Tracy K. Smith begins her book of poems Life on Mars with themes regarding the universe, man, and how we fit into it all with references to science fiction, religion, and David Bowie in the first section. Some of her work is elegiac, most of which appears in the second section of her collection, such as her poem about her father with images like “You stepped out of the body./Unzipped it like a coat” (33). Her darkest poems deal with death and violence in the third section.
These poems demonstrate the range of Smith’s talents from her use descriptive similes such as “She sends the air out of her lungs/Wanting to lie down/And fritter away like ash” to her personification and extended metaphor of the sea and how “she heaves barrels/leaking disease/Onto the shores” (44, 47). Some of these poems are broken into sections, such as her poem “Life on Mars,” which spans six pages in nine sections. Each section of this poem varies in length, as well as style and varying content that seems to focus on the darker side of things, such as how “prisoners were strung like beef/…[and] led around on a leash. I mean dragged” (40).
One of Smith’s better poems titled “The Speed of Belief” appears in the second section of book. Dealing with the death of her father, it is one of her more personal poems. The first and best part of the poem focuses on her in the waiting rooms where she “didn’t want to believe/What we believe” (27). This section first describes the sound of those rooms, her consonance and biting t’s when she says “I didn’t want to wait on my knees/In a room made quiet by waiting” emphasizing the silence.
She continues this emphasis on sound in the silent rooms with her alliterations such as “Of breath, the burble in his throat,” “food meant to fortify that silence,” and “Drag open the drapes and heave us/Back into our blinding, bright lives” (27). By doing this, Smith emphasizes how waiting for a loved one in these rooms puts us into a silence where the world stands still until we are forced to continue living in the harshness, unrelenting of reality.
Ultimately, Smith uses sound devices, such as in “The Speed of Belief,” imagery, and personification to effectiv ely deliver messages of death, love, and the universe. Though her main focus throughout the collection is on large themes, such as murder, religion, and society, her more personal poems about her family and friends best demonstrate her talents and range of ability.
These poems demonstrate the range of Smith’s talents from her use descriptive similes such as “She sends the air out of her lungs/Wanting to lie down/And fritter away like ash” to her personification and extended metaphor of the sea and how “she heaves barrels/leaking disease/Onto the shores” (44, 47). Some of these poems are broken into sections, such as her poem “Life on Mars,” which spans six pages in nine sections. Each section of this poem varies in length, as well as style and varying content that seems to focus on the darker side of things, such as how “prisoners were strung like beef/…[and] led around on a leash. I mean dragged” (40).
One of Smith’s better poems titled “The Speed of Belief” appears in the second section of book. Dealing with the death of her father, it is one of her more personal poems. The first and best part of the poem focuses on her in the waiting rooms where she “didn’t want to believe/What we believe” (27). This section first describes the sound of those rooms, her consonance and biting t’s when she says “I didn’t want to wait on my knees/In a room made quiet by waiting” emphasizing the silence.
She continues this emphasis on sound in the silent rooms with her alliterations such as “Of breath, the burble in his throat,” “food meant to fortify that silence,” and “Drag open the drapes and heave us/Back into our blinding, bright lives” (27). By doing this, Smith emphasizes how waiting for a loved one in these rooms puts us into a silence where the world stands still until we are forced to continue living in the harshness, unrelenting of reality.
Ultimately, Smith uses sound devices, such as in “The Speed of Belief,” imagery, and personification to effectiv ely deliver messages of death, love, and the universe. Though her main focus throughout the collection is on large themes, such as murder, religion, and society, her more personal poems about her family and friends best demonstrate her talents and range of ability.