“What the Living Do,” by Marie Howe is written in remembrance of her younger brother Johnny who had died from an illness linked to AIDS. The poem is significant in relation to the loss of someone and living past that loss. In the elegy, the speaker oppositely reflects on everyday life; her words are directed to Johnny, her younger brother, who has passed on. The routine in life continues despite the loss of a loved one. This essay will examine the content and value of the poem in relation to the psychological, emotional, and literary elements used by the speaker to express the contrast between those living and the dead.
The narrator is affected by the loss of Johnny as seen by the mess in the house. For days now, the sink has been blocked with no repair, the dishes are dirty, and the windows are open (Howe 78). Howe and Johnny discussed the house chores that had been left unattended to sometimes someplace where Johnny was. According to the poem, the living yearns and wants to live abundantly. The narrator is motivated to cherish Johnny’s life as she catches a glimpse of herself in the glass window and realizes that she needs to appreciate that she is living.
Marie Howe
Marie Howe is an American born in 1950 and raised in Rochester, New York. In her early years, Howe worked as a teacher and a newspaper reporter before deciding to pursue writing poetry and joining Columbia University, graduating with an MFA in 1983 (Academy of American Poet). Her works include “Magdalene”, “The Kingdom of Ordinary Time”, and “The Good Thief.” She received several honors and awards, including the State Poet Award, Robert Creeley Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and selection for the National Poetry Series in 1987 among others.
Her brother John died of the AIDS pandemic in 1989, inspiring her to write “What the Living Do” in his remembrance. His death changed the way she viewed and visualized life. She wrote on normal lifestyles and everyday tasks to bring out different life themes in a spiritual and mundane routine (Academy of American Poets). These works have appeared in various magazines and journals in the US. She has been influential in many ways, taught at various universities and colleges, and became the Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2018 to date (Academy of American Poets). She currently lives with her daughter in New York, where she lectures at Sarah Lawrence College and New York University.
During her time, America was going through aftermaths of the World War II and the rise of various movements that fought for the rights of laborers, women, and racism. Women began to move away from the domestic role and started working, taking up jobs initially done by men only. Moreover, homosexuality was abhorred by society and women suffered from domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other acts committed by men.
The Emotional and Psychological Elements the Images in the Poem Convey
The imagery in the poem shows the ordinary routine in life as she says the everyday we spoke of to show that the death of a loved one can cause one to forget living. “Wobbly bricks” clearly show that the bricks are unstable representing instability in life (Howe 78). She also uses direct objects as she calls Johnny by name at the beginning of the poem illustrating how close she was to her brother.
The poet fails to appreciate nature described through winter and sunlight as her grief gets to her to the point of complaining that the heat is too much. To illustrate her frustration, she does what the living do such as, driving, dropping a bag of grocery, slamming doors, parking, among other things, to take her mind off Johnny’s death (Howe 78). “What you finally gave up” brings out grieve and sadness as the two can longer enjoy good times together like before (Howe 79). The image of herself in the glass window that shows her “chapped face,” “blowing hair,” and “unbuttoned coat” help her to appreciate life once again and cherish the thoughts of her brother (Howe 79). “I remember you” at the end brings out hope as she snaps out of her grief and begins to cherish his memories even as she starts to appreciate life once again since she is alive (Howe 79).
Poem Structure
The poem is free verse, made up of eight stanzas, and 31 lines, seven of which have four interchanging long and short lines. However, the last section has three lines that maintain a long-short pattern. The poem has an unusual and yet a balanced traditional form, which appears to be a bit formal. It is like a conversation, though one way, as it starts with the speaker telling Johnny that the kitchen is smelly with a blocked sink and dirty utensils (Howe 78). It details life as she speaks desperately to unlock something or get some reply from her brother Johnny who is no more. As illustrated in the poem, she longs to hear from Johnny by “we want whoever to call or not to call, a letter, a kiss” (Howe 79). The speaker is casual in her reflection of daily activities that continue without Johnny.
The use of sound emphasizes on the events that take place every day in the world. Repetition is used to highlight activities that people do daily described by “again and again,” I, we want, and “more and more” (Howe 79). Rhyming words such as, driving or dropping, and thinking and living also represent regular habits. Alliterations such as “We want whoever to call or not to call” describe the loneliness caused by death (Howe 79).
The Tone and Theme
The tone is emotional as the contrast amid those alive and the dead brings out pain and sadness. The speaker wishes Johnny was there to enjoy what he had yearned for, help her fix the house, and communicate somehow. The themes of life, death, hope, grieve, and survivor’s guilt emerges in her conversation through such words as living, remember, gave up, spoke of, and I’ve been thinking. The author negatively sees everything until she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realizes she is still alive (Howe 79). She can remember her brother only because she is happening, which awakens her giving her hope.
The Difference between Hearing the Poem and Reading the Poem
Hearing a poem instead of reading it means that a person cannot see the shape, punctuation, and even knowing how far they are from the end. The pace from the audio or video is set and the emotions, which are clear in text, are expressionless. When one goes through the writing, characterization occurs that creates a reaction and feelings related to the subject matter bringing out the tone of the verses.
Conclusion
The elegy written by Marie Howe brings hope to the hopeless, especially those mourning a close person. From despair to optimism, the speaker moves from the everyday chores that have been neglected for days. At first, she forgets to do what the living do, but soon realizes that the dead need to be cherished as they can no longer indulge in daily activities. Although the world goes on after one’s demise, those left behind must carry on and cherish the memories of the departed.
Works Cited
Academy of American Poets. “About Marie Howe,”Poetry Foundation, Web.
Howe, Marie. What The Living Do: Poems, W.W. Norton, 1998.