Swimming in the Morning

Poem Review # 103351

Language
Literature > Poetry

This paper examines the poem "Morning Swim" by Maxine Kumin.

924 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article the writer dissects Maxine Kumin's poem "Morning Swim" and notes that this poem has great imagery and rhyme scheme. It is noted that Kumin is a favorite poet of the writer's due to the way that she uses mundane experiences as a vehicle for serious ideas. The writer looks at the heart of the poem and then discusses the poet's word usage and use of rhyme. The writer maintains that Kumin definitely lives up to her reputation with her word usage and rhythm and concludes that it was interesting to delve in and draw out truths in Kumin's work.

From the Paper:

"Her poetry reads more as a conversation, its deeper meaning imbedded in the word choices she makes than the image she describes. Her rhyming of the couplets in "Morning Swim" was done skillfully to reduce the singsong impression of the words by using enjambments and slant rhymes. She gives the nature around her, personas of its own. For example, allowing the fish to sing her name or treating the lake as an intimate lover. The meter of the poem also enjoins with the imagery to enhance the readers feeling of swimming. The metaphors, simplicity, and the technical tricks it employs give "Morning Swim" a memorable feeling of deeper meaning. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Ellman, Richard (Editor); O'Clair, Robert (Editor); Ramazani, Jahan (Editor); Ellman, Richard (Author). Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. W. W. Norton & Company; 3 Sub edition. 2003