"Second Wind"

Paper Summary:

In this essay, the writer analyzes Fred Chappell's poem "Second Wind". The writer points out that the information in the first verse establishes the setting as being the grandmother's home on the day her husband is being buried. The poem also establishes the grandmother's frame of mind, where she is observing the day as if disconnected from it. The writer notes that this shows that she is at a point of disbelief, where everything has just changed with her husband's death. The writer maintains that this makes the grandmother feel disconnected and makes her aware of everything. The writer discusses the woman's feelings as demonstrated in the poem. The writer points out that in the final lines, the woman finds herself alone just as she imagined she would. The writer concludes that it is in this alone state, that she finds her own meaning, understanding, and ability to cope.

From the Paper:

"The tone becomes more depressing in the next verse as she describes herself alone in the bedroom. She describes lying down, closing her eyes, and sitting up. The thing that makes her sit up again is the idea that she will "come down weak and crazed and sickly, waiting for my time." In the next verse, she same subject continues as she wonders if she will ever be able to close her eyes again. This section of the poem is showing how overwhelming her thoughts are when she stops to think about them. As long as she is concentrating on something, her sad thoughts remain at a distance. But in the quietness of her room, sadness floods her and overwhelms her. This makes two important points. Firstly, it explains why the house is a flurry of activity. People are busying themselves with tasks to stop them from feeling the sadness. This is emphasized in this verse, where the poet describes how Aunt Tildy will start playing the piano and singing soon. At this point, it is seen that these types of actions are not being done because people are not sad. Instead, they are being done so that people get some relief from their sad thoughts. The problem for the poet is that her sadness is so great that nothing can distract her from it. This is the second important point made in this verse. In one way, she seeks relief like everyone else does. But she is not able to find an escape because her feelings are too great."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chappell, F. "Second Wind." Retrieved March 11, 2006. URL: http://www.english.vt.edu/~appalach/readings/chapmorg.htm

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