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Poet: Anne Sexton
Poem: Anna Who Was Mad
Poem of the Day:
Nov 19 2004
Comment 12 of 12, added on February 27th, 2007 at 6:32 PM.
Oh *please* people! Can we stop the amateur psychiatric diagnostics, based on a *poem*, which is supposed to be impressionistic, and freeform, being (broadly) "Modern".She was not, by all reports available, schizophrenic. Sorry about the strident tone, but it annoys the hell outta me that as soon as we know someone has struggled with any sort of mental illness, we tend to use that to explain all the parts that we simply have failed to grasp. Sometimes, we are just don't get a really complex and layered work of art guys--it doesn't mean she was beyond reason, or that the poem describes that either.Lazy reading, and lazy thinking, I think. Anne Sexton suffered from depression, which twice (?)got severe enough to cause nervous breakdown. That is *not* schizophrenia, and the poem can be read , and understood, without goimg overboard with some romantic, dramatic and ultimately lazy fantasy of "madness"(as opposed to the reality--her particular experience of which I think she describes very "sanely"). Sheesh.
Lex from Australia
Comment 11 of 12, added on November 29th, 2005 at 11:41 PM.
I suppose its ok, But it does really freak me out. but it's obviously the way the Author puts across her thoughts. Creative poem about her life
Shalini from New Zealand
Comment 10 of 12, added on November 28th, 2005 at 7:02 PM.
Schizophrenia as a theme for this poem does not ring true to me.
But it does seem to be asking for help.
Mary, mother of God, help me now in my hour of need, speak to me in my pillow (dreams) and help me outta this hell!
Also, she is seems to be opining about depression/madness being an "infection" that one catches from being in close proximity to someone who is depressed/mad. Or perhaps sent down through the genes as an inherited illness.
She is suffering from the disease as well as the loss of someone she loved. Anne lost her Nana first mentally through the illness then physically through the death.
My feeling is that she is describing her suffering and looking for relief from heaven or earth.
Anna from Canada
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Comments
Oh *please* people! Can we stop the amateur psychiatric diagnostics, based on a *poem*, which is supposed to be impressionistic, and freeform, being (broadly) "Modern".She was not, by all reports available, schizophrenic. Sorry about the strident tone, but it annoys the hell outta me that as soon as we know someone has struggled with any sort of mental illness, we tend to use that to explain all the parts that we simply have failed to grasp. Sometimes, we are just don't get a really complex and layered work of art guys--it doesn't mean she was beyond reason, or that the poem describes that either.Lazy reading, and lazy thinking, I think. Anne Sexton suffered from depression, which twice (?)got severe enough to cause nervous breakdown. That is *not* schizophrenia, and the poem can be read , and understood, without goimg overboard with some romantic, dramatic and ultimately lazy fantasy of "madness"(as opposed to the reality--her particular experience of which I think she describes very "sanely"). Sheesh.
Lex from Australia