Entry nº 18: Critical Commentary (first part)

The poem entitled ‘Dirge Without Music’ by Edna St. Vicent Millay and the fragment from the novel At the Bay by katherine Mansfield, share the same topic, “death”. Therefore, there are some differences and similarities between them such as the characters’ reactions towards death or some literary devices.
In the poem there are many important literary devices to consider. First of all, the title ‘Dirge Without Music’ emphasizes the main topic because a “dirge” is sad music in a funeral so it represents death and “music” represents the idea of life and joy. This title in a certain way reminds the reader of the fact that when somebody dies life becomes sad and it is difficult to overcome. The tone used by the speaker has to do with the feeling of lack of resignation about the recent death of a loved person. The speaker is not resigned to his or her departure and this is reinforced by the title. There is also an intricate structure of repetitions throughout the poem that have the purpose of making the reader aware os the speaker’s feelings. For example, the repetition of the phrase “I am not resigned” reinforces the fact that the death is recent and that the speaker does not accept it, the repetition of the structure “genty they go..., / quietly they go...” emphasizes the idea of departure and the rest of those lines... “the beautiful, the tender, the kind” / “the intelligent, the witty, the brave” together with the last stanza and the structure of the first line in the second stanza: “the answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love” , and with the third line in the first stanza represent the person’s virtues, which are appreciated and stressed by the others usually when someone dies. Similarly, in the second line of the first stanza there is a repetition of structure : “ so it is, and so it will be, for so it has been” meaning that death has always happened since men’s existence started. Alliteration is also present in the poem. In the last two lines of the second stanza there is alliteration of the sound / f /: “A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew” / “A formula, a phrase remains, - but the best is lost”. This device is used to reinforce t he idea of memory, after death the only thing that remains are our memories of the one who died.
Apart from those devices there are some important ideas stated in the poem like on line 2: “ Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust”, it reinforces the idea that all of us have the same destiny when we die, to become one with the earth. This is also emphasized in the third stanza especially stated in line 2: “ they have gone to feed the roses”, there is a reference to rebirth, it is a methaphor to refer to the cycle of life; when we die we become dust which will feed the grass and roses that grow over the tomb.
As regards to the structure, the text is written with short simple sentences and using simple language. There is no particular pattern of rhyme but it has its own musicality. In conclusion, the poems atmospher is gloom and sad because the persona cannot overcome death.