Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Frederick Louis MacNeice's poem "Entirely" explores the human desire for certainty, completeness, and understanding, while simultaneously acknowledging the inherent complexity and ambiguity of life. The poem delves into themes of partial knowledge, the elusiveness of true happiness, and the unpredictability of the world, all expressed through a series of reflective and introspective verses.

The poem opens with a recognition of the limitations of human understanding: "If we could get the hang of it entirely / It would take too long." MacNeice suggests that fully grasping the essence of life, or even a single aspect of it, is an impossible task. The phrase "the splash of words in passing / And falling twigs of song" evokes fleeting moments of beauty and insight, yet these are transient and incomplete, offering only glimpses rather than a comprehensive understanding. The poet portrays life as something that cannot be fully captured or understood; even when we try to listen to "the great Presences," we are lucky to "appropriate / Even a phrase entirely."

MacNeice then shifts focus to the theme of love, presenting it as another realm where completeness is elusive. He posits that "If we could find our happiness entirely / In somebody else’s arms," we might be immune to the challenges and dangers of life—symbolized by "the spears of the spring" and "the city’s / Yammering fire alarms." However, the reality he describes is far more nuanced. Despite the comfort that love can bring, the "spears" of life's difficulties inevitably pierce us each year, and the chaos of the world intrudes on even the most intimate moments, banishing "the blue / Eyes of Love entirely." Here, MacNeice underscores the fragility of happiness and the inevitability of disruption in our lives.

The final stanza of the poem grapples with the complexity of the world itself. MacNeice imagines a hypothetical reality where the world is "black or white entirely" and where "all the charts were plain." Such a world, he suggests, would offer clarity and direction, making it easier to know "where we wished to go." However, the poet quickly counters this idea, recognizing that the world we live in is anything but straightforward. Instead of a binary world of black and white, he describes it as "a mad weir of tigerish waters, / A prism of delight and pain." This metaphor highlights the chaotic and multifaceted nature of existence, where beauty and suffering are intertwined, and where certainty is impossible.

The conclusion of the poem is poignant and somewhat resigned: "in brute reality there is no / Road that is right entirely." MacNeice acknowledges that in the real world, there are no absolute answers or perfect paths. The complexities and contradictions of life mean that we must navigate a landscape filled with uncertainty and compromise. The use of the word "brute" emphasizes the harshness of this reality, yet there is also a sense of acceptance in the recognition that no single path can be entirely right.

"Entirely" is a meditation on the limits of human understanding and the inherent ambiguities of life. Through its exploration of knowledge, love, and the world's complexity, the poem captures the sense of longing for certainty and completeness that often goes unfulfilled. MacNeice's language, rich with imagery and metaphor, reinforces the idea that life is a blend of beauty and pain, clarity and confusion, and that our attempts to grasp it in its entirety are always, in some way, incomplete.

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