Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Flood Sermon" by David Baker is a powerful narrative poem that captures a community's struggle against a natural disaster, illuminating themes of collective effort, loss, and the dawning awareness of the world's harsh realities. Through the lens of a flood that besieges the town, Baker explores the communal bonds forged in crisis and the poignant transition from innocence to a more complex understanding of life's fragility.

The poem opens in media res, with the speaker recalling a night when the town was awakened and mobilized to combat the imminent threat of a flood. This sense of urgency and communal responsibility sets the tone for the entire piece, emphasizing the necessity of all hands—regardless of age or capacity—for the collective task at hand. The speaker, though young, is "plenty old enough" to contribute, highlighting the way disaster blurs the lines of age and roles within a community.

As the narrative unfolds, the division of labor becomes apparent: men working "smooth as field horses" to build levees, women preparing sandbags and looking after the children, and the children themselves, caught between their roles as helpers and their burgeoning awareness of danger. This delineation of tasks speaks to the instinctive organization that emerges in times of crisis, as well as the gendered expectations of labor and care within the community.

The detailed description of the community's efforts to stave off the flood—stacking sandbags, building levees, and the eventual breach of the makeshift dike—creates a vivid portrayal of the battle against nature's force. Baker's use of imagery, such as the water drooling "as through dumb lips" and the wall giving way "not so much from the flood as from the weight within," adds a layer of poignancy to the narrative, suggesting the inevitability of certain defeats despite human resilience.

The aftermath of the flood, with the community staying "until light" and witnessing the "fog slowly roll and lift across the land," brings a moment of quiet reflection after the chaos. The realization that "No one had been hurt but we had lost...twenty of our homes" underscores the material and emotional toll of the disaster, juxtaposed with the relief of no physical harm to the community members.

The poem concludes with the older generation's resolve to rebuild and the acknowledgment of the flood as a harsh lesson for the children, who for perhaps the first time understand "that the world was less good than it was bad." This realization marks a poignant moment of lost innocence, as the children are confronted with the complexities and capricities of the natural world and human existence.

"Flood Sermon" is a testament to the strength of community in the face of adversity, the passage from innocence to experience, and the indomitable spirit of resilience. Through its narrative depth and emotional resonance, Baker not only tells the story of a flood but also delves into the universal human experiences of loss, growth, and the continual cycle of destruction and renewal.

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