Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Wanting to Die" is a confessional poem by American poet Anne Sexton, published in her collection "Live or Die" in 1966. The poem portrays the intense despair and suicidal thoughts that the speaker is experiencing.

Explanation:

The poem starts with the speaker's admission of her desire to die. She describes herself as being tired of living and wanting to end her life. The second stanza portrays the physical pain and emotional numbness that the speaker is experiencing. She compares herself to a black telephone that no longer rings, indicating her sense of isolation and disconnect from the world.

In the third stanza, the speaker addresses her family and friends, saying that they should not feel guilty or responsible for her decision to end her life. She tells them that she has made up her mind and nothing can change it. The fourth stanza reveals the speaker's fear of death and the unknown. She wonders what will happen after she dies and whether anyone will remember her.

The fifth and final stanza of the poem offers a glimmer of hope. The speaker acknowledges that she is not alone in her suffering and that others have felt the same way. She compares her desire to die to a craving for a drug that will ease her pain. The final line, "But I guess that I'm too much in love with living / to take that razor blade," suggests that the speaker is not ready to give up on life just yet.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem consists of five stanzas of varying lengths with no set rhyme or meter.
• Theme: The theme of the poem is the speaker's struggle with suicidal thoughts and the fear and despair that come with them.
• Imagery: The poem is rich in vivid and unsettling imagery, including the metaphor of the black telephone and the comparison of suicidal thoughts to a drug addiction.
• Tone: The tone of the poem is somber and bleak, reflecting the speaker's state of mind.
• Sound: The poem has a conversational tone, with no set rhyme or meter. The use of enjambment creates a sense of flow and urgency.
• Language: The language of the poem is direct and uncompromising, conveying the speaker's raw emotions.
• Figurative language: The poem is filled with metaphors and similes that convey the speaker's feelings of despair and isolation.
• Structure: The poem is structured in five stanzas of varying lengths with no set rhyme or meter. The lack of a formal structure adds to the feeling of raw emotion and urgency.
• Symbolism: The black telephone is a powerful symbol of the speaker's sense of isolation and disconnection from the world.
• Emotion: The poem is charged with intense emotions of despair, hopelessness, and fear.

Conclusion:

"Wanting to Die" is a powerful and haunting poem that delves into the depths of mental illness and the desire for escape. Through vivid and stark imagery, the speaker expresses her feelings of hopelessness, despair, and shame. The poem is an example of Sexton's confessional style, in which she openly and honestly explores her own struggles with mental illness and suicide. The use of metaphors and symbols adds depth and complexity to the poem, as the speaker's journey north becomes a metaphor for her struggle with depression. Overall, "Wanting to Die" is a deeply moving and disturbing poem that confronts the taboo subject of suicide with unflinching honesty and raw emotion.

Poem Snippet”

"Wanted: son born 5/1/63

to an Irish-American mother and an unknown father,

who will not object to my clinging to him

Forever."

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