The Day Lady Died



The Day Lady Died

Introduction

In this paper we will analyze one of the poems of Frank O' Hara, 'The Day the Lady Died'. Thus, through the name, it shows some kind of memorable occasion that has taken place. 'The Day lady died' is actually written in a free verse, the poem led to describe the activities of Frank O' Hara on the day when he found that Bille (Lady Day) holiday has expired. It is a fact that the poem seems to be quite straight forward and also in simple words, however the title put emphasizes on the day itself instead of the Holiday's death or rather the activities of O' Hara. Therefore, it provides hints at something on a larger scale that can perhaps combine both O' Hara and Holiday. It was suggested that the poem needs to be taken as or read as something rather than narrative as it may appear to be first (Ward, 2001).

About The Author

Frank O' Hara is a dynamic leader of “New York School” poets; this was groups which involves Barbara Guest, James Schuyler, John Ashbery and Kenneth Koch. Actually in his poetry, it seems that it suffers the influence of Russian Poetry, Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism and the poets that are linked with Symbolism French. Frank O' Hara being an American intellectual wrote the poems that were about the living and understanding of how to cope when any popular icon has some tragic death (Gooch, 1994).

Discussion and Analysis “The day the lady died” is often written in the first person, the poet uses the first person either to address some particular person or the world, where as the reader is the witness rather than the addressee. The poet uses the first person in a different manner. One of the most striking features of his poem was that it is in a conversational tone, which is combined with the point of view of the first person, this creates the impression that O' Hara is talking to his reader directly, this includes in the seemingly harmless moment of his life (LeSueur, 2003).

Thus, the effect has brought an intimacy in the poem. The poet further this intimacy through including the names of the friends and places which are meaningless to almost anyone that does not know him or even his social circle without ever explaining who or actually what they are or what their importance is to him or over his life. He tries to tell the readers regarding his life as though they are already understanding the entire references; the poem meanwhile becomes a conversation, as when O' Hara talks directly to each reader every time it is being read. Some thought that the detail still remains meaningless (Ward, 2001).

The poem lists O'Hara's activities on July 17, 1959 (“three days after Bastille day”). O' Hara has located his readers in a very particular time and place, after that he tells what he will be doing that evening, as ...