The famed psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that human beings have an innate lean toward and interest in death, known as the Thanatos drive (Kli). At some point in the life of every individual, the reality of ever-approaching death drives them to scrutinize their decaying bodies. In his poem, In Media Res, Michael McFee relies upon thoughtful imagery, biblical and literary allusion, and unexpected connotative language to examine the eerie experiences of a middle-aged man as he struggles to come to terms with his aging body.
Through the use of imagery, Michael McFee illustrates the man’s dour outlook on the process of aging. The poem begins by describing the man unable to fasten his old wedding pants. The pants are “now breathtaking, / …show more content…
In line 13 he mentions “stars collapsing on themselves,” which mimics a verse in the book of Revelation, which says, “and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (New International Version, Rev. 6:13). This image is also present in C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, in which the stars come down from the heavens at the command of Aslan, who represents God in the fictional world of Narnia (Lewis). Both of these parallels are significant in that they both feature the falling of stars occurring at the end of each literary world, Revelation (the last book of the Bible) telling of the destruction of the earth and The Last Battle (the last book in the biblically-inspired Narnia series) telling of the destruction of Narnia. The image of the world ending seems to fit in with the man’s idea of rapidly approaching death that looms over his head as he becomes aware of the effects of …show more content…
The speaker seems to be contrasting the lack of control the man has in the inevitable deterioration of his body with the manful power of the tool he wields to fulfill his desires and quench his libido, or perhaps, exact revenge on aging.
Michael McFee makes use of evocative imagery, allusions to literary and biblical elements, and unexpected language cues to examine the eerie experiences of a middle-aged man as he struggles to come to terms with his aging body. The sense of dread of the inevitable and helplessness in the poem gives the subject a tragically human element, allowing the reader to identify with the man and have sympathy for him. The macabre edge to the linguistic style only heightens the sense of impending doom that the man feels, making this poem a harbinger of the ills of the aging
Through the use of imagery, Michael McFee illustrates the man’s dour outlook on the process of aging. The poem begins by describing the man unable to fasten his old wedding pants. The pants are “now breathtaking, / …show more content…
In line 13 he mentions “stars collapsing on themselves,” which mimics a verse in the book of Revelation, which says, “and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (New International Version, Rev. 6:13). This image is also present in C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, in which the stars come down from the heavens at the command of Aslan, who represents God in the fictional world of Narnia (Lewis). Both of these parallels are significant in that they both feature the falling of stars occurring at the end of each literary world, Revelation (the last book of the Bible) telling of the destruction of the earth and The Last Battle (the last book in the biblically-inspired Narnia series) telling of the destruction of Narnia. The image of the world ending seems to fit in with the man’s idea of rapidly approaching death that looms over his head as he becomes aware of the effects of …show more content…
The speaker seems to be contrasting the lack of control the man has in the inevitable deterioration of his body with the manful power of the tool he wields to fulfill his desires and quench his libido, or perhaps, exact revenge on aging.
Michael McFee makes use of evocative imagery, allusions to literary and biblical elements, and unexpected language cues to examine the eerie experiences of a middle-aged man as he struggles to come to terms with his aging body. The sense of dread of the inevitable and helplessness in the poem gives the subject a tragically human element, allowing the reader to identify with the man and have sympathy for him. The macabre edge to the linguistic style only heightens the sense of impending doom that the man feels, making this poem a harbinger of the ills of the aging