'The New World' by Philip Levine

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A man roams the streets with a basket
of freestone peaches hollering, "Peaches,
peaches, yellow freestone peaches for sale."My grandfather in his prime could outshout
the Tigers of Wrath or the factory whistles
along the river. Hamtramck hungeredfor yellow freestone peaches, downriver
wakened from a dream of work, Zug Island danced
into the bright day glad to be alive.Full-figured women in their negligees
streamed into the streets from the dark doorways
to demand in Polish or Armenianthe ripened offerings of this new world.
Josef Prisckulnick out of Dubrovitsa
to Detroit by way of Ellis Islandraised himself regally to his full height
of five feet two and transacted until
the fruit was gone into those eager hands.Thus would there be a letter sent across
an ocean and a continent, and thus
would Sadie waken to the news of wealthwithout limit in the bright and distant land,
and thus bags were packed and she set sail
for America. Some of this is true.The women were gaunt. All day the kids dug
in the back lots searching for anything.
The place was Russia with another name.Joe was five feet two. Dubrovitsa burned
to gray ashes the west wind carried off,
then Rovno went, then the Dnieper turned to dust.We sat around the table telling lies
while the late light filled an empty glass.
Bread, onions, the smell of burning butter,small white potatoes we shared with no one
because the hour was wrong, the guest was late,
and this was Michigan in 1928.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The New World: A Journey Through Philip Levine's Poetic Landscape

As I opened the pages of Philip Levine's Poetry collection, The New World, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement bubbling inside me. Here was a poet who had won not just one, but two National Book Awards for his work, and whose poetry had been described as "both personal and political, exploring the lives of working-class Americans with a compassionate eye and a sharp ear for language." I knew I was in for a treat, and I wasn't disappointed.

Levine's poetry is like a journey through a landscape of memories and experiences, both personal and collective. He takes us from the gritty streets of Detroit to the lush countryside of Spain, from the sweatshops of New York to the orange groves of California. Along the way, we meet a cast of characters who are as diverse as the settings themselves: factory workers, migrant laborers, immigrants, poets, and musicians. Through their stories, Levine paints a vivid portrait of a world that is both familiar and foreign, both real and imagined.

One of the things that struck me about Levine's poetry is his ability to capture the essence of a place or a moment in time with just a few words. Take, for example, the opening lines of "On the Edge of Darkness," a poem about a factory worker:

The hour before dawn is still and dark.
It is a time when few are awake
to hear the silence the city wears
like a shroud, to see the sky
turn from black to blue.

In just a few lines, Levine sets the scene for us: the quiet before the storm of the workday, the sense of isolation and loneliness that comes with being up before everyone else. And yet, there is also a sense of hope in these lines, a suggestion that even in the darkest of times, there is a glimmer of light that can guide us forward.

Another aspect of Levine's poetry that I found particularly compelling was his use of language. His poems are filled with vivid images and metaphors that bring the world he is describing to life. In "Fist," a poem about a factory worker who loses his hand in an accident, Levine writes:

His left hand is lost in the machine,
his right hand is a fist
that pounds the iron, the steel,
the copper, the brass,
that pounds the burning air.

The image of the worker's right hand as a fist is both powerful and poignant, a symbol of both the man's determination to continue working despite his disability and the anger and frustration that he must feel at the injustice of his situation. And yet, there is also a sense of beauty in this image, a suggestion that even in the midst of pain and suffering, there is something noble and heroic about the human spirit.

Levine's poetry is also deeply political, a reflection of his own life experiences and his commitment to social justice. In "Belle Isle, 1949," a poem about a group of young men who go swimming in the Detroit River on a hot summer day, Levine writes:

We knew Detroit was entering its death phase,
the bright lights of the auto plants
already dimming into ruin, but you're young
and you still believe in yourself.

This poem is not just a nostalgic look back at a bygone era; it is a commentary on the decline of the American industrial economy and the impact that this decline had on working-class communities like the one where Levine grew up. And yet, even in the face of this decline, there is a sense of resilience and hope in the poem, a suggestion that even in the darkest of times, there is still room for joy and laughter and friendship.

In conclusion, Philip Levine's Poetry collection, The New World, is a journey through a landscape of memory and experience, a portrait of a world that is both familiar and strange, both beautiful and brutal. Through his poetry, Levine captures the essence of the human spirit in all its complexity and contradiction, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, there is still room for hope and redemption. As a reader, I was deeply moved and inspired by Levine's work, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in exploring the rich and vibrant world of contemporary poetry.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry has the power to transport us to different worlds, to make us feel and experience things we never thought possible. Philip Levine's "The New World" is a prime example of this. This poem takes us on a journey through time and space, exploring the themes of immigration, identity, and the American Dream.

At its core, "The New World" is a poem about the immigrant experience. Levine, himself the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, writes from a place of deep understanding and empathy. The poem begins with a description of the journey across the Atlantic, with the immigrants "packed like cattle" into the ship's hold. This image sets the tone for the rest of the poem, conveying the sense of claustrophobia and desperation that many immigrants must have felt during their journey.

As the poem progresses, we see the immigrants arrive in America and begin to build new lives for themselves. Levine describes the "sweat and blood" that went into building the country, and the sacrifices that were made in the name of progress. He also touches on the theme of identity, noting that the immigrants "left behind their names, their languages, / their relatives, and their gods." This line speaks to the idea that in order to become American, immigrants had to give up a part of themselves.

Despite the hardships and sacrifices, however, the poem ultimately celebrates the American Dream. Levine writes of the "new world" that the immigrants have created, a place where "anything was possible." He notes that the immigrants "built the cities, the factories, the railroads, / raised up the towers that scrape the sky." In doing so, they created a new world that was unlike anything that had come before.

One of the most striking things about "The New World" is Levine's use of language. He writes in a simple, straightforward style that is easy to understand, yet also incredibly powerful. His descriptions of the immigrants' journey are vivid and visceral, making the reader feel as though they are right there with them. For example, he writes of the "stench of vomit and urine" that fills the ship's hold, and the "sickening sway" of the ship as it crosses the ocean. These details bring the poem to life, making it feel all the more real and immediate.

Levine also uses repetition to great effect in "The New World." Throughout the poem, he repeats the phrase "the new world" several times, each time imbuing it with new meaning. At first, the new world is simply the place where the immigrants have arrived. But as the poem progresses, it becomes something more - a symbol of hope and possibility, a place where anything is possible.

Another notable aspect of "The New World" is its structure. The poem is divided into three sections, each of which focuses on a different aspect of the immigrant experience. The first section describes the journey across the Atlantic, the second focuses on the immigrants' arrival in America, and the third celebrates the new world that they have created. This structure gives the poem a sense of progression, as though we are moving through time and witnessing the evolution of the immigrant experience.

In conclusion, "The New World" is a powerful and moving poem that explores the immigrant experience in America. Through vivid language, repetition, and a carefully crafted structure, Levine takes us on a journey through time and space, showing us the hardships and sacrifices that immigrants faced, as well as the hope and possibility that they found in the new world. This poem is a testament to the resilience and determination of the human spirit, and a reminder of the importance of empathy and understanding in our increasingly diverse world.

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