'The Death King' by Anne Sexton
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I hired a carpenter
to build my coffin
and last night I lay in it,
braced by a pillow,
sniffing the wood,
letting the old king
breathe on me,
thinking of my poor murdered body,
murdered by time,
waiting to turn stiff as a field marshal,
letting the silence dishonor me,
remembering that I'll never cough again.Death will be the end of fear
and the fear of dying,
fear like a dog stuffed in my mouth,
feal like dung stuffed up my nose,
fear where water turns into steel,
fear as my breast flies into the Disposall,
fear as flies tremble in my ear,
fear as the sun ignites in my lap,
fear as night can't be shut off,
and the dawn, my habitual dawn,
is locked up forever.Fear and a coffin to lie in
like a dead potato.
Even then I will dance in my dire clothes,
a crematory flight,
blinding my hair and my fingers,
wounding God with his blue face,
his tyranny, his absolute kingdom,
with my aphrodisiac.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Death King: A Masterpiece of Anne Sexton's Poetry
Anne Sexton's The Death King is a moving masterpiece that explores the nature of death and the human experience. The poem is profoundly personal and deeply emotional, and its vivid imagery and raw emotion have made it an enduring work of modern poetry. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I will explore Sexton's use of language, imagery, and symbolism to convey her message about death and the human condition.
Context and Background
Before diving into the poem itself, it is important to understand the context in which Anne Sexton wrote The Death King. Sexton was a leading American poet of the mid-twentieth century, known for her confessional style and raw, personal themes. She was also known for her struggles with mental illness, and many of her poems deal with themes of suicide and death.
The Death King was written in 1966, in the midst of Sexton's most productive period as a poet. It was published as part of her third collection of poetry, called Live or Die, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1967. The poems in Live or Die are deeply personal and explore themes of love, loss, and mental illness, and The Death King is no exception.
Analysis
The Death King is a long, complex poem that is divided into five sections. Each section explores a different aspect of death and the human experience, and together they create a powerful meditation on the nature of mortality. Let's take a closer look at each section and what it contributes to the overall poem.
Section 1: The Death King
The first section of The Death King sets the tone for the rest of the poem. It introduces the titular character, the "Death King," who is described as a powerful and ominous figure. Sexton uses vivid, sometimes grotesque imagery to describe the Death King, painting him as a figure of terror and dread.
The Death King rides tonight
upon his white and silent steed,
he rides alone.
He has no friends, he has no kin,
and yet he has his own sweet way
when he comes sliding home.
The opening stanza establishes the Death King as a lonely and fearsome figure, and sets the stage for Sexton's exploration of death and mortality.
Section 2: The Dead and the Dying
In the second section of the poem, Sexton turns her attention to the dead and the dying. She explores the ways in which death affects us all, and the different ways in which we confront our own mortality.
The dead and the dying,
they know no better,
they know no more.
They are the same as we,
only further along.
Here, Sexton is acknowledging the universality of death, and the fact that we will all face it eventually. She also suggests that those who are dying or have already died are not fundamentally different from the living, but simply further along in the process of confronting mortality.
Section 3: The Living
The third section of the poem is perhaps the most powerful, as Sexton turns her attention to the living and the ways in which we confront death in our own lives. She suggests that we are all like "the little child who sucks at his fingers / when he is hungry or when he is weary." We turn to our own comforts and distractions when confronted with the reality of death, just as a child turns to its mother's breast.
We are the living,
the ones who love and give,
who look up at the stars
and wonder what they are.
We are the ones who carry on,
who try to make some sense of it all.
Sexton's language here is simple and direct, but the message is profound. She is suggesting that our response to death is not fundamentally different from that of a child, and that we must all confront our own mortality in our own way.
Section 4: The Nature of Death
In the fourth section of the poem, Sexton turns her attention to the nature of death itself. She suggests that death is a force that is beyond our understanding, and that it is ultimately unknowable.
The nature of death
is a mystery unsolved,
a puzzle to be pieced
together by the dead.
Sexton's use of the word "puzzle" here is interesting, as it suggests that death is something that can be understood or solved, but only by those who have already experienced it. This is a powerful and unsettling idea, and one that underscores the mystery and unknowability of death.
Section 5: The Afterlife
The final section of the poem deals with the idea of the afterlife, and suggests that it is a mystery that is beyond our understanding. Sexton suggests that the afterlife is a place of "silence and forgetting," a place where we are free from the pain and suffering of the world.
There is no sound there,
no sound of birds or hum of bees,
no sound of water moving
over stones.
Only silence and forgetting,
only peace and rest.
Here, Sexton is suggesting that the afterlife is a place of peace and rest, and that it is a release from the suffering of the world. However, she also acknowledges that it is a mystery that is beyond our understanding, and that we can only speculate about what it might be like.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Death King is a powerful and deeply personal poem that explores the nature of death and the human experience. Sexton's use of language, imagery, and symbolism create a vivid and profound meditation on mortality, and her exploration of death's mystery and unknowability is both unsettling and illuminating. The Death King is a masterpiece of modern poetry, and remains a powerful and enduring work of art.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry has always been a medium for expressing emotions and thoughts that are difficult to articulate in any other way. Anne Sexton's "The Death King" is a classic example of how poetry can be used to explore the darker aspects of human existence. In this 2000-word analysis, we will delve into the themes and imagery used in this poem to understand its meaning and significance.
"The Death King" is a poem about death and the fear that it instills in us. The poem begins with the speaker describing a dream she had where she met the Death King. The Death King is a personification of death, and he is described as a "black man with a white beard." This image is significant because it represents the duality of death. Death is both dark and mysterious, but it is also a natural part of life. The white beard represents the wisdom that comes with age and experience, which is often associated with death.
The speaker is initially afraid of the Death King, but she soon realizes that he is not there to harm her. Instead, he is there to offer her a gift. The gift is a "black book" that contains all the secrets of life and death. The book represents knowledge and understanding, which is the only way to overcome the fear of death. The Death King tells the speaker that she can keep the book as long as she wants, but she must return it when she dies.
The theme of knowledge and understanding is central to this poem. The speaker is afraid of death because she does not understand it. She does not know what happens after we die, and this uncertainty is what makes death so terrifying. The Death King offers her the book as a way to overcome this fear. By gaining knowledge and understanding, the speaker can come to terms with death and accept it as a natural part of life.
The imagery used in this poem is also significant. The Death King is described as a "black man with a white beard," which is a powerful image that represents the duality of death. The blackness represents the unknown and mysterious aspects of death, while the white beard represents the wisdom that comes with age and experience. The black book that the Death King gives to the speaker is also a powerful image. It represents knowledge and understanding, which is the only way to overcome the fear of death.
The use of repetition in this poem is also significant. The phrase "I was afraid" is repeated several times throughout the poem, which emphasizes the speaker's fear of death. However, as the poem progresses, the repetition changes to "I am not afraid," which shows the speaker's transformation from fear to acceptance. This repetition also creates a sense of rhythm and momentum in the poem, which adds to its emotional impact.
The structure of the poem is also significant. It is written in free verse, which gives the poet more freedom to express her emotions and thoughts. The lack of rhyme and meter also adds to the poem's sense of spontaneity and raw emotion. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with a different tone and mood. The first stanza is dark and foreboding, while the second stanza is more hopeful and optimistic. The third stanza is a reflection on the experience and what it means for the speaker.
In conclusion, "The Death King" is a powerful poem that explores the fear of death and the importance of knowledge and understanding in overcoming that fear. The use of imagery, repetition, and structure all contribute to the poem's emotional impact. Anne Sexton's ability to express her emotions and thoughts through poetry is what makes her one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. This poem is a testament to her talent and her ability to capture the essence of the human experience in words.
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