Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Adrienne Cecile Rich's "Phenomenology of Anger" is a multifaceted exploration of the depths of rage, examining its origins, expressions, and consequences. The poem navigates through personal, societal, and existential realms, revealing the complexity and intensity of anger as a driving force in the human experience. Rich’s use of vivid imagery, stark contrasts, and emotional honesty creates a powerful narrative that resonates with the reader on multiple levels.

The poem opens with a depiction of madness as a form of freedom: "The freedom of the wholly mad to smear & play with her madness / write with her fingers dipped in it the length of a room." This madness contrasts with the constrained freedom of someone merely walking on Broadway, suggesting that societal norms and expectations often bind and restrict true expression. The "compromised / curled in the placenta of the real" metaphorically captures the entanglement in the expectations and limitations imposed by reality, which is both nourishing and suffocating.

Rich then transitions to the difficulty of igniting something that has been dampened for too long: "Trying to light a log that's lain in the damp / as long as this house has stood." This image speaks to the frustration of trying to rekindle passion or purpose in a situation that has long been neglected or oppressed. The reference to "last year into a knot of old headlines" evokes the futile attempt to revive the past, while "this rose won't bloom" underscores the sense of hopelessness.

In the third section, Rich presents a bleak and barren winter landscape: "Flat heartland of winter. / The moonmen come back from the moon / the firemen come out of the fire." This imagery of return from extreme environments to a place devoid of decision and taste symbolizes the monotony and shallowness of a life lived without genuine engagement or purpose. The mention of Cleaver staring into a window full of knives captures the stark confrontation with potential violence and self-destruction.

The fourth section introduces a jarring scene where "White light splits the room," and the speaker's hands are "sticky in a new way." The blending of menstrual blood with an ambiguous "you" bleeding from the side alludes to shared pain and the invasive scrutiny of personal suffering. The confusion about whose blood it is highlights the merging of identities and the collective nature of female pain.

Rich confronts the dire possibilities of madness, suicide, and murder in the fifth section, questioning whether there are any alternatives to these extreme responses to oppression. The "enemy, always just out of sight" represents an omnipresent but elusive force of destruction, akin to the abominable snowman or the perpetrators of the My Lai massacre. This enemy embodies the insidious and pervasive nature of violence and injustice.

In the sixth section, Rich explores fantasies of murder as insufficient to address the root causes of pain: "to kill is to cut off from pain / but the killer goes on hurting." The dream of meeting the enemy with "white acetylene / ripples from my body" suggests a desire for purification and transformation through intense confrontation. This vision seeks to strip away falsehoods and leave behind a "changed man," symbolizing the hope for genuine change and redemption.

The seventh section shifts to a personal confrontation with betrayal and impotence: "you are out there burning the crops / with some new sublimate." The speaker's hatred for the partner's duplicity and false revolutionary fervor reflects a deep sense of disillusionment and betrayal. The metaphor of defoliating the fields they lived from signifies the destruction of shared sustenance and trust.

Rich reflects on the transience of phenomena in the eighth section: "Dogeared earth. Wormeaten moon. / A pale cross-hatching of silver lies like a wire screen on the black water." This imagery of impermanence contrasts with the idealistic vision of a world where men and women coexist harmoniously with nature and the cosmos. The wistful tone suggests a longing for a lost or unattainable utopia.

The ninth section presents a confession of genuine love felt only for children and other women, while everything else is described as "lust, pity, self-hatred, pity, lust." This admission underscores the complexities of relationships and the nuanced interplay of emotions. The invocation of Botticelli's Venus, Kali, and Judith of Chartres highlights the multifaceted nature of femininity, blending beauty, power, and defiance.

The poem concludes with a vivid scene of collective suffering and consciousness in the subway: "the subway hurtling to Brooklyn / her head on her knees asleep or drugged." The diverse reactions of passengers — from sleep to planning rebellion — encapsulate the varied responses to oppression. The speaker's mind, "licked at the mattress like a flame," signifies the relentless drive towards awareness and resistance, even in confinement. The reference to Thoreau setting fire to the woods and the assertion that "Every act of becoming conscious... is an unnatural act" underscores the inherent difficulty and rebellious nature of attaining true awareness.

"Phenomenology of Anger" is a deeply introspective and incisive examination of anger's origins, manifestations, and impacts. Through rich and evocative imagery, Adrienne Rich captures the multifaceted nature of this powerful emotion, revealing its potential for both destruction and transformation. The poem invites readers to confront their own experiences of anger and to consider the broader societal and existential dimensions of this universal human experience.