“Alzheimer’s” Is Not The Notebook
What if you awoke one day with no recollection of your loved ones? That is the terrifying reality in Kelly Cherry’s “Alzheimer’s.” The poem details the experiences of an elderly man who suffers from the debilitating, and fatal disease, which plagues thousands. Once a lover of music and nature, his memory has begun to fade and deteriorate. In addition to his hobbies, his inability to recall his wife is yet another tragic outcome of his disease. The entirety of the poem takes place in the old man’s home, to which he has returned to after a trip at the hospital. Cherry utilizes tone, symbolism, as well as visual imagery to demonstrate “Alzheimer’s” theme of illness, and the feelings of loss and frustration it …show more content…
“Alzheimer’s” initially begins from an outsider’s perspective, and then shifts to the viewpoint of the poem’s subject – the old man. It is possible that the poem’s speaker is merely imagining and empathizing with the old man’s experiences and point of view, as the poem maintains a strict third person perspective. While the speaker is never identified, their attitude suggests that they are family member who is personally affected by the old man’s illness. Namely, the tone appears harsh, with the speaker describing the subject as, “a crazy old man” (1). The speaker’s judgmental tone is especially evident in the passage, “Back from the hospital, his mind rattling/Like the suitcase, swinging from his hand/That contains shaving cream, a piggy bank/A book he sometimes pretends to read” (1-5). In particular, word choices such “rattling” when referring to the man’s mind, and the speaker’s claim that he, “pretends to read”, emphasize this critical attitude (5). However, near the poem’s end, the speaker’s tone takes a radical shift. The tone grows increasingly more sympathetic, reaching its emotional peak on the final few lines where the man cannot remember his lover’s name. This is clear in the lines, “The first/Thing he must do, now that he is home, is decide who/This woman is, this old, white-haired woman/Standing here in the doorway/Welcoming him in” (25-29).The speaker’s tone mirrors the feelings of the many families that Alzheimer’s has torn apart, in effect making the text more relatable. Still, tone is not the only method Cherry uses to construct a powerful impact on her
What if you awoke one day with no recollection of your loved ones? That is the terrifying reality in Kelly Cherry’s “Alzheimer’s.” The poem details the experiences of an elderly man who suffers from the debilitating, and fatal disease, which plagues thousands. Once a lover of music and nature, his memory has begun to fade and deteriorate. In addition to his hobbies, his inability to recall his wife is yet another tragic outcome of his disease. The entirety of the poem takes place in the old man’s home, to which he has returned to after a trip at the hospital. Cherry utilizes tone, symbolism, as well as visual imagery to demonstrate “Alzheimer’s” theme of illness, and the feelings of loss and frustration it …show more content…
“Alzheimer’s” initially begins from an outsider’s perspective, and then shifts to the viewpoint of the poem’s subject – the old man. It is possible that the poem’s speaker is merely imagining and empathizing with the old man’s experiences and point of view, as the poem maintains a strict third person perspective. While the speaker is never identified, their attitude suggests that they are family member who is personally affected by the old man’s illness. Namely, the tone appears harsh, with the speaker describing the subject as, “a crazy old man” (1). The speaker’s judgmental tone is especially evident in the passage, “Back from the hospital, his mind rattling/Like the suitcase, swinging from his hand/That contains shaving cream, a piggy bank/A book he sometimes pretends to read” (1-5). In particular, word choices such “rattling” when referring to the man’s mind, and the speaker’s claim that he, “pretends to read”, emphasize this critical attitude (5). However, near the poem’s end, the speaker’s tone takes a radical shift. The tone grows increasingly more sympathetic, reaching its emotional peak on the final few lines where the man cannot remember his lover’s name. This is clear in the lines, “The first/Thing he must do, now that he is home, is decide who/This woman is, this old, white-haired woman/Standing here in the doorway/Welcoming him in” (25-29).The speaker’s tone mirrors the feelings of the many families that Alzheimer’s has torn apart, in effect making the text more relatable. Still, tone is not the only method Cherry uses to construct a powerful impact on her