Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's poem "The Fury of Earth" is a vivid and apocalyptic meditation on destruction, transformation, and the impermanence of human constructs in the face of natural and divine forces. Through powerful and unsettling imagery, Sexton explores the idea of an impending cataclysm—a "day of fire"—that will reduce the world to its elemental state, forcing humanity to confront the limits of its control and the inevitability of change.

The poem begins with a stark prophecy: "The day of fire is coming," immediately setting a tone of foreboding and inevitability. The imagery that follows is both beautiful and terrifying, as familiar elements of nature—the thrush and the beetle—are transformed into symbols of destruction. The thrush, typically a symbol of song and natural beauty, will "fly ablaze like a little sky rocket," a striking image that suggests not just the bird's destruction but also the uncontrollable spread of fire, a force of both awe and devastation. Similarly, the beetle, an often overlooked but persistent creature, will "sink like a giant bulldozer," a metaphor that conveys the overwhelming and inevitable force of this coming destruction, reducing even the most enduring of nature's creations to nothing.

The imagery of destruction continues with the transformation of houses—symbols of human civilization and security—into "oil" that will burn "in their tides / of fire." This suggests that everything humanity has built and relied upon will be consumed and reduced to its most basic elements, highlighting the fragility of human achievements in the face of natural or divine retribution. The houses "become a red fan," a final image that combines both the idea of an ending and a fleeting moment of beauty, as if the destruction itself holds a certain grace.

Sexton then shifts her focus to humanity’s response to this apocalyptic vision, addressing "man in your easy chair." This figure represents complacency and the false sense of security that modern life can provide. The poem questions what will become of humanity’s spiritual beliefs and rituals—"of the anointment of the sick, / of the New Jerusalem?"—when faced with such absolute destruction. The "New Jerusalem," a symbol of divine redemption and eternal peace, is rendered uncertain in the face of this overwhelming catastrophe, suggesting that even humanity’s deepest hopes and beliefs may not survive the coming storm.

The poem concludes with a stark image of what will be required in this new reality: "You will have to polish up the stars / with Bab-o and find a new God." The task of "polishing up the stars" with a mundane cleaning product like Bab-o is a powerful metaphor for the futility of human efforts to maintain or restore the world in the wake of such destruction. It also suggests that the divine, represented by the stars, has been tarnished or forgotten, and that humanity will have to reimagine or rediscover its spirituality in a radically transformed world.

The final lines—"as the earth empties out / into the gnarled hands of the old redeemer"—bring the poem full circle, returning to the theme of inevitable transformation. The "old redeemer" could be interpreted as a representation of an ancient, perhaps forgotten, force of judgment or renewal, one that predates human civilization and will outlast it. The image of the earth emptying into this figure’s "gnarled hands" suggests both the passage of time and the ultimate return of all things to their origins.

"The Fury of Earth" is a powerful reflection on the transitory nature of human existence and the forces beyond our control that shape our world. Through her use of apocalyptic imagery and stark, prophetic language, Anne Sexton challenges the reader to consider the fragility of the structures we rely on, both physical and spiritual, and the possibility of a world transformed beyond recognition. The poem serves as a reminder of the enduring power of nature and the divine, and the limitations of human ambition in the face of these greater forces.

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