Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's "Otherworld: Otherworld" is a vivid and multifaceted exploration of the experience of war and the subsequent disorientation and search for meaning in its aftermath. The poem weaves together the themes of travel, the transition from life to death, and the psychological and physical landscapes altered by conflict. Rukeyser's use of dense imagery and fragmented narrative structure captures the chaotic and transformative nature of these experiences.

The poem opens with a juxtaposition of the living and the dead, setting the tone for the exploration of the boundaries between different states of being: "Coming among the living / at railway stations at the porter’s smile / train for the south alone in the brisk winds / a rumor of nothing at all among the forest / coming among the dead." This contrast is further emphasized by the shift from the mundane, everyday reality of railway stations and porters to the eerie and unsettling description of Dover, with its "pebbled ridge of the known world" and the "chalk forehead" of the cliffs. The landscape itself becomes a symbol of the transition from life to death, from the familiar to the unknown.

The poem then moves through various geographic locations, each with its distinct atmosphere and significance. Calais is depicted with "the rapid speech the warm hearth-colored brick / silver of trees the wheels in silver laid," evoking a sense of movement and transition. Paris, described as "the fluent city running by like film / in landmarks of travelogues," represents a place of both beauty and decay, with images like "the arch framing a gas-mask poster" juxtaposing the grandeur of the city with the ever-present threat of war.

As the journey continues southward, the imagery becomes increasingly surreal and disjointed, reflecting the psychological impact of war: "where the world ends as the wheels stop turning / people begin to live by their belief / Rites of initiation." This shift marks a transition from the external journey to an internal one, where the experiences of war and the rites of initiation blur the lines between reality and nightmare.

The poem's structure, with its lack of traditional stanza breaks and its use of enjambment, mirrors the fluid and often chaotic nature of the experiences described. The continuous flow of images and ideas creates a sense of relentless movement and instability, mirroring the disorientation and fragmentation experienced during and after conflict.

Rukeyser delves into the psychological effects of war with lines like "in an icing of sweat enter these tropics : war, / where initiation is a rite of passage, / simulation of death or real death." The repetition of "war" and "rite of passage" underscores the inescapable presence of conflict and its profound impact on those who experience it. The imagery of "simulation of death or real death" highlights the blurred line between life and death, reality and illusion, that characterizes the war experience.

The poem culminates in a powerful and haunting depiction of the Spanish Civil War: "until the world is a field of the Spanish War / ships with their tall stacks dipping crowd the air / seas of the sky cruised by anonymous planes." This imagery conveys the overwhelming scale and destructiveness of the conflict, with the natural world itself transformed into a battlefield. The final lines, "when the bricks of the last street are / up in a tall wave breaking / when cartwheels are targets are words are eyes / the bullring wheels in flame / the circles fire at the bleeding trees," create a sense of apocalyptic destruction, where the very fabric of reality seems to disintegrate.

The poem concludes with a poignant reflection on the futility and cost of war: "the world slips under the footbeat of the living / everybody knows who lost the war." This closing statement underscores the collective awareness of the loss and devastation brought by conflict, a knowledge that permeates the consciousness of the survivors and shapes their understanding of the world.

In "Otherworld: Otherworld," Muriel Rukeyser masterfully captures the complex interplay of physical and psychological landscapes shaped by war. Through her dense and evocative imagery, fragmented narrative structure, and exploration of the boundaries between life and death, Rukeyser creates a powerful and haunting depiction of the transformative impact of conflict.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...