Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | ||||||||
"The Coming of the Plague" is a poem by Weldon Kees, first published in 1941. Kees was a poet, painter, and critic who was known for his modernist and surrealist style. He was part of the San Francisco Renaissance movement and was associated with the Beat poets. "The Coming of the Plague" is a dark and haunting poem that explores themes of death and decay. Explanation: The poem is divided into three stanzas of six lines each. The speaker describes the arrival of the plague and the devastation it brings. The first stanza sets the scene with the arrival of the plague, and the second stanza describes the chaos and death that follow. The third stanza offers a bleak conclusion to the poem. Poetic Elements:
Conclusion: "The Coming of the Plague" is a powerful and unsettling poem that captures the horror and despair of an epidemic. Kees uses vivid imagery and symbolism to convey the devastating effects of the plague on both the physical and emotional landscape. The poem serves as a reminder of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. Poem Snippet: "The rats swarm down the alley After the fetid garbage; Flies have a banquet in the air; And the dying flowers Drip their crumpled petals to the ground." Copyright (c) 2024 PoetryExplorer | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE FUTURE OF TERROR / 5 by MATTHEA HARVEY MYSTIC BOUNCE by TERRANCE HAYES MATHEMATICS CONSIDERED AS A VICE by ANTHONY HECHT UNHOLY SONNET 11 by MARK JARMAN SHINE, PERISHING REPUBLIC by ROBINSON JEFFERS A LITHUANIAN ELEGY by ROBERT KELLY |
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