Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Wedding" by James Dickey is a poignant and reflective poem that delves into the memories and experiences of soldiers, blending elements of the mundane with the profound. The poem captures moments of personal significance and communal identity, set against the backdrop of war. Through the use of powerful imagery and symbolism, Dickey explores themes of mortality, heroism, and the enduring human spirit.

The poem opens with a scene of soldiers engaged in seemingly ordinary yet deeply symbolic acts. One soldier sews a tiger’s gold head onto the scarred leather breast of his jacket, while another crafts a ring from a Dutch coin for his wife. These actions, performed in a bell-tent, are infused with personal and communal significance. The tiger head and the handmade ring become emblems of courage, resilience, and the fierce love that sustains these men in the face of adversity.

The imagery of the tiger’s head is particularly evocative, symbolizing primal strength and ferocity. However, this strength is juxtaposed with vulnerability, as the tiger is bodiless and exists only as a representation sewn onto a jacket. This metaphor reflects the dual nature of the soldiers’ existence—outwardly tough and resilient, yet inwardly grappling with fear and uncertainty.

As the poem progresses, the narrative shifts from the quiet, reflective space of the tent to the action of riding to an aircraft painted black, ready for a mission. The transition from ground to air symbolizes a departure from the safety and solidarity of the group into the solitary and dangerous realm of combat. The soldiers, carrying the symbol of the tiger, move from a personal space where they engage in creative acts of love and memory-making, into a space dominated by the machinery of war.

The imagery of the rings, crafted from coins and meant to symbolize eternal love and commitment, contrasts sharply with the transient and precarious nature of the soldiers’ lives. Dickey emphasizes the value these small tokens hold for the soldiers, symbolizing their humanity and the lives they yearn to return to. The poem reflects on how these tokens of affection—“softly pounding our handful of money”—are passed down or lost, carrying with them the weight of memory and sacrifice.

In the final stanzas, the speaker reflects on the passage of time and the transformation of these soldiers into heroes, both in personal memory and in the broader sweep of history. The poem suggests a reconciliation with the past, where the once vibrant symbols of life and resistance, like the tiger and the rings, become relics. Yet, these relics continue to carry deep emotional resonance, representing a bridge between past and present, the personal and the universal.

Dickey masterfully uses the setting of a wedding—a traditional symbol of union and celebration—to frame a narrative about the bonds formed between soldiers under the shadow of war. These bonds, forged in the face of shared danger and loss, are as significant and transformative as the vows taken in a wedding ceremony. The poem itself becomes a space where the personal and the historical, the transient and the eternal, are intricately woven together, highlighting the complex interplay of memory, identity, and legacy in human experience.

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