Inescapably Me by Justine Chan - Essay Example

English Literature 29 April Critical Analysis of Inescapably me by Justine Chan Introduction “Inescapably Me” is a beautifully reiterated poem depicting a story of a guy named Quentin and his love for a girl named Ley. The poem is about the boy’s unrequited love and his desire to win his beloved’s affections although he realizes that his love will most probably always remain unreciprocated. Chan makes use of a variety of literary devices in his simple yet highly meaningful poem. Some of the literary devices used in this poem include metaphors, similes, imagery, allusions, symbolism etc. 2. Critical Analysis 2.1. Rhyme Pattern and Diction The tone of the poem is morose and it is narrated in third person. The title of the poem is in sync with the context of the poem as it hints about the action that takes place in the poem i.e. his desire to find escape and solace either in the form of death or in this life by winning his beloved’s affection. The poem is depicted in free verse which means that it does not follow a definitive rhyme pattern and the words are not rhythmic in their flow yet the readers observe an inherent rhythm and flow of the poet’s thoughts. It can be perceived that the poet’s style of writing follows the phenomenon of stream of consciousness i.e. one thought triggers a completely different or new thought. For example he starts off from talking about a clerk in a coffin shop in Hong Kong, which reminds him of a death or loss he has recently suffered, ultimately reminding him of his beloved Ley and his deeply ingrained feelings of love and care for her. Chan’s style of writing or the diction of the poem is very simple yet deep in meaning. By using easy language he encapsulates essence of meaning projecting the importance of love in an individual’s life which has the power of either making an individual the luckiest man alive or the unluckiest one depending on that person’s circumstances and fate. 2.2. Imagery In this poem Chan makes use of some important imagery which helps in understanding the varied perspectives of the author such as the death imagery and color imagery. The death imagery depicts one f the harsh and bitter realities of human existence i.e. this world is temporary and ultimately every individual is going to meet his end. Furthermore this life is a test where success or failure has the same result however love acts as a potion to make life seem more beautiful and enjoyable. The reference to the “coffin shop” as well as the last line of the poem where he says, “before Quentin buys those lead weights like shoes and throws himself off a bridge” (lines 29-30) both depict death. In the former’s case writer reflects on death as a natural process where eventually every individual is going to die. However towards the end the later lines can be perceived as a threat or a desire to die in order to end Quentin’s suffering and pain because otherwise this life is a living hell for him, from which he is unable to escape as the title also hints upon this reality i.e. “Inescapably Me”. The poet makes use of a variety of colors which adds an element of beauty to the context of the poem. Some of the colors which he uses in the poem include yellow, orange, peach and the checkered floor”. The yellow color symbolizes deterioration or sterility. While orange and peach are the colors of hope and prosperity however death engulfs the individual before he could relish in the bliss of contentment and happiness. The reference to Black and White color can be interpreted as the poets understanding of this transitory life where life is an amalgamation of good and bad happiness and sorrows and as he says in the poem as well that, “the rice wine poured on to the black-and-white checkered floor. Someone will mop it up later” (line 18) eventually everything comes to an end. 2.3. Allusions Chan in his poem refers to two literary allusions that is “Le Ballon Rouge” (Line 25) and “Achilles Heel” (line 10). “Le Ballon Rouge” is an Italian film about a little boy Pascal and his red balloon and the manner in which he spends some happy and good times with his balloon and ultimately his friend is snatched and destroyed by the some people. Under the context of this poem this reference results in adding a new dimension to depict love found and lost and takes the poet’s understanding of love to a deeper level where all good things come to an end and this life is not only temporary but also transitory in nature. As it is also stated in the text, “I watched Le ballon rouge, by myself at the theatre, but you/were never mine and already carried away” (line 25). Similarly the “Achilles’ tendon” also refers to pain and loss. Hence over fundamentally this world is a cruel place where happiness doesn’t last long. 2.4. Symbolism Symbols are used in the entire story. The coffin symbolizes peace or death. Death acts as a form of escape providing the individual with inner peace and contentment. The coffin symbolizes a cozy resting place where one can soundly close out the world’s miseries. The disheartened lover even shows that the person inside the coffin can fittingly fold one’s arms “hands over your heart” this can be perceived as an action of satisfaction with one’s lot in life. The bridge can be interpreted as a depiction of the irony of human existence according to which this life is a two way path where on one end holds happiness and joy in the form of true love, on the other end life is miserable and full of desolation and desire for a better existence. 2.4. Personification The poet says in the poem, “the flames lick curled paper and ink” (line 22) in this line he personifies fire by giving it the attribute of licking the paper. This dying flame can be perceived as the dying embers of love that are there in Quentin’s heart as he knows that his love is not reciprocated. Then again it is stated that, “Long screams of ambulances” (line 10) here personification is being used to depict the transitory period between life and death where man oscillates between permanent escape and life of utter misery. 2.5. Similes Since the tone of the poem is morbid as it is about lost love Chan incorporates similes which help in understanding Quentin’s pain better as it is stated in the second line of the poem, “empty and dark like garages” (line 2). The darkness and emptiness further stresses on the morbidity of the situation where the only solace can be found in a coffin. In the last lines it is mentioned, “lead weights like shoes” (line 29) here the lead weights act as a mode of walking towards death same as the shoes help the human feet from chaffing acting as a means of going from one place to another comfortably. 2.6. Metaphor It is mentioned in the text, “his bare arms speckled with tiny brown islands” (line 4) here the ‘tiny brown islands’ can be literally perceived as a reference to the dusting of body hair on the arms in clusters. Or figuratively it can be interpreted as some sort of spotting on the clerk’s arm which illustrates the imperfection of human existence and deterioration to some extent. 3. Conclusion Hence it is observed that “Inescapably Me” is a poem that depicts the tale of a lovelorn boy Quentin and his troubles and unhappiness because of unrequited love. Justine Chan uses a plethora of literary devices in order to enhance the beauty of his simplicity of expression. Furthermore the extensive use of literary devices such as simile, symbolism, imagery, and personification makes it a pleasurable experience for the readers as well. Works Cited Chan, Justine. 2010. Inescapably me, Pirenes’ Fountain. 2012. Web 22 Apr. 2013 Read More