“In Time of Plague” is a poem written by Thom Gunn regarding his opinion of AIDS and the disease it represents (Aaron). The poem follows the viewpoint of a subject whose gender is not discussed. Nor is it told what time of the day it takes place, though it is possibly at night, given that it is in a bar. Also, considering this is about AIDS, it may possibly be that the subject is male; however, a female could easily fit the mould the poem portrays. This paper will provide an explication of the poem, as well as a personal analysis regarding how it makes the writer feel, as well as his personal opinions of how the subject matter of the poem may be attributed to life and the human condition. Citations will be provided in the first paragraph using MLA format as described in Norton’s introduction to Literature (Booth, Hunter and Mays).
It is also known that the location has benches and possibly people. It starts out with the main subject being conflicted about his or her attraction to death and how it borders on the sexual. The poem speaks about how this confusion may lead to a decision causing his death. This is when he notices two men called Brad and John. They both seemingly want this death that he is conflicted about, but they do not realize what they seek. Instead they believe what they seek is to lose themselves. The main subject wonders if he is being foolish worrying or simply staring at the emissaries of death. While making his decision the speaker does not make his decision leaving the men to wait. Eventually, the two men become impatient waiting and move off into an inviting crowd, carrying the signs of life and death with them.
When I read this poem it was obvious to me that it was somehow referring to sex. I did not immediately see the homosexual connection, but when I considered that it was written about AIDS, I saw how a person might make that connection. When I think about it in a logical sense, I can see how the main protagonist is concerned about his own death. How he is conflicted by his own sexuality and how attractive the danger is for him. The reference to the needle in his arm is another reference to AIDS, given how HIV can spread among drug users. It is also a reference to the euphoric feeling that follows sex. This euphoric feeling is what drives the two men Brad and John.
It is apparent that the subject is attracted not only to them, but with the prospect of having sex with them as well. The two attractions are not mutually exclusive. He wishes to lose himself in that euphoric feeling, to forget life and its challenges. But he also realizes that what they want is death for all of them. In the end the question becomes who is the bigger fool, the one who questions the risk of euphoria, or the one who seeks death. Before the subject can make a decision though and give in to his desires, the choice is taken away from him. It goes into the crowd where the subject watches his chances at both life and death slip away.
Another way I believe this poem can be considered is not in it being about AIDS. But rather life itself and the feeling of death that sex brings especially in societal structure. If we consider that life as it is offers us more than the sum of its parts. Then the pursuit of sex and only sex to the point where nothing else matters can effectively deaden us. Deaden us in ways where only having sex can make us feel anything. A facsimile situation to this would be an addiction to a drug which makes the user so dependant that they are blind to everything around them and the euphoric sensation which the drug brings. In this case the subject, be it a he or a she is considering whether he should or shouldn’t simply give in to his desires as the ones before him have done.
In many ways, this poem is also a commentary on society. We as a society and as a people are addicted to so many things that distract us and make us feel. That we forget what life is all about. In many ways, it is the constant pursuit of sex and other such actions the reason we feel so dead in our lives. Because we simply cannot accept what we have in front of us and are constantly attracted to having more than we should. We are constantly attracted to the feeling of giving in to our desires. Giving in because it is easier to simply lose ourselves in the moment and feel what we wish to feel even for a little while. In many ways this is what has become of society and the human condition. We have given ourselves in to our needs and pleasure. We are addicted to everything from sex to food in an effort to fill this hole within ourselves. We are constantly searching for more than we have. We are constantly in search of the next item to satiate us, so that we may feel content and at peace with the world. But we simply cannot see how our addiction is leading to our own impending demise. All we have in the end is a short lived experience which blinds us to that which is truly important. Unfortunately, there are too many who suffer from the same blindness to help us see the truth.
Works Cited
Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. New York : Longman, 2009.
Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2005.