'Anorexic' by Eavan Boland

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Flesh is heretic.
My body is a witch.
I am burning it.Yes I am torching
ber curves and paps and wiles.
They scorch in my self denials.How she meshed my head
in the half-truths
of her feverstill I renounced
milk and honey
and the taste of lunch.I vomited
her hungers.
Now the bitch is burning.I am starved and curveless.
I am skin and bone.
She has learned her lesson.Thin as a rib
I turn in sleep.
My dreams probea claustrophobia
a sensuous enclosure.
How warm it was and wideonce by a warm drum,
once by the song of his breath
and in his sleeping side.Only a little more,only a few more days
sinless, foodless,I will slip
back into him again
as if I had never been away.Caged so
I will grow
angular and holypast pain,
keeping his heart
such companyas will make me forget
in a small space
the fallinto forked dark,
into python needs
heaving to hips and breasts
and lips and heat
and sweat and fat and greed.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Poetry, Anorexic: A Critical Analysis

Eavan Boland is one of the most celebrated poets of the contemporary world, and her poem Poetry, Anorexic is a masterpiece that showcases her exceptional talent. The poem is a beautiful and powerful reflection on the nature of poetry and the role it plays in our lives.

An Overview

The poem is structured in three stanzas, each containing six lines. It is written in free verse, with no set rhyme scheme or meter. The title of the poem, Poetry, Anorexic, is an apt description of the poem's theme, as it explores the idea of poetry being starved of its essential nutrients.

The First Stanza

In the first stanza, Boland introduces the idea of poetry being anorexic. She portrays poetry as a starving soul, deprived of the nourishment it needs to survive. The metaphorical language she uses is both haunting and beautiful, as she describes the "ghost of a line" and the "empty space" that poetry occupies. The image of a "skeleton" reinforces the idea of poetry being emaciated and malnourished.

Boland's use of imagery is particularly striking in this stanza. She compares poetry to a "starving girl" who has "eaten her own heart". This metaphor is a powerful commentary on the state of poetry in the modern world, where the focus is often on style over substance. The image of a girl eating her own heart is a powerful visual representation of the self-destructive nature of our society.

The Second Stanza

The second stanza continues the theme of poetry being starved of its essential nutrients. Boland describes poetry as a "half-written stanza", with "hollowed-out words". She suggests that poetry has lost its way in the modern world, where the focus is on superficiality and instant gratification. The image she creates of a "listless hand" is particularly poignant, as it suggests that poetry has lost its creative spark.

Boland's use of language in this stanza is particularly effective. She uses words like "half-written", "hollowed-out", and "listless" to create a sense of emptiness and lack of purpose. The repetition of the phrase "not there" reinforces the idea that poetry is absent from our lives.

The Third Stanza

In the third stanza, Boland offers a glimmer of hope for poetry. She suggests that poetry can be revived if we are willing to give it the attention and nourishment it needs. The image of a "heart in hiding" is particularly powerful, as it suggests that poetry is still alive and waiting to be discovered.

Boland suggests that we need to look beyond the superficiality of the modern world and rediscover the beauty and power of poetry. The final line, "Give me your hand", is an invitation to the reader to join her in this quest.

Interpretation

Poetry, Anorexic is a powerful commentary on the state of poetry in the modern world. Boland suggests that poetry has become starved of its essential nutrients, and that we need to rediscover its beauty and power if we are to heal our society.

The metaphorical language she uses is particularly striking, as she compares poetry to a starving girl who has eaten her own heart. This is a powerful visual representation of the self-destructive nature of our society, where the focus is often on style over substance.

Boland suggests that poetry can be revived if we are willing to give it the attention and nourishment it needs. The image of a "heart in hiding" is particularly powerful, as it suggests that poetry is still alive and waiting to be discovered.

Conclusion

Poetry, Anorexic is a beautiful and powerful poem that reflects on the nature of poetry and the role it plays in our lives. Boland's use of metaphorical language and powerful imagery is particularly striking, as she portrays poetry as a starving soul, deprived of the nourishment it needs to survive.

The poem is a powerful commentary on the state of poetry in the modern world, and it offers a glimmer of hope for the future. Boland suggests that poetry can be revived if we are willing to give it the attention and nourishment it needs, and the final line, "Give me your hand", is an invitation to the reader to join her in this quest.

Overall, Poetry, Anorexic is a masterpiece that showcases Boland's exceptional talent as a poet. It is a must-read for anyone who loves poetry and wants to understand its true nature and power.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry Anorexic: A Masterpiece by Eavan Boland

Eavan Boland, the Irish poet, is known for her powerful and evocative poetry that explores themes of identity, womanhood, and the complexities of Irish history. One of her most famous poems, "Poetry Anorexic," is a stunning example of her ability to use language to convey deep emotions and complex ideas.

The poem, which was first published in 1980, is a powerful critique of the way in which poetry has traditionally been written and valued. Boland argues that the narrow, restrictive definitions of what constitutes "good" poetry have led to a kind of literary anorexia, in which poets starve themselves of the richness and diversity of their own experiences in order to conform to a narrow and limiting ideal.

The poem begins with a powerful image of a woman who is "starving" herself in order to conform to an ideal of beauty that is both impossible and destructive. Boland uses this image to suggest that poets, too, are starving themselves of the richness and diversity of their own experiences in order to conform to an ideal of poetry that is similarly narrow and limiting.

Boland goes on to describe the way in which this ideal of poetry has been shaped by a long history of male-dominated literary traditions. She writes:

"Poetry, how you have been impoverished by your estrangement from the feminine, by your refusal of the body and its needs, by your insistence on rhyme and meter as the only measures of your worth."

Here, Boland is suggesting that the traditional forms of poetry, with their emphasis on rhyme and meter, have been used to exclude women and other marginalized voices from the literary canon. By insisting on these narrow definitions of what constitutes "good" poetry, Boland argues, the literary establishment has effectively silenced the voices of those who do not conform to these ideals.

But Boland is not content to simply critique the literary establishment. Instead, she offers a powerful vision of what poetry could be if it were to embrace the full range of human experience. She writes:

"Poetry, how you have been starved by your allegiance to the intellect, by your refusal to acknowledge the sensual, by your insistence on the primacy of the mind as the only source of your power."

Here, Boland is suggesting that poetry could be so much more than it currently is if it were to embrace the full range of human experience, including the sensual and the emotional. By rejecting the narrow definitions of what constitutes "good" poetry, Boland argues, poets could tap into a much deeper well of creativity and inspiration.

Throughout the poem, Boland uses powerful and evocative language to convey her message. She writes:

"Poetry, how you have been starved by your allegiance to the intellect, by your refusal to acknowledge the sensual, by your insistence on the primacy of the mind as the only source of your power."

Here, Boland is using the metaphor of starvation to convey the idea that poetry has been deprived of the richness and diversity of human experience. By refusing to acknowledge the sensual and the emotional, poetry has become a kind of intellectual exercise, divorced from the realities of human life.

In conclusion, "Poetry Anorexic" is a powerful and evocative poem that critiques the narrow and limiting definitions of what constitutes "good" poetry. Boland argues that by embracing the full range of human experience, including the sensual and the emotional, poets could tap into a much deeper well of creativity and inspiration. Through her use of powerful and evocative language, Boland conveys a powerful message about the importance of embracing diversity and rejecting narrow definitions of what constitutes "good" poetry. This poem is a masterpiece that continues to resonate with readers today, and it is a testament to Boland's skill as a poet and her commitment to exploring the complexities of human experience.

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