Enough of the fatuous cheerfulness in the last few posts. I'm interested in your reaction to this poem. I wonder about the issue of motive in the speaker, of cause and effect, of Eliot's "objective correlative." Yet I find the poem curiously effective and efficient. And disturbing.
And by the way, I like the Van Gogh painting.
Visitors here might find themselves more responsive than usual in loving or hating the poem. The Poetry Foundation's commentary is once again helpful as an introduction to confessional poetry in general as well as Sexton's work and critical assessment of it.
The Starry Night by Anne Sexton : The Poetry Foundation [poem] : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry.
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4 comments:
Oh gosh. Let me think on that one for awhile.
This is a hard one to digest. Reading/reviewing Anne Sexton, she is one of the leaders of 'confessional' poems. And I guess this one fit the label? I don't like it, maybe because wishing death on oneself is just plain creepy.
This poem is beautiful in the way that it captures the essense of the Van Gogh painting that it is based upon. Of course, Sexton's poetry has death as a predominant theme, so the idea of "wanting to die" is to be expected.
Kaylyn, the more I read it, the more I agree. Thanks for coming by and come again.
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