Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Below Ellijay" by James Dickey, the poet masterfully intertwines vivid environmental imagery with a sense of foreboding and moral decay to explore themes of pollution, desecration of nature, and the potential for redemption. The journey through and beyond the town of Ellijay serves as a metaphorical descent into an almost apocalyptic vision of ecological destruction, followed by a transformative emergence into potential purification.

The poem begins with a serene entrance into Ellijay, described through the "green Idling freeway of the broad river." This peaceful imagery quickly shifts as the scene is juxtaposed with the industrial and commercial encroachments on the natural landscape—small stores, the heat from sheds where mechanics work, and notably, a poultry-processing plant that emits smoke into the air. These signs of human activity mark the transition from natural serenity to a disturbed environment.

As the travelers move under a bridge and back into the fields, the water itself becomes a character in the poem, altered and exploited by the town: "But the water that held us had changed; / The town had slowed it and used it." The water, once part of a natural river system, now bears the weight of human consumption and alteration, reflecting a broader environmental commentary on how local ecosystems are often compromised for urban and industrial convenience.

Dickey’s imagery grows increasingly grotesque as the river carries remnants from the poultry plant, transforming the natural elements into nightmarish figures: "Each thing was mistakenly feathered, / Muffled thickly in cast-off whiteness." Logs and boulders under the water’s surface are described as being cloaked in feathers, a direct consequence of the nearby plant's refuse. This imagery serves not only to illustrate the physical pollution of the river but also to symbolize the deeper, moral corruption imposed by human exploitation of the environment.

The poem reaches a climax of horror with the description of a "skinned chicken head" floating beside the canoe, its "gaze unperturbed and abiding." This macabre detail encapsulates the eerie, deathly atmosphere that the river has assumed, turning what was once a living part of nature into a haunting symbol of human impact.

However, Dickey does not leave the reader in despair. As the poem progresses, there is a transition from the contaminated river near the town to the cleaner, faster-moving waters of the rapids. This shift suggests a possibility for renewal and redemption: "And entered upon it like men / Who sense that the world can be cleansed." The rapids represent not only physical but also spiritual cleansing, a return to purity and a hopeful, albeit challenging, confrontation with unspoiled nature.

The conclusion of the poem presents a transformative vision where the travelers are likened to the unborn, experiencing a kind of rebirth or baptism as they engage with the pristine waters of the rapids: "And plunged there like the unborn / Who see earthly streams without taint." This imagery of rebirth and cleansing is powerful, suggesting a transcendence of the earlier corruption and a return to a state of innocence and purity.

"Below Ellijay" is a profound poetic exploration of the impact of human activity on the natural world, the loss of innocence, and the potential for redemption through a reconnection with unspoiled elements of nature. Dickey’s use of vivid, often unsettling imagery to critique environmental degradation while also offering a path toward purification and renewal is both impactful and moving, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of both despair and hope.

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