Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Philip Levine's "Having Been Asked What Is a Man? I Answer" is a poignant meditation on mortality, identity, and the human condition, interwoven with reflections on art and life. The poem’s setting in a hospital provides a stark, clinical backdrop against which the speaker contemplates his existence and the essence of being a man.

The poem opens with a scene of domestic tenderness juxtaposed with the sterile environment of the hospital. The speaker's oldest son visits, bringing "giant peonies" that are placed in a glass vase by a nurse. These flowers, vibrant and full of life, stand in stark contrast to the hospital room and its association with illness and death. The flowers "sag quietly on the window sill," almost as if they, too, are weighed down by the gravity of the situation. They "seem afraid to gaze out at the city smoking beneath," indicating a reluctance to confront the reality beyond the confines of the room.

The interaction between the speaker and his son is fraught with uncertainty and helplessness. When asked about his return home, the speaker admits he doesn't know. His son’s attempt to gauge his condition by looking at the screen displaying the heartbeat results in another "I don't know." This highlights the incomprehensibility of the speaker's state even to his loved ones and the reliance on medical technology to interpret the human condition.

The poem takes a reflective turn as the speaker describes falling asleep and waking to find himself alone, with the room growing dark. The disappearance of the old man who shared the room symbolizes the transient nature of life and the inevitable approach of death. The speaker reflects on past Sundays, each marked by the looming presence of death that would come close, hesitate, and then leave, granting him another week to live. This recurring cycle of near encounters with death now culminates in the present moment where "a time and place to die are given me, and even a small reason."

As the room darkens, the flowers become more prominent, their "pale faces in the soft mirror of the glass." This reflection emphasizes the delicate balance between life and death, beauty and decay. The flowers are described as quietly laughing, a gesture that might seem incongruous in such a setting but suggests a profound acceptance of life’s cycles. Their laughter whispers, "Because this is the place where souls are made," a reference to Keats’ famous idea of the world as a "vale of soul-making." This line connects the poem to the rich tradition of literary contemplation on the human condition, particularly drawing on Keats' reflections on suffering and spiritual growth.

The speaker resolves to read Keats again and imagines himself "unwired and free," rejecting the clinical detachment of the hospital environment. He contrasts this with the artifice of cinema, declaring, "I am no longer a movie, I have no beginning, no middle, no end, no film score underscoring each act, no costume department, no expert on color." This rejection of a neatly scripted existence underscores the authenticity of human life, which is messy, unpredictable, and unadorned.

The poem concludes with a powerful image of the speaker as "merely a man dressing in the dark," a metaphor for the human condition. This act of dressing in the dark symbolizes the inherent uncertainty and fumbling nature of life. Despite the darkness, there is a resilience and determination in the act of continuing to dress, to face life despite its challenges. The mention of "so many mouthfuls of laughter" juxtaposed with the "sad brown backs of peonies" encapsulates the bittersweet nature of human existence, full of both joy and sorrow.

Levine’s poem explicitly pays homage to John Keats not only through direct allusions but also by engaging with the central themes that defined Keats' work—mortality, the shaping of the soul through experience, and the search for truth and beauty. By doing so, Levine bridges the temporal gap between the two poets, showing the enduring relevance of Keats' ideas and their resonance in modern contexts.

Levine’s poem masterfully intertwines personal reflection with broader philosophical musings, creating a deeply moving exploration of what it means to be human. Through the lens of illness and recovery, the poem invites readers to consider the essence of life, the inevitability of death, and the enduring power of art and memory.

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