Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's poem "Live" is a powerful and introspective exploration of the tension between life and death, despair and hope, self-destruction and self-preservation. The poem grapples with the darkest elements of human experience, but ultimately emerges with a reaffirmation of life, despite its inherent suffering and complexity.

The opening lines set a stark and almost defiant tone: "Live or die, but don't poison everything . . ." Here, Sexton acknowledges the pervasive presence of death in her life—both literal and metaphorical. Death is not just an end but a force that has intertwined itself with her existence, linked with "hell," "suspicion of the eye," and "religious objects." This connection suggests that death, for Sexton, is not a distant concept but something intimate and ever-present, something that has corrupted even the most sacred aspects of life.

Sexton uses visceral and disturbing imagery to convey the depth of her despair. The "baby on the platter, / cooked but still human" is a grotesque symbol of innocence corrupted, of life deformed by suffering and loss. The mention of "maggots" sewn onto the baby by "somebody's mother, / the damn bitch!" evokes a sense of betrayal and a perverse distortion of nurturing. These images speak to a profound sense of alienation and horror at the world’s capacity for cruelty.

Yet, despite this, the speaker continues, driven by what she describes as "a sort of human statement," a determination to persist even when life feels like "a perjury of the soul." This persistence is not without its struggles; the speaker feels as though she is lugging herself like a "sawed-off body," emphasizing the weight of existence and the disconnection from her own life.

The turning point of the poem comes with the realization that "life opened inside me like an egg." This moment of epiphany is described as a "bargain," revealing something valuable and unexpected within the speaker. The image of the sun as a "yolk moving feverishly" inside her is a potent symbol of life’s regenerative and purifying power. This discovery—"There was the sun, / her yolk moving feverishly"—marks a shift from the grotesque and the despairing to something more hopeful and life-affirming.

Sexton acknowledges that she had been living under the mistaken belief that she was a "killer," someone who poisoned everything she touched. However, this realization—this uncovering of the sun within her—reveals that she is, in fact, "an empress" with the power to nurture life. The domestic imagery of the "apron," the "typewriter," and the "husband straight as a redwood" contrasts sharply with the earlier violent and destructive imagery, emphasizing the poem’s movement from darkness to light, from despair to hope.

The final stanzas of the poem are a celebration of life’s resilience and the speaker's own capacity for love and creativity. The eight Dalmatians that "didn't drown, / despite the warnings: The abort! The destroy!" symbolize the triumph of life over death, of creation over destruction. The speaker's promise "to love more if they come" is a commitment to embracing life fully, despite the pain and suffering that inevitably accompany it.

In the concluding lines, Sexton makes a resolute declaration: "I say Live, Live because of the sun, / the dream, the excitable gift." This affirmation of life, even in the face of the darkest experiences, is a powerful testament to the human spirit's ability to find meaning and beauty amidst suffering. The poem, with its raw honesty and emotional depth, encapsulates the struggle between life and death, but ultimately, it is a celebration of survival, of choosing life despite the overwhelming pull of despair.

"Live" is a deeply personal poem that reflects Sexton’s own battles with mental illness and suicidal thoughts. It is a reminder of the strength required to continue living, to find light in the midst of darkness, and to embrace the "excitable gift" of life, however flawed and painful it may be.

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