Thom Gunn's Poetry

Paper Summary:

This paper examines three of Gunn's poems for the use of imagery, social context, and the theme of death.

From the Paper:

""Still Life" is a poem about the ravaging effects AIDS has on the body. Gunn brings us into this poem with images of his friend's "greyish-yellow skin"(2) and how he will never "forget the angle of his head,/Arrested and reared back" (9-10). These images are also very real and gripping. They help us envision the crisp bed sheet in the sterile hospital setting. The most striking image is the last line, where Gunn cannot help but fix his eyes upon the feeding tube in his friend's mouth. Berger notes that since the poem begins "with the promise "I shall not soon forget," Gunn's poem works symbolically--but only symbolically, as the dire materiality of this frozen image continually reminds--as an act of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation" (Berger)."

More papers on Thom Gunn's Poetry:

• Analytical Essay # 23901 : "Comparison of 'To a Skylark' and 'Sparrow'"
• Comparison Essay # 120057 : "The Apology for Poetry" and "Faerie Queene"
• Essay # 33686 : "The Poetry of Longfellow"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: