Mark Strand’s ‘Eating Poetry’ employs striking imagery and metaphor in order to convey engrossing themes regarding the transforming effects presented by the fulfillment of an attraction, in this case, to poetry. The straightforward language, yet dreamlike imagery lends to the illustration of the all-consuming hunger faced by the speaker as he delves into his cherishment of poetry. By coming directly from the point of view of the narrator, as he is experiencing the effects of great poetry, there is an insightful view into the speaker’s bizarre perception of reality. The animalistic, yet joyful indulgence into the words of poets results in the speaker having “ink [running] from the corners of [his] mouth,” reinforcing the image of the crazed
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In the first stanza, the speaker’s state of mind is incomparable, as “There is no happiness like [his],” conveying his initial literary obsession’s desperation for the written word. However, the second stanza signifies a shift in preoccupation, towards the librarian, whom is observed by the speaker as having ‘sad’ eyes, as she finds herself experiencing a tormenting ordeal resulting from the chaos of the library. Corresponding to the shift in the second stanza, there is an establishment of a dark atmosphere progressing within the library as the innocent librarian witnesses an atrocious act committed by a seemingly insane man. Uniquely in the third stanza, the shift to focus on the setting with the total destitution of the library’s poetry and dimming light conveys the speaker’s comparison of poetry to a source of light. When “The poems are gone,” the light is determined to be dim and disappearing, leaving the speaker to “romp with joy in the bookish dark,” thus alluding to a comparison of poetry to light. When the poetry is diminished, there is only the darkness emitted from novels left in the library. In like manner, the fourth and fifth stanzas operate on the diminishing darkness of the room, especially as conflict resulting from the conflicting viewpoints of the speaker and the librarian continue to foster. The speaker’s atypical development from a poetry- eating man into a persona akin to an animal, provides a memorable portrayal of an individual affected by influential
In the first stanza, the speaker’s state of mind is incomparable, as “There is no happiness like [his],” conveying his initial literary obsession’s desperation for the written word. However, the second stanza signifies a shift in preoccupation, towards the librarian, whom is observed by the speaker as having ‘sad’ eyes, as she finds herself experiencing a tormenting ordeal resulting from the chaos of the library. Corresponding to the shift in the second stanza, there is an establishment of a dark atmosphere progressing within the library as the innocent librarian witnesses an atrocious act committed by a seemingly insane man. Uniquely in the third stanza, the shift to focus on the setting with the total destitution of the library’s poetry and dimming light conveys the speaker’s comparison of poetry to a source of light. When “The poems are gone,” the light is determined to be dim and disappearing, leaving the speaker to “romp with joy in the bookish dark,” thus alluding to a comparison of poetry to light. When the poetry is diminished, there is only the darkness emitted from novels left in the library. In like manner, the fourth and fifth stanzas operate on the diminishing darkness of the room, especially as conflict resulting from the conflicting viewpoints of the speaker and the librarian continue to foster. The speaker’s atypical development from a poetry- eating man into a persona akin to an animal, provides a memorable portrayal of an individual affected by influential