An Analytical Discussion on the Poem At the Cancer Clinic - Essay Example

The poem under discussion violates the very stereotype of a great literary work. Unlike most of the classics, it is a very short piece of writing. And the main question regarding this poem is whether it can be considered a great literature work. First of all, I will focus on the trait of complexity. This analysis can be twofold. Firstly, we can analyze the complexity of the structure. Secondly, we need to think about the complexity of the content. Apparently, the poem does not have a simple structure.

The use of vocabulary is highly general with lots of words which are ornamental. Sentence construction is just like as if the poet was talking to a reader. The selection of words appears to be almost random. The poet is far less stylistic and highly descriptive in his way. Although the poem ends just in seventeen lines, the language is almost colloquial English (Kooser has avoided the use of slang words and jargons, yet he writes almost in the way an average, or below average, educated person would speak).

Strangely enough, very few words have been repeated. The adjectives and general nouns are almost never repeated. Synonyms like “restlessness” and “impatience” are used in pair, as if to reinforce even the minutest difference of grammatical meaning. Such a treatment of so many words minimizes redundancy in such a degree that a reader is unknowingly compelled to think a lot. There are many verbs such as “helped”, “take”, “holds”, “swing”, etc., which attribute to actions involving motor or sensory movements and/or perception.

If this is not a co-incidence, the poet has brilliantly created a stylistic sequence of scenes, and in each scene we see one or more persons doing something. Hence, although there is no actual or true rhyme in the poem, the poem has vivid visualization, detail work, and synthesis of very meaningful sounds exploiting the most basic English vocabulary of daily use. Limited use of prepositions, almost zero redundancy, and varied use of verbs are the principal factors that make the piece structurally complex.

If structural complexity is created by ornamental words, complicated syntax, etc., complexity of content may not be necessarily achieved. In the poem, however, the content has also become complex since the complexity of structure is principally due to a lack of redundancy (even prepositions like “of” and “in” are seldom repeated). Moreover, there is a highly appealing message to fight the deadly diseases like cancer. “At what must seem to be / a great distance, a nurse holds the door, / smiling and calling encouragement” (Kooser).

Such a stance affects the reader deeply with a clear and serious message. Simultaneously, since words are not repeated, verbs are almost never repeated, and the flow of thought is maintained, several aspects of the topic and the message have been described. The poem describes a scene of a cancer clinic. At first, the clinic is described by phrases like “open door” and “examining room”. Next, the physical and mental states of a patient are described. The attendants are also described in a very concise but relevant manner.

Finally, words with opposite meanings are used (yet they cannot be directly categorized as oxymoron). For example, Kooser writes, “