The poem I chose was May by Edwina Attlee because it was written in such an unconventional manner. My first annotation was regarding the horizontal lines separating a number of the stanzas from one another. I was initially perplexed by only being able to connect such a separation to provide an emphasis on the prior or forthcoming material. However, the lack of pattern and vagueness led me to research the rhetorical choice. I was able to find a correlation to a commonly found poetic technique known as caesura (pronounced “seh-zoo-rah”). Although they are usually seen as vertical bars such as: ” | “, rather than the horizontal line found in this poem. With further dissection, I determined the usages to be feminine caesura due to the interjection occurring often after a short syllable and breaking apart sentences mid-concept. According to socratic.org, the purpose of caesura is to draw an emphasis on the pause and to provide a strong staccato effect. With this the effect can be seen with focusing on a particular word or phrase, to show contrast/depth, and to foreshadow what may come later in the poem. The first instance of this is found when reading:
“sorry sorry sorry
_____
John Clare calls May
a happy dirty driving boy”
The emphasis can be placed on both the words before and after the caesura. The apologies beforehand are foreshadowing the definition of May who receives the word “dirty” which has a negative connotation. This led me to my next discovery while analyzing the poem. A concept I discovered was that there may be a parallel storyline occurring between the horizontal lines. I noticed that it appears to be developing some sort of storyline or events and alternating with personal insight and commentary. The storyline is in relation to John Clare’s “Character” and May, who to my surprise happens to be a famous poet who wrote a poem also called”May “. This storyline is in relation to the commentary regarding the topic of sex workers that is explicitly stated in this stanza:
“Would it be public life? Watching the procession on May Day and waving at the banners for real real real life. My friends write about what their actions make them remember. Their procession is a pageant for the deaths of sex workers. A float for the racist murder of the women who run the massage parlor.”
The clear disposition the author expresses on the subject of sex workers reveals the real recurring theme of the poem. As it described an event taking place the author’s purpose and insight were provided following the separating line. However, I am not entirely sure if this was the goal of the author or if it was to solely act as a caesura. Luckily, while looking into this it also helped me decipher the constant metaphors with horses within the poem. May was referenced as a “white horse” several times and different colors of horses were mentioned. I found that a white horse resembles innocence, purity, and good luck.
I made a connection to the word “maidenliest” when describing a “glassy-eyed star”. The word’s definition of the word can be rooted in the term maiden modesty which is defined as a young innocent woman who is shy when it comes to the topic of her body, sex, etc… which once again relates to the theme of poorly treated sex workers and the parallel story of May being an innocent newly introduced worker in need of money.
Another notable aspect which is also a form of stanza separation, is the amount of space the author left between the ending stanzas for what I thought was no apparent reason. Again, following research, I determined that the line breaks or white space left between the stanzas are to allow for proper reading and visualization in the audience’s mind. It emphasizes each isolated phrase or sentence and allows the reader not sluggishly to skim through or robotically read the piece. The line breaking, caesura, metaphors, and parallel cutting of stories were all rhetorical devices that Attlee utilized in her poem May. Although the initial reads of the poem were without a doubt intimidating I gradually acclimated to such complex mannerisms and made inferences, completed research, and found meaning in her writing choices.
Alexander, this has got to be one of your most insightful and thought provoking blog posts yet. The way you were able to tackle such a difficult poem by diving into specific details is truly inspiring. Even just finding out what the horizontal lines added to the poem provided you and me with a lot more insight of what the poet was trying to get across. I enjoyed learning about caesura and the purpose it has. I was even more delighted when I learned that you researched the characters in the poem, just to find that one was a famous poet who had another poem called “May.” Connections like these are truly special and kudos to you for finding them. You did a fantastic job looking at the little details and then connecting them to a possible greater meaning. I’d give you a 100/10.
Hey Alex, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this poem. This was a very interesting read getting to know your thought process in how you approach poems. It stands out how we all have such varying approaches but we come to similar conclusions. I found some similarity between us in how we research the author’s and the others’ backgrounds. I think that your use of caesura and metaphorical imagery was an important and interesting perspective. Regarding the parallel lines and the symbolism of the horses, the horse being described as white was, as you said, a symbol of purity but also the mixture of other colors which contributed a different perspective to human experience and nature. Overall, I gained a lot of insight into how you viewed this poem and helped me understand it as well.