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Waking in the Blue. McLean Hospital in Belmont The place where Lowell wrote his poem to a lady called A nn Adden who was a girl he had met and fallen in love with during a brief stay Original draft is 25 lines shorter than the actual poem
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McLean Hospital in Belmont • The place where Lowell wrote his poem to a lady called Ann Adden who was a girl he had met and fallen in love with during a brief stay • Original draft is 25 lines shorter than the actual poem • Stay at the psychiatric hospital indicate the confinement in the hospital
Waking in the Blue as a title could indicate • Awareness and recognition of his condition by him being in the psychiatric hospital and him finding himself - A state of mind or a place symbolised by blue as he could be somewhere imaginary or in a place of nothingness
First stanza • Mere’s nest- symbolising confusion and disorientation as it talks about “his drowsy head” • use of vague adjectives such as “maunder” and “blue” • “absence” - idea of not knowing how to feel, consumed and the losing of ones identity. Combined with title idea that you feel like you are drowning in the blue.
2nd stanza • Talking about sports and stereotypical nature of males • “Harvard all-American fullback” ideal success story, academic and sporting recognition • “ramrod” – talking about the fact that football players are stupid and only live for contact. • motif of the confused words describing his moods – “vaguely”
3rd stanza • Only cares about appearance and reputation • How he seen by others are his main thoughts • “more cut off from words “ describing that he cant find himself if he only thinks of his status - Loss of identity
5th stanza • Talk of Louis the XVI as a rich and an arrogant king • Only cared about his image • Talking about how tries to fit in where his finest clothes – “birthday suit”
6th stanza • Again the motif of changing and styling your hair to get the fashionable look. • Relating to title as it consumes you and you are then not your self as you are trying to make yourself look different than you are. – loss of identity • “screwballs” in the catholic church – reference to the churches image in today's society?
7th stanza • Waking up to realisation of what you have become • Or looking in the mirror and seeing that you are greater than you actually are. – sense of arrogance • “cock of the walk” – arrogance and fleeting confidence. • “twice my age and half my weight.” – arrogance and the irony as you are looking at someone bigger than you are
conclusion • Lowell’s own representation of the feelings he has or had of himself • Questioned the morals and attributes of a person • Mental illness that lead to depression