Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Carolyn Kizer's "Through a Glass Eye, Lightly" poignantly captures a moment in a medical setting, providing a lens into the lives of those who must navigate the world with physical and emotional burdens. The poem’s structure is fluid, almost conversational, reflecting the waiting room's atmosphere where various individuals are brought together by their circumstances. Kizer employs a straightforward yet evocative style, infusing the narrative with a profound sense of empathy and insight.

The setting, a laboratory waiting room, serves as a microcosm of human suffering and resilience. The narrator introduces the reader to a diverse cast of characters: a television actor struggling with contact lenses, victims of industrial accidents, and vain women, including the narrator herself. Amidst this group enters Deborah, a four-year-old girl there to pick up her glass eye. This juxtaposition of mundane and profound suffering highlights the varying degrees of human vulnerability.

Kizer’s language is direct and unembellished, yet it carries significant emotional weight. The simplicity of her diction allows the rawness of the situation to shine through without unnecessary adornment. For instance, the line "Deborah waiting for the blood vessels / painted / on her iris to dry" starkly presents the clinical and almost artistic process involved in creating a glass eye, underscoring the intersection of science and human experience.

Deborah’s mother provides a narrative within the poem, recounting the day Deborah was born and the discovery of her eye condition. The mother's detailed inspection of Deborah from "toes to navel" before noticing the problem with her eye reveals a poignant moment of maternal care and the shock of realizing her daughter's condition. This narrative technique allows the reader to delve deeper into the emotional landscape of the characters, fostering a sense of intimacy and shared experience.

The mother's description of looking into Deborah’s eye as "like looking into a volcano" is a powerful metaphor, conveying the depth and intensity of the child's condition. This imagery evokes a sense of danger and awe, capturing the precarious nature of life and the profound impact of Deborah's condition on her family. The removal of the eye, described in stark terms, "When she was three months old they took it out," emphasizes the harsh realities that some individuals must endure from a very young age.

Kizer also touches on the theme of resilience. Deborah's reaction to her surgery, giggling as she went under anesthesia and remaining happy even after discovering "the hole in her face," illustrates an extraordinary capacity for joy and adaptation in the face of adversity. This resilience is further highlighted by the mother’s reaction, contrasting her breakdown with Deborah's continued happiness.

The poem concludes with a tender and revealing interaction. Deborah, seemingly unfazed by her condition, climbs into the lap of a vain woman dissatisfied with her own appearance. This moment of connection between Deborah and the woman underscores a central theme of the poem: the arbitrary nature of physical beauty and the deeper, often overlooked qualities that define us. The woman’s steady gaze into Deborah's "empty eye" signifies a moment of realization and perhaps a re-evaluation of her own vanity in light of Deborah’s innocence and resilience.

In "Through a Glass Eye, Lightly," Kizer masterfully blends narrative and lyricism to explore themes of suffering, resilience, and the superficiality of beauty. Her portrayal of Deborah, with her joyful spirit despite her physical condition, serves as a poignant reminder of the strength of the human spirit. The poem invites readers to look beyond appearances and to find beauty and strength in the unlikeliest places, offering a profound commentary on the human condition.