Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Alienation" by Christopher Howell explores themes of isolation, empathy, and the struggle to remain connected amidst transformative forces that often feel beyond one’s control. Howell weaves an encounter with an alien into an allegory of human detachment, using the motif of alienation both literally and figuratively to examine the disconnection between oneself and one’s environment, relationships, and inner sense of belonging.

The poem begins with the speaker’s recollection of his encounter with an alien whose description of his home planet evokes such a deep sense of yearning that the speaker is momentarily distracted from his impending death: “When the alien spoke of his planet / it was with an ache so profound / I forgot he was going to kill me.” The alien’s longing for home resonates with the speaker on a fundamental, emotional level, underscoring a shared experience of homesickness that crosses even the boundaries of species. The alien’s “chrome and blue / glaciers” for eyes symbolize both his otherworldly nature and his cold detachment, yet there’s a hint of vulnerability as he describes his distant planet, creating a connection between them that momentarily transcends fear.

The speaker’s response, “It’s all right, I know how it is / when you’re away from home,” speaks to the universal feeling of dislocation. The line “when time and distance coalesce / like the speed of light / and freeze your heart’s coordinates” reflects the paradox of travel and separation—the longer one is away from home, the more isolated and “frozen” one feels from their past, their familiar life, and the parts of themselves that once felt anchored. Here, Howell addresses the human experience of alienation, as the boundaries of time and space create an emotional chasm that many find difficult to bridge.

The alien’s lack of human characteristics—“He didn’t have a heart. He didn’t / even have toes”—emphasizes his “otherness” yet also highlights the universality of his longing. He acknowledges the speaker’s empathy by sparing him, deciding to “only change” him instead of “kill[ing] and eat[ing]” him. This shift from death to transformation underscores a pivotal moment of recognition: that perhaps what separates and isolates us is also what has the potential to change us. The speaker’s realization that “change had seemed / the one salvation” reveals a nuanced view of transformation—not as an idealized path to freedom but as something that, while necessary, often comes at the cost of losing parts of oneself.

The transformation described is unsettling, evoking a sensation of “singing / under water, while air diminished, slowly, / like hope.” Howell’s choice of “singing under water” suggests a struggle to express oneself or be heard while feeling submerged, with diminishing air paralleling a gradual loss of hope. The underwater imagery emphasizes the feeling of suffocation and isolation, as though the speaker is trapped in a situation where his voice, though active, goes unheard and unacknowledged. The sensation of losing air signifies not just physical breath but the fading of connection and purpose, as change, while sparing him from death, slowly alienates him from his former self.

The alien’s departure in his “lance of a ship” reinforces the cold, impersonal nature of his existence, while the line “the distant sparkle of alienation / itself: roads that will not converge, / singers who cannot close their mouths” adds a layer of introspection. The sparkle represents the allure and inevitability of alienation, of lives diverging and becoming estranged. The image of “singers who cannot close their mouths” suggests individuals who yearn to express or connect but are caught in an endless song that no one can hear—a striking metaphor for the experience of alienation as both endless expression and infinite loneliness.

In the poem’s closing, the speaker reflects on the origin of alienation: “Was this the beginning? Who can say / where or when it began in him?” The question extends beyond the alien to address the universal experience of isolation, hinting at an untraceable beginning of disconnection that exists within all beings. This question of origin emphasizes that alienation is a gradual, often imperceptible process. The poem concludes with a haunting realization: “I just woke and there was this voice-like / distance / between myself and the things I loved.” The “voice-like distance” suggests an emotional gap that, while invisible, is perceptibly present—a void that separates the speaker from everything he once held dear. The disconnection is not caused by physical distance but by an internal shift, a transformation that has subtly altered the speaker’s ability to connect with the world around him.

"Alienation" is a poignant meditation on the nature of disconnection, transformation, and the paradoxical experience of feeling isolated in a world where connection is both essential and elusive. Howell’s use of an alien encounter creates a powerful metaphor for the ways in which life changes can alter one’s relationship to oneself and others. The poem invites readers to reflect on the ways in which change, while often seen as a form of salvation, can lead to an estrangement that leaves us feeling like strangers even to those we love. Through its layered imagery and thoughtful exploration of empathy and loss, "Alienation" resonates as both a personal and universal exploration of the human condition.

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