Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's poem "An Obsessive Combination of Ontological Inscape..." is a playful yet profound exploration of language, creativity, and the transformative power of words. The poem engages with the process of writing as a deeply personal and almost magical act, where the manipulation of language leads to surprising discoveries and moments of self-revelation.

The poem begins with the speaker describing herself as "Busy, with an idea for a code," suggesting that writing is not just a method of communication but a kind of secret language or puzzle that she is intent on solving. The word "code" implies that there is something hidden within language that must be decoded or deciphered, and the speaker’s task is to uncover these hidden meanings through careful manipulation of words.

As the poem progresses, the speaker details her process of "writing signals hurrying from left to right, / or right to left, by obscure routes." This imagery evokes the idea of words moving across the page in various directions, perhaps suggesting the nonlinear and sometimes chaotic nature of thought and creativity. The "obscure routes" imply that the speaker’s process is not straightforward but involves exploration and experimentation, a journey through language that is driven by her "own reasons."

The poem then focuses on the word "writes," which the speaker takes "down tiers of tries until its secret rites / make sense." Here, the word "tries" suggests multiple attempts or drafts, indicating that writing is a process of trial and error. The phrase "secret rites" imbues this process with a sense of ritual or ceremony, as if the act of writing is a sacred practice that reveals hidden truths. The idea that something as mundane as the word "writes" can contain "secret rites" underscores the transformative potential of language—how ordinary words can take on extraordinary meanings through the act of writing.

The poem's most striking moment comes with the transformation of the word "RATS" into "STAR." The speaker marvels at how this simple reversal can produce such a significant and "amazingly and funnily" different result. This wordplay highlights the arbitrary nature of language, where letters rearranged can yield entirely new meanings. The shift from "RATS" to "STAR" also symbolizes a movement from something base or undesirable (rats) to something celestial and beautiful (a star). The speaker claims this star as her own, "for my own liking, to stare," suggesting a personal connection to the creative process and the sense of ownership and pride that comes from such discoveries.

The poem concludes with the speaker reflecting on the star she has created: "its five lucky pins inside out, to store / forever kindly, as if it were a star / I touched and a miracle I really wrote." The "five lucky pins" likely refer to the five points of a star, and turning them "inside out" suggests that the speaker has examined and understood this symbol in a new and intimate way. The idea of storing the star "forever kindly" speaks to the lasting impact of this creative act—the way in which the writer cherishes the words and meanings she has crafted. The final lines suggest that this star, and by extension the poem itself, is a kind of miracle, a testament to the power of language to create something beautiful and enduring.

In "An Obsessive Combination of Ontological Inscape...," Sexton invites the reader to consider the ways in which language can be manipulated to reveal hidden meanings and new insights. The poem celebrates the joy and wonder of the creative process, where even the most ordinary words can be transformed into something extraordinary. Through her playful wordplay and exploration of language, Sexton captures the magic of writing as a deeply personal and meaningful act, one that allows the writer to create and control their own universe of meaning.

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