Essay Questions

What are the inferences from the words “wound” and “red” in “Introspection”?

In introspection, the speaker discerns that in the heart there is “blood, running unfelt/From the wound, and the hand/suddenly moist and red.” Figuratively, the wound speaks of to the agony that stems from the fears that people shelter in their unconscious. Red stands for the ubiquity and concentration of the emotional agony. Emotional bleeding is sublime; thus, it is further than the physical hemorrhage that follows a physical wounds.

How similar are these poems: “Introspection”, “The Dead”, and “The River”?

Both poems are founded on the unconscious. “Introspection” defines the linkage between fears/ griefs and the unconscious mind. Similarly, “The Dead” illuminates how the unconscious mind activates phantasms about the deceased. Besides, “The River” concentrates on dreams which are initiated by the unconscious too.

What is the effect of the imagery of marine life in “The River”?

In “The River” the speaker dreams about a river which has organisms such a ‘trout’ and crayfish. The marine life stresses the splendor of the river which is metaphorical of the magnificent life that lies in wait for the individuals who opt to drink from the Biblical “water of life.”