"Many Lives"
by Alicia Suskin Ostriker
from The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog
Many lives said the old woman
the grains of sand add up
I have been a housefly and a queen
The grains of sand add up
to nothing said the lovely tulip
unless love waters them
Do you even know what love is
said the dog and are you sure
the grains of sand add up
All of the poems share the same points of view: from an old woman, a tulip, and a dog. Therefore, the name of this book is quite fitting. Ostriker stretches the bonds of each narrator, and has the three interact in ways a single narrator would not allow. This poem is a perfect example of this conversation; each narrator takes what has been said and adds their own light to the address. The sequential order- always old woman, tulip, then dog- also contributes a cyclical manner to reading the poems one after another, affording the reader a sense of connection highly prevalent in this collection; tying the pieces together, intertwining their meanings and morals.
The old woman in "Many Lives" reflects upon the full life she's lead, recounting in her mind all the roles she has played. Her station in any situation has ranged from "a housefly" to "a queen" (line 3), illustrating that her life was varied and long. Every small instance "[adding] up" to become as numerous as "grains of sand" (line 2). For the tulip, these moments in life mean "nothing" (line 5) except if "love waters them" (line 6). The dog presents the viewpoint that questions the other two, repeating the woman's and tulip's assertions as questions.
The dog ties all three speakers together by presenting a contrasting viewpoint from the old woman and the tulip. While the old woman and tulip mostly agree- with the tulip only modifying the woman's statement- the dog does not. He challenges both of the others, asking if they "even know" (line 7) what they are talking about and "are you sure" (line 8) your life was so full.
What draws me into this poem is how much Ostriker changes the meaning of a phrase within such a condensed piece. Also, her ability to have subjects interact that would never talk together on a deep level in real life redefines how one thinks about fiction writing. This poem proves that length does not mean quality or level of thought-provoking.
I think you meant a different word than point of view because the first stanza is first person and the last two stanzas are third person. I like you talk about the sequential order. I really love the connections you made between life and the housefly and the queen. I think you could use a bit more analyzing. I'm also not clear on the connections, besides the sand, you are trying to make between the woman, tulip, and dog. It should be more clear. But other than that this was a great poem and I liked reading the poem and your feelings/analyzing thoughts on it. Well done!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm wondering: are these three separate poems, or are they all one poem with different narrators? What is the significance of the repetition of the phrase about the grains of sand? I like that the doggo totally disagrees with the lady and the tulip, but I feel like you could've used more quotations overall.
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