Analysis of “Head, Heart” Lydia Davis’s poem “Head, Heart” chronicles a short, yet meaningful interaction between the entities Head and Heart. Head and Heart have recently suffered an immense loss and feel great distress. In this time of great sorrow, it is Head’s duty to act as consoler to Heart, to comfort Heart in its moment of despair. Davis portrays the entities Head and Heart in such a way that allows the audience to connect with the characters in a manner that allows the reader’s own head and heart to take the place of the characters and feel as they feel. Throughout “Head, Heart,” Lydia Davis induces a great sense of empathy in the reader, causing them to reflect on their own life as they recall similar, personal interactions between
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At one point, in a showing of the elements of an ars poetica, she breaks the form of the poem to relate an overarching theme of the poem; where one expects another line ending with “Heart,” the speaker completely steps out of the narrative and disguises an empathetic message meant to tug at the heartstrings of the reader in the form of a quote from Head: “You will lose the ones you love. They will all go. But even the earth will go, someday” (4). This speaking from outside the poem changes the second half of the poem for the reader, causing them to ingest it from a different, more personal perspective. Head’s consolatory words to Heart resonate with the reader, causing them to reflect on their own lives, especially if they have experienced distress akin to Head and Heart. In the last line of the poem, Davis nests one concluding message for the reader. The speaker abandons the role of narrator and speaks directly to Head: “Help, Head. Help Heart” (10). By instructing Head to help Heart, Davis illustrates the frailty of Heart and its need for Head’s rationale. This induces related thoughts in the reader, causing them to recall that in times of great distress, the well-being of their own psyche (Heart) depends on the ability of their mind (Head) to console it through rational thought. These two sections of the poem echo the overall theme: that all will experience great loss over the course of their time on Earth, and in these times of loss, the mind must assume the role of consoler to the spirit so that it may recover to its natural
At one point, in a showing of the elements of an ars poetica, she breaks the form of the poem to relate an overarching theme of the poem; where one expects another line ending with “Heart,” the speaker completely steps out of the narrative and disguises an empathetic message meant to tug at the heartstrings of the reader in the form of a quote from Head: “You will lose the ones you love. They will all go. But even the earth will go, someday” (4). This speaking from outside the poem changes the second half of the poem for the reader, causing them to ingest it from a different, more personal perspective. Head’s consolatory words to Heart resonate with the reader, causing them to reflect on their own lives, especially if they have experienced distress akin to Head and Heart. In the last line of the poem, Davis nests one concluding message for the reader. The speaker abandons the role of narrator and speaks directly to Head: “Help, Head. Help Heart” (10). By instructing Head to help Heart, Davis illustrates the frailty of Heart and its need for Head’s rationale. This induces related thoughts in the reader, causing them to recall that in times of great distress, the well-being of their own psyche (Heart) depends on the ability of their mind (Head) to console it through rational thought. These two sections of the poem echo the overall theme: that all will experience great loss over the course of their time on Earth, and in these times of loss, the mind must assume the role of consoler to the spirit so that it may recover to its natural