Poem Analysis! Urgent replies needed!

  • Alana
    18 years ago

    Hi, I'm doing a poetry assignment in English Literature and I need help analysing a poem called Forgetfulness by Hart Crane. It needs to be analysed stanza by stanza so any help would be appreciated.
    Here is the poem:

    FORGETFULNESS is like a song
    That, freed from beat and measure, wanders.
    Forgetfulness is like a bird whose wings are reconciled,
    Outspread and motionless, --
    A bird that coasts the wind unwearyingly.

    Forgetfulness is rain at night,
    Or an old house in a forest, -- or a child.
    Forgetfulness is white, -- white as a blasted tree,
    And it may stun the sybil into prophecy,
    Or bury the Gods.

    I can remember much forgetfulness.

  • Ed or Ian Henderson
    18 years ago

    It's a very dull poem. And I'd agree with dwelt for the most part, although I feel the second stanza reflects an inability to recall memories clearly. perhaps even that to do so is futile (how does one "bury Gods"?).

  • Ed or Ian Henderson
    18 years ago

    Ooh crikey. I'm immediately reminded of Pratchett's brilliant "Small Gods" novel. ;-)

  • RainbowSlider
    18 years ago

    Forgetfulness is like oh, my, I forgot what it is like.

  • AGirlWorthFightingFor
    18 years ago

    it seems like a nostaligic ode to forgetfulness. yeah, remembering forgetfulness. lol.
    goes into the more catastrophic ends, but clearly with a little more hindsight, as it is extremely calm.
    a more realistic portrayal might have been to have written while trying to remember where you put your keys. but very few people think to write then.

  • Choose xX Alex Xx Life
    18 years ago

    FORGETFULNESS is like a song

    (song- long, rhythm, verse) - this is how he feel about it.

    That, freed from beat and measure, wanders.

    (suggesting this is how he feels maybe lost, alone away from reality)

    Forgetfulness is like a bird whose wings are reconciled,
    Outspread and motionless, --

    (suggesting this is in his heart he uses the metaphor/simile to show how he feels about life but keeping to mind that it is forgetfulness that he is talking about, maybe forgotten memories we live life passively? )

    A bird that coasts the wind unwearyingly.

    Forgetfulness is rain at night,
    Or an old house in a forest, -- or a child.
    Forgetfulness is white, -- white as a blasted tree,
    And it may stun the sybil into prophecy,
    Or bury the Gods

    anyway to be blatent he is going on about how bad it is to forget and that we forget thing passively he uses metaphor to connote meaning and generate responce from the reader so that they can relate to what he is trying to express through his poem in my words very well done :):):) xxx