Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Sleepers Awake" by John Ashbery offers an amusing yet profound exploration of the creative process and its relationship to the state of wakefulness or sleep. The poem operates at the intersection of humor, absurdity, and truth, much in the same way that dreams themselves operate. It playfully imagines a series of literary giants, including Cervantes, Joyce, and Proust, as being asleep while creating some of their most celebrated works. It begins by stating, "Cervantes was asleep when he wrote Don Quixote," a line that humorously undercuts the monumental intellectual labor that goes into the creative process.

The poem's initial focus on famous authors serves multiple functions. Firstly, it pays homage to literary history, acknowledging the impact of these figures on the world of letters. Secondly, it also serves as a comic device that deflates the myth of the literary genius who composes with effortless brilliance. For example, the line "Melville was asleep at the wheel for much of Moby-Dick" satirically suggests that the profoundly intense and complicated narrative could be the result of a sort of drowsy wandering of the mind, rather than a meticulous labor of intellect and soul.

But the poem isn't simply a roster of sleepy writers. In the second part, it abruptly switches from discussing authors to offering a series of disjointed, almost surreal pieces of advice and observations, ranging from "Birds make poor role models" to "Flush tea leaves down the toilet, coffee grounds down the sink." This shift resonates with the poem's initial concept, as though Ashbery himself is falling in and out of sleep, his mind oscillating between focused thematic exploration and seemingly random thoughts.

However, a closer look reveals that these aphorisms themselves act as a sort of wake-up call, jolting the reader back to consciousness. They serve as a reminder that life is full of seemingly incongruous moments that demand our attention. By juxtaposing these everyday observations with the lofty subject of literary creation, Ashbery suggests that both are equally deserving of our focus and contemplation.

When Ashbery confesses, "I sleep when I cannot avoid it; my writing and sleeping are constantly improving," he brings his exploration full circle. Here, the act of writing (and by extension, all creative endeavors) is presented as a kind of necessary restlessness, a struggle against the soporific rhythms of life. The line resonates as both a confession and an aspiration, echoing the myriad complexities inherent in any creative endeavor.

In "Sleepers Awake," Ashbery crafts a narrative that exists in the realm of the half-awake and the half-asleep, a liminal space where creativity can flourish. It's a winking nod to the complexities of the creative process, a process that is as fraught and intricate as the act of living itself. It acknowledges the sometimes paradoxical nature of artistic creation, which often occurs in the murky waters between the conscious and the unconscious, between restfulness and restlessness.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...