Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Charles Reznikoff's "Rhythms (10)" presents a stark and moving portrayal of despair, alienation, and the crushing weight of unfulfilled dreams. Through vivid and intimate details, the poem captures the life of an immigrant man who finds himself trapped in a cycle of poverty and hopelessness, far removed from the life he once envisioned for himself and his family.

The poem begins with an image of sleeplessness, a metaphor for the man's inner turmoil and anxiety. He lies awake, "breathing the black air," a phrase that evokes a suffocating darkness both literal and metaphorical. The sudden extinguishing of a street lamp, followed by the darkness "jump[ing] like a black cat upon his chest," symbolizes the oppressive nature of his despair, which feels as though it has a physical weight, pressing down on him.

As dawn arrives, the window becomes grey, and the light reveals his sleeping wife beside him. Her hair, described as a "heap of loose hair," seems to absorb the darkness of the night, perhaps suggesting that the sorrow and hopelessness that pervade his life are inescapable. The wife's eyes, described as "disks of light blue, strange in a Jewess," indicate her foreignness or the distance that has grown between them. Her eyes look at him with a mixture of pity and detachment, questioning how he is getting on, but without the warmth or connection that once existed when he was "chief clerk in a store in that Russian town." The contrast between their past and present is stark—he once had a position of respect and stability, which he now carries as "picture postal-cards in a pocket," mere memories of a better time.

The poem shifts to the daily routine of the household, where the noise of splashing water and the hurried preparations of his children signal the start of the day. The man reflects on the sacrifices he made to bring his family to America, hoping for a better life where his children could study and be free from conscription. However, the reality is far from his hopes—his children must work and study at night, piecing together an education over many years while also contributing to the family's survival.

The man’s sense of worthlessness is poignantly expressed in his description of himself as someone who can "only bring them food from the kitchen, / or run downstairs to the grocer’s for pickles or a bottle of ketchup." These small tasks are his only contribution to the household, an attempt to "make life tastier" or "stick hairs in the hide of life and make it a fur to wrap them snug," a futile effort to provide comfort in an increasingly bleak existence. The image of his business as a "flower-pot" into which he has poured all his savings and loans, with nothing to show for it, underscores his deep sense of failure and despair.

The arrival of the first warm day of spring brings a cruel contrast. The sunlight, described as falling in "large living oblongs on the floor," highlights the faded and worn state of his clothes, symbolizing the erosion of his dignity and self-worth. Even as the world around him begins to awaken with the promise of renewal, he feels only the weight of his despair. The warmth and fragrance of the air, which should bring comfort, instead highlight his isolation and the futility of his existence.

The poem’s final lines reveal the depth of his hopelessness. He pulls down the window blind, shutting out the light and retreating into darkness. He lays down near the stove, using his coat as a pillow, a gesture that suggests he has given up on life. The "pour of gas" sickens him, and he contemplates ending his life, feeling "dizzy, too weak to move." This moment captures the crushing realization that his life has become unbearable, and even the act of pulling the rubber tube from his mouth seems beyond his strength.

"Rhythms (10)" is a devastating exploration of the immigrant experience, the disillusionment of unfulfilled dreams, and the suffocating weight of despair. Reznikoff’s use of simple, direct language and detailed imagery allows the reader to fully inhabit the man’s world, feeling the heavy burdens he carries and the deep sadness that permeates his existence. The poem is a powerful reminder of the human cost of poverty and the often-overlooked struggles of those who find themselves lost in a world that no longer has a place for them.

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