final image of Cheevy drinking alcohol is meant to show him as a pathetic figure to be openly mocked for hypocrisy, laziness, and drunkenness.

What is significant about the personification of Romance and Art?

Robinson's satirization is three-fold: he satirizes Cheevy, provides a caricature of himself, and criticizes the literary tastes of the period. Cheevy's obsession with chivalric knights suggests that he has been consuming the romance literature that was widely available and popular during Robinson's time. According to American historian T.J. Jackson Lears, "What they sought was not the romance of encrusted convention and pale idealism, but the romance of fierce emotions and manly action — of 'real life'"(Lears 102). Robinson seems to mock this heroic, unrealistic portrayal of "real life."

In "Miniver Cheevy," Romance is personified as a figure "now on the town," a phrase that carries several connotations (Line 15). One meaning is that Romance has been out partying instead of working. But it can also imply being out illicitly as a euphemism for adulterous cheating. Cheevy may be unhappy because the grand tradition of Romance is no longer working as hard as it once did, or he could be scornful because what passes for Romance in the modern world is tawdry and cheap. Art is then personified in the next line as a vagrant: someone without a settled home or regular job who wanders from place to place and lives by begging (Line 16). Thus, Robinson criticizes the literary tastes of his time, even as he mocks Cheevy's own highfalutin distaste for it.