Beneath the Surface: An In-Depth Investigation of the concept of drowning in Stevie Smith’s poetry

Type :

School essay

Pages :

3 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

10/02/2007

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

In poetry, the fact that something is brought up or referred to is irrelevant.
The theme of drowning is something that comes up in three entirely different poems that Smith wrote over the years.
Drowning ?resurfaces? in Smith's Advice to Young Children.
Third and last of Smith's poems that refer to drowning, is perhaps her most famous poem, Not Waving but Drowning.
Drowning is defined through a strange obsession in The River God.

Abstract

In poetry, the fact that something is brought up or referred to is irrelevant. Nothing is definitive or solid in poetry unless the poet absolutely intends for it to be. In stevie smith's works, it is difficult to try and understand how she intends for the reader to think. Her short poems and drawings make it seem as if she is not to be taken seriously, which could not be any further from the truth.
At first glance, poems by stevie smith may appear to be juvenile and intended for young audiences due to their relative short nature and half-serious cartoon drawings. However, by no means can smith be considered a "children's poet," or even an optimist most of the time. Much of smith's material presents itself as somber and melancholy, and with that, a number of subtle nuances hint towards a deeper, darker side of smith that may often get overlooked on the surface.