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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
Lynn Emanuel's poem "One Summer Hurricane Lynne Spawns Tornados as Far West as Ely" personifies a storm, infusing it with human characteristics and emotions to vividly portray its impact on a landscape and community. This approach enhances the dramatic and unsettling nature of the storm, emphasizing its force and the emotional response it elicits from those it affects. The opening line immediately establishes the storm's ominous presence: "The storm with my name dragged one heavy foot over the roads of the county." By attributing the storm with "my name," Emanuel creates a personal connection, suggesting a kind of responsibility or identification with the natural phenomenon. This connection is deepened by the description of the storm as having a "heavy foot," personifying the storm as a weary or burdened traveler, making its impact felt heavily across the landscape. Emanuel's use of imagery further intensifies the storm's characterization: "It was a bulge in a black raincoat, pointed and hard as the spike in a railroad tie; it dipped like a dowser's rod and screamed like the express at the bend at Elko." Here, the storm is depicted as menacing and dangerous, with the simile of a "spike in a railroad tie" suggesting destruction and the capability to pierce or break. The comparison to a "dowser's rod" implies an uncontrollable, searching nature, while its scream likens it to a train—an unstoppable, powerful force hurtling through space. The poet also paints the storm as a transformative agent: "It made the night feverish and the sky burn with the cold blue fire of a motel sign." This line not only evokes the eerie, unnatural light often associated with storms but also connects the natural event with human-made elements, blending the natural and the artificial in a shared experience of the tempest. The climax of the poem centers on the impact on the town itself, as Emanuel writes: "Oh that small hell of mine nipped at the town, turned the roads to mud, lingered at the horizon, a long clog, a sump." The storm is described with almost devilish delight ("small hell of mine"), suggesting mischief and malevolence. The verbs "nipped," "turned," and "lingered" convey actions that are both destructive and persistent, indicating the storm’s lasting impact on the environment and its inhabitants. Finally, Emanuel concludes with a powerful metaphor that captures the collective emotional response of the community: "All sigh and lamentation, the whole city of grief rose up to face that black boot that waited to kick us open like a clay pot." This imagery is poignant and violent, with the storm depicted as a "black boot" ready to shatter the fragility of the community, likened to a "clay pot." This not only highlights the vulnerability of the people facing natural disasters but also evokes a sense of inevitability and helplessness against such powerful forces. Overall, Emanuel's poem uses vivid imagery and personification to create a dynamic and emotionally charged portrayal of a storm. The storm, bearing the poet’s name, becomes a character in its own right—a destructive yet integral part of the narrative she weaves, reflecting the complex interplay between human beings and the uncontrollable forces of nature.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TORNADO SURVIVOR by HEATHER MCHUGH TORNADO WEATHER by ERIC PANKEY TORNADO WARNING by KARL SHAPIRO AFTER THE TORNADO by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE FROST TEXAS TORNADO BLUES by TEXAS ALEXANDER |
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