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-Born: November 9, 1928
Newton, Massachusetts
-Died: October 4, 1974
-Raised in a middle class family
-Father was an alcoholic
-Mother made things more difficult with the family
-would go with her aunt "Nana", very close with her.
-was also sexually abused by her parents during her childhood
-Grew up afraid of her parents abandoning her
-Later traumatized by her aunt's breakdowns and hospitalization
-Hated school, hard time focusing and behaving. school wanted her to be counseled, parents never agreed.
-1945 went to boarding school, began to write and act Lowell, MA
-Attractive young women, 19 was engaged, but ran away with another guy named Alfred "Kayo" Sexton II
-depression when aunt passed away & husband was gone due to work
-abused her children during this time
-attempted suicide many times
-1957 joined boston writing group, influenced by Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, and John Berryman
1959 parents died, led to more depression
-fame led to sexual affairs and a relationship problems due to abuse and disagreement
-1973 divorced, led to loneliness, being an alcoholic & more depression
-depended heavily on therapy
-committed suicide October 4, 1974, after having lunch with Maxine Kumine she turned on the car in the garage and died of carbon dioxide poisoning.
This poem is more literal than figurative because she is describing life events in a more basic way than figurative.
Figurative: "Two little kids sucked up like pollen by the bee in me"
She is saying that her two little kids were taken away due to her own life mistakes and problems.
The poem is basically about her mental illness and the events in her life. She explains on how she was looking for her old home on 45 Mercy Street and when she does all of her old memories come back. She feels as she becomes her old self as she remembers all of the memories she had with her family and when she felt most happy and sane. She also explains her ways today as how she became a mess. On how her mental illness is the reason for her life to go downhill. Such as losing personal belongings, her husband children, and mainly herself. She wishes not to look back and remember her past that made her how she is today.
Literal: "I'm walking up and down Beacon Hill searching for a street sign- namely MERCY STREET. Not there."
Irony
I think its ironic how she says that her happiness was in her old home when she was always afraid of her parents leaving her as well as being sexually abused.
Symbol
Work Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Sexton
Something symbolic in this poem is the title "45 Mercy Street". This is a symbol of happiness and old memories for the author. This symbolized the positive in the negative life Anne Sexton had.
http://www.poemhunter.com/anne-sexton/biography/
http://blogs.kcrw.com/rhythmplanet/anne-sextons-original-poem-45-mercy-street-the-genesis-of-peter-gabriels-mercy-street/
The poem it self seems to be more concrete than abstract due to many of the straight forward parts of the poem.
Concrete: "I walk in a yellow dress and a white pocketbook stuffed with cigarettes, enough pills, my wallet, my keys, am I being 28 or it it 45?"
-"I open my pocketbook as women do"
- "I pick them out, one by one and throw them at the street sign, and shoot my pocket book into the Charles River.
http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst32096_45-Mercy-Street-by-Anne-Sexton.aspx
http://www.shareyouressays.com/117052/short-summary-of-45-mercy-street-by-anne-sexton
Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel (song about her poem)
Conflict
The conflict in the poem is internal conflict.
The conflict is internal because she simply explains how her mental illness and depression is the reason for all the tragedies in her life happened.
"Next i pull the dream off and slam into the cement wall of the clumsy calendar I live in, my life, and it's hauled up notebooks".
Imagery
The tone of the poem is very depressing.
I can imagine the home and people she described as she finds her old home on 45 Mercy Street.
The tone is very depressing because this poem is all about what she used to have and how drastically she has changed due to severe depression. Losing things such as family, belongings, friends and herself.
"Next i pull the dream off and slam into the cement wall of the clumsy calendar I live in, my life, and it's hauled up notebooks".
The theme of the poem is childhood vs. adulthood
-The theme is childhood vs adulthood because when she returns to 45 mercy street all she can do is remember the good times she had with her family. She also states "old me" as in back when she had some sort of happiness. As for adulthood, she is the opposite and says how she lost everything and is not as happy as she used to be.
Childhood: "45 Mercy Street, with great-grandmother kneeling in her whale-bone corset and praying gently but fiercely to the wash basin,
at five A.M. at noon dozing in her wiggy rocker, grandfather taking a nap in the pantry, grandmother pushing the bell for the downstairs maid,
and Nana rocking Mother with an oversized flower
on her forehead to cover the curl."
Adulthood: "I have lost my green Ford, my house in the suburbs,
two little kids sucked up like pollen by the bee in me
and a husband who has wiped off his eyes in order not to see my inside out and I am walking and looking and this is no dream just my oily life"
Mood
The mood of the poem is unfortunate
The mood is unfortunate because even though Anne's childhood was not a perfect one all of her happiness at the time disappeared when she became older. All of her blessings and happiness got ruined due to her depressive moments in life. She is also aware that her happiness may never come back.
"I am walking and looking and this is no dream just my oily life where the people are alibis and the street is unfindable for an entire lifetime."