One_Flesh

YEAR 3 LANGUAGE ARTS B WRITTEN COMMENTARY ON POEM- ‘ONE FLESH’ The poem “One Flesh” talks about the marriage of an elderly couple, as seen through the eyes of the speaker, their daughter. Though initially strong, the relationship has, over time, seemingly stagnated and broken down. The title of the poem, “One Flesh”, serves as an allusion to the bible verse in Genesis 2:24, “therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cleave unto his wife, and they shall become one flesh”. This thus allows the reader to immediately discern the theme of this poem, that is, marriage. “Lying apart now, each in a separate bed.” This line introduces us to the apparent distance between the couple, that they sleep separately, which is abnormal for married couples, as sleeping in the same bed is seen as an expression of love and physical intimacy. This could also be seen as a reference to the physical separation and isolation of the two, that they are not together as would be expected, but rather apart physically. The next line, “he with a book…she like a child dreaming of childhood” further emphasizes this point, as they are engaged in separate activities. The bedroom is often the place where physical intimacy is expressed most clearly and the heat of passion reaches its peak in sexual intercourse, yet both of these activities are also sedate and exclusive, mirroring their relationship. This also serves to show that the two share little in common and are too wrapped up in themselves – in his case, his book, and in hers, her memories, to reach out and engage the other half in any common activity, as a typical married couple would. “Her eyes fixed on the shadows overhead” also reinforces the sedate nature of their activities, as the shadows appear to be stationary, a reference to the static nature of their relationship, as observed by the speaker. The second stanza begins with the line “Tossed up like flotsam from a former passion”, a metaphor which compares the couple to the debris and wreckage of a formerly passionate and mutual relationship, in that they were once together, but have since been split apart, and are no longer moving as one ship but are being tossed around passively by the currents, in a fashion which resembles that of their own relationship – they seem apathetic and make no effort to change the situation at hand, and are content to drift on their own. In the course of the next few lines, the speaker suggests that their passion has cooled, and no longer share any sign of physical intimacy. This can be seen in the line “how cool they lie”, in contrast to the heat of passion which has all but died and is conspicuously absent in this relationship. “They hardly ever touch” again shows their lack of physical intimacy and passion, that eye contact was avoided in paragraph 1, and they now abstain from even the slightest of physical contacts. The next paragraph touches on this also, as the speaker opens the next paragraph with the line “strangely apart, yet strangely close together”, using this paradox to first lament on how their distance is abnormal for a married couple, and then to show a glimmer of optimism, that perhaps their love is not all based on physical intimacy, but instead on something deeper and less obvious. While it could be interpreted that their relationship is on its last legs and the two have grown apart, it could also be interpreted that their relationship has matured and grown to the point where it transcends physical intimacy and they now connect emotionally and spiritually on a deeper plane than lust. This can be interpreted from the phrase “all men elsewhere” in the first paragraph, that, even in her daydreams, men are far removed from her thoughts – she is content with her husband. Also, the line “chastity faces them” can be construed to mean that they have mutually decided to forgo sexual intercourse, as they have love that surpasses physical passion and is based on a deeper understanding and genuine mutual affection. The next line, “silence between them like a thread to hold and not wind in” would seem to support this point, in that their lack of verbal communication need not necessarily signify that they have nothing to talk about, sharing nothing in common and thus an indication that their marriage is falling apart; it is not the awkward silence of an absence of conversation, but rather that there is no real need for conversation – they have grown to be close in thought and spirit, and have perfect understanding of the other’s feelings and viewpoints. Yet the speaker does not seem to notice this change, as she goes on to bemoan that “time itself’s a feather, touching them gently. Do they know they’re old”, as she laments that their relationship has, in her viewpoint, succumbed to the ravages of time and gradually worn down, as she asks why they have not taken steps to remedy this fatal problem – is it that they simply have not noticed' Do they realise that while she has grown up, they have grown old–and apart' What is the reason for this apathy' This shows the speaker’s helplessness, as, in her mind, she is watching the marriage of her parents submit to the gradual, persistent wearing-down of time, as though a feather, gently wearing away everything her parents ever had, ever shared. “Those two who are my father and mother” signify a break from the previous impersonal and cold “he” and “she”, as the reason for her sadness and depression is revealed – she is their child, and she feels powerless watching them drift apart from each other, knowing that she can do nothing to help. The final line, “whose fire from which I came, has now grown cold” reminds us that the speaker was born from their previously shared passion and intimacy, and especially the contrast between the words “fire” and “cold” serve to enhance the central idea that time has slowly extinguished the fire of their passion, causing them to grow cold and distant. In closing, while the actions of the parents may be seen as isolated and unrelated, and thus cause for concern, I believe that it can also be interpreted to mean that their love is strong, and has grown stronger over time, not weaker, as love cannot be benchmarked by physical passion and intimacy, but rather transcends the physical plane of lust, and exists instead on the spiritual plane of mutual understanding and shared experiences, as a mental and emotional bond, rather than a physical one.