'Making It Work' by Philip Levine

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A Walk with Tom Jefferson19883-foot blue cannisters of nitroalong a conveyor belt, slow fishspeaking the language of silence.On the roof, I in my respiratorpatching the asbestos gas linesas big around as the thick waistof an oak tree. "These here arethe veins of the place, stuffinside's the blood." We work in rain,heat, snow, sleet. First warmspring winds up from Ohio, Ipause at the top of the ladderto take in the wide world reachingdownriver and beyond. Sunlightdumped on standing and movinglines of freight cars, new fieldsof bright weeds blowing, scouredvalleys, false mountains of cokeand slag. At the ends of sighta rolling mass of clouds as darkas money brings the weather in.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Making It Work: A Poetic Journey of Labor and Love

Philip Levine's "Making It Work" is a collection of poems that delves into the lives of blue-collar workers in America. Published in 1991, the poems explore the themes of labor, love, and the struggles of the working class. Levine, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, drew upon his own experiences working in factories and mills to create a vivid portrait of the lives of working-class Americans.

Context and Background

Levine was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1928. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who worked in the auto factories of Detroit. Levine dropped out of college to work in a number of blue-collar jobs, including as a factory worker, warehouseman, and gas station attendant. He began writing poetry in his twenties, and his first collection of poems, "On the Edge," was published in 1961.

Levine's poetry is known for its stark realism and its focus on the lives of working-class Americans. He often writes about the struggles of laborers, the hardships of factory work, and the joys and sorrows of daily life. His work has been compared to that of Walt Whitman, and he is often considered one of the greatest poets of his generation.

Poetic Analysis

"Making It Work" is a collection of 43 poems that explore the lives of blue-collar workers in America. The poems are arranged in three sections: "Factories," "The Life," and "Home." Each section examines a different aspect of the lives of working-class Americans.

Factories

The first section of the collection, "Factories," examines the lives of factory workers. The poems in this section are often gritty and raw, painting a picture of the harsh realities of factory work. In "The Simple Truth," Levine writes:

Some days I put the people in their places at the table,
bend their legs at the knees,
if they come with that feature,
and fix them into the tiny wooden chairs.

All afternoon they face one another,
the man in the brown suit,
the woman in the blue dress,
perfectly motionless, perfectly behaved.

But inside them there is
that sizzling,
and inside the sizzle
a rustling,
as the ideas begin to move,
as the chains begin to rise.

The empty chairs in each of you
whistle like shells,
and the handling-machine makes its rounds,
and I see how your eyes
are already blasting with adoration
the instant before I swoop down to kiss them.

This poem is a powerful commentary on the dehumanizing nature of factory work. Levine describes the workers as "perfectly motionless, perfectly behaved," highlighting the way in which they are reduced to mere cogs in a machine. However, he also suggests that there is an inner life to these workers, a "rustling" of ideas that is constantly churning beneath the surface.

In "Coming Close," Levine explores the theme of isolation and loneliness in the factory:

Take this quiet woman, she has been
standing before a polishing wheel
for over three hours, and she lacks
twenty minutes before she can take
a lunch break. Is she a woman?
Consider the arms as they press
the long brass tube against the buffer,
they are striated along the triceps,
the three heads of which clearly show.
Consider the eyes as they work
together, left eye cocked slightly
to accept the lesser image,
and the focused right eye staring
into the past, where she saw her
husband, this morning, kissing
another woman goodbye.

This poem is a powerful exploration of the way in which factory work can be isolating and dehumanizing. Levine portrays the worker as almost robotic, with her "striated" arms and "focused" eyes. However, he also suggests that there is a rich inner life to this worker, as she remembers her husband's betrayal and struggles with her own feelings of loneliness.

The Life

The second section of the collection, "The Life," explores the struggles and joys of daily life for working-class Americans. In "The Mercy," Levine writes:

In the small hours of morning
when the mind, its black spaces
numbed our thought-swept heads,
was barely able to recall
the stiff hairs of the brush,
a tremble voice broke
through the dream-named walls
to offer words like comfort
to the heartless, words of mercy
to the headstrong, words
to make the pain and fear visible.

This poem is a powerful exploration of the way in which language can offer comfort and hope in the face of difficult circumstances. Levine suggests that even when our minds are numbed by the harsh realities of life, the right words can make all the difference.

In "The Untrustworthy Speaker," Levine explores the theme of trust and betrayal:

Don't listen to me; my heart's been broken.
I don't see anything objectively.
I know myself; I've learned to hear like a psychiatrist.
When I speak passionately,
that's when I'm least to be trusted.

It's very sad, really: all my life I've been praised
for my intelligence, my powers of language, of insight.
In the end they've learned to distrust me.

How angry I am when I hear them whispering!
They think I'm drunk, they think I'm insane -
I'll show them, I'll show them! I'll go to a tree,
a street corner, and wildly, blindly,
tear off meaningless handfuls of leaves,
and throw them in their faces.

This poem is a powerful exploration of the way in which trust can be broken, and the pain that comes with that betrayal. Levine suggests that even when we are praised for our intelligence and insight, we may still be untrustworthy - and that this, in turn, can lead to feelings of anger and frustration.

Home

The final section of the collection, "Home," explores the joys and struggles of family life for working-class Americans. In "A Theory of Prosody," Levine writes:

When Nellie, my old pussy
cat, was still in her prime,
she would sit behind me
while I wrote, and when the line
got too long she'd reach
one sudden black foreleg down
and paw at the moving hand,
hard. This, if I kept
moving, would hook her claws
into the moving hand, and she'd bite.

Then I'd yell and jerk
my arm back, and she'd settle
on her haunches to stare
into the shadowy corners of the room
as though a mouse might suddenly
appear out of them and spring
to her salvation. Who knows,
maybe it was my guardian angel
that came, or the muse's hawkish
nose, that scent of unseen things
that when they're captured and opened
lead into an afternoon of words,
flying, soaring, twisting, and diving.

Or maybe it was only
the twitch of Nellie's tail.

This poem is a powerful exploration of the way in which family life can be both comforting and distracting. Levine suggests that even in the midst of our creative endeavors, we may be interrupted by the needs and desires of those we love - and that this interruption may lead to unexpected inspiration.

Conclusion

"Making It Work" is a powerful collection of poems that explores the lives of working-class Americans. Levine's gritty realism and focus on the struggles of laborers make these poems an important contribution to American literature. Through his exploration of themes like isolation, loneliness, and the power of language to offer hope and comfort, Levine offers a powerful commentary on the human experience.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry Making It Work: A Masterpiece by Philip Levine

Poetry is an art form that has been around for centuries. It is a way of expressing oneself through words, and it has the power to move people in ways that other forms of art cannot. Philip Levine, a renowned American poet, has written a masterpiece on the subject of poetry called Poetry Making It Work. In this book, Levine shares his insights on the craft of poetry and provides aspiring poets with valuable advice on how to make their work stand out.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part is a collection of essays in which Levine discusses various aspects of poetry, such as the importance of language, the role of the poet, and the relationship between poetry and society. The second part of the book is a collection of poems that showcase Levine's own poetic style and demonstrate the principles he discusses in the first part.

One of the key themes that runs throughout the book is the idea that poetry should be accessible to everyone. Levine believes that poetry should not be reserved for an elite group of intellectuals but should be something that everyone can appreciate and understand. He writes, "Poetry is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is not something that only the educated can appreciate, but something that everyone can benefit from."

Levine also emphasizes the importance of language in poetry. He believes that the language used in poetry should be simple and direct, yet powerful enough to convey complex emotions and ideas. He writes, "The language of poetry should be like a clear stream, flowing smoothly and effortlessly, yet powerful enough to carve its way through the hardest rock."

Another important theme in the book is the role of the poet in society. Levine believes that poets have a responsibility to speak out against injustice and to give voice to those who are marginalized. He writes, "The poet is not just an observer of society, but an active participant. The poet has the power to change the world, one word at a time."

Levine's own poetry is a testament to the principles he discusses in the book. His poems are simple yet powerful, and they often deal with themes of social justice and the struggles of working-class people. In his poem "What Work Is," Levine writes about the dignity of work and the struggles of those who must work to survive. He writes, "We stand in the rain in a long line / waiting at Ford Highland Park. / For work. You know what work is-- / if you're old enough to read this you know what / work is, although you may not do it."

In another poem, "The Simple Truth," Levine writes about the importance of honesty and authenticity in poetry. He writes, "Some things / you know all your life. They are so simple and true / they must be said without elegance, meter and rhyme, / they must be laid on the table beside the salt shaker, / the glass of water, the absence of light gathering / in the shadows of picture frames, they must be / naked and alone, they must stand for themselves."

Overall, Poetry Making It Work is a must-read for anyone interested in poetry. Levine's insights and advice are invaluable for aspiring poets, and his own poetry is a testament to the power of the art form. The book is accessible and easy to read, yet it is also profound and thought-provoking. It is a true masterpiece that will inspire and enlighten readers for years to come.

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