Explication of Paired Poems

            The poems “My Number” by Billy Collins and “I had heard it’s a fight” by Edwin Denby have different views on the idea of death. Collins paints death as something to be feared, while Denby’s view on death is less serious.

            Collins personifies death as a person who roams around looking for lives to end. Collins asks “Is Death miles away from this house,/ reaching for a widow in Cincinnati” (1-2).  Collins blames unfortunate accidents on the secret work of Death, who is “too busy making arrangements,/ tampering with air breaks,/ scattering cancer cells like seeds” (5-7).  Collins then uses imagery to describe Death as “shaking open the familiar cloak,/ its hood raised like the head of crow;/ and removing the scythe from the trunk?” (13-15). Here, Death is illustrated as the popular figure the Grimm Reaper. This imagery creates fear in the reader because the scythe is commonly associated with death. The narrator then reveals his plan to distract death, saying “Did you have any trouble with directions?/ I will ask, as I start talking my way out of this” (16-17). The narrator has clearly put in a lot of thought about how he will avoid death, showing that the fear of death dominates the narrator’s life.

            Denby, on the other hand, illustrates the fight with death as playful, saying “you wrestle with it, it kicks you/ in the stomach, squeezes your eyes” (3). Although the fight with death sounds painful to the reader, Denby’s tone makes the fight appear to be fun. He enjoys the thrill of the fight, and recalls that “it sneaked up on me like a sweet thrill” (6). Denby also thinks a person has control over their own fate, and death can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle. This contrasts Collins’ view of death because he thinks a person has no influence over their own fate. Denby further shows his lighter view of death by saying “the crazy thing, so crazy it gives me a kick” (13). Here, he finds parts of death to be humorous, yet he “can’t get over that minute of dying so quick” (14). Denby shows a small fear of death in this line, because he realizes that death comes quickly and unexpectedly. This idea is more similar to Collins’ view of death.

Marlow's Changing Views on Kurtz

Marlow’s feelings about Kurtz constantly change throughout his recollection of his time spent in the Congo. When he first hears about Kurtz, he has a strong desire to meet him. This desire slowly fades as he realizes the cruelties forced upon the natives, all for greed and the collection of ivory. Marlow meets a Russian trader, who is a loyal follower of Kurtz. At the Inner Station, Marlow sees severed heads on stakes and learns they are heads of rebels. Instead of being disgusted, Marlow is not surprised at this act of savagery. As the trader tells Marlow about his admiration for Kurtz, Marlow believes that “it did not occur to him that Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine” (139).

            Once Kurtz is on the boat, Marlow realizes that the manager came solely to take Kurtz’s ivory. Kurtz tells the manager that he is “not so sick as you would like to believe” (143) and does not believe that the manager came to rescue him. However, he stands up for Kurtz, telling the manager that he thinks Kurtz is “a remarkable man” (144). This action isolates Marlow from the rest of the people on board, yet he still remains loyal to Kurtz. Marlow learns from the trader that Kurtz ordered the attack on the ship because “he hated sometimes the idea of being taken away” (145). The trader trusts Marlow to maintain Kurtz’s reputation. Marlow remains loyal to his promise and thinks that “it was ordered I should never betray him- it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice” (147).

            Throughout the boat ride back to Europe, Marlow becomes Kurtz’s companion and develops respect for him. After Kurtz dies and Marlow becomes ill, he believes he must continue to live in order to “show my [Marlow’s] loyalty to Kurtz once more” (154). His close brush with death makes Marlow realize that “Kurtz was a remarkable man. He has something to say. He said it” (155). Once back in Brussels, he refuses to release all of Kurtz’s private documents, and tears the postscript off the report on the Suppression of Savage Customs in order to maintain his heroic reputation. At the end of the story, Marlow meets Kurtz’s fiancée, who is still mourning a year after Kurtz’s death. Marlow tells her that Kurtz’s last word was her name to avoid negative feelings about Kurtz. Overall, Marlow develops a deep respect and admiration for Kurtz, resulting in his utmost loyalty, even after his death. 

"Siren Song" Explication

 “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood shows the continuous process of Sirens seducing male victims into death. The poem makes several allusions to Sirens, which were creatures in Greek mythology that lured sailors into shipwreck. The song is “irresistible” (3), as no man can resist jumping off the boat towards the Sirens, “even though they see the beached skulls” (6). No one can evade the seductive power of the Siren’s song, and no one knows it because “anyone who has heard it is dead” (9). The Siren then asks the reader to “get me out of this bird suit” (10-11). Sirens were affiliated with birds due to their sweet voices. The Siren expresses her discontent with her situation. She tells the reader that she hates “squatting on this island, all picturesque and mythical” (14-15). The diction here relates to actions of birds, which further illustrates the bird-like nature of the Sirens. The narrator refers to the other Sirens as “maniacs” (16) and thinks their song is “fatal and valuable”. These words are contrasting, since it means the song is both deadly and useful. The Siren uses the song to attract men, yet these men ultimately die. The Siren implies that she is lonely and looking for a companion. The Siren teases the reader, saying she will “only tell the secret to you, to you, only to you. Come closer” (19-21). The Siren entices the reader to come closer, which is either a trap or a real attempt at companionship. The Siren claims that the song is “a cry for help” and the reader tells the reader that she wants someone to save her. At the end of the poem, the Siren admits that it “is a boring song, but it works every time” (26-27). This reveals that the Siren was merely tricking the reader into falling for her trap. Although she is tired of the routine, she continues to use the song as means of luring her victims. She wishes that men didn’t always focus on her artificial beauty and the sound of her voice. Instead, the Siren wishes that men focused on the personalities of women.    

Info About the Congo Free State

The Congo Free State was privately owned by Leopold II, the King of Belgium. Leopold was the chairman of the Congo and used the state to exploit copper, rubber, and other minerals. The people were treated brutally, all to gain capital from the resources. The colonists severely mistreated the native population to increase rubber production, which became popular after the increased use of cars. The colony was monitored by the Belgium army, called the Force Publique (FP).  In enforce the rubber quotas, the FP would cut limbs off the natives, and this practice was used throughout the Congo Free State. These severed limbs were supposed to pay back the amount of the quota that wasn’t fulfilled. Villages would occasionally attack each other in attempts to gather hands. Officers raided villages that protested Belgian rule. It is predicted that over half the native population died during the Belgian reign.

            Other international powers, especially Great Britain, protested the treatment of the locals. This pressure eventually forced the Belgian parliament to take the Congo Free State away from the king. The colony was then called the Belgian Congo, and it was put into the rule of the elected Belgian government.

            It is hard to conceptualize how harshly the natives were treated. It seems as though it was a game among the officers to see who can collect the most limbs, which were somewhat treated as currency. Logistically, it doesn’t make sense to cut off hands, because the person will no longer be able to work. No matter how much rubber they were producing prior to losing their hands, it is more than what can be produced without any hands. Overall, the situation sounds like a severe abuse of power. On the other hand, I am glad that other nations protested against the inhumane treatment of the locals and demanded that Leopold lose power of the colony.

Works Cited: http://cobweb.sfasu.edu/sbradley/Classes/homepages/Congo_Free_State/