'The Fury Of Cocks' by Anne Sexton

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The Death Notebooks1974There they aredrooping over the breakfast plates,angel-like,folding in their sad wing,animal sad,and only the night beforethere they wereplaying the banjo.Once more the day's light comeswith its immense sun,its mother trucks,its engines of amputation.Whereas last nightthe cock knew its way home,as stiff as a hammer,battering in with allits awful power.That theater.Today it is tender,a small bird,as soft as a baby's hand.She is the house.He is the steeple.When they fuck they are God.When they break away they are God.When they snore they are God.In the morning thet butter the toast.They don't say much.They are still God.All the cocks of the world are God,blooming, blooming, bloominginto the sweet blood of woman.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Fury Of Cocks: A Masterpiece of Poetic Fury and Raw Emotion

Anne Sexton, the American poet and writer, is known for her raw and intense poetry that explores the innermost recesses of the human psyche. Her poems are often autobiographical, and deal with themes of mental illness, suicide, and the complexities of human relationships. In her poem "The Fury Of Cocks," Sexton takes on the topic of love and desire, and the violent and sometimes destructive nature of these emotions.

At first glance, "The Fury Of Cocks" may seem like a simple poem about roosters fighting. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the poem is about much more than that. Sexton uses the image of roosters fighting as a metaphor for the intense and often destructive nature of love and desire. The poem is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different aspect of this theme.

Part One: The Fury of Love

The first part of the poem sets the stage for the rest of the work. Sexton describes the roosters fighting, using vivid and almost violent language to convey the intensity of the scene. She writes:

A cock on his own dunghill crows As if he had won a kingdom And all about the barnyard stirs And nobody mounts the sky. With his spurs he digs at the world And bites at the stars and the clouds And he never stops his raving And his black eyes blaze like oil.

The rooster is depicted as a fierce and powerful creature, full of energy and passion. The use of violent imagery, such as "spurs" and "bites," creates a sense of danger and aggression. It is clear that these roosters are not just fighting for the sake of fighting; they are fighting for something more. Sexton suggests that this is the same with love and desire; they are not simply emotions, but forces that drive us to act in ways that are often irrational and destructive.

Part Two: The Violence of Desire

The second part of the poem delves deeper into the theme of love and desire, exploring the darker side of these emotions. Sexton writes:

But there's one in the barnyard crowd That many are hushed to see, A rooster with a noble head But he's blind in one eye. And the crowd shakes with a terrible fear As he springs at his own image In the glittering glass of the barnyard wall And he pecks and rips at the pitiless glass Till the blood pours out of his eye.

Here, Sexton introduces a new character: the rooster with the one blind eye. This rooster represents the destructive power of desire; he is unable to see clearly, and so he attacks his own reflection in the glass. The violence of this act is disturbing, and the image of blood pouring out of his eye is particularly gruesome. Sexton is suggesting that when we are consumed by desire, we lose sight of reality and are capable of great harm, both to ourselves and others.

Part Three: The Aftermath of Love

The final part of the poem deals with the aftermath of love and desire. Sexton writes:

And the rooster with the one blind eye Feathers the ground with his dying, And the strongest cock of the barnyard crowd Crows for his own dominion. And then the hens come to feather him, One by one and each to his own, And they make a pillow of his dying And they lie down upon.

In this section, Sexton suggests that love and desire can have tragic consequences. The rooster with the blind eye dies, and the strongest rooster takes over as the leader of the barnyard. The hens, meanwhile, seem indifferent to the violence that has taken place; they simply use the dying rooster as a pillow. Sexton is suggesting that love and desire can be fleeting, and that the things that we fight and die for may not be as important as we think.

Conclusion

In "The Fury Of Cocks," Anne Sexton has created a masterpiece of poetic fury and raw emotion. Through her use of vivid and violent imagery, she explores the intense and often destructive nature of love and desire. She suggests that these emotions can drive us to act in ways that are irrational and harmful, and that the consequences of these actions can be tragic. The poem is a warning about the dangers of giving in to our desires, and a reminder that sometimes, the things we fight for are not worth fighting for at all.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Fury of Cocks: A Poetic Masterpiece by Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, known for her confessional style and bold exploration of taboo subjects. Her poem, The Fury of Cocks, is a prime example of her unique voice and unflinching approach to poetry.

The Fury of Cocks is a complex and multi-layered poem that explores themes of power, sexuality, and violence. The poem is divided into three distinct sections, each of which builds upon the previous one to create a powerful and evocative narrative.

The first section of the poem sets the stage for the rest of the work. It begins with a description of a rooster, a symbol of masculinity and power. The rooster is described as "a red and gold god" with "a voice that could split the sky." This imagery sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is filled with references to power and dominance.

The second section of the poem is where things start to get interesting. It begins with the line "I am the hen," which immediately shifts the focus from the rooster to the female perspective. The speaker of the poem is a hen, a traditionally submissive and powerless creature. However, the hen in this poem is not content to remain in her place. She is filled with a "fury" that drives her to challenge the rooster's dominance.

The hen's fury is described in vivid and visceral terms. She is "a wild thing" with "claws that could rip the earth apart." She is not content to simply submit to the rooster's advances, but instead fights back with all her might. This section of the poem is a powerful exploration of female empowerment and the struggle for equality.

The final section of the poem brings the themes of power and violence to their logical conclusion. The hen and the rooster engage in a brutal battle, with the hen ultimately emerging victorious. However, the victory is bittersweet. The hen is left "alone in the dust" with "no one to love her." The poem ends with a sense of sadness and loss, as the hen realizes that her victory has come at a great cost.

The Fury of Cocks is a masterful work of poetry that explores complex themes with depth and nuance. Anne Sexton's use of vivid imagery and powerful language creates a visceral and emotional experience for the reader. The poem is a testament to the power of poetry to explore the human experience and to challenge societal norms and expectations.

One of the most striking aspects of The Fury of Cocks is its exploration of gender roles and power dynamics. The poem challenges traditional notions of masculinity and femininity, portraying the hen as a powerful and fierce creature and the rooster as a symbol of dominance and aggression. This subversion of gender roles is a hallmark of Sexton's work, and it is one of the reasons why she remains such an important figure in the world of poetry.

Another notable aspect of the poem is its use of animal imagery. The rooster and the hen are not just symbols of gender and power, but also of the natural world. Sexton's use of animal imagery creates a sense of primal energy and raw emotion that is both captivating and unsettling. The poem is a reminder that we are all animals at heart, driven by instinct and desire.

The Fury of Cocks is also a deeply personal work for Sexton. The poem is part of her larger body of confessional poetry, which explores her own struggles with mental illness, addiction, and personal relationships. The poem can be read as a metaphor for Sexton's own struggles with power and control, as well as her desire to break free from societal expectations and norms.

In conclusion, The Fury of Cocks is a powerful and evocative work of poetry that explores complex themes with depth and nuance. Anne Sexton's use of vivid imagery and powerful language creates a visceral and emotional experience for the reader, challenging traditional notions of gender and power dynamics. The poem is a testament to the power of poetry to explore the human experience and to challenge societal norms and expectations. It is a work that will continue to resonate with readers for generations to come.

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