Poem, That I would think is about toast, but really just makes life seem like it has no meaning. Whoever wrote this is misleading in their titling, and makes me relate toast to existential crises.

Will Sheeley

AP Lit

5/3/13

“Love Poem with Toast”

The poem “Love Poem with Toast” written by Miller Williams is a poem that points out the fact that wants are incredibly different from needs. One needs to drink water to survive, one wants their soda poured over ice, but in the end only one of these has a profound effect on one’s life. One can want many things, but when all is said and done, is there really anything substantial about these desires? Miller juxtaposes certain shallow wants next to ones that will have a lasting effect on the world around them, such as comparing wanting the water to boil and wanting to not have cancer. It points out the futility of such thoughts, when all along they are, after all, only meaningless desires, that distract one from actually acting, or enjoying what one already has, at least until they are no more.

            The poem itself is written with a heavy emphasis on anaphora, with few rhymes interspersed throughout to add a rhythm in certain parts. It forgoes traditional poetic structure and is written in free-verse, in order to create a more compelling piece. Anaphora is used somewhat commonly as shown through the first sentences of the first two stanzas, they both culminate in “we do, we do”. Doing this portrays humans’ motivation to want one thing or another, to deny or accept. Wanting is also used with anaphora, as it is the main theme of the poem. People want and want, but in the end, they are going to die, and no matter how much they want one thing or another it doesn’t really matter. Whether they are concerned with the state of the planet, or they are concerned with color they painted their room, in the end, man is alone. Williams also alternates the phrases “wanting not to” and simply “wanting”. Showing no matter whether one wants something to happen, or something not to happen, they are essentially the same exact thing. Williams also uses metaphor to describe people almost as though they were breakfast foods. By referring to “meat and bone” it is being ambiguous. The meat and bone could just be another term for some sort of breakfast food; otherwise it can be something of a disparaging description of the human body. It is only meat and bone. One day, the remains will be gone, as well as who that person was, once time has erased all traces of the people that existed.

            This poem seems to combine its dark meaning with its lighter title. It creates an image of a middle class couple, sitting at their breakfast table, talking about what they want out of life, generally thinking that in the end they will be together. But, inside each of them, they know that when their life is to come to a close, it will be only them, alone with their wants and desires that will fade and die with their owners. But, these thoughts and concerns are kept hidden, while they continue to go on about their daily adventures, trying to find a way to fulfill their many desires. The poem itself seems as though it is the biting concern at the back of one’s head, while they try to dismiss it and think of other, meaningless things, to occupy their time and mind. It brings to the forefront, the greatest concern of all existential thinkers; nihility. What point is there to life if nothing matters in the end? It is a quandary, but one that is kept hidden, and this denial makes life just seem easier.

            Overall, this poem is very well written, it does a good job of making a point that has been made before, but adding some new perspectives to it. By giving the poem such a misleading, cheerful, title it reflects the nature of mankind. Humans live their lives concerned with matters that are, ultimately, trivial. What you ate for breakfast, who you loved, or what you did with your life, will not matter once time has erased all trace of life from the universe, and not even the planet is left to tell the story of man’s existence

AP Literature
Erickson
3/25/13

Svidrigailov and Satan

Throughout the novel, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The character Svidrigailov epitomizes hedonism and self-service; sometimes to the point of being equated to Satan. His entire life is dedicated to the search of pleasure and cares not for its source. He is willing to spend almost any amount of money on acquiring these goals. Even though he sometimes acts charitably,  he is quick to compensate for his acts of good with some other acts of gratuitous depravity. However, it can be said that when all has failed and when he realizes that his life has had little meaning, he is willing to do what he feels must be done. He takes his own life after coming to the conclusion that his own nihilistic approach to life, coupled with his shameless self-involvement, has done nothing to help his relationships with other people around him. It is Dounia’s rejection of him that makes him come to the realization that despite all of his acts of grandeur and his self-serving attitude, he is unable to acquire the one thing that he desires most of all; respect and admiration from a woman he has become infatuated with. It is this moment of clarity that brings Svidrigailov into the light.

    Much of Svidrigailov’s actions are in the service of himself; that being said, much of what Satan is tied to, is often predicated around some sort of hedonism. Satan is one to tempt others with desire or some other self-service. In order to get Eve to eat the apple, he told her it would give her knowledge and power. It is by this creed of avarice that Svidrigailov lived by, caring only for what he got out of his actions. It is for this reason that Svidrigailov gave the money to the Marmeladov’s family. He had hoped only for some sort of personal growth, as a result of his knowing that his actions prior had done naught but condemn him. But, he did not find his salvation in this, he had fallen too far, and found only one type of recourse; that being suicide.

His exposure to the truth, which is synonymous with light in many aspects, can be related to a quote from the bible "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3.20). Throughout the novel, Svidrigailov has been juxtaposed with darkness, especially just before his demise. The hotel can be seen as his last refuge from the truth that has been following him throughout the novel. He lives there in order to find some kind of peace from the anguish he has been experiencing as a result of his newfound cognizance. It isn’t until he leaves the hotel that he is able to find absolution. He leaves the dark of his past, having realized the true density of his actions and comes to the light where he faces retribution for his avarice and the harm that he has caused others in the name of self-service.

In the bible Satan falls, is bound, then released, fight in the last battle between good and evil, and then finally struck down, much like Svidrigailov.  Svidrigailov’s fall from heaven would be the mysterious death of the young girl he was involved with. He is bound by his wife like the cage in the bottomless pit. She does her best to keep him under control. During this time he is relatively quiet except for one incident where his wife was to blame for most of the pain. After the mysterious death of his wife the final reign of the beast is upon the world as he is now free from his cage. He travels to meet the main characters and tempts them to acting to his will with gifts, like the temptations of christ in the desert. In the final confrontation between good and evil, the vile Svidrigailov confronts the pure and innocent Dounia and is rejected by her.  This stands for the final confrontation that is spoke about in Revelations. After this final battle Svidrigailov uses the last bit of humanity to see what he has done, right all that he can and finally end it life. Svidrigailov casts himself into his own lake of fire. At last the adversary of Israel is defeated and Raskolnikov is able to turn himself in, the act of which had been called returning to israel.

In conclusion, Svidrigailov is evil incarnate in the flesh of man. Though he carries with him a perennial aura of dread throughout the novel, he also invites direct associations to darkness beyond the metaphysical. He breathes a stertorous miasma of impulsive, sadistic hedonism that weaves itself into multifarious forms of abuse, all corollary of his insular nihilism. He is everything brutal and corrupt in the human spirit raised to apotheosis: like Satan, he represents the nadir of mortal potential and the morbid cesspool on the margins of the mind that permeates one’s essence when empathy dilapidates and the self is elevated.