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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Inside the City Walls" by Norman Dubie is a poignant and evocative poem that captures a moment of intense personal tragedy within the sterile, impersonal confines of a hospital. The poem is brief but dense with imagery and emotion, contrasting the innocence of a child with the profound grief of loss. The poem begins with the image of a small boy in shock, holding a blue Popsicle, situated in the dark hallway of a Montreal hospital. This opening scene sets a somber tone, juxtaposing the typically joyful treat of a Popsicle with the boy’s shock, suggesting a sudden, jarring encounter with reality that is beyond his understanding. The figure of the mother, moving away from the nurses' station, carries her dead husband's silver glasses, an object loaded with significance. The glasses, a personal effect of the deceased, serve as a metonym for her loss, a tangible reminder of his absence. Dubie describes the mother’s manner of holding the glasses in terms that evoke an athlete in motion—specifically referencing the grip of a javelin thrower. This comparison imbues the action with a sense of dynamic tension and controlled energy, contrasting sharply with the static and subdued environment of the hospital. The description of the javelin throw is richly symbolic. The "first position" and the details of the arm's motion mirror the discipline and precision of grief's expressions. There's a sense of something being simultaneously held back and propelled forward—the controlled handling of something potentially harmful. The imagery of the javelin being "pulled from the chest" where the foot is "first firmly planted" can be seen as a metaphor for the wrenching away of life from the body, suggesting both the violent act of death and the painful process of letting go. The phrase "the whole body / Mindless of its gathering speed, head lolling" adds to the surreal and dreamlike quality of the moment, highlighting the often disorienting effect of grief, where the world seems to move with a mind of its own, indifferent to individual suffering. Dubie's choice to set the poem "Inside the City Walls" suggests a contrast between the inner turmoil experienced by the characters and the outer facade of calm and order represented by the city and its structures. The city walls, typically symbols of protection and demarcation, here underscore the isolation and separation felt by those grappling with personal loss—contained within the walls, yet feeling beyond help. Overall, "Inside the City Walls" captures the isolating and surreal experience of grief with stark clarity and emotional depth. Through the use of symbolic imagery and a tightly focused narrative lens, Dubie articulates the profound disconnect between personal anguish and the impersonal spaces in which we often find ourselves trying to process it.
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