Poetry
Love Poem
Analysis:
Linda Pastan is an American poet of Jewish background. She was born in New York on May 27, 1932. Today, she lives in Potomac, Maryland with her husband Ira Pastan, an accomplished physician and researcher. She is known for writing short poems that address topics like family life, domesticity, motherhood, the female experience, aging, death, loss and the fear of loss, as well as the fragility of life and relationships.
Love poem is a very simple poem yet it has a deep dimension if you read analytically. In fact she didn’t get straight to the point that she was primarily addressing which is the “love poem”. Pastan goes on to describe the form of the poem rather than going on to talk about the love itself that she wanted to write about. At the first reading, you think that she is describing the creek; however, she is in a way describing their relationship and their love. In line 6 and 7 “its dangerous banks” refer to the stream of life that is taking everything on its way, yet they are standing on the bank of that stream holding and grabbing each other keeping the two of them close and not letting anyone of them go. She says that in spite of standing considerably far from all these events in life that might draw them apart from each other, yet they must hold tight to each other in order not to be drifted into the strong stream of life and forget about their love.
“As our creek after thaw” is a simile, she is comparing the defrosting creek to their lives.
She is saying that problems, turbulences and doubts cause the life between lovers to freeze.
“ carry with it … very scruple” extended metaphor where she compares the problems and arguments to twigs, dry leaves, and branches.
“Swollen” is a simile she compares the over-stressed relation to something physically engorged.
“get our shoes soaked” is a metaphor comparing getting absorbed into the disputes and arguments, to being soaked with water.
To A Daughter Leaving Home
Analysis:
Linda Pastan is an American poet of Jewish background. She was born in New York on May 27, 1932. Today, she lives in Potomac, Maryland with her husband Ira Pastan, an accomplished physician and researcher. She is known for writing short poems that address topics like family life, domesticity, motherhood, the female experience, aging, death, loss and the fear of loss, as well as the fragility of life and relationships.
Love poem is a very simple poem yet it has a deep dimension if you read analytically. In fact she didn’t get straight to the point that she was primarily addressing which is the “love poem”. Pastan goes on to describe the form of the poem rather than going on to talk about the love itself that she wanted to write about. At the first reading, you think that she is describing the creek; however, she is in a way describing their relationship and their love. In line 6 and 7 “its dangerous banks” refer to the stream of life that is taking everything on its way, yet they are standing on the bank of that stream holding and grabbing each other keeping the two of them close and not letting anyone of them go. She says that in spite of standing considerably far from all these events in life that might draw them apart from each other, yet they must hold tight to each other in order not to be drifted into the strong stream of life and forget about their love.
“As our creek after thaw” is a simile, she is comparing the defrosting creek to their lives.
She is saying that problems, turbulences and doubts cause the life between lovers to freeze.
“ carry with it … very scruple” extended metaphor where she compares the problems and arguments to twigs, dry leaves, and branches.
“Swollen” is a simile she compares the over-stressed relation to something physically engorged.
“get our shoes soaked” is a metaphor comparing getting absorbed into the disputes and arguments, to being soaked with water.
To A Daughter Leaving Home