(253) Offspring by Naomi Long Madgett

In Offspring, metaphor and imagery are used to portray the departure of a child into the outside world without the help of the mother.  The mother, compared to a tree, wants to tell her daughter to “…stretch newgrown branches closer to the sun than I can reach” (4-6), and to, “Extend my self to that far atmosphere that only my dreams allow” (8-9).  By this, the mother means what every parent wants for her child; for that child to exceed her parent and to live a fulfilling life.  The mother, as a tree, wants for her daughter’s branches to stretch closer to the heavens than her own, and for her to live a life similar to that of her own, only exceeding the mother’s achievements.  However, “…the twig broke, and yesterday I saw her walking down an unfamiliar street” (10-12), meaning that the daughter is not walking in her mother’s footsteps, but is, rather, leading a life of her own, happily.  

The imagery describes the daughter’s life in the end by saying that the daughter was walking down the street, “feet confident face slanted upward toward a threatening sky, and she was smiling and she was her very free, her very individual, unpliable own” (13-21).  Specifically the description of the sky as being threatening unveils an ominous future for the daughter.  My breaking that branch, she’s lost sight of her mother’s good direction and is spiraling toward the threatening sky; yet, she is happy.  She faces the sky with a smile, as she is free, and she is ready to face the threatening sky that is the real world.

I really love the poem as it shows the maturing of the daughter, branching out (pun intended) to the real world.  She sees that the sky is threatening, as the world is a threatening place, yet she faces such threats with a smile, as she is mature and free enough to face the challenges of life on her own.  Such is the dream of any mother for her daughter.

(281) The Death of a Soldier by Wallace Stevens

In The Death of a Soldier, the personification and metaphorical use of death are used as a means of signifying the soldier’s role in the world; his significance.  The soldier goes into combat knowing that he is only death; both his own and that of others.  This poem highlights the soldier’s death in that it is not of huge significance, nor glorified in any fashion, as the soldier does not receive such.  The narrator tells us that, “…death is expected” (1) and that, “Death is absolute and without memorial”  (7). These excerpts show death being used both metaphorically and as personification. 

By observing the lines in terms of personification, death is coming upon the soldier; bringing the soldier to his timely, unimportant end.  “The clouds go on, nevertheless, in their direction” (11-12) says the narrator, meaning that the death of the soldier means nothing to the world.  The soldier was simply a pawn in the chess game of life; its loss is insignificant.  The absoluteness of the soldier’s death secures his irrelevance.

By taking a metaphorical standpoint, the soldier is related to death.  The soldier is expected and receives no memorial for his actions, as he brought himself, death, to the world.  The soldier marks himself as evil in this fashion, recognizing what he brings to the world, and because of this, “He does not become a three-day personage, imposing his separation, calling for pomp” (4-6).  There is no celebration for him, as he does not call for such, as he recognizes that he is a wreaker of death, bringing honor to the soldier.

This poem was especially interesting for me because of how death could be taken; in terms of personification and metaphorically.  It is interesting how a soldier in general is being depicted by Stevens, if interpreted in this fashion.  The soldier’s recognition of himself as being evil is greatly significant in showing humbleness and maintaining the honor of the soldier, regardless of his insignificance in the world.