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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Equal Time" by Clayton Eshleman is a contemplative poem that navigates the complex relationship between media representation, individual human suffering, and the role of art and poetry in addressing these disparities. Eshleman uses a series of juxtaposed images to probe the ethics of attention and the impact of trivializing serious issues through fleeting media coverage. The poem opens with a critique of how news media allocate equal time to vastly disproportionate topics: a minute on the dire situation of Vietnamese refugees juxtaposed against a minute on a new world record in cherry pit spitting. Eshleman highlights the moral dissonance in giving these subjects equal weight, suggesting that such equivalence trivializes profound human suffering. This disparity sets the stage for exploring deeper questions about the role of thought, language, and artistic expression in responding to human plight. Eshleman questions the effectiveness and morality of merely "dwelling" on suffering through thought or artistic representation—"the dwelling itself seems wrong, not only being here but dwelling on what thought does not alter." This introspection reflects a skepticism about the capacity of language and art to enact real change, emphasizing the gap between representation and tangible action. The personal anecdote of the baby wild hare with abscessed legs, discovered and then returned to the grass by the speaker and his son, serves as a poignant metaphor for vulnerability and suffering. This image is powerful in its simplicity and immediacy, contrasting with the more abstract discussions of refugees and records. It brings the theme of suffering closer to home, making it more tangible and thereby challenging the reader (and the poet) to consider the impact of individual actions on the lives of the vulnerable. Eshleman extends this meditation to the figure of the champion cherry pit spitter, imagining a scenario where the spitter's dreams are infiltrated by an "altered sense of language" that connects disparate elements of the human and natural world. This altered language aims to bridge the gap between trivial pursuits and significant crises, suggesting a transformative potential in how we conceptualize and communicate about the world. The poem culminates in a complex metaphor involving Odysseus resting his head on an "archetypal pillow," where disparate elements such as the hare, the refugee, and the champion are unified into a "distinct but unified Mass." This image plays with the idea of mythical or poetic resolution, where the immense burdens and disparities of the world are somehow reconciled in the realm of narrative or dream. In the closing lines, Eshleman introduces a scene that mixes sweetness and sorrow, pleasure and pain, further complicating the poem’s exploration of how we engage with and represent suffering. The interaction between the "empty champ" and the "abscessed refugee" in a dingy, stranded before a symbolic lighthouse, encapsulates the poem's overarching tension between action and inaction, presence and absence, highlighting the insufficiency of mere representation or fleeting concern. Overall, "Equal Time" challenges the reader to consider the ethics of representation and the limitations of language and art in addressing real-world suffering. Eshleman’s use of vivid, interconnected imagery invites a deeper reflection on the poet’s role in a world rife with inequality and injustice, questioning how to genuinely engage with the suffering of others in a meaningful and impactful way.
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