Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Kenneth Patchen’s "In Order To" is a darkly humorous and surreal commentary on the absurdity of bureaucratic systems, blind obedience, and the destructive tendencies of power structures. The poem presents a narrative of escalating, irrational demands that the speaker complies with, culminating in an ultimate act of defiance. Through hyperbole, irony, and a matter-of-fact tone, Patchen critiques the often arbitrary and dehumanizing expectations imposed by societal and political authorities, while also exploring themes of individual agency, complicity, and resistance.

The poem opens with a seemingly simple premise: "Apply for the position (I've forgotten now for what) I had / to marry the Second Mayor's daughter by twelve noon." The mundane task of applying for a job is immediately complicated by an absurd prerequisite—marrying a politician’s daughter within an impossible timeframe. The parenthetical aside—“(I’ve forgotten now for what)”—introduces a tone of casual detachment, implying that the job itself is insignificant compared to the hoops the speaker is forced to jump through. This sets the stage for the poem’s exploration of how individuals are often asked to perform increasingly ridiculous or unethical actions for vague, forgotten goals.

The absurdity intensifies with the revelation that "I already had a wife; the Second Mayor was childless: but I / did it." The logical contradictions here—the mayor has no daughter, and the speaker is already married—highlight the senselessness of the demand, yet the speaker complies without hesitation. This reflects the theme of blind obedience, where rules are followed not because they make sense, but because authority dictates them.

The next demand is even more grotesque: "Next they told me to shave off my father's beard. All right. / No matter that he'd been a eunuch, and had succumbed in / early childhood: I did it, I shaved him." The surreal and impossible nature of this task—shaving the beard of a father who died as a child and could not have grown a beard—pushes the narrative into the realm of the absurd. Yet, the speaker’s unwavering compliance continues, emphasizing the theme of absurd loyalty to authority even in the face of clear irrationality.

As the poem progresses, the demands escalate from personal absurdities to acts of mass destruction: "Then they told me to burn a village; next, a fair-sized town; / then, a city; a bigger city; a small, down-at-heels country; / then one of 'the great powers'; then another (another, an- / other)." The repetition and escalation of these destructive acts mirror historical instances of unchecked political or military aggression, where individuals are complicit in increasingly larger-scale atrocities. The casual tone—“then another (another, another)”—emphasizes the normalization of violence, as if each successive act of destruction becomes routine.

The culmination of this destructive spree is almost apocalyptic: "In fact, they went right on until they'd told me to / burn up every man-made thing on the face of the earth! And / I did it, I burned away every last trace, I left nothing, nothing / of any kind whatever." The total annihilation of human civilization is presented with the same detached compliance as the earlier, smaller tasks, underscoring the theme of how blind obedience can lead to catastrophic consequences. The speaker’s lack of reflection or resistance up to this point suggests a critique of how individuals or societies can become desensitized to violence and destruction when it is framed as a requirement or duty.

The poem takes an even more surreal turn with the next command: "Then they told me to blow it all to hell and gone! And I blew / it all to hell and gone (oh, didn't I)." The addition of “(oh, didn’t I)” introduces a darkly humorous tone, as if the speaker takes a perverse pride in the thoroughness of his destruction. This parenthetical aside, almost conversational in nature, adds a layer of irony, highlighting the absurdity of finding satisfaction in such pointless devastation.

The final twist in the poem delivers its punchline and moral commentary: "Now, they said, put it back together again; put it all back the / way it was when you started." After complying with every destructive command, the speaker is finally faced with an impossible task—reversing the damage. This mirrors real-world situations where irreversible harm is done (whether through war, environmental destruction, or social policies), and then impossible expectations are placed on individuals or societies to “fix” what has been broken.

However, it is at this moment that the speaker asserts agency: "Well... it was my turn then to tell them something! Shucks, / I didn't want any job that bad." This final act of defiance is delivered with a colloquial, almost flippant tone. The use of “Shucks” underscores the absurdity of the entire situation, suggesting that the speaker finally recognizes the ridiculousness of the demands. The refusal comes too late to prevent the destruction, but it marks a turning point in the narrative—an acknowledgment that there are limits to what one should be willing to do for authority or personal gain.

Structurally, the poem’s free verse and straightforward, almost conversational style contribute to its ironic tone. The escalating absurdity of the tasks, paired with the speaker’s nonchalant compliance, creates a rhythm that mirrors the progression from the mundane to the catastrophic. Patchen’s use of repetition and hyperbole emphasizes the absurdity of bureaucratic demands and the ease with which people can become complicit in harmful systems when they fail to question authority.

In "In Order To," Kenneth Patchen delivers a biting critique of blind obedience, the absurdity of bureaucratic systems, and the dangers of unchecked authority. Through surreal, escalating imagery and dark humor, the poem explores how individuals can be coerced into increasingly destructive actions under the guise of fulfilling arbitrary requirements. Ultimately, the poem serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of critical thinking, personal agency, and the need to resist absurd or unethical demands—before it’s too late to undo the damage.

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