Analysis of the Poem Sestina by Bishop Using the Psychoanalysis Theory - Essay Example

Analysis of the poem sestina using psychoanalysis theory Introduction Psychoanalysis refers to the theory of describing personality as put by Freud to be focusing on the act of repression and forces which are unconscious. The concept of infertile sexuality are also looked into together with the concepts of resistance, transference, suppression and making divisions of the psyche into ego, id ego and super ego. The poem sestina written by Bishop may be analyzed using the elements of this theory as will be realized in the subsequent sections. According to Freud (1950), the story behind this poem as related to personality may be revealed through a keener scrutiny of the form, narrator, attitude and tone of the writer as well as the language used. The choice of words is intentional, punctuations are made with a purpose every symbol reflects to some reality as a collection of all these may be used to describe personality through psychoanalysis. A subtle and honest understanding of this poem may be achieved through analysis of the writers reflections made in the poem other than the styles applied to enhance its flow. Analysis of the poem The unconscious areas covered by Freud which are the id, ego and superego where the ego is the principle of reality which reduces any conflict which may be caused by the selfish id demands as well as the moralistic perspective of the superego. Culler (2000) maintains, this comes clear in the poem as the grandmother is aware of the truth but she applies rationale in most parts of her life so as to keep the child happy. The grandmother is aware that there is need to keep the child happy rather than sad despite the misery surrounding them. The attachment between the grandmother and the child makes the child aware of the sadness despite an attempt by her grandmother to hide it from her. The attachment is developed due to lack of parentage as expected by the child and the grandmother who seem to have resulted from a tragedy. In the poem, a story about a tragic loss and event is told. Personal growth and sorrow is depicted in the poem. There is no direct reference as to the cause of sadness used by the writer but there are various signs and suggestions a man is being addressed in the poem by a child. The male figure is close to the child’s figure but lost for a while. On the other hand, the poem may be viewed to be a reflection of the writers own early life. Her father passed on when she was only one. The mother on the other hand was taken away as a result of a serious mental condition. As a result of the absence of both parents; the writer spent a better part of her childhood life with her grandmother. This created a sense of not belonging in her as she never recovered from the incidences of her parent’s death as meant by the perception given in the poem. The grandmother is viewed to put many efforts in amusing the child. At the later stages, the child is seen to be developing emotionally and through perceptions made and drawing. The child’s pain and misery are conveyed by the use of lexis such as ‘rigid’, ‘mad’ among others which are typical references of the child undergoing hard times. According to Ryan (2007), sharp contrasts are vivid between the grandmother and the child. The grandmother comes out to be making efforts towards lighting up the mood of the child and transforming life into a pleasant one but the child views the world with eyes full of tears. Eagleton, T. (2008) argues, the child carefully places signs in the drawing that are typical of little moons in the buttons which falls down like tears to the flower bed. The repetition of the word tears refers to no specific person ion the poem but impacts a negative sounding. the grandmother attempts to instill a positive attitude to the child so as to enable stability but her tears still signifies unhappiness which the child is able to recognize. Recognizing the pains and sorrow of the grandmother and the child brings a sympathetic effect on the reader as they are depicted to be in deep sorrows. As suggested by Weiten et al (2009), the poem uses the third person could be to signify emotional distance between the reader and the persona. There is much focus ion the grandmother at the beginning of the poem, but as it continues, focus shifts to the child. Much stress and emphasis are evident at the point where the child sees the teakettle. At the same time, the use of third person in the poem may be as a result of making personal link of past life of the writer which was full of trauma and emotions brought out in the poem. Bishop’s childhood life was more or less similar to the one reflected in the poem as she spent most of her childhood life with her grandmother following her parent’s demise. The repetition of the grandmother adding more wood to the stove in the poem may be translated to be signifying a situation where the grandmother is attempting to distract herself from the pains she is undergoing in life. It has been argued, (Theweleit 1987), Much of this is made vivid at the point where the child shows her the picture but she keeps herself busy with the stove. Almanac and hovers are used to signify the tragic events that took place in their life time. It is repeated to bring a constant remembrance of the tragic event. According to Waugh, P. and Rice (2001), what they mean is that if the events cause a feeling that is not expressed then they end up haunting you. The almanac is described to be birdlike and the poet allows it to converse with the stove. This brings about the child’s own vision of the world where she makes efforts towards dealing with the events that have been impacting on her negatively. The use of a cold rainy weather signifies sadness and a negative mood witnessed in the kitchen. The stove has also been used through the poem also signifies how much the poet needed much worth for the grandmother along with comfort. Stern (1998) maintains, this is meant for her to overcome the loss she has had as well as help her heal from the tragedy. Repetitions of the words such as stove, house, almanac shows that the child and the grandmother have been trapped in a vicious cycle which is continuous apart from being left alone. As the poem ends, there is an indication of endless pain as a result of this misery. As for psychoanalysis, the problem is lack of love in the parentage of the child which may be related with the writers early childhood where she lived with her grandmother. This is not as a result of the girl failing to deal with her emotions but as a result of her lack of it. She has no feelings hence tears felt by the object. There are various points of repressions and suppression in the poem as suppression takes center stage at the end when the photo is buried. According to Tyson (1999), the setting chosen for the poem has an effect on the emotions in the poem. The season behind giving the poem the title refers to the traditional form referred to as the pervocal form that calls for no meter with each end line being a puzzle piece. The grandmother is brought out to be traditional woman who makes efforts towards repressing her feelings. This in accordance with Freud’s theory brings out her personality as a hidden one so as to make a surface appearance different from her inner true feeling. Waugh (ed. 2006) adds that melancholy is the overall tone witnessed in the poem despite the grandmother clearly loving the child. Rain darkens the tone of the poem as well as the setting of the poem. The child may appear to be saddened by the fact that the grandmother has expressed loss of voice within her life at home. The grandmother internalizes her feelings of sadness. The child becomes more expressive of the melancholy evident in the house by drawings of the tear buttons. The real cause of sadness is not stated in the poem. Bettelheim (2010) argues, the subtle and honest tone creates a feeling of bitter sweet truths in the readers head about the lives of the child and the grandmother. It is argued (Lemma 2003), the writer of the poem makes reflections of her personal life in the poem which backdates to her early childhood life. The grandmother was much aware of the situation that led to her parenting the child while the child knows barely anything about the reasons behind her unhappy life. She therefore understands the need for the child’s happiness regardless of the misery that befell them. The child on the other hand realizes the sadness in her grandmother’s face which could be due to the emotional attachment that exists between them. According to Green (2003), the use of ego, id and super ego may be traced in the way in which the grandmother handles the situation despite the bitter reality in her life, she tries to hides it from the child and makes efforts to make the child happy. The writer’s choice of words, development of the mood as well as the setting makes positive directions in support of this. The concept of resistance and repression other than the division of psyche into various components as evident in the above section may help0 in describing the child and the grandmother’s personality. This follows the manner in which both the grandmother and the child handles the situation as well as the extent in which the reflection of their lives is associated with the writers own life. Conclusion From the above analysis, bishop’s poem may be viewed to make reflections on various personalities including her own. Whatever drives her to come up with the poem may be believed to be her own life as well as the innocence at childhood. During this level of development, there is an emotional attachment with parentage which may not be lost in the memory. As such, this is her typical personality together with that of her grandmother as may be viewed from a psychoanalysis point of view. References Bettelheim, B 2010, the uses of Enchantment: The meaning and importance of Fairy Tales, Vintage books edition, New York. Culler, J 2000, Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford. Eagleton, T 2008, Literary Theory: An Introduction, Blackwell, Oxford. Freud, S 1950, the interpretation of dreams, Plain Label Books, Burbank, CA Green, V 2003, Emotional Development in Psychoanalysis, Attachment Theory and Neuroscience, Routledge, West Sussex,  Lemma, A 2003, Introduction to the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, John Wiley & Sons Ltd West Sussex. Ryan, M 2007, Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction, 2nd edn. Blackwell, Oxford Stern, N D 1998, The interpersonal world of the infant : A view from psychoanalysis and developmental psychology, H. Karnac Ltd New York.  Theweleit, K1987,  Male Fantasies Volume 1, Women, Floods, Bodies, History, Germany. Tyson, L 1999, Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide, London, Garland. Waugh, P & Rice, P 2001, Modern Literary Theory: A Reader Hodder, London. Waugh, P 2006, Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide, Oxford. Weiten, W, Lloyd, M. A,  Dunn, S. D, Hammer, Y. E  2009, Psychology applied to modern: Adjustment in the 21st Century life, Ninth Edition, USA, Read More