Essay Questions

In "Highest Price" what is the speaker selling?

The opening line of this poem has the speaker asking, "who will buy me, rid me of my cares?" The suggestion here is that the speaker is actually asking to become a slave. As the narrative plays out, however, this assumption becomes increasingly questionable. A king cannot force him into bondage. An old man cannot buy him with money even though this seems to exactly what he is asking for. When a beautiful woman fails to tempt him using first her smile and then her tears, it has become obvious the opening lines do to refer to slavery as commonly thought. It is only when an innocent child offers to buy his cares "for nothing" that he is released from his load. This phrase is suggestive not of slavery, but just the opposite. The speaker has become free. The trajectory of this narrative therefore seems to indicate that the speaker is not selling himself, but rather his love. The highest price for buying love is nothing. The poem is saying that love cannot be bought at any price except pure innocent acceptance of another's "cares."

What is the effect of discovering that "The Hero" is not what he seems to be?

"The Hero" is a work of narrative verse in which the speaker is relating a story to his mother. The story he tells is an exciting adventure tale of a journey they make together. They face natural disasters as well as sword-wielding villains. At each impossible moment in which their lives are on the line, the speaker performs heroically, saving his mother. Even when she is in fear for his life at the threat of being overwhelmed by too many enemies, he puts protecting his mother above concern for his own mortality. In the wake of being too long gone and fears that he could not possibly survive, he fearlessly returns to her, sweaty and smeared with blood, announcing victory and reminding her how lucky she was to be with him. This adventure story is suddenly revealed as complete fiction told not just by a son to his mother, but by a very young and small child. The revelation is made with sardonic observation by the boy that real life is never as exciting as stories. The effect of this juxtaposition between the adventure narrative itself and the fact that it is a young child telling the story further cements a running theme throughout the poet's body of work. Children are equitable with innocence and purity and love. His story is not really about being a hero, but about wanting to protect his mother. It is a story of love.

How does "In the Eyes of a Peacock" link directly to "Broken Song" as reflections upon the theme of unity?

The narrative story told "Broken Song" leads to the key line of the poem: "The singer does make a song, there has to be someone who hears." The beginning of "In the Eyes of a Peacock" has a poet writing in his notebook on his terrace visited by a peacock who stares at his efforts with a look of indifference. This lack of interest in the affairs of humans by the bird causes the poet to briefly question the value of his life's work. It is only when he also visited by his granddaughter that he regains his assurance in the value of poetry. The key lines in this poem reflect that of "Broken Song" when the poet identifies his granddaughter as one "listens so well" that he has granted her the honor of being the first to "hear my poems before anyone else." The link being made here is that it is not enough for the singer to singer or the poet to write. For true unity which gives the song or the poem value, it must also be listened to. Not just heard, but listened to with understanding and appreciation.