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The Needs Of The Many Poem Summary

Decent Essays

Death is something that never gets easier to process. Every time you lose a person close to you, whether it is expected or not, it is a hard challenge to overcome. Whether you are young or older, the death of that person has a way of entering your thoughts and affecting your moods or actions. Sometimes the memory of someone they have lost can follow a person for years after the fact or only for a short time. Different people have different ways of accepting that person's absence and working through their grief. “The Portrait”, written by Stanley Kunitz focuses purely around a boy trying to understand his mother's grief when she would not discuss it. The opening line, “My mother never forgave my father / for killing himself” (Kunitz 1-2), …show more content…

Like the first poem, the opening line shows the first mention of grief by stating, “On the days we wept- / and they were many- we did it / over the sound of a television / or a radio, or the many engines / of the sky.” (Constantine 1-5). This allows the reader to understand that death has unfortunately occurred in the lives of these people at what seems to be a very recent time. This makes it critical to grasp the concept of how raw the “wound” is and the attempts they made to hide their pain from others. “Many afternoons / we left the house still crying / and drove to a cafe or the movies / or back to the hospital where we sat / dumb under the eyes / of Paul Klee.” (Constantine 10-15). This references an attempt to keep themselves busy with everyday activities as a way to keep themselves from focusing on their grief. Sadly, they discover that they are not ready for this yet and return to grieving; only this time, in public. Eventually, the grief-stricken people come to the end of their journey. “It’s been a while / we’ve cried out. We collect pauses / and have taken to actual / books again.” (Constantine 19-22). Beginning to spend time participating in hobbies that they were active in before they lost someone means that they are reaching the end of the hardest part of life. By this point, the books have become a coping mechanism which may also serve as a reminder of a happier time in their

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