Poetry Explication of Last Night by Sharon Olds - Book Report/Review Example

Poerty Explication of “Last Night” by Sharon Olds “Last Night” by Sharon Olds is a 29 short line poem in a single verse. The primary theme of the poem is loveless sex. The poem addresses sex characterized only by physical interaction which is devoid of love and emotions. The poem is set on the feminine viewpoint. Olds uses nature-drawn symbols and metaphors to describe the tingling clangor of the sexual interaction. The vivid description builds up tension in the poem as she uses self-asserting syntax and imagery towards the end of the poem. The speaker moves from an aggressive physical interaction to a submissive, sensual and gentle sensation as the poem ends. By her choice of diction and style, Olds has been able to paint the picture overtly and describe the indescribable. The poem reflects the real life society where cases of one-night stand of loveless sex are normal. The poem reflects on how it is quite possible and normal to have sex without any feelings but just for the pleasure of the moment. As such, this poem removes the readers from the ideal sex which ties a bond between two people in-love experiencing a burning passion, to an empty pleasure enjoyed by strangers. This poem is divided into three parts. The first portion runs from line 1-11. The poem opens in a rather harsh tone. This part suggests uncertainties of the speaker towards the sexual encounter of the previous night. The feelings and thoughts are filled with ambiguities and vagaries. The poem begins by painting the speaker as a timid and naïve person thereby depicting some sort of restraint. It then flows rapidly into a wolfish and aggressive part of the physical intercourse through the use of brilliant figurative language. The next day, I am almost afraid. Love? It was more like dragonflies in the sun, 100 degrees at noon, the ends of their abdomens stuck together, I close my eyes when I remember. I hardly knew myself, like something twisting and twisting out of a chrysalis, enormous, without language, all head, all shut eyes, and the humming like madness, the way they writhe away, and do not leave, back, back, away, back. The poem starts with a moving feeling but characterized by ambiguities, “The next day, I am almost afraid. Love?” the words “love” and “afraid” are concurrently used to show contrasting emotions faced by the speaker. This sets a heightened emotional perception to the reader as the speaker describes her uncertain and mixed emotions. The poem progresses to depict an aggressive, steamy and hot sexual encounter characterized by pain and discomfort. This can be demonstrated by Olds’ use of phrase such as “It was more like dragonflies in the sun, 100 degrees at noon”. This phrase suggests that the speaker undergoes pain and sounds to have fear of sex, “I am almost afraid”. At this point, loveless sex is setting pace as the reader is not aware that the speaker is sexually interacting with a stranger. As the next portion sets in, mood of the poem becomes clearer and even more aggressive. The next portion runs from line 12- 20. There is intense and vibrant sexual encounter by the two persons. Sex in this case is described with lots of brutality as the characters get lost into each other. Did I know you? No kiss, no tenderness–more like killing, death-grip holding to life, genitals like violent hands clasped tight barely moving, more like being closed in a great jaw and eaten, and the screaming I groan to remember it, and when we started to die, then I refuse to remember, the way a drunkard forgets. This part opens by the speaker wondering, “Did I know you? No kiss, no tenderness”. This phrase shows the readers that it was an empty and loveless sexual encounter. The use of the word “killing” illustrates pain. This word shows that the speaker did not enjoy the experience, but rather, it was a painful one. As such, we note that the speaker did not enjoy the experience while it lasted. This part shows that sex does not only depict true love and be emotion-packed, but it can also be a lustful experience. “Genitals like violent hands clasped tight barely moving, more like being closed in a great jaw and eaten, and the screaming”, is a phrase which strongly suggests a harsh, tough and perhaps a death like experience. The fact that she groans to remember the experience adds to emphasize the violent nature of the sexual encounter. The opening phrase “Did I know you? No kiss, no tenderness” suggests that the speaker is used to a passion-filled proper sex and not this type of graphic and intense sex. When the speaker says, “then I refuse to remember, the way a drunkard forgets” it shows the height of the embarrassment the sexual encounter evokes on the speaker. That is why the experience will rather be forgotten, never to be remembered again; as if it never happened in the first place. However, the word “die” is used symbolically, not to mean the physical death, but the climax of orgasm when the two are deeply lost in each other. The last portion of this poem is from line 21-29. At this point, the tone of the poem takes a drastic change. The loveless sexual encounter experienced during the action changes in the aftermath. After, you held my hands extremely hard as my body moved in shudders like the ferry when its axle is loosed past engagement, you kept me sealed exactly against you, our hairlines wet as the arc of a gateway after a cloudburst, you secured me in your arms till I slept– that was love, and we woke in the morning clasped, fragrant, buoyant, that was the morning after love. The speaker uses a romantic tone to describe the feeling of love. “You secured me in your arms till I slept–that was love”, this shows that the speaker has changed the loveless feeling into love. The aftermath seems to have feelings and emotions of true love; loving and calm. The speaker feels loved and is filled with the assurance of security. This last part depicts the role of the masculine energy penetrating into a submissive female. Olds uses “you” to directly place the reader into the face of action. The progress and end of the sexual encounter presents the female physical and emotional state at conflict. While the aggressiveness of sex invites the readers into something horrifying and loveless, the aftermath is characterized by calmness, love and intimacy. As such, the female becomes more vulnerable to the painful and loveless sexual encounter since the ends justifies a repeat of the cycle as the intimacy at the end ignites romantic emotions in the female. Olds allows the extremely aggressive actions to swallow the intimate act in order to place the female species at self- conflict. At this point, the speaker can relate to many women strongly. While the sexual encounter may be characterized by pain and some discomfort, men enjoy the aggressiveness and find sex very pleasurable. Furthermore, women find pleasure in the feeling the sense of security, love and calmness after sex. It is imperative to note that, from the poem, lustful sex may be intense but does not deliver the desired fulfillment and joy as would be delivered from a passionate and love-filed sex especially for women. There is also a difference between male and female sexuality needs. While men prefer the actual sexual action, women prefer the intimacy derived from the sexual experience. Read More