Out of all the situations we face in life, knowing that tomorrow is guaranteed is something that no person is for sure of. The poem, “Summer Solstice, New York City” by Sharon Olds is a perfect example of the uncertainties in life. This short poem deals with an immensely suicidal man meeting death's face to face at the edge of a building’s roof in New York City while he is surrounded by policemen. At first, this poem seems to be primarily about a depressed man being talked out of suicide by the policemen, and concluding with a happy ending to everyone smoking a cigarette; however, through a deeper study, the poem shows the true meaning behind the fragility of life, not only for a suicidal man, but for every one of us.
To begin, it is obvious …show more content…
He “put[s] one leg over the complex green tin cornice. . . The man’s leg hung over the lip of the next world.” This paints the picture of half of his body facing the doom of death, while his other half is living life, and one sudden movement will determine his fate of life. Some would assume this line is written primarily for suspense, but this position is a perfect representation of how easily life can be taken away or spared. It seems this is the way the man is hanging without care at a severe altitude which is also equivalent of death always hiding in the depths never to be anticipated. Along with the man’s own actions, the actions of everyone around him show the truth of this as they are described throughout the poem. The policemen are surrounding the suicidal man while they are protected by their bullet proof vests. They soon come out to the top of the roof and the crowd quickly gathers around to watch the excitement and horror of the scene. All of this preparation and excitement is at the expense of the mystery of death. The policemen fear for their own lives and prepare for the worst, as the crowd is waits for the conclusion. It is not clear what the man’s intentions are at this point, but even if he actually does want to live he could have just as easily slipped to potential death.
Examples of life and death are deeply explained through various
To begin, it is obvious …show more content…
He “put[s] one leg over the complex green tin cornice. . . The man’s leg hung over the lip of the next world.” This paints the picture of half of his body facing the doom of death, while his other half is living life, and one sudden movement will determine his fate of life. Some would assume this line is written primarily for suspense, but this position is a perfect representation of how easily life can be taken away or spared. It seems this is the way the man is hanging without care at a severe altitude which is also equivalent of death always hiding in the depths never to be anticipated. Along with the man’s own actions, the actions of everyone around him show the truth of this as they are described throughout the poem. The policemen are surrounding the suicidal man while they are protected by their bullet proof vests. They soon come out to the top of the roof and the crowd quickly gathers around to watch the excitement and horror of the scene. All of this preparation and excitement is at the expense of the mystery of death. The policemen fear for their own lives and prepare for the worst, as the crowd is waits for the conclusion. It is not clear what the man’s intentions are at this point, but even if he actually does want to live he could have just as easily slipped to potential death.
Examples of life and death are deeply explained through various