Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Ashbery's "Winter Weather Advisory" encapsulates the poet's characteristic blend of reflective meditation and abstract imagery, delving into themes of knowledge, temporality, and the human condition. The poem interrogates the value of wisdom and insight in a world that often seems indifferent to such pursuits, setting its philosophical inquiries against the backdrop of everyday distractions and the inexorable passage of time.

The opening lines, "What have we proved? That we don’t have the one idea / Worth having, that all else is beneath us," immediately establish a tone of existential questioning. Ashbery suggests a collective striving for a singular, transcendent understanding that remains perpetually out of reach, implying that true wisdom—or the "one idea worth having"—is as elusive as it is desirable.

The notion that this idea might reside "in some book / Perhaps, the book one has never read" evokes the endless human quest for knowledge and the feeling that ultimate answers are always just beyond our grasp. This unattainable pearl of wisdom, "too eloquent, too gracious, for these times," speaks to the disjunction between the pursuit of profound truths and the practical realities of contemporary life, marked by "cataclysmic / Interruptions" and the fragmentation of experience.

Ashbery's meditation on "these times" and the challenges of navigating the "skein of time" reflects a broader contemplation of how individuals and societies make sense of their historical moment. The imagery of a pendulum shattering time "into mutually combative fragments" captures the disorienting pace of modern existence and the fragmentation of collective and individual identities.

The "partially submerged orange grove in Florida" serves as a metaphor for the inheritance of unresolved issues and the complexities of navigating one's legacy within the shifting landscapes of the present. This inheritance, like the elusive book of wisdom, is fraught with both potential and obfuscation, emblematic of the challenges of discerning value and meaning in a rapidly changing world.

As the poem progresses, Ashbery explores the tension between cleverness and substance, questioning the value of intellectual acuity when it becomes detached from genuine insight or human connection. The notion that "loneliness is split" suggests that the quest for understanding and the construction of meaning are as much about bridging human divides as they are about individual enlightenment.

Ultimately, Ashbery suggests that the pursuit of knowledge and meaning may yield more questions than answers, leading to a preoccupation with "mostly weather," a metaphor for the uncontrollable and often unpredictable forces that shape our lives. The poem closes with a reflection on the cyclical nature of inquiry and the persistence of the human spirit in the face of uncertainty, leaving readers with a contemplation of the endless "view" that unfolds as we continue to seek understanding and connection.

"Winter Weather Advisory" is a complex exploration of the human endeavor to find coherence in a fragmented world, weaving together the personal and the universal in a narrative that is both introspective and outward-looking. Through its intricate language and thematic depth, the poem invites readers to consider the ways in which we construct meaning and navigate the landscapes of knowledge, time, and existence.

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