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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Arrival at Santos" written in 1952 by Elizabeth Bishop is a richly textured poem that explores themes of expectation, discovery, and the confrontation with reality upon entering a new place. Set against the backdrop of the poet's arrival in Santos, Brazil, in January 1952, the poem navigates through the narrator's initial observations and reflections as they step off the boat and into a foreign land. Through Bishop's keen eye for detail and her nuanced exploration of the traveler's psyche, the poem delves into the complexities of travel and the human desire for understanding and connection in unfamiliar territories. The poem opens with the arrival at the coast and harbor, introducing the landscape that has emerged from the "meager diet of horizon" the narrator has experienced. Bishop's description of the "impractically shaped" mountains and the "frivolous greenery" captures the blend of anticipation and disillusionment that often accompanies the first encounter with a new place. The mountains, "sad and harsh beneath their frivolous greenery," symbolize the complex layers of beauty and hardship that define the landscape and, by extension, the country itself. Bishop's use of the second person in addressing the "tourist" reflects a self-aware critique of the traveler's expectations. The narrator's questions highlight the often unrealistic desires for a "different world" and a "better life," and the immediate comprehension of a place's essence, underscoring the poem's exploration of the tension between the idealized visions of travel and the reality of arriving in a new place. The mention of the "strange and ancient craft" flying a "strange and brilliant rag" introduces a moment of realization and humility. The acknowledgment that "I somehow never thought of there being a flag" reveals a moment of ignorance and surprise, a recognition of the complexities and specificities of national identities that travelers often overlook. This realization extends to the anticipation of encountering the country's currency, further emphasizing the narrator's confrontation with the tangible markers of a new culture. Bishop's depiction of the descent down the ladder, alongside Miss Breen, into the midst of the freighters waiting to be loaded with green coffee beans, grounds the poem in a specific moment of interaction and mishap. The incident with Miss Breen's skirt caught by the boat hook adds a touch of humor and humanizes the experience of arrival, highlighting the small, unexpected moments that often define travel. The poem concludes with reflections on the nature of ports and the transient, often underwhelming impressions they leave on travelers. Bishop's comparison of ports to "necessities, like postage stamps, or soap" captures the functional, unglamorous aspect of these places of transit. The mention of the letters written on the boat, whose stamps may slip off due to inferior glue or heat, serves as a metaphor for the fleeting connections and the fading impressions left by places and experiences once the traveler moves on. "Arrival at Santos" is a contemplative and subtly ironic meditation on the act of travel and the encounter with the new. Elizabeth Bishop masterfully weaves together vivid imagery, introspective questioning, and keen observations to create a poem that captures the complexity of arriving in a new place. Through the narrator's journey, Bishop invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of expectation, discovery, and the inevitable confrontation with reality that travel brings. POEM TEXT: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57361/arrival-at-santos
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