Essay Comparing The "Lone Bather" and "The Sw
Uploaded by Panda05 on Dec 22, 2004
Essay Comparing The "Lone Bather" And "The Swimmer" Peoms
Poetry is known as the highest form of the English language. Just like a picture says a thousand words, a poem speaks volumes. It sings about the very essence of the human soul. It reveals the emotions that guide us. The two poems "The Lone Bather" by A.M. Klein and "The Swimmer" by Irving Layton are both very similar and also different in messages that they convey and this is displayed by the aspects of character design, meaning and locational design. Thus, they explore the reason for the differences in human perspective: the individuality of the human soul.
The main characters in both "The Lone Bather" and "The Swimmer" are the two male swimmers. The male element meets the female element, water. The "Lone Bather" is a rather sad poem that captures the feeling of hopelessness of the poet. "and then comes up to float until he thinks/the ceiling at his brow, and nowhere any sides." Here Klein's bather expresses his uneasiness. Just some time ago he seemed to feel at home in the water. He trusted it and then all of a sudden he felt threatened. Irving Layton in "The Swimmer" on the other hand maintains complete control of the water and his surroundings. He never feels threatened or trapped. Rather he shows control. "The snake heads strike/ Quickly and are silent." He commands respect from the fickle medium of water that is lunging to attack the intrusion. And his presence is allowed and accepted by his forcefulness. He even goes far enough to say that he feels at home in the water. "In the scentless greenery that leads him home,". A.M Klein lets his lone bather to be controlled by the water. The element of water plays with him like a new toy, a foreign element that has entered into its vast and unknown world. He says, "he slides his belly over/ the melon rinds of water...". The bather enters the mysterious in the mercy of the water medium. He is yielding and trusting. His only concern is to be accepted in this cold and lonely place. Whereas the swimmer in Irving Layton's poem is only interested in conquering the ocean of uncertainty that he has entered. Te lone bather loses hismale form,"...lets go his manshape.." because he does not believe in the necessity of aggression in creation. The lne...