Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Andre Breton's poem "Choose Life" serves as a compelling manifesto urging the reader to embrace life in all its complexities, vulnerabilities, and even its mundane realities over the artificial, the shallow, and the overly curated experiences. Known as a pioneer of Surrealism, Breton uses surreal imagery to emphasize the importance of the raw, the real, and the authentic. The poem is divided into stanzas that are essentially self-contained arguments, each offering a different lens through which to view the act of living.

The poem starts by urging the reader to reject "those prisms with no depth" and "overripe stones," which stand as metaphors for artificial beauty and the allure of the superficial. Breton's call is to "Choose this heart with its safety catch" instead, symbolizing the need to embrace emotional engagement and vulnerability, despite its attendant risks.

Breton also tackles the themes of duality and paradox. He mentions "conspiratorial sheets" and "scars from escapes," thereby drawing attention to the various adventures and challenges that make up the fabric of life. These scars serve as reminders of lived experiences, painful but necessary for growth. There's also a poetic juxtaposition in the lines "where one voice says Are you there where another answers Are you there." It represents the existential duality we often find ourselves in-being present but not fully, in constant dialogue with our multiple selves.

The stanza that refers to "venerable Childhood" and the "ribbon coming out of a fakir" plays upon the trope of the lost innocence and magical worldview of childhood. It's a call to look at the world with wonder, despite knowing its flaws. When the poet speaks of the sun being "only a shipwreck," he echoes the idea that life is not just the glorious moments, but also the disasters and ruins that give it texture.

Breton paints a scene of "waiting rooms" where you're never shown in and "health spas" where you're served by "drudges." These lines evoke the monotony and servitude that also form the less glamorous aspects of life. Yet, even these are to be chosen over artificiality. The message here is clear: life's tedious moments are better than an eternal chase after something constantly out of reach.

When Breton concludes by stating "since everything's already been said," he implies a sense of completion and futility in the perpetual search for meaning through artificial or intellectual means. The final command to "Choose life instead" asserts that the essence of living lies not in perpetual questioning but in the very act of experiencing life, in all its chaos, beauty, and despair.

Overall, "Choose Life" is a rich tapestry of surreal images and existential musings. It oscillates between the metaphysical and the tangible, advocating for a life lived authentically. Andre Breton succeeds in delivering a deeply philosophical message through a complex, imagistic approach that aligns well with his Surrealist ethos, urging us to accept life with all its flaws, complexities, and paradoxes.

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