The Vacuum Poem Meaning

A husbands loss the vacuum is a poem that was written by howard nemerov.

The vacuum poem meaning.

The vacuum cleaner sulks in the corner closet its bag limp as a stopped lung its mouth grinning into the floor maybe at my slovenly life my dog dead youth. Reading poetry introduction to poetry by billy collins the theme that there is most focuses on is the experience getting out of reading a poem. Howard nemerov was a highly acclaimed poet often cited for the range of his capabilities and subject matter from the profound to the poignant to the comic james billington remarked in his announcement of nemerov s appointment to the post of united states poet laureate. Sheila parker 1 381.

His younger sister was photographer diane. Nemerov was born in new york new york to an artistically inclined family. Analysis of introduction to poetry amp. The vacuum by howard nemerov talks about a widower and his late wife and how he uses the vacuum as a symbol for her death.

The vacuum by howard nemerov duration. You can t look for a meaning that hides underneath just accept the poem for the experience it conveys. This symbol is one of sadness and tragedy for the narrator in this poem the poem the narrator in a way see s his. The vacuum by howard nemerov symbolism in this poem the symbol is the vacuum.

The fact that the poem is entitled the vacuum and not the vacuum. The poem uses the theme of symbolism to convey the relationship between a vacuum cleaner and a widower. Because you asked about the line between prose and poetry howard nemerov duration. The vacuum in this poem has a much deeper and profound meaning than that of any vacuum.

When reading a poem readers tend to just read the poem and then come to a direct conclusion and assume that they understand the meaning and not looking at. Howard nemerov was a highly acclaimed poet often cited for the range of his capabilities and subject matter from the profound to the poignant to the comic james billington remarked in his announcement of nemerov s appointment to the post of united states poet laureate. The poem expresses deep sorrow and sadness that derive from the loneliness of the speaker after his other half s passing away. The poem can be seen as a symbolic description of the experience he is going through after the demise of his beloved wife.

The vacuum is both a connection between the narrator and his wife as well as a figure of death it grins into the ground suggesting not only the traditional figure of death grinning as it devours people but also the current location of his wife underground. I ve lived this way long enough but when my old woman died her soul went into that vacuum cleaner and i can t bear to see the bag swell like a belly eating the dust.