Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "January 1st," Anne Sexton explores the theme of financial insecurity and the emotional toll it exacts on an individual, using a mix of personal reflection and societal critique. The poem opens with a mundane astrological forecast—"Today is favorable for joint financial affairs but do not / take any chances with speculation"—which sets the stage for a meditation on the speaker's experiences with money and its broader implications.

The poem begins by recounting the financial habits of the speaker's parents. "My daddy played the market. / My mother cut her coupons. / The children ran in circles. / The maid announced, the soup's on." These lines paint a picture of a middle-class household where the father engages in the risky business of the stock market, while the mother engages in the more conservative practice of saving through coupons. The juxtaposition of these activities highlights the tension between risk and security in financial matters. The image of children running in circles and the maid's announcement of dinner suggest a routine, almost mechanical existence where the children are unaware of the financial undercurrents that dictate their lives.

As the poem progresses, the focus shifts to a specific memory of the family going out to shoot ducks: "The guns were cleaned on Sunday. / The family went out to shoot. / We sat in the blind for hours. / The ducks fell down like fruit." The act of shooting ducks, with the ducks falling "like fruit," serves as a metaphor for the ease with which financial gains—or losses—can occur. The ducks' fate, determined by the family's actions, mirrors the unpredictable nature of the market. This metaphor also carries an undercurrent of violence and loss, suggesting that the pursuit of financial gain can have destructive consequences.

The poem then comments on the broader context of war and its impact on the family: "The big fat war was going / She drove a pea green Ford. / He drove a pearl gray Caddy." The references to the war and the cars emphasize the material wealth that was accumulated during this period, but also hint at the eventual depletion of that wealth: "In the end they used it up. / All that pale green dough." The phrase "pale green dough" cleverly plays on the dual meaning of "dough" as both money and the raw material that, when spent or mismanaged, can disappear. The use of color—"pea green Ford" and "pearl gray Caddy"—further emphasizes the superficiality and transience of material wealth.

The speaker then turns inward, reflecting on their own financial situation: "The rest I spent on doctors / who took it like gigolos. / My financial affairs are small. / Indeed they seem to shrink." Here, Sexton exposes the vulnerability of relying on wealth to maintain health and well-being. The comparison of doctors to gigolos suggests a transactional relationship where money is exchanged for care, but perhaps without the emotional or lasting value that one might hope for. The shrinking financial affairs symbolize a loss of control or stability, as the speaker's resources dwindle.

The poem concludes with a poignant observation on the speaker's emotional state: "My heart is on a budget. / It keeps me on the brink. / I tell it stories now and then / and feed it images like honey. / I will not speculate today / with poems that think they're money." The metaphor of the heart being "on a budget" suggests that the speaker's emotional resources are also limited, constrained by the need to carefully manage feelings and expectations. The idea of feeding the heart "images like honey" implies that the speaker seeks solace in comforting thoughts or memories, much like one might seek comfort in financial security. However, the final lines—"I will not speculate today / with poems that think they're money"—reveal a rejection of the notion that art or poetry can be commodified or treated as a financial investment. Instead, the speaker chooses to value poetry for its intrinsic worth, separate from the materialistic concerns that dominate much of the poem.

In "January 1st," Sexton uses personal and familial experiences with money to explore the broader implications of financial insecurity and the ways in which it shapes our lives. The poem critiques the idea of equating worth with wealth, ultimately suggesting that true value lies in emotional and artistic expression, rather than in financial speculation.

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