Donald Hall
Katherine Lorenzo
Dr. Miller
EN 240: Introduction to Poetry
February 26th, 2015
Donald Hall is considered one of the major American poets of his generation. His use of simple and direct language creates an imagery that’s raw and beautiful. His passion for nature reflects in his poems and creates a nostalgic tone to them. Hall’s poems are very personal and most of them describe life changing moments or experiences he has encountered. Through his word choice, stanzaic structure, and metaphor one can see how Hall’s poems describe things that everyone experiences which makes it very relatable.
Halls depicts a beautiful place in “Mount Kearsarge” that speaks about change. Every now and then he recalls the memory of the blue mountain and haze. He seems to have a grim perspective on life and he also seems to be very preoccupied with death. Throughout the poem the reader can see the struggle between letting go and experiencing a big change. The way he describes the poem it seems as if he’s referring to something that he’s having a hard time accepting. This thought preoccupies him, but he knows something is coming and there’s nothing he can do about it such as the idea of getting old. At the end of the poem he states that what’s happening is inevitable and reluctantly he accepts death.
I will not rock on this porch when I am old. I turn my back on you,
Kearsage, I close my eyes, and you rise inside me, blue ghost. (12-16)
“The Ship Pounding” seems to be about Donald’s wife and her battle with cancer. The poem starts with him making his way to the hospital elevators and asking the nurses how his wife, Jane, is doing and how she made out while staying overnight. Hall refers to the other patients as “passengers” in his poem.
The passengers on this voyage wore masks or cannulae or dangles devices that dripped chemicals into their wrists.
I believed that the ship traveled to a harbor of breakfast, work, and love. (10-16)
Hall refers to them as passengers on a ship
Dr. Miller
EN 240: Introduction to Poetry
February 26th, 2015
Donald Hall is considered one of the major American poets of his generation. His use of simple and direct language creates an imagery that’s raw and beautiful. His passion for nature reflects in his poems and creates a nostalgic tone to them. Hall’s poems are very personal and most of them describe life changing moments or experiences he has encountered. Through his word choice, stanzaic structure, and metaphor one can see how Hall’s poems describe things that everyone experiences which makes it very relatable.
Halls depicts a beautiful place in “Mount Kearsarge” that speaks about change. Every now and then he recalls the memory of the blue mountain and haze. He seems to have a grim perspective on life and he also seems to be very preoccupied with death. Throughout the poem the reader can see the struggle between letting go and experiencing a big change. The way he describes the poem it seems as if he’s referring to something that he’s having a hard time accepting. This thought preoccupies him, but he knows something is coming and there’s nothing he can do about it such as the idea of getting old. At the end of the poem he states that what’s happening is inevitable and reluctantly he accepts death.
I will not rock on this porch when I am old. I turn my back on you,
Kearsage, I close my eyes, and you rise inside me, blue ghost. (12-16)
“The Ship Pounding” seems to be about Donald’s wife and her battle with cancer. The poem starts with him making his way to the hospital elevators and asking the nurses how his wife, Jane, is doing and how she made out while staying overnight. Hall refers to the other patients as “passengers” in his poem.
The passengers on this voyage wore masks or cannulae or dangles devices that dripped chemicals into their wrists.
I believed that the ship traveled to a harbor of breakfast, work, and love. (10-16)
Hall refers to them as passengers on a ship