Constantly Risking Absurdity

By

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Constantly risking absurdityand death

whenever he performs above the heads

of his audiencethe poet like the acrobat

climbs on rime to a high wire of his own makingand balancing eyebeams

above a sea of facespaces his way

to the other side of dayperforming entrechats

and sleight-of-foot tricks

and other high theatrics

and all without mistaking

any thing

for what it may not be

for he’s the super realist

who must perforce perceive

taut truth

before the taking of each stance or step

in his supposed advance

towards that still higher perch

where Beauty stands and waits

with gravity

to start her death-defying leap

and he

a little charliechaplinman

who may or may not catch

her fair eternal form

spreadeagled in the empty air

of existence

Constantly risking absurdityand death

Absurdity – making a fool of himself

Death – falling to the ground

Whenever he performs above the heads

of his audience

On the high wire in a circus tent

the poet like the acrobatclimbs on rime

to a high wire of his own making

Simile – poet like acrobat

Uses idea of poetic techniques being compared to the high wire the poet walks on

and balancing eyebeams above a sea of faces

Above the people watching. Look at image of eye”beams” and balancing – keeps idea of acrobat. Also “sea” of faces – height above people, general populace, danger?

paces his wayto the other side of day

Paces – slow

Other side of day

performing entrechatsand sleight-of-foot tricks

and other high theatricsand all without mistaking

any thing for what it may not be

• Reality

• Super-realist

for he’s the super realistwho must perforce perceive

• Super = above

• Super = very good

taut truthbefore the taking of each stance or step

in his supposed advancetowards that still higher perch

where Beauty stands and waitswith gravityto start her death-defying leap

and hea little charliechaplinman

who may or may not catch

her fair eternal formspreadeagled in the empty airof existence

The Metaphor

• The poet as the acrobat

• Look at how this metaphor is extended and sustained.

Constantly risking absurdityand death

The poet constantly runs the risk of being seen as foolish and the death of his career as a poet.

Whenever he performs above the heads

of his audience

He performs by writing / reading poetry – poets are traditionally thought of as being high-minded – thinking intellectuals – therefore above the heads of his audience.

the poet like the acrobatclimbs on rime

to a high wire of his own making

The poet uses rime (or poetic technique) where the acrobat uses a high wire.

Look at “of his own making” – the poet creates his own high wire.

and balancing eyebeams above a sea of faces

Extending the idea of the high wire – eyebeams (the eyes of his readers)

paces his wayto the other side of day

Day?

performing entrechatsand sleight-of-foot tricks

Entrechats – ballet – jumping and changing feet

Sleight-of-foot – instead of sleight of hand

In other words : poetic techniques

and other high theatricsand all without mistaking

Continues idea of poetic techniques

No mistaking

any thing for what it may not be

Note two words – any thing not anything

Ie. Any object

Ie is very clear

for he’s the super realistwho must perforce perceive

Super realist – very good realist / above the real (surreal?)

Because of this ability he is forced to see

taut truthbefore the taking of each stance or step

Truth – it is taut because it is hard

in his supposed advancetowards that still higher perch

Where is the poet advancing?

where Beauty stands and waitswith gravityto start her death-defying leap

The acrobat moves towards the beautiful woman, the poet moves towards truth and beauty. Keats said “beauty is truth, truth beauty” in “Ode on a Grecian Urn” – he didn’t mean that truth is beautiful to look at, or that beautiful things tell the truth. He meant that the truth can be a thing of beauty to discover. For the poet, the ultimate search is for true beauty of form and content in a poem.

and hea little charliechaplinman

who may or may not catch

Charlie Chaplin was a comical figure – made many films – little man in suit, bowler hat and stick – in the spot light. The poet is under the spotlight and is often seen as something a little strange by ordinary men.

He may or may not achieve his aim towards truth and beauty

her fair eternal formspreadeagled in the empty airof existence

Beauty

Spreadeagled – vulnerable

Empty air of existence – poet’s identify the emptiness of life

Form of the poem

The poem can be divided into 3 parts :Part 1 Lines 1 – 18 The poet compared to the

acrobat

Part 2 Lines 19 – 27The higher aspirations of

the poet

Part 3 Lines 28 – 33Will the poet / acrobat succeed?

Rhyme

Is there a fixed rhyme scheme? What rhymes do we see?

The shape of the poem

Like an acrobat walking along a high wire

Alliteration

The repetition of consonants to create effect:

What is its effect?

Assonance

The repetition of vowels to create effect: What is its effect?

Is writing poetry as risky as being an acrobat?

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Recognized as one of the most influential and important poets of the Beat movement, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born in Yonkers, New York on March 24, 1919. Shortly after his birth, Ferlinghetti's mother was committed to an asylum for the insane and the young boy was sent to France to be raised by a female relative.

It wasn't until his return to America, at the age of five, that this future poet learned to speak English. Ferlinghetti also began writing poetry during his years at boarding school in the late 1920's.

The term "the beat generation" was first used by John Clellon Holmes in a 1952 article, This Is The Beat Generation, about the young people of his time for the New York Times Magazine. Recalling a conversation with Jack Kerouac in 1948, Holmes had asked Kerouac to think of a way to describe the unique qualities of his generation; Kerouac came up with the term 'Beat Generation' on the spot. The term "beat" bears connotations of down-beat, worn out, down-and-out, drop-out and beatitude.

The beat poets and writers developed their own slang and highly idiosyncratic style. Their convictions and attitudes were unconventional, provocative, anti-intellectual, anti-hierarchical and anti-middle-class. They were influenced by jazz, by Zen Buddhism and by American Indian and Mexican Peyote cults, and their Bohemian lifestyle was popularly associated with drugs, 'free' sex, drink and permissive living in general. It was in some respects anarchic and provoked considerable hostility.