Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Lost Son" is a poem by Theodore Roethke, first published in his 1948 collection "The Lost Son and Other Poems." The poem is considered one of Roethke's most famous and significant works, and has been the subject of numerous critical essays.

The poem is structured as a series of twelve-line stanzas, with each stanza featuring an irregular rhyme scheme and varying line lengths. The poem describes a speaker's journey into the wilderness, where he is searching for his lost son. The landscape is described in vivid, sensory detail, with the natural world serving as a metaphor for the speaker's emotional state. As the poem progresses, the speaker becomes increasingly desperate in his search, and begins to question his own sanity.

Critics have praised "The Lost Son" for its evocative imagery, its exploration of themes related to nature and human emotion, and its use of form to create a sense of emotional and psychological instability. The poem has also been noted for its spiritual and religious undertones, with some scholars interpreting it as an allegory for the search for God.

Overall, "The Lost Son" is widely regarded as one of Roethke's most powerful and affecting works, and remains a staple of modern poetry.

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