Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Updike’s poem "Condo Moon" subtly critiques the transformation of landscapes through development while invoking the timeless presence of the moon as a silent witness to human endeavors. This reflective piece merges themes of modernity and nature, questioning the permanence of human constructions in contrast to the eternal backdrop of the celestial.

The poem begins with a community's reaction to the development of condominiums—a common scene of urbanization where previously functional or natural spaces are replaced by residential complexes. Updike notes that "there was a protest the board of aldermen narrowly overrode," capturing a moment of civic conflict and the common clash between development and preservation within communities. This introduction sets a tone of contention, highlighting the push-and-pull dynamic often involved in urban development projects.

As the narrator strolls behind a convenience store, an everyday act, they observe the moon hanging "wheat-field yellow" over the condominiums. The description of the moon as "a tasteful round billboard" cleverly anthropomorphizes and commercializes the celestial body, suggesting that even the moon has been co-opted into the human landscape of advertising and development. This image also serves as a juxtaposition against the "far fake turret" of the condos, underscoring the artificiality of modern constructions in contrast to the natural, albeit symbolically commercialized, moon.

Updike enriches the scene with historical depth, musing on the moon’s constant presence across eons—from "Crusader castles" to "fern swamps turning into coal," and "the black ocean when no microbe marred it." This sweeping, temporal panorama places the relatively insignificant event of the condos' construction within a vast cosmic and geological timeline. The moon, ever-present, has witnessed the relentless march of change and upheaval on Earth, underscoring the transient nature of human affairs.

The poet's use of the phrase "the moon makes no protest" is poignant, emphasizing the passive role of nature as it observes but does not intervene in human activities. The moon's light, adding "old weight—afloat and paper-thin and mottled with maria," to the scene, symbolizes how nature endows even the newest, most artificial structures with a veneer of beauty and significance. However, this veneer is thin, questioning the depth and sustainability of human impact compared to the enduring, if indifferent, natural world.

"Condo Moon" is a contemplative piece that reflects on the continuous cycle of construction and destruction inherent to human progress, set against the immutable cycle of the natural world. Updike uses the backdrop of the moon to reflect on the broader implications of these changes, suggesting a philosophical resignation to the inevitable transformations wrought by time and human ambition.

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