Thematic Interpretations

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Thematic Interpretations
1. Narrator’s Point of View
The planned Child
The poem is in the first-person point of view. The poet uses words such as I and me. The narrator uses the word ‘I’ in the first stanza (I hate…) to express how she feels about her conception. The word ‘me’ has also been used in the second stanza (…pressing me out…).
The actual speaker in this poem is a woman who expresses her dissatisfaction with the fact that her conception had been planned by her mother and wished that it had occurred through the heat of love (“The Planned Child by Sharon Olds”). Sharon Old uses the literature to express her attitude towards parenthood and childbearing, hoping that it happened through natural causes such as haste, mistake, or by love. She uses the first-person narration to express her emotions
A Time Past
The poem is in the first-person point of view. Words such as I, me, and me appear in the literature. In the first stanza, the narrator uses ‘I’ to express how she felt when she saw her loved one (…I was sitting…). The words ‘me’ and ‘my’ have also been used in the sixth line (…me to my…).
The voice in the poem is a woman who expresses her many emotions about her past relationships and their terminations (…brings memories of…). Additionally, she talks about the special ones in her life and the good times they spent together (…with my friend…). The actual speaker in this poem is both a mother and a wife- she speaks about her son and marriage in the second line of the second stanza.

Story of an Hour
The story has been written in the third person point of view. Chopin has used words such as her, he, she to narrate her story (…she did not…). Chopin tells the story from an observer point of view, enabling readers to know what the characters in the story do not do.
The actual speaker in the story is an observer. Chopin narrates the story from a third-person’s voice that helps us see the reality of the situation from an observer’s point of view.
Titanic
The Titanic was narrated from the first-person point of view. The narrator uses words such as ‘we’ in the fourth line (…we all go…) and ‘our’ (…remind our grandchildren…).
The actual speaker in this poem is a participant. The speaker is a passenger in the Titanic voyage who expresses his feelings towards the outcome of the journey. He justifies his death in the Titanic by saying that death was inescapable (…we all go down…) and that dying in the first class section of the ship was a better way to pass way (…only a few) as in the last line.
2. Symbols and Their Significance
Titanic
The Titanic ship is a symbol of prestige. The poet ironically uses the Titanic disaster to bring out the aspect of wealthiness in the first line when he deliberately asks whether there was anyone that did not love the Titanic. Despite the ship causing deaths, the poet is not apologetic and justifies the event as being one of the sweetest ends anyone could wish to have. In the tenth and eleventh stanzas, he says how the movies and books would remind their grandchildren about their prestigious deaths (…how we died…).
A Time Past
The house is a symbol of good memories (…of marriage, of my son). Everything about the house brings back the good memories to the poet. In the first stanza, the poet is nostalgic about the old wooden steps to her front door that reminded her of her son. It is also on the same wooden steps that she sat with her friend and even her husband.
The story of an Hour
In the story, the news for Mr. Brently Mallard’s death could symbolize freedom. When Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death, she feels relieved and free. Initially, she had abandoned herself, but now she was free (…free, free, free!).
3. Irony
The Story of an Hour
When the friends and family of Mrs. Ballard learn of her husband’s demise and considering Mrs. Ballard’s heart trouble, they are afraid that the news would break her down. Richard, her husband’s friends, deliberately stays close to her to ensure that any less tender and careless friend did not bear the sad new. Contrary to their general feeling, Mrs. Ballard feels free upon her husband’s demise.
Titanic
Even though the Titanic disaster resulted in the deaths of many people that call for mourning, the poet brings it out as a ‘privileged’ death. The poet feels that they would die famous, and stories told of their deaths (…books and movies…)
4. Thematic Interpretation of Titanic
Selfishness and Love of Fame
The poet criticizes greed, inequality, and love of fame. It is evident that the deaths could have been prevented if only the voyage had been avoided. But this does not happen because of desire for greatness by the individuals who boarded the Titanic. Also, people are expected to be compassionate and sad, but they instead praise the disaster to the extent that the less fortunate could feel jealous of those who boarded the Titanic. Equality is also evident (Bree 13).
Inevitability of Death
The author also brings out death as inevitable by both the poor and the rich (…we all go down…). Nevertheless, money cannot save one in an emergency; we are all equal. However, David Slavitt also brings out the aspect of a ‘sweet’ death, with crowds of individuals, families, servants, well nursed, with melody, with lights!

Works CitedHoskin, Bree. “the morning after A Night to Remember: the lesson of the titanic.” Facs-Florida Atlantic Comparative Studies: Catastrophe and Representation 9 (2007): 13.
“The Planned Child By Sharon Olds.” Poetry Foundation, 2018, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=36230.