For The Anniversary of My For The Anniversary of My DeathDeath

By: W.S. MerwinBy: W.S. Merwin

Student

Merwin’s Early LifeMerwin’s Early Life

Born September 30, 1927 Childhood College

– Princeton University (Class of 1948)

Married Dorothy Jeanne Ferry

Translator Met and Married Dido

Milroy in Europe

Merwin’s Major WorksMerwin’s Major Works

1952- A Mask for Janus– Yale Series of Younger Poets

1956- Green with Beasts1960- The Drunk in the Furnace1967- The Lice

– “For The Anniversary of My Death”YouTube - W.S. Merwin

reading in Berkeley 1998

Significance of the Poem in Significance of the Poem in HistoryHistory

1967– Civil Rights– LBJ exits office– Counterculture– Vietnam War

Merwin = Conservative = Hates Vietnam War

TRANSLATION: The poem was a stab at Vietnam

Significance of the Poem in Significance of the Poem in Merwin’s LifeMerwin’s Life

Recent Divorce Remarriage Friendship

– Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes

Breakdown of the PoemBreakdown of the Poem

Every year without Every year without knowing it I have passed knowing it I have passed

the daythe day Vietnam Look

– Looking forward Coming home Death

Personal Outlook– Views it as if it is a birthday

Future- Death Past- Birthday

When the last fires will When the last fires will wave to mewave to me

Vietnam– A soldier in Hell

waving goodbye Death Going home

Personal– Afterlife view

FIRE + DEATH = HELL

And the silence will set out And the silence will set out

Vietnam– Leaving the violence for home– Silence

Death

Personal– Emptiness in the afterlife

Tireless traveller Tireless traveller

Vietnam– Soldier

Personal– A long life leading to

nothing

Like the beam of a Like the beam of a lightless star lightless star

Vietnam– Death for an unknown

cause– Thing without a source

Personal– Emptiness and

nothingness of something thought to be great

Then I will no longer/ find Then I will no longer/ find myself in life as in a myself in life as in a

strange garment strange garment Vietnam

– Literally Uniforms and fighting in them and for what they

stand for

– Vietnam is like a straightjacketPersonal

– Stuck in the formality of life– He wants to break free

Writing styles

Surprised at the earth Surprised at the earth

Vietnam– Government calling for the war when it has no

evidence Imperialistic world

Personal– The goings on in earth around him

Friendship

And the love of one And the love of one woman woman

Vietnam– Innocence of women in the war

Personal– Reflection on things he sees on earth

His own relationship with his wives Looking at his friend’s relationship with women

And the shamelessness of And the shamelessness of men men

Vietnam– Shameless killings of people– Hidden shot at the government

Personal– Reflection on things he sees on earth

Looking at himself in the mirror Looking at men in general

As today writing after As today writing after three days of rainthree days of rain

Vietnam– Switch of views

Back home

Personal– Away from death looking back at himself in the

present After a tough time in his life

– Divorce– Friendship with Hughes

Hearing the wren sing and Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease the falling cease

Vietnam– Hearing the sounds

back home– A glimpse of beauty

after the war

Personal– He is hearing reality

again after talking about his death

And bowing not knowing And bowing not knowing to whatto what

Vietnam– Still clueless about the importance and

reasoning of the war– Don’t know why the soldiers had to go in the

first placePersonal

– Not knowing what to believe about spiritual world

Afterlife dilemma

Poetic DevicesPoetic Devices

“Merwin had honed the form we most often associate with him: the spare and sometimes epigrammatic line, simple language, and the absence of allusion, myth, rhyme, and punctuation” (Gordon).

Enjambment throughoutSimile

– Like the beam of a lightless star

Low diction“No Style” style

– Free verse if anything

Improper meter– No stress pattern– No Rhyme scheme

Voice– 3rd Person POV

Merwin’s own voice

The Big FinishThe Big Finish

Political shot about the Vietnam warShows his own insecurities about deathDEATH = NOTHINGNESS

Works CitedWorks Cited Gordon, Lois. "W.S. Merwin. "Contemporary Poets. 4th ed. 1985. Jones, Peter. 50 American Poets. London: Pan Books, 1980. Merwin, William Stanley. The Lice. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1969. Ousby, Ian. "W.S. Merwin."The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English.

1988. Parker, Peter. "W.S. Merwin."A Reader's Guide to Twentieth Century Writers.

1996. Pericles, Hamlet. "Poetry analysis: For the Anniversary of My Death, by W.S.

Merwin." Helium. 18 JAN 2008. 14 Apr 2008 <http://www.helium.com/items/806170-january 2008for-anniversary-death>.

"Poetry Criticism: W. S. Merwin." Enotes.com. 15 Apr. 25 Apr 2008<http://www.enotes.com/poetry-criticism/merwin-w-s/introduction?print=1>.

"W.S. Merwin." Poets.org. 2008. Academy of American Poets. 14 Apr 2008<http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/123.