'A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston' by Anne Sexton
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
Until tonight they were separate specialties,
different stories, the best of their own worst.
Riding my warm cabin home, I remember Betsy's
laughter; she laughed as you did, Rose, at the first
story. Someday, I promised her, I'll be someone
going somewhere and we plotted it in the humdrum
school for proper girls. The next April the plane
bucked me like a horse, my elevators turned
and fear blew down my throat, that last profane
gauge of a stomach coming up. And then returned
to land, as unlovely as any seasick sailor,
sincerely eighteen; my first story, my funny failure.
Maybe Rose, there is always another story,
better unsaid, grim or flat or predatory.
Half a mile down the lights of the in-between cities
turn up their eyes at me. And I remember Betsy's
story, the April night of the civilian air crash
and her sudden name misspelled in the evening paper,
the interior of shock and the paper gone in the trash
ten years now. She used the return ticket I gave her.
This was the rude kill of her; two planes cracking
in mid-air over Washington, like blind birds.
And the picking up afterwards, the morticians tracking
bodies in the Potomac and piecing them like boards
to make a leg or a face. There is only her miniature
photograph left, too long now for fear to remember.
Special tonight because I made her into a story
that I grew to know and savor.
A reason to worry,
Rose, when you fix an old death like that,
and outliving the impact, to find you've pretended.
We bank over Boston. I am safe. I put on my hat.
I am almost someone going home. The story has ended.
Submitted by Venus
Editor 1 Interpretation
A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston: A Literary Critique
Anne Sexton is one of the most celebrated poets of the modern era. Her works are characterized by their boldness, honesty, and a rawness that is both shocking and fascinating. A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston is one of her most well-known poems, and it has been widely studied and analyzed by literary critics and scholars alike. In this critique, I will attempt to explore the various themes, styles, and techniques used by Sexton in this poem, and offer my interpretation of its meaning.
Background
Before diving into the poem itself, it is important to understand the background of its creation. A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston was written in 1974, during a time when Sexton was struggling with mental illness and undergoing treatment. The poem was inspired by a conversation Sexton had with her therapist about her daughter Rose, who was traveling on a midnight flight to Boston. The poem is a unique blend of personal narrative, fairy tale, and myth that explores the complexities of motherhood, identity, and existential dread.
Style and Technique
One of the most striking aspects of A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston is its use of a fairy tale-like narrative structure. The poem begins with the line "Once upon a midnight flight to Boston," echoing the classic opening of a fairy tale. This structure allows Sexton to explore complex and disturbing themes in a way that is both accessible and intriguing to the reader.
The poem is also notable for its use of repetition, which creates a sense of rhythm and continuity. The phrase "Once upon a midnight flight to Boston" is repeated multiple times throughout the poem, creating a sense of cyclical movement. The repetition of the phrase "missing her already" also emphasizes the speaker's anxiety and sense of loss.
Sexton's use of imagery is also highly effective in this poem. The image of the "blue woman" who steals the speaker's identity is both eerie and compelling, and the description of the woman's "cold, stiff fingers" adds to the sense of horror. The image of the "pink telephone" and its "screaming mouth" is also highly evocative, and adds a surreal element to the poem.
Themes
The themes explored in A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston are complex and multifaceted. One of the most prominent themes is that of motherhood and the anxiety and sense of loss that can accompany it. The speaker's repeated refrain of "missing her already" underscores her deep love for her daughter, but also highlights her anxiety at being separated from her.
Another theme is that of identity and the fear of losing oneself. The blue woman who steals the speaker's identity represents the speaker's own fear of losing herself in the role of motherhood. The image of the "blue dress" that the speaker wears also adds to this theme, as it suggests a loss of individuality and a merging of identities.
A third theme explored in the poem is that of existential dread. The image of the "pink telephone" and its "screaming mouth" can be interpreted as a symbol of the speaker's fear of death and the unknown. The repetition of the phrase "Once upon a midnight flight to Boston" can also be seen as a nod to the idea of storytelling as a way of coping with mortality.
Interpretation
My interpretation of A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston is that it is a deeply personal and emotional poem that explores the complexities of motherhood and identity. The use of the fairy tale structure allows Sexton to delve into these themes in a way that is both accessible and poetic.
The blue woman who steals the speaker's identity can be interpreted as a symbol of the speaker's own fear of losing herself in the role of motherhood. The image of the blue dress can be seen as a representation of the loss of individuality that can come with motherhood.
The repetition of the phrase "missing her already" underscores the speaker's deep love and attachment to her daughter, but also highlights the anxiety and sense of loss that can accompany motherhood.
Finally, the image of the "pink telephone" and its "screaming mouth" can be interpreted as a symbol of the speaker's fear of death and the unknown. The repetition of the phrase "Once upon a midnight flight to Boston" can also be seen as a nod to the idea of storytelling as a way of coping with mortality.
Conclusion
A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston is a powerful and emotive poem that explores the complexities of motherhood, identity, and existential dread. Sexton's use of a fairy tale structure, repetition, and evocative imagery create a poem that is both accessible and deeply poetic. This poem is a testament to Sexton's talent as a poet, and to her ability to explore difficult and personal themes in a way that is both beautiful and haunting.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Anne Sexton’s poem, “A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston,” is a hauntingly beautiful piece of literature that explores the complexities of human relationships and the fragility of life. Through her use of vivid imagery and powerful language, Sexton takes the reader on a journey through the mind of a woman who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her lover. In this analysis, we will explore the themes and motifs that are present in the poem, as well as the literary devices that Sexton employs to convey her message.
The poem begins with the speaker addressing a woman named Rose, who is sitting next to her on a midnight flight to Boston. The speaker tells Rose a story about a man who was once her lover, but who has since passed away. The story is a metaphor for the speaker’s own life, and the emotions that she is currently experiencing.
The first theme that is present in the poem is the idea of loss. The speaker is mourning the loss of her lover, and she is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he is gone. This is evident in the lines, “He was my lover and I loved him / and now he is dead.” The use of the past tense in these lines emphasizes the finality of death, and the fact that the speaker can never be with her lover again.
Another theme that is present in the poem is the idea of memory. The speaker is remembering her lover, and she is using her memories to try to make sense of his death. This is evident in the lines, “I remember his hands, / how they held me, / how they touched me.” The use of sensory imagery in these lines helps to bring the memory to life, and it emphasizes the importance of memory in the grieving process.
The motif of flight is also present in the poem. The fact that the speaker and Rose are on a midnight flight to Boston adds to the sense of movement and transition that is present in the poem. The flight is a metaphor for the journey that the speaker is on, both physically and emotionally. This is evident in the lines, “We are flying over the ocean / and I am flying over my life.” The use of the word “flying” in these lines emphasizes the sense of movement and transition that is present in the poem.
Sexton employs a number of literary devices in the poem to convey her message. One of the most prominent devices is the use of metaphor. The story that the speaker tells Rose is a metaphor for her own life, and the emotions that she is currently experiencing. This is evident in the lines, “He was a sailor and he sailed away / and I was the sea that he sailed on.” The use of the metaphor emphasizes the idea of movement and transition, and it helps to convey the speaker’s sense of loss and grief.
Another literary device that is present in the poem is the use of repetition. The phrase “he was my lover and I loved him” is repeated several times throughout the poem, emphasizing the importance of the speaker’s relationship with her lover. The repetition also helps to create a sense of rhythm and flow in the poem, adding to its overall beauty and power.
The use of imagery is also prominent in the poem. Sexton uses vivid sensory imagery to bring the story to life, and to help the reader connect with the emotions that the speaker is experiencing. For example, in the lines, “I remember his hands, / how they held me, / how they touched me,” the use of sensory imagery helps to create a sense of intimacy and connection between the speaker and her lover.
In conclusion, Anne Sexton’s poem, “A Story For Rose On The Midnight Flight To Boston,” is a powerful exploration of the themes of loss, memory, and flight. Through her use of metaphor, repetition, and imagery, Sexton creates a hauntingly beautiful piece of literature that is both moving and thought-provoking. The poem is a testament to the power of language and the human spirit, and it is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the complexities of human relationships and the fragility of life.
Editor Recommended Sites
Deep Graphs: Learn Graph databases machine learning, RNNs, CNNs, Generative AILearn Javascript: Learn to program in the javascript programming language, typescript, learn react
JavaFX App: JavaFX for mobile Development
Low Code Place: Low code and no code best practice, tooling and recommendations
Rules Engines: Business rules engines best practice. Discussions on clips, drools, rete algorith, datalog incremental processing
Recommended Similar Analysis
A Charm invests a face by Emily Dickinson analysisEating Poetry by Mark Strand analysis
Messy Room by Shel Silverstein analysis
Birthplace , The by Robert Lee Frost analysis
Footsteps of Angels by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow analysis
Sonnet XLII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning analysis
Farewell by Anne Brontë analysis
A Boundless Moment by Robert Frost analysis
Old Black Joe by Stephen C. Foster analysis
Parting At Morning by Robert Browning analysis