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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
The poem begins with a seemingly intellectual conversation among a group of people, discussing various topics like "Siva birds Barthes." This sets a tone of a casual, perhaps even academic, gathering. The introduction of the character who "stepped blamelessly between us" suggests an interruption, but the conversation continues uninterrupted, indicating a sense of normalcy and detachment. The turning point occurs when, "at a pause," this character "abruptly opened the window and pointed to Claudio lying in his own blood." This image is a stark, violent contrast to the preceding intellectual discourse. The revelation of Claudio's tragic state – lying in his blood – is a jarring intrusion of brutal reality into the comfortable setting of the conversation. However, instead of reacting with concern or horror, there is only a moment of silence, after which "everything stopped." The character then closes the blinds, as if physically shutting out the disturbing scene, symbolizing a deliberate choice to ignore or avoid confronting the tragedy. The resumption of the conversation is marked by Graciela's mundane comment about her knitting: "I have to undo a whole row I slipped two stitches." This line is crucial as it underscores the theme of evasion. Instead of addressing the shocking incident they have just witnessed, the group returns to their trivial concerns. Graciela's worry about her knitting serves as a metaphor for how people often focus on insignificant issues, avoiding engagement with more profound, distressing realities. The poem's structure, with its lack of punctuation and its abrupt shifts, mirrors the disjointed and jarring nature of the events it describes. The suddenness with which the scene shifts from a philosophical discussion to the sight of a man lying in blood and back to a mundane concern about knitting encapsulates the poem's commentary on human avoidance and denial. In summary, "Evasion" by Claribel Alegría is a powerful commentary on the human tendency to avoid uncomfortable truths and to retreat into the safety of trivial matters. Through its stark and unsettling imagery, the poem challenges the reader to reflect on how individuals and societies often choose to ignore or minimize the severity of tragic events, focusing instead on the mundane to maintain a sense of normalcy and comfort.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CHAMBER MUSIC: 34 by JAMES JOYCE HOW MANY NIGHTS by GALWAY KINNELL THE MOTTO by LOUISA SARAH BEVINGTON THE TRUE BEATITUDE by RUPERT BROOKE MAKING PEACE by DENISE LEVERTOV TWO SONGS OF PEACE: 1 by YEHUDA AMICHAI TWO SONGS OF PEACE: 2 by YEHUDA AMICHAI |
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