'Ghosts' by Anne Sexton
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
Some ghosts are women,
neither abstract nor pale,
their breasts as limp as killed fish.
Not witches, but ghosts
who come, moving their useless arms
like forsaken servants.
Not all ghosts are women,
I have seen others;
fat, white-bellied men,
wearing their genitals like old rags.
Not devils, but ghosts.
This one thumps barefoot, lurching
above my bed.
But that isn't all.
Some ghosts are children.
Not angels, but ghosts;
curling like pink tea cups
on any pillow, or kicking,
showing their innocent bottoms, wailing
for Lucifer.
Submitted by Venus
Editor 1 Interpretation
Ghosts by Anne Sexton: A Haunting Exploration of Loss and Grief
Anne Sexton's poem "Ghosts" is a haunting and deeply moving meditation on the themes of loss and grief. Through her masterful use of language and imagery, Sexton creates a vivid and evocative portrait of a woman haunted by the memories of loved ones who have passed away. In this literary criticism and interpretation of the poem, we will explore the various literary devices and techniques that Sexton employs to convey her message, as well as the broader cultural and historical context that informs her work.
Context and Background
Before delving into the poem itself, it is important to understand the context and background of Anne Sexton's life and work. Born in Massachusetts in 1928, Sexton was a confessional poet who gained fame in the 1960s and 70s for her frank and often disturbing explorations of mental illness, sexuality, and personal trauma. Her poetry is characterized by its raw and intensely personal nature, as well as its willingness to confront taboo subjects head-on.
Sexton struggled with depression and anxiety throughout her life and was hospitalized multiple times for mental illness. She died by suicide in 1974 at the age of 45. Her work continues to be studied and celebrated for its honesty, vulnerability, and groundbreaking approach to the confessional mode of poetry.
Literary Analysis
"Ghosts" is a poem that is full of vivid and evocative imagery, with Sexton using a variety of literary devices to convey the sense of loss and grief that permeates the work. The poem's central metaphor is that of ghosts, which represent the memories of loved ones who have passed away. Throughout the poem, Sexton uses the imagery of ghosts to explore the complex emotions that arise from the experience of loss.
One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its use of repetition. The word "ghosts" is repeated throughout the work, creating a sense of haunting and repetition that evokes the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of grief. This repetition is particularly effective in the opening stanza of the poem:
Ghosts have been
compounding in my skull
since the day you kissed my face.
Here, Sexton uses the image of "compounding" ghosts to convey the overwhelming nature of grief, which can accumulate over time and feel nearly impossible to escape. The repetition of the word "ghosts" emphasizes the idea that these memories are inescapable and ever-present.
Throughout the poem, Sexton uses a variety of other literary devices to convey the sense of loss and grief that permeates the work. For example, she uses vivid and evocative imagery to describe the ghosts that haunt her, such as in the following lines:
The ghosts are upon me,
a childish army
blown from the trees.
Here, Sexton's use of the word "childish" to describe the ghosts creates a sense of vulnerability and innocence, emphasizing the idea that the memories of loved ones can be both comforting and haunting.
Sexton also uses metaphor and simile to convey the complex emotions that arise from the experience of loss. For example, she compares the ghosts to "white gulls" and "harmless clouds," emphasizing the idea that they are not inherently dangerous, but rather are a natural and inevitable part of the human experience:
The ghosts are gulls
white as the belly of a fish
or white as the armies of the crescent moon
and harmless as clouds.
This image of the ghosts as harmless and natural is contrasted with the sense of fear and anxiety that pervades the poem, creating a sense of tension and ambiguity that is central to Sexton's style.
Another important aspect of the poem is its use of irony and black humor. Throughout the work, Sexton uses darkly comic imagery to convey the absurdity and futility of human existence in the face of loss and mortality. For example, she writes:
I have seen you
dancing with death
wearing his mask,
a black hole for a face.
Here, Sexton's use of the word "dancing" to describe the act of dying is both ironic and unsettling, emphasizing the sense of absurdity and meaninglessness that can arise from the experience of loss.
Overall, "Ghosts" is a complex and multi-layered work that is full of rich and evocative imagery. Through her use of metaphor, simile, repetition, and irony, Sexton creates a powerful exploration of the themes of loss and grief, offering a deeply personal and honest portrait of the human experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anne Sexton's poem "Ghosts" is a haunting and deeply moving work that explores the themes of loss and grief with honesty and vulnerability. Through her masterful use of language and imagery, Sexton creates a vivid and evocative portrait of a woman haunted by the memories of loved ones who have passed away. The poem's use of repetition, metaphor, simile, and irony all contribute to its powerful emotional impact, creating a work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Ultimately, "Ghosts" is a testament to the power of poetry to explore the most complex and difficult aspects of the human experience, offering a powerful and unforgettable meditation on the nature of loss and grief.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Anne Sexton’s poem “Ghosts” is a haunting and powerful exploration of the human experience of death and the afterlife. Through vivid imagery and evocative language, Sexton delves into the complex emotions and fears that surround the idea of ghosts and the unknown beyond death.
The poem begins with a description of a “ghost town,” a place where the living have fled and only the dead remain. The imagery here is stark and eerie, with the “empty streets” and “silent houses” creating a sense of desolation and abandonment. The use of the word “ghost” in this context is particularly effective, as it suggests not only the absence of living people but also the presence of something intangible and otherworldly.
As the poem progresses, Sexton shifts her focus to the experience of the ghosts themselves. She describes them as “thin as a sheet” and “pale as a bone,” emphasizing their insubstantial and ethereal nature. The ghosts are depicted as wandering aimlessly through the empty town, searching for something they can never find. Sexton writes, “They have no need of words / they are wordless as the edge of the sea,” suggesting that the ghosts are beyond language and communication, trapped in a state of eternal silence.
The poem then takes a more personal turn, as Sexton describes the speaker’s own encounter with a ghost. The ghost is described as “a woman with white hair / standing behind the screen door,” a figure that is both familiar and unsettling. The speaker is filled with a sense of dread and fear, as she realizes that the ghost is a reminder of her own mortality. She writes, “I know her by heart. / She is what I will become / if I am lucky.”
This moment of recognition is a powerful one, as the speaker confronts the reality of her own mortality and the inevitability of death. The ghost becomes a symbol of the unknown and the unknowable, a reminder that even in death there are mysteries that cannot be solved. Sexton writes, “I am afraid of her / and yet I love her. / She is my mother.”
This final line is perhaps the most poignant of the poem, as it reveals the speaker’s deep connection to the ghost and the complex emotions that surround the idea of death. The ghost is both a source of fear and a source of comfort, a reminder of the speaker’s own mortality but also a symbol of the continuity of life.
Overall, “Ghosts” is a powerful and evocative poem that explores the complex emotions and fears that surround the idea of death and the afterlife. Through vivid imagery and evocative language, Sexton creates a haunting portrait of a world beyond our own, a place where the dead wander aimlessly and the living are left to confront their own mortality. The poem is a reminder that even in death there are mysteries that cannot be solved, and that the unknown can be both terrifying and beautiful.
Editor Recommended Sites
CI/CD Videos - CICD Deep Dive Courses & CI CD Masterclass Video: Videos of continuous integration, continuous deploymentTerraform Video: Video tutorials on Terraform for AWS and GCP
Dev Traceability: Trace data, errors, lineage and content flow across microservices and service oriented architecture apps
Video Game Speedrun: Youtube videos of the most popular games being speed run
LLM OSS: Open source large language model tooling
Recommended Similar Analysis
We play at paste, by Emily Dickinson analysisLights Out by Edward Thomas analysis
My Star by Robert Browning analysis
Flood , The by Robert Lee Frost analysis
Prospice by Robert Browning analysis
Cuchulain Comforted by William Butler Yeats analysis
God's Wheel by Shel Silverstein analysis
A Character by William Wordsworth analysis
Sonnet XXII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning analysis
I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman analysis