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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Call and Answer" by Robert Bly is a powerful and urgent poem that grapples with themes of environmental degradation, political conflict, and the silence of the collective voice in the face of such crises. Written in August 2002, the poem is set against the backdrop of impending war in Iraq and the alarming signs of climate change, particularly the melting of the ice caps. Through a series of rhetorical questions and impassioned pleas, Bly challenges the reader to consider the consequences of inaction and the importance of vocal opposition to injustice and destruction. The poem opens with a direct question, asking why there is a lack of outcry over the dire situations unfolding globally. Bly points to specific concerns—the plans for war in Iraq and the melting of the ice caps—as catalysts for this call to action. The poet criticizes the complacency and silence that seem to pervade the public consciousness, questioning the purpose of adulthood if it does not include the responsibility to speak out against wrongdoing. "Call and Answer" suggests that silence is complicity, implying that failing to voice opposition allows harmful decisions and policies to proceed unchallenged. Bly invokes the concept of calling out to angels, symbolizing a plea for help or intervention. However, these angels are depicted as "hard of hearing" and "hiding in the jugs of silence filled during our wars," a metaphor for the overwhelming accumulation of violence and conflict that has numbed society's capacity for outrage and action. The poem reflects on the history of vocal opposition to injustice, mentioning "the great criers"—poets and activists like Pablo Neruda, Anna Akhmatova, Henry David Thoreau, and Frederick Douglass—who used their voices to challenge the status quo and inspire change. Bly laments the current state of silence, comparing it to sparrows hiding in bushes, suggesting that fear or apathy has muted the once-powerful chorus of dissent. Bly's reference to the teachings of "some masters" that our life lasts only seven days serves as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of existence and the urgency of action. The question "Where are we in the week? Is it Thursday yet?" emphasizes the notion that time is running out, urging an immediate response to the crises at hand. The poem concludes with a call to "cry now" before it is too late, invoking the image of Sunday night approaching—a metaphor for the end, whether it be the end of an opportunity to act or the end of a period of relative peace before the consequences of silence become irreversible. "Call and Answer" is a poignant reminder of the power and responsibility of the individual and collective voice to confront and challenge the forces that threaten peace, justice, and the environment. Bly's poem is both a critique of passivity and a rallying cry for engagement, underscoring the belief that silence in the face of injustice only serves to perpetuate it.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BETWEEN THE WARS by ROBERT HASS I AM YOUR WAITER TONIGHT AND MY NAME IS DIMITRI by ROBERT HASS MITRAILLIATRICE by ERNEST HEMINGWAY RIPARTO D'ASSALTO by ERNEST HEMINGWAY WAR VOYEURS by JUAN FELIPE HERRERA THE DREAM OF WAKING by RANDALL JARRELL THE SURVIVOR AMONG GRAVES by RANDALL JARRELL |
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