Argument : Commentary

First, I thought this poem was really interesting.  For me, it would be hard to write a poem about arguments without sounding cliche or ordinary. That was why I chose to read this poem.  As Elizabeth Bishop does with other poems, she is able to make topics that might seem cliche or ordinary and make them unique and beautiful.  For this particular poem, she creates the image of typical arguments.  In general, arguments are ways in which people try to come to an agreement.  However, it also shows how people argue to have the last word and the consequences of arguments.  For instance, when she states, "Days that cannot bring you near / or will not, (1-2)" I thought of how when people argue, there won't always be an agreement and that arguments will not necessarily bring two people closer together.  Another line that I like is when she says, "argue argue argue with me / endlessly / neither proving you less wanted nor less dear. (5-7)"  I like how she creates rhythm with words similar to how she does in other poems such as "Sestina."  What I mean is that when she uses repetition with "argue argue argue," it creates the sound of people arguing in that arguments seem to be continuous.  Also, I thought of this line as explaining how just because someone is saying all these things to prove a point does not make them right. Another way to think about this is that when someone is not willing to stop arguing, it causes the other person to separate themselves such as when she says, "neither proving you less wanted nor less dear."  Also, I like how she uses imagery in the second stanza to relate the idea that arguments create distance like land beneath a plane.  When I read, "stretching indistinguishably/ all the way, / all the way to where my reasons end? (12-14)" it made me picture the process of arguing.  For instance, when someone is angry at someone else, they feel like they have all these reasons for why they are angry and then at some point they can't come up with any more reasons.  In addition, I like how she uses symbolism of the "cluttered instruments" to represent voices of people who argue.  It provides great sensory imagery and allows readers to connect the ideas together.  Finally, I enjoy the line where she says, "Compliments of Never and Forever, Inc."  I like this line because it made me think of when people are in relationships and they argue, they say things such as "I'm never going to talk to you again" and/or "We were supposed to be together forever." I just thought it was really neat how she included that in the poem.