Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Burning Oneself In" written in 1972nby Adrienne Cecile Rich serves as a stark counterpart to her poem "Burning Oneself Out." While the latter deals with the existential and emotional consumption by the inner fires of the self, the former opens the circle wider to implicate social and historical traumas. Set in the backdrop of a bookstore on the East Side, the speaker grapples with the impact of a veteran's testimony about a disturbing event during the Vietnam War. This triggers an exploration of the individual's moral compass when set against the enormity of historical atrocities.

The poem opens with a testimonial, recounting the needless death of an old woman in South Vietnam due to an army truck. This single act serves as a microcosm of the larger, systemic issues at play-war, imperialism, and the expendability of lives deemed less valuable. The subsequent lines make it clear that this kind of information is not an anomaly; it is part of a "heap" that keeps feeding "the flames" of internal turmoil and collective suffering. The "dull heat permeates the ground of the mind," suggesting that the psychological impact of such knowledge is as lasting as it is damaging.

Whereas in "Burning Oneself Out," the fire of the human consciousness is an agent of illumination and exhaustion, in "Burning Oneself In," fire serves as a symbol of systemic injustice and personal guilt. Here, the fire isn't merely consuming the individual but is being fed by the ills of society and history-"the rest of a lifetime, the rest of history." This burn has "settled in as if it had no more question of its right to go on devouring," encapsulating how normalized such suffering has become in the collective conscience.

What is striking is the concept of "suffering quietly," an idea that resonates throughout the poem. This isn't just a testimony of silent individuals but a reflection of a society that suffers in quietude. Even if we "scream," the screaming is absorbed into this broader silence, diluted by the enormity of collective trauma and apathy. Rich uses spatial markers like "bookstores" and "the parks" to underline the banality of these venues where such suffering is confronted or, often, overlooked.

Rich's poetry has always been as much about public discourse as it is about private dialogue, as much about collective suffering as individual aches. "Burning Oneself In" serves as a compelling example of this dual focus. It exposes the reader to the inextricable links between the personal and the societal, forcing us to reckon with the notion that our internal lives are often directly shaped by the historical and political climates in which we exist. The poem, then, not only serves as an introspective lens but also as an ethical call to arms, urging us to consider how we feed or quell the fires of our own conscience and that of society.

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