The Fist
by Derek Walcott The fist clenched round my heart loosens a little, and I gasp brightness; but it tightens again. When have I ever not loved the pain of love? But this has moved past love to mania. This has the strong clench of the madman, this is gripping the ledge of unreason, before plunging howling into the abyss. Hold hard then, heart. This way at least you live. Analysis : Derek speaks of the painful love or experience that has experience that has happened. As he begins the poem off painting a vivid expression or picture in the audiences mind “the fist clenched round my heart.” The fist is a symbol showing power, strength, and when he speaks of clenching his heart he creates a tone. This power fist gripping the organ that allows you to live shows the pain the character is experiencing. Then the fist loosens allowing him to take a breath, gasping the brightness. The feeling of gasping is like drowning till a person reaches their last breath then their reflexes appear and they come out of the water taking a deep breath gasping every bit of air they can hold. As the fist tightens again the poem implies that someone is toying with the characters heart or life source. “ Why play with emotions or attempts to cause pain to someone’s heart,” I ask myself. Derek answers with a rhetorical question saying "When have I ever not loved the pain of love?" This shows that he, the character in the poem, believes that pain is included in the process of love. This allows the audience to see his attitude towards the pain of loving someone. The intense love he feels results in him comparing it to gripping a ledge of unreason falling into a deep abyss. If he lets go then his fall will surely kill him so he ends it in telling his heart to hold on. If his heart holds then it will live on.
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