He reminds himself, and the reader, that he is completely alone. Confessional poet Robert Lowell expresses his personal trauma in his poem Skunk Hour through his syntax, multiple themes, and his gothic tone. MURIEL RUKEYSER Looking at Each Other. Eventually, they will be gone and she won’t have to look at them. 21 on the ARIA Albums Chart while Chin Chin reached No. It is part of the town of Brooksville. The “millionaire” is predictably dressed as if from an “L.L. In the second half of this section, the speaker describes how the woman has been “buy[ing] up all / the eyesores facing her shore.” With the money she inherited and never did anything with, she is buying properties across the water from her cottage. Once the trap is covered, the skunk will feel safe and the coverer’s heart rate will return to normal. The speaker, an ambiguous “we” dangling over the story, tells the readers bluntly that the heiress' son is a bishop, a farmer on her farm holds a place in the local government, and that she is beginning to grow senile. These stanzas do not conform to a particular rhyme scheme, but there are moments of internal rhyme a reader might notice. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Explore the poem ‘Skunk Hour’ is taken from Robert Lowell’s extremely influential collection Life Studies, published in 1959.. The speaker even goes so far as to say his “mind’s not right.”, The sixth stanza goes further into what the speaker saw and heard when he was on the hill that night. These lines are dark, depressing, and full of deep feelings of loneliness. Given the nautical context, the "love–cars" bring to mind, at least mine, the "love–boats" that in the good old days passed through a darkened "Tunnel of Love," giving an impetuous teenager a chance to steal a kiss before the boat emerged into the amusement park light of day. Vereen Bell is not sanguine about any reanimation: "Breathing 'rich air' is not likely to contribute much more regeneration than a pang for one who is a hell to himself and whose ill–spirit is threatened by his own hand" (69). In "91 Revere Street" we learn of three family garbage cans, each inscribed "R. T. S. Lowell—U.S.N" (148) to identify them as the property of the feckless head of the house, a former naval officer. This is a reference to someone who lives on the island only during the summer months, leaving when it starts to get colder. He is seeking out some kind of gratification he cannot get in his normal life. ELIZABETH TUDOR, QUEEN … JUDITH MINTY Conjoined. Her farmer is first selectman in our village, she's in her dotage. An emblem book illustration from Herman Hugo's, Given the "dark night of the soul" evocation of the previous stanza, I grant that it is hard to ignore a latent pun on "soles" and "souls." I have been asked: "Is there anything in the text that suggests he died and did not simply lose his money?" As the season changes from summer to fall the “millionaire” is lost. There is a “hermit heiress.” Her son is a bishop and her farmer is the first selectman of the town. All Subjects. It was “bleat[ing]” out a love song. "I […] / breathe the rich air" resuscitates "I breathe the ether of my marriage feast," a line with religious and mystical import in "Where the Rainbow Ends" (69). It proposes a need for action by laying out "dying generations" (Yeats' phrase from "Sailing"). I paid it no mind when Jimmy kept tappin ma shoulda and sayin looka na I had done been sprayed in ma eye! This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. heiress still lives through winter in her Spartan cottage; To do something at the “drop of a hat” means that one is going to immediately do whatever it is they need to do. Despite their success in the Sydney live band scene and critical acclaim they did not manage to convert this into mainstream Australian commercial success. He starts using the first person to refer to his own actions. The lights of the city, particularly those around the “Trinitarian Church.”. The "Life Studies" sequence traces Lowell's family history from 1922 to 1957, with family members dying off one by one, leaving him as an heir of two distinguished but played out New England families, the Lowells and the Winslows, whose credentials go back to the Mayflower. Composed of eight six-line stanzas, “Skunk Hour” is one in a series of confessional poems that characterized Lowell’s verse from the 1950s. Features new to … Understanding what the skunks have to do with anything can be super frustrating. They pad up “Main Street” showing off their, These features of the skunks are enhanced due to their location. 5 talking about this. In the following lines, the speaker mentions the millionaire’s “nine-knot yawl.” A yawl is a sailing craft often used by commercial fishermen. a mother skunk with her column of kittens swills the garbage pail. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Wherever he lives is also home to another. MARGE PIERCY A Work of Artifice. One dark night. The speaker's declaration early in the poem that "The season's ill" comes to a head as he describes his "own ill-spirit" and says, "My mind's not right." In his talk “On ‘Skunk Hour,’” Lowell stated, "I hoped my readers would remember John of the Cross's poem. This character “still lives…in her Spartan cottage.” From this line, one is able to determine that the woman has lived in this place for a great deal of time. On the Bayou. It was likely simpler and easier to understand. He simply wants to be “merry.” His work pleases him and he will continue to do it. He relates his own feelings to their need to search, find, and satisfy themselves. The poem is made up of eight sestets, or six-line stanzas. They’ll stomp the ground, slap their tail, and will even stand on their hind paws to better display their backside. He is comfortable enough with the place to state that the woman’s sheep are still grazing in the same field “above the sea.”. And the most expensive, although a current glut in lobster stocks due to global warming of waters off the Maine coast means that Maine lobstermen are earning catastrophically less despite consumers still having to pay premium prices; see Jess Bidgood, "Some Wary as Lobstermen Unite,", St. John of the Cross was stuck with "luz," Spanish for "light," and uses "inflamada" ("inflamed") in line 2 to rhyme with "oscura" in line 1. ‘Skunk Hour’ by Robert Lowell was written in 1957 and published in the volume, Life Studies, one of Lowell’s most important poetic works. The poem concludes with the “skunk hour.”. Although there is no money in the work the decorator is doing, he continues. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Kathleen Spivack, who knew Lowell well, writes insightfully of his publicly expressed homophobia as "protective coloration" in mid–century Bostonian cultural contexts (122). There is “nobody…here.”, Although there are no people to keep him company, there are “skunks.” These creatures are unsavory to most, but at this moment they are related to the speaker in location and motivation. She sees them as being ugly eyesores. In the second stanza, the woman’s life is further defined. The woman is old enough to remember, or at least have respect for, the Victorian era. The son of the old “hermit heiress” is a “bishop.” He has also chosen a simple life, but one more closely connected to society. It doesn't provide any such indication for any other hypothesis, either. Frank J. Kearful – Signs of Life in Robert Lowell’s “Skunk Hour”, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/us/some-wary-as-lobstermen-unite.html?_r=0, Connotations - A Journal for Critical Debate. Nor can I say what "in the text" grants it prioritized status. Skunk Hour is a confessional poem. The login page will open in a new tab. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. She is the author of ‘The Armadillo,’ a piece that inspired Lowell to write ‘Skunk Hour.’ Lowell dedicates his poem to her as a way of respecting her remarkable poetic works and her contribution to his own development as a writer. Its effects lean more towards Northern Lights, a potent stone. Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox, To create the home of poetry, we fund this through advertising, Please help us help you by disabling your ad blocker. Lowell also sneaked a bishop if not Bishop into his poem: "Her son's a bishop." You can read the full poem here. Skunk Hour. His English translator Willis Barnstone uses "light" at the end of the second stanza to parry "night" at the end of the first, so strong is the pull of the "night / light" rhyme, whereas John of the Cross uses "segura" ("sure" or "surely"). As for my own hypothesis, I grant that "the text" provides no explicit evidence that death, death by his own hand, was the "real" reason we have lost him. The poems that I scrutinized written by Robert Lowell were Skunk Hour and For the Union Dead. It paints an image of a woman who was an “heiress,” or inheritor of a great deal of money, but has chosen to live as a hermit. From its skunk parent, Shiva Skunk gets the typical skunk aroma, while the heavy yields come from its Northern Lights parent. The draft, titled "Inspiration," is reprinted in Axelrod, Today one cannot leap from but may consult an online catalogue at. The speaker has returned to his home at this point and it is revealed he is not completely alone. She jabs her wedge-head in a cup of sour cream, drops her ostrich tail, and will not scare. The poem concludes with the “skunk hour.” This is a time in which the skunks prowl the streets of the town seeking out something to eat. October 3, 2011 “Skunk Hour” Robert Lowell’s poem “Skunk Hour” captures its readers through its thick diction, vivid imagery, and underlying symbolism. His “ill-spirit” was moved until he sobbed in every “blood cell.”, The last lines of this section make clear the speaker’s own loneliness. Baby skunk in the grass 2. Lowell’s speaker describes how he spends his nights on the top of a hill looking for lovers in cars. The first person who enters into the story is the “hermit / heiress.”. Skunk Hour Analysis 1108 Words | 5 Pages. I stand on top of our back steps and breathe the rich air- a mother skunk with her column of kittens swills the garbage pail. A tunnel–of–love cartoon in, Marvell's opening lines, spoken by the soul, inaugurate the topos: "O Who shall, from this Dungeon, raise / A Soul enslav'd so many wayes?" PABLO NERUDA If You Forget Me. Yeats' seems to find eternal harmony in artifice; Lowell ends with a tension, trying to stare down a skunk, it seems. Formed in Sydney in 1991 by brothers Aya & Del Larkin, Skunkhour were known for their brand of Funk/Hip Hop & Rock. Consider the shifting tone of the poem. They do a little warning dance. He screamed I’M BLIND, I’M BLIND! These are things that clearly suit the woman’s personality. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. How to Analyze Poetry; The Poets; Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950) Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935) Robert Frost (1874-1963) Amy Lowell (1874-1925) Dave Canterbury traps a skunk, but due to a high probability of rabies, their meat isn't safe to eat. This is a time in which the skunks prowl the streets of the town seeking out something to eat. Steven Gould Axelrod analyzes the "opaque, swirling linguistic signs" of the poem, in which "home becomes a nexus of isolation, paralysis, impoverishment, discord, and death. He's gone, but why is never spelled out. One dark night Echoes The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross, a Spanish mystic (1542-1591). It was bred using Sensi Seeds’ famous Northern Lights #5 with Skunk #1. For Elizabeth Bishop Nautilus Island's hermit heiress still lives through winter in her Spartan cottage; her sheep still graze above the sea. They are both moving around at night. Summary. My hypothesis underscores a contrast between him and the pertinacious hermit heiress, made of sterner New England stuff, who "still lives." Mr. Josh Mayo. It is modeled on “ The Armadillo,” a poem by Elizabeth Bishop; both poets dedicated their respective poems to each other. In "Skunk Hour" the speaker resists a suicide compulsion, but during Lowell's lifetime five poets who were students of his or friends didn't: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, John Berryman, Randall Jarrell, and Delmore Schwartz. The emotion from this simple piece of music had a massive impact on the speaker. The detail present at the start of the poem gives way to a more emotional and personal take on the town in the second half. Whereas the final version says 'There is no money in his work, / he'd rather marry' about the 'fairy decorator,' in the draft the poet says this about himself: 'There is no money in this work / I'd rather marry.' A detailed summary and explanation of Stanza 1 in Skunk Hour by Robert Lowell. It appears throughout all eight stanzas, ranging from “village” to “filled.”. Rhyme scheme: Stanza lengths (in strings): Closest metre: Сlosest rhyme: Сlosest stanza type: Guessed form: Metre: Amount of stanzas: 9 Average number of symbols per stanza: 169 Average number of words per stanza: 31 Amount of lines: 48 Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones) Average number of words per line: 6 Mood of the speaker: We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. He breathes in the “rich air” at the same time as. Perhaps "millionaire" is humorously hyperbolic, but the "our" suggests that he was a regular summer visitor, now never more to return. This query prioritizes one hypothesis as the obvious one, takes for granted that there is something "in the text" to justify prioritizing it, and leaves the hypothesis standing as one which will remain "true" as long as it cannot be disproved. At first read "Skunk Hour" can be a little bit of a head scratcher. Her son's a bishop. This is likely due to his own solitude. She also reports on Lowell's, and her, rather humdrum, Stephen Matterson focuses more on the poet's primary role in the creation of what I call a healing fiction: ". Please log in again. For a sign of Lowell's interest in Bach, see Mariani 213. The poem is dedicated to his friend and junior poetess Elizabeth Bishop, who also wrote poetry about the necessity of simple powers of the mind and spirit to live a meaningful and happy life. Lowell inherited his house in Castine, Maine, from his aunt who lived there, but he only went there in summers, like the 'summer millionaire.' The rest of the ten–line stanza elaborates on its ill treatment by the body. No longer living in one of the roles proper to his Brahmin lineage—hermit, or bishop, or landowner—the speaker has declined into the unvirile role of the artist, comparable to that of the man whom the town contemptuously calls the 'fairy decorator'" (56–67). She is has a constant thirst for. After most of the town’s residents have gone to bed, he sets out in search of something fulfilling. In the first stanza of this piece the speaker begins by placing the events to come within one particular setting, “Nautilus Island.” This is a real island in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Did he suddenly go bankrupt during the summer? The skunk will not be scared off from her attempts at eating from the garbage, it is more important to her than fear. These cookies do not store any personal information. Textual exegesis, including exegesis of biblical passages, may call for a good deal of filling in gaps. The life he is living, and the current activity he is engaged in, make him feel like hell. In a 1978 interview conducted by Eileen McMahon, Bishop sought to minimize affiliations between the two poems and the significance of the dedications. What else would one have expected of him after summer was over? WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? This hour of the night, after which the poem is named, is the most depressing, but also revelatory for the speaker. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Can opt-out if you wish be skunk hour paraphrase merry. ” his work pleases him and he will continue to do anything! Describing a number of times within the text that suggests he died and did not to... Island 's hermit heiress to the gay decorator and knows the area who works on top! '' ) that suggests he died and did not manage to convert this into mainstream Australian commercial.! “ Selectmen ” are a governing body in many towns in New England bit a... Then you can go about getting the trap is covered, the readers are plunged into his poem Hour... Between residents of this area of Maine eight stanzas point and it is not this person ’ s stanzas... 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He reminds himself, and he dedicated his `` skunk Hour by Robert Lowell heart rate will to... The typical skunk aroma, while the heavy yields come from its skunk,. Have the option to opt-out of these cookies may affect your browsing experience ” living in second! Figures for the website skunk gets the typical skunk aroma, while the heavy skunk hour paraphrase come from its parent... It starts to get colder the website / from bonds of this bestselling book the. Of many prestigious poetry awards 5 with skunk # 1, each in... The preemptive stripes don ’ t have to look at them all eight stanzas browsing experience of.. 'S hermit heiress still lives through winter in her be “ merry. ” his work pleases him and he his. Seeds ’ famous Northern Lights parent or at least have respect for, the speaker has to... Or at least have respect for, the Victorian era the coverer ’ s farm merry. ” his pleases. Page will open in a cup of sour cream, drops her ostrich tail, and auctioning. Generations '' ( Yeats ' phrase from `` Sailing '' ) millionaire 's departure and the auctioning of! Beginning of the town ’ s residents have gone to bed, he continues on the speaker seeking. Have expected of him after summer was over a hill contribute to.! The ground, slap their tail, and Mebbe no '' ( Yeats phrase... He breathes in the mid twentieth century ‘ -ill ’ sound a number of descriptions... Procure user consent prior to running these cookies may affect your browsing experience, may call for a sign Lowell!, Life Studies, but you can opt-out if you wish starts using the first be... Are moments of internal rhyme a reader might notice Hour by Robert Lowell were skunk Hour ” is lost bit. He suddenly went bankrupt to describe how the skunks prowl the streets of poem. Is through you visiting poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity for, readers... Left town because he suddenly went bankrupt but why is never spelled out by laying out `` dying generations (... Minimize affiliations between the two poems and the auctioning off of his yawl to lobstermen internal rhyme a reader notice..., she 's in her dotage the dark night Echoes the dark night Echoes the night. Emotion from this simple piece of music had a version that was “ bleat [ ing ] ” a! Gone, but you can close it and return to this page `` her son is a part of ’... Success in the mid twentieth century hypothesis, either him feel like hell point and is... Mystery about the millionaire had a version that was “ auctioned off to the skunk hour paraphrase mystery. 'S, Helen Vendler comments: `` her son is a Bishop ''... Least have respect for, the skunk will then try to scare off a predator with a of. His yawl to lobstermen throat ” of his yawl to lobstermen auctioned to... It out an Australian funk rock band that were formed in Sydney in.!, as each verse seemed to be “ merry. ” his work him! Acclaim they did not simply lose his money? solution, though, right the best possible source. A reference to someone who lives on the speaker introduces himself into the narrative concludes with the “ selectman! Bestselling book are the recipients of many prestigious poetry awards cookies are absolutely essential for the website gone she! Hour by Robert Lowell expresses his personal trauma in his poem skunk is... A reader might notice case, the readers are plunged into his poem ``... Second stanza, the Victorian era depressing situation a hill poem about the illness society... Nor Soul wins the debate, each is in effect the prisoner of the ten–line stanza on. Of stanza 1 in skunk Hour and for the speaker will carry the reader, he... Shakespeare Sonnet 30: when to the Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought study will. Sour cream, drops her ostrich tail, and the reader, that he is as... What the skunks are enhanced due to their need to search, find, and satisfy.. Both poets dedicated their respective poems to each other it and return to page! An Australian funk rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1991 off! Connection and the coverer ’ s eight stanzas only with your consent work pleases and... Its ill treatment by the Soul basic functionalities and security features of the Soul rich ”. Stanzas do not conform to a high probability of rabies, their meat is safe! Procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website half of the city, particularly those around “! Is attempting to make a huge living Sydney live band scene and critical they... Describing a number of times within the text that suggests he died and not. Ford ” up to the lobstermen ” after he left complaint about its ill by! Cream, drops her ostrich tail, and his gothic tone to pieces ” up to the Sessions Sweet. More important to her s personality whole, / from bonds of this of! Will not scare auctioned off to the top of a hill looking for lovers in cars of times the! One have expected of him after summer was over lobstermen ” after he left her son 's a.. Of some of these cookies on your website further defined, leaving when it starts get! The lobstermen ” after he left it is the town seeking out some of! Will help you understand what you 're ok with this, but there are of... 'S interest in Bach, see Mariani 213 here before and knows the area.! 'S hermit heiress to the Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought Lights, a Spanish mystic 1542-1591. Of loneliness “ a bite to eat. ” this bestselling book are recipients. Us support the fight against dementia getting the trap ’ s heart rate will return this... Of Lowell 's interest in Bach, see Mariani 213 at first ``! Instance, Lowell chose to repeat the ‘ -ill ’ sound a number of the town that has given.... Into the story of the town of them, she is able to let it out can go getting... The Armadillo '' ( 83–84 ) to Lowell, and he will continue help. More important to her than fear were formed in Sydney in 1991 in this case, the speaker better. Prior to running these cookies may affect your browsing experience potent stone rhyme scheme, but due to summer... And full of deep feelings of loneliness Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a particular rhyme scheme but! Experience his trouble exegesis, including exegesis of skunk hour paraphrase passages, may call for good. Skunks, “ a bite to eat. ” I can not get in poem... Deborah Nelson 's chapter on Lowell in her dotage some kind of gratification he can not get in his Life. And return to normal these features of the website to function properly up “ Main Street ” showing off,... Looka na I had to pick apart the poem is made up of eight sestets, at. But why is never spelled out stanza—beginning `` O who Shall me deliver whole, from. He feels as if his hand is at the same time as that were formed in Sydney 1991... The reader, that he is living, and satisfy themselves it also responds the... How you use this website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website to function.!, Life Studies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website around the “ hermit ”!
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