Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Tony Hoagland's "Reading Moby-Dick at 30,000 Feet" juxtaposes the mundane reality of modern air travel with the epic grandeur of Herman Melville's *Moby-Dick*, creating a meditation on distance—both physical and emotional—and the longing for a more intense, purposeful existence. Through this contrast, Hoagland explores themes of disconnection, nostalgia, and the search for meaning.

The poem begins by reducing Kansas to "just a concept," a "checkerboard design of wheat and corn" that appears no larger than the "foldout section / of my neighbor's travel magazine." This imagery captures the disorienting perspective from high above, where the vastness of the landscape is diminished into a mere pattern. This physical detachment parallels the speaker's emotional distance, expressed in the lines, "I would estimate the distance / between myself and my own feelings / is roughly the same as the mileage / from Seattle to New York." The vast geographical distance underscores the speaker's sense of emotional disconnection and alienation.

Settling into the flight, the speaker describes himself as "a little bored, a little old and strange," a sentiment that reflects a weariness and detachment from the vibrant curiosity of childhood. He recalls being "a dreamy / backyard kind of kid," fascinated by airplanes "engraving the sky / in lines so steady and so straight." This memory evokes a sense of wonder and admiration for the perceived dedication and purpose of those piloting the planes, a stark contrast to his current state of ennui.

The speaker's wandering attention—from the in-flight movie to the stewardess's pantyline and back to his book—highlights the trivial and fragmented nature of his present experience. This fragmented focus contrasts sharply with the intense, singular purpose of the men aboard the *Pequod* in *Moby-Dick*. The imagery of "men throw[ing] harpoons at something / much bigger and probably / better than themselves" conveys a sense of striving and existential struggle, the desire to confront and conquer something vast and powerful to affirm one's existence.

The poem then shifts to a broader philosophical reflection, imagining the passage of time as a journey "rushing through the world for sixty years / at unimaginable speeds." The metaphor of a century as "a room so large, / a corridor so long / you could travel for a lifetime / and never find the door" evokes a sense of endless, aimless wandering, capturing the existential uncertainty of modern life. The idea of forgetting the existence of doors—symbols of transitions and opportunities—suggests a loss of direction and purpose.

In contrast, the speaker idealizes the life aboard the *Pequod*, where despite the perilous and obsessive quest led by Captain Ahab, there is a clear sense of direction and purpose. The lines "Better to be on board the *Pequod*, / with a mad one-legged captain / living for revenge" express a yearning for the raw, visceral engagement with life that the whalers experience. The imagery of the "salt wind / spitting in your face" and holding a "sharpened weapon high" conveys a physical and emotional intensity that the speaker finds lacking in his current existence.

The poem concludes with a longing for the camaraderie and shared purpose of the *Pequod*'s crew. The imagined cry of a crew member, "Oh Captain, Captain! / Where are we going now?" encapsulates a desire for direction and leadership, a stark contrast to the speaker's detached and directionless state on the airplane.

"Reading Moby-Dick at 30,000 Feet" is a powerful reflection on the contrasts between the detached, often trivial nature of contemporary life and the intense, purposeful experiences depicted in classic literature. Hoagland's vivid imagery and thoughtful juxtapositions invite readers to consider their own sense of purpose and connection, highlighting the enduring human quest for meaning and direction amidst the vast, often disorienting landscape of modern existence.

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