Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Jack Gilbert’s poem "They Call It Attempted Suicide" is a stark, unsettling exploration of trauma, language, and the human need to categorize and manage the incomprehensible aspects of life. Through its vivid imagery and contemplative tone, the poem delves into the emotional aftermath of a suicide attempt and the ways in which people cope with such intense experiences.

The poem opens with a jarring and visceral image: "My brother's girlfriend was not prepared for how much blood / splashed out." This line immediately immerses the reader in the shocking reality of the scene, highlighting the raw physicality and unexpected nature of the event. The use of "splashed out" conveys a sense of violence and chaos, setting the tone for the poem’s exploration of how such moments are processed and understood.

Gilbert continues to describe the aftermath: "He got home in time, but was angry / about the mess she had made of his room." This reaction of anger rather than concern underscores the difficulty people often have in confronting trauma directly. The focus on the "mess" rather than the emotional or physical well-being of the girlfriend highlights a displacement of feelings, a coping mechanism to deal with the horror of the situation.

The speaker’s perspective, "I stood behind, / watching them turn into something manageable," suggests a detachment and an attempt to make sense of the scene from a distance. This detachment reflects the human tendency to seek order and meaning in the face of chaos. The phrase "turn into something manageable" indicates a process of normalization, where the initially overwhelming experience is transformed into something that can be understood and controlled.

The poem then shifts to a broader philosophical reflection: "Thinking / how frightening it must have been before things had names." This line suggests that naming and categorizing are fundamental human strategies for dealing with fear and uncertainty. The act of naming provides a sense of control and understanding, transforming the "frightening" unknown into something familiar.

Gilbert continues this exploration with the line, "We say peony and make a flower out of that slow writhing." This metaphor underscores the power of language to shape our perception of reality. The "slow writhing" of the peony, which might evoke discomfort or unease, is rendered beautiful and benign through the act of naming. This transformation mirrors how people use language to mitigate the impact of traumatic events.

The poem concludes with a reflection on the nature of death and recurrence: "Deal with the horror of recurrence by calling it / a million years. The death everywhere is no trouble / once you see it as nature, landscape, or botany." These lines suggest that the vastness of time and the natural world provide a context that can make individual instances of death and trauma seem less overwhelming. By framing death as part of the broader processes of nature and history, the speaker finds a way to cope with its omnipresence.

"They Call It Attempted Suicide" by Jack Gilbert is a powerful meditation on the ways in which language and perception shape our understanding of traumatic experiences. Through its vivid imagery and philosophical reflections, the poem explores the human need to categorize and manage the incomprehensible, ultimately suggesting that the processes of naming and contextualizing are essential for coping with the harsh realities of life. Gilbert’s work offers a profound insight into the complexities of trauma and the strategies we use to make sense of it.

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