Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Limited Liability" by John Ashbery is a complex tapestry of introspection, memory, and the bewildering experience of life. Ashbery's trademark obscurity and fragmented narrative style are at the forefront, painting a vivid yet enigmatic picture of human existence and its inherent uncertainties.

The poem opens with a declaration of a desire for omniscience: "And one wants to know everything about everything." This insatiable curiosity sets the tone for a journey through various scenes and memories, reflecting the chaotic and often incomprehensible nature of life. The mention of falling off a sandbar symbolizes a moment of failure or loss, a common human experience that brings sorrow and affects not just the individual but those around them.

Ashbery's narrative then shifts through various scenes and thoughts, from the mundane act of eating asparagus and custard in England to the revival of old memories ("the old guard revives its dug-in / positions"). This revival of the past suggests that while time moves forward, memories and history linger, influencing the present.

The poem delves into the private and public realms of human experience. Ashbery touches on intimate moments and their broader implications, suggesting that personal actions can have far-reaching effects, often in unexpected ways ("If a cock is being sucked / at a certain moment, it will not jiggle the seismograph, provoke regret / from one who is esteemed and dry, but rather break out disjunctedly / in another hemisphere").

"Cooperation is part of the school of things" implies the necessity of interpersonal relationships and societal roles in navigating life. However, there's a warning against going too far, a nod to the balance required in life's engagements and the risks of overcommitment or overextension.

The poem's title, "Limited Liability," is crucial to understanding its theme. In legal terms, limited liability means that one's responsibility or involvement in something is restricted to a certain extent. This concept parallels the human condition, where one is involved in the world yet simultaneously limited in their understanding, control, and influence.

Throughout the poem, Ashbery's characteristic indeterminacy and rich imagery create a sense of life's vastness and our limited grasp of it. The closing lines, with their promise of a future conversation under a larch tree during a storm, encapsulate the poem's essence: the continuous deferral of understanding and the perpetual seeking of meaning in the labyrinth of life.

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