“Starry Night” is a poem by Anne Sexton that was written to show her own analysis of the painting by Vincent van Gogh which holds the same name. While the painting is a beautiful work in itself, Sexton’s poem provides details that accentuates the painting. Sexton’s interpretation of the painting is completely angled toward a beautiful death experience. Sexton’s poem is filled with imagery, figurative language, and diction that brings more life and understanding to the painting. Anne Sexton created a mental picture for the reader by providing descriptive words that appeal to the senses. By Sexton using colors such as fiery orange and black, using the words serpent and dragon, and repeating the phrase ‘I want to die,’ she keeps the death
…show more content…
The stars represent burning souls. The black tree signifies death. The serpent and dragon symbolize mythological creatures with great power. Anne Sexton uses symbolism to describe how she wants to die when she writes, “into that rushing beast of the night, sucked up by that great dragon, to split from my life with no flag, no belly no cry.” (Line 13-17). No flag represents no surrender. She wants to die on her own accord. No belly signifies not having a human form. She becomes a burning star. No cry indicates she will have no tears when she dies because she will decide when and how she will …show more content…
The repetition of ‘I want to die’, the rhythm of the poem, and the way the poem sounds heighten the reader’s awareness of her yearning for death. The ending of the poem becomes simple as if it is fading away. The simplicity is important because Sexton wants to die a simple death. She wants to fade from her life in a happy way, not in a chaotic way. The speaker in the poem, which seems to be Anne Sexton herself, seems lonely and yearns for death just like Anne Sexton felt in real life. The way she felt about living is represented in the poem. She shared a similar mental condition as Vincent van Gogh. She used this poem to represent herself because van Gogh painted “Starry Night” just before he committed suicide. Sexton committed suicide as well. Sexton was able to put verses to van Gogh’s painting because she understood the emotions he was enduring. Her poem allows us to have a better understanding of the painting and of Vincent van
The stars represent burning souls. The black tree signifies death. The serpent and dragon symbolize mythological creatures with great power. Anne Sexton uses symbolism to describe how she wants to die when she writes, “into that rushing beast of the night, sucked up by that great dragon, to split from my life with no flag, no belly no cry.” (Line 13-17). No flag represents no surrender. She wants to die on her own accord. No belly signifies not having a human form. She becomes a burning star. No cry indicates she will have no tears when she dies because she will decide when and how she will …show more content…
The repetition of ‘I want to die’, the rhythm of the poem, and the way the poem sounds heighten the reader’s awareness of her yearning for death. The ending of the poem becomes simple as if it is fading away. The simplicity is important because Sexton wants to die a simple death. She wants to fade from her life in a happy way, not in a chaotic way. The speaker in the poem, which seems to be Anne Sexton herself, seems lonely and yearns for death just like Anne Sexton felt in real life. The way she felt about living is represented in the poem. She shared a similar mental condition as Vincent van Gogh. She used this poem to represent herself because van Gogh painted “Starry Night” just before he committed suicide. Sexton committed suicide as well. Sexton was able to put verses to van Gogh’s painting because she understood the emotions he was enduring. Her poem allows us to have a better understanding of the painting and of Vincent van