Poem Analysis

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Analysis of “Before she Died” by Karen Chase
When I look at the sky now, I look at it for you.As if with enough attention, I could take it in for you.
With all the leaves gone almost fromthe trees, I did not walk briskly through the field.
Late today with my dog Wool, I lay down in the upper field,he panting and aged, me looking at the blue. Leaning
on him, I wondered how finite these lustered days seemto you, A stand of hemlock across the lake catches
my eye. It will take a long time to know how it isfor you. Like a dog’s lifetime — long — multiplied by sevens.
Analysis
The poem “Before she died” by Karen Chase is a short and interesting piece to read. The paper tries to analyze the poem by responding to specific questions.
Essentially, the poem is written by the author and addressed to someone she holds dear. Even though the poem does not specify the speaker, the wording of the lines and the tone of the poem states that the author is the speaker. For instance, the poem begins in the first line, “When I look at the sky…” (Chase 1), identifying her as the speaker. Further, Chase addresses the poem to a person close and dear to her but has passed on. From the title of the poem, the reader can mistake the following events to describe the speaker’s relationship with the deceased before her death (Colton et al. 21). However, the first line, “When I look at the sky, I look at it for you” refers to the poet’s memory of a deceased friend or someone who was close to him or her.

Every time she looks at the sky, she reminisces the person who died. Therefore, Chase addresses the poem to a deceased person she loved and spent time with.
The poem’s theme is an emotional connection. In the entire poem, the speaker tries to describe the connection she had with the deceased by recalling what she loved doing. For instance, the speaker states, “As if with enough attention, I could take it for you” (2) to signify that the deceased loved to look at the sky and pay attention to it. Therefore, she remembers her by doing what she loved to do. From the description given, the speaker recalls these events in autumn by stating that, “With all the leaves gone almost from the trees…” (3), signifying that time had passed after her demise. The leaves falling show the season to be autumn. Also, the evidence of time is manifested by her description of her dog’s company, “Late today with my dog wool, I lay in the upper field” (5). This signifies that the events occur late in the evening, during the day and in an open field where she goes to rest with her dog.
The speaker uses similes to communicate to the reader. Similes simply mean to compare (McCall 13). When she speaks of losing a loved one and what it feels like, the poet compares how much time she will spend trying to understand what life is like for those who are dead to that of a dog. She says, “Like a dog’s lifetime-long-multiplied by sevens” (10). Here, the implication is that she will never forget her deceased friend. The speaker is trying to address her deceased loved one- the exact word connotations points to her. For instance, she says that “When I look at the sky, I look at it for you.” The word “you” specifies the audience. Further, the purpose of the poem is to express how it feels like to lose someone you love. The speaker tries to relate how much her life centered on the deceased- how important she was to her. In short, the poem is simply an expression of a person in mourning and shows the reader the importance of appreciating every moment with the people they love.
Conclusively, the information above is certain. The position is supported with various texts within the poem which points to the identity of the speaker, the audience, the purpose of the poem, the time of writing, and also the kind of language used. Therefore, based on what the speaker says, it is easy to understand her direction and what she intends to achieve with her poem.
Works Cited
Chase, Karen. “Before She Died.” CavanKerry Press, 2008
Colton, Simon, Jacob Goodwin, and Tony Veale. “Karen Chase’s Style.” ICCC. 2012.
McCall, Marsh H. Ancient rhetorical theories of simile and comparison. Harvard University Press, 1969.