Stevie Smith lived from 1902 to 1971, which was the pinnacle of new modernistic poetry. Smith was unlike most of the poets of this age as critics have reported that her work fits into no category and shows none of the same characteristic influences of the age. Although this may be true, many of her poems followed modern principles. An example is “Not Waving, but Drowning,” a morbid poem about suicide and depression. Morbid poems were not uncommon to the age, but this poem is unique because it contains wit. Smith also conveys the theme of this highly metaphorical poem threw devices that were common to the time period. The eternal depth of an individual’s psychology can be very deep, complex, and morbid without any outsider’s notice. This theme is derived from the use of skepticism, imagist language, and an interior monologue.
Skepticism is the act of doubting a state of mind. In the poem, Smith doubts the normal state of mind a suicidal man had. She gets into the characters......
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Approximate Word Count: 762
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |