Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Wingfoot Lake" by Rita Dove poignantly captures a complex moment of racial and personal reflection set against the backdrop of a company picnic on Independence Day, 1964. The poem interweaves the protagonist's personal grief and memories with broader themes of racial identity, societal change, and historical awareness. Through the lens of the protagonist's experiences, Dove explores the nuances of identity and the struggle for belonging in a divided society.

The poem begins with a flashback to a birthday when Thomas, presumably the protagonist's husband, showed her her first swimming pool. The description of the pool, mirroring his favorite color and the "swimmers' white arms jutting into the chevrons of high society," immediately introduces themes of exclusion and privilege. Her reaction to roll up her window and ask Thomas to drive fast indicates her discomfort and sense of exclusion from this affluent, white-dominated space.

Fast forward to the present at the picnic, the poem lays bare the stark racial divisions: "white families on one side and them on the other." The mirrored picnic setups among both groups underscore a shared humanity—identical products, identical activities—yet a deep-seated division remains, highlighted by the simple yet powerful act of spatial separation.

The narrative deepens with the mention of Thomas's death, revealing that this is the first Fourth of July since his passing, adding layers of personal loss and nostalgia to the day's emotional weight. The protagonist reflects on the passage of time, the changes in her daughters who are now engaging with their identities as "Afro-Americans," a term that suggests a reclaiming of heritage and a new understanding of self that is unfamiliar to her.

The mention of watching a crow’s wing move through the "white streets of government" during a television broadcast evokes the civil rights movements that were prominently covered in the media during this time. This imagery symbolizes the slow, difficult progress of racial integration and justice moving through the rigid structures of government.

Joanna's declaration that they are "Afro-Americans now" prompts the protagonist to question her own connection to Africa, a place she feels distant from compared to the American reality she knows deeply—lakes, the Great Mississippi, and her small town life. This contemplation brings to the surface feelings of dislocation and uncertainty about her identity and heritage.

Dove uses the image of the Nile, revered and almost mythical, juxtaposed against the local, familiar settings to illustrate the protagonist's internal conflict between her known past and the newly embraced cultural identity that she is being asked to connect with. The closing lines about Goodyear dreaming up a park with a company symbol—a "white foot sprouting two small wings"—suggests corporate and commercial influences on personal and communal spaces, adding a critique of commercialism and its impact on cultural and social environments.

Overall, "Wingfoot Lake" by Rita Dove is a richly layered narrative poem that addresses complex themes of identity, race, memory, and change. It captures a moment in time where personal history, societal shifts, and the struggle for racial equality converge, told through the intimate perspective of a woman grappling with these forces on a day meant to celebrate freedom and independence.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...