The poem symbolically depicts uncertain and bumpy way in life experienced by a modern man. The poem provides a dramatic situation that builds in the reader’s mind while He or she reads a piece of spoken verse on the basis of the speaker’s thoughts and remarks. Similar ideas are expressed in TV drama “24” devoted to social security issues and prevention of terror attacks. The theme of death dominates in the poem as a reflection of life problems and emotional stress going into decline of life priorities.
The poem represents a shared experience based on personal perception of reality and a struggle with identity. Stafford writes: “”Traveling through the dark I found a deer / dead on the edge of the Wilson River” (Stafford). The author unveils speakers’ perspectives, involvement in or distance from the experience using symbols and language means such as irony and illusion, paradox and speaker’s tone. Using the theme of death, Stafford appeals to the emotions of readers by using a symbol of a night and the theme of sadness contrasted with ironic remakes and a struggle with identity. It is especially seen on different epithets that serve for making this poem even darker. The aim of the theme of loneliness and isolation in “24” is to develop on the events from night, midnight and the early morning that relate to the soul troubles in the main character. Death underlines problems and life troubles and hardship of life faced by the characters. The critical approaches used by the authors are expanded beyond its recognized limits.
In fact, the narrator is very pessimistic. It implies a theme of dreams that did not come true and were left, as being far from a narrator. It is about to be felt in the strokes where a narrator touches upon the edge of dreams:
My fingers touching her side brought me the reason—
her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting,
It is rather fascinating to know that the bitter truth of life appears to be rather difficult to live for the majority, unless admitting for all, of people. A specific use of such epithets as “tail-light, steady, warm, red” (Stafford) serve represent a board of symbols that are applicable for illustrating the “veil” of the darkest things in life.
The key point of interest in such poem is the narrator himself, who is revealed through the first person singular. It feels like William Stafford encountered great problems in his life. The author is up to describe his vision of tragedies in life of people. He, as a poet, has rather fragile soul and heart able to realize the truth of reality. In this respect the following line can better explain such tension inside the narrator’s heart: “I thought hard for us all—my only swerving” (Stafford). Dramatic monologue is a poetic form that is usually referred to a poem that reveals a speech of an individual character; it is written in the first person and presents a single vivid scene through a narration of the speaker and psychological insight of his character. “a doe, a recent killing; / she had stiffened already, almost cold” (Stafford). The rhythm as poetic device is very successfully used by the author in this poem to convey the beautiful image of narrator’s dream.
By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car
and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing;
she had stiffened already, almost cold.
I dragged her off; she was large in the belly (Stafford).
Good choice and formulation of lyric help a reader understand the mood of the character and to share his/her. Dramatic monologues require an auditor or auditors; it is usually silent audience, with the speaker’s words caused by a critical situation.
The poem and “24” series may be interpreted as a metaphor to a life. Further still, it also passes with extreme speed like a dream. In the end we wish we could return it, live it once again. You start really appreciate something when you loose it. The narrator describes the feeling of anxiety and warm longing for something hidden in the dark. It is while riding a horse with “magic ease”. This resembles a sense of protection and safety experienced by a child holding a hand of one of his/her parents. The speaker depicts the indescribable, sometimes even unreasonable, the desire of many person for faster speeds, describing the process as “I thought hard for us all—my only swerving” (Stafford).
Reading this poem, a reader creates in his/her own mind an imagined dramatic scene, placing oneself in the described situation. The character is revealed in the course of his urge for the answer in life describing the dream experience that constitutes a dramatic aspect of the poem. The poem’s messages address the listener showing that the narrator argues with a second self, while a reader is turned to the speaker’s character. However, the end of the poem states that the fatal outcome for the narrator is nearly to come. In this terrific observation the main character makes out that he is doomed to be alone. Moreover, he recognizes that the dark will never end at all. It is especially seen when “pushed her over the edge into the river” (Stafford). The image of “river” characterizes the flow of events in the same dark coloring, always under the veil of the night. Thus, one should bear it in mind that William Stafford did his best in showcasing an entire story from life that may happen to anybody.
Works Cited
Stafford, William. “Traveling Though the Dark”. Web.
“24” TV series. Web.