Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem "Polar Explorer" by Joseph Brodsky delves into the bleak reality of human ambition and its consequences, often obscured by glorified tales of exploration and conquest. Brodsky, himself an exile from the Soviet Union, frequently engaged with themes of isolation, ambition, and the human condition, and this poem seems to align with those concerns.

The poem opens starkly with the line "All the huskies are eaten," immediately conveying a sense of desperation and imminent danger. The huskies, traditionally companions and aids in polar expeditions, are consumed, indicating the dire circumstances the explorer finds himself in.

"There is no space / left in the diary," this line adds another layer of impending doom, suggesting that even the explorer's attempts to chronicle his journey have met their limit. The diary, a means of preserving one's thoughts or accomplishments for posterity, is filled to its last page, symbolizing the termination of human aspiration and narrative.

The explorer's thoughts drift to his loved ones, as depicted through "the beads of quick / words scatter over his spouse's sepia-shaded face." The sepia tone, commonly associated with old photographs, adds a touch of nostalgia and also underscores the temporal distance between the explorer and his past life. He then metaphorically 'adds' the date of his current situation "like a mole to her lovely cheek," as if his circumstances, no matter how dire, have somehow become an indelible part of his family's history.

The notion of reaching "the highest possible latitude" appears to be the driving ambition for the explorer. However, this accomplishment is delivered in a tone that undermines its apparent glory. The poem equates this achievement with the image of a "silk stocking of a burlesque half-nude / queen," suggesting that the aspiration, once attained, is nothing more than an object of frivolity, perhaps even degradation.

Finally, the poem concludes with the word "gangrene," a term that carries both literal and metaphorical weight. Gangrene is a condition that entails the death of body tissue, often due to infection or lack of blood flow, and in the context of the poem, it signifies both the physical deterioration of the explorer and the moral decay of his ambitions. It 'climbs up his thigh,' indicating an impending, inevitable end that creeps upon him.

In a few lines, "Polar Explorer" by Joseph Brodsky encapsulates the futility of human endeavor when it is divorced from a broader understanding of its consequences. It critiques the ambition to conquer, to reach new heights at any cost, and illustrates the isolation and ultimate decay that can accompany such pursuits. Through poignant imagery and sharp language, the poem serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked ambition and the existential costs of human exploration.

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