Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser’s poem "Suicide Blues" grapples with the intense emotions surrounding despair and the will to live, expressed through vivid and evocative imagery. The poem explores the conflict between the desire to find and express one's "real voice" and the pervasive forces of death and destruction.

The poem opens with a powerful declaration: "I want to speak in my voice! / I want to speak in my real voice!" This repetition emphasizes the speaker's urgent need to be heard authentically, to articulate their truth amidst a world that often suppresses it. The "white wind" symbolizes a desolate, possibly fatal place the speaker is not ready to confront, indicating a struggle against the pull of death: "I am not yet ready to go there. / Not in my real voice."

The river, a symbol of life and continuity, is personified and intertwined with human identity: "The river. Do you know where the river springs? / The river issues from a tall man, / From his real voice." Here, the source of the river is linked to the genuine voice of a man, suggesting that authenticity and life are deeply connected. The river's flow into "a singing woman, / In her real voice" continues this theme, presenting a harmonious image of life sustained by true expression.

The poem then delves into the dark forces that conspire against life: "Evil has conspired a world of death, / An unreal voice." This "death-world" is depicted as a malevolent force that destroys authenticity and life. The line "The death-world killed me when the flowers shine, / In spring, in front of the little children" juxtaposes the innocence and beauty of spring with the violence of death, highlighting the unnaturalness of this destruction.

The speaker's description of their attempted suicide is surreal and haunting: "It threw me burning out of the window / And all my enemies phoned my friends, / But my legs went running around that building / Dancing to the suicide blues." This imagery blends elements of the grotesque with dark humor, illustrating the dissonance between the speaker's internal turmoil and the external world's reactions.

The subsequent imagery of being flung into the sea further emphasizes the speaker's resilience: "The sunlight ran all over my face, / The water was blue the water was dark brown / And my severed head swam around that ship / Three times around and it wouldn’t go down." Despite the violence and dismemberment, the severed head’s refusal to sink symbolizes an indomitable life force that resists being extinguished.

The poem concludes with a powerful affirmation of life: "Too much life, my darling, embraces and strong veins, / Every sense speaking in my real voice, / Too many flowers, a too-knowing sun, / Too much life to kill." This final stanza celebrates the speaker's vitality and the overwhelming presence of life within them. The imagery of "embraces and strong veins" and "a too-knowing sun" suggests a deep connection to the world and a profound awareness of life's beauty and complexity.

In "Suicide Blues," Rukeyser masterfully conveys the tension between despair and the will to live through rich, symbolic imagery and a strong, authentic voice. The poem ultimately affirms the power of genuine expression and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of darkness and adversity.

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