Myth

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2007

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

“Myth” by Natasha Trethewey is an 18-line poem divided into what are called enclosed tercets, three-line stanzas that employ an ABA rhyme. “Myth” is also a palindrome which hinges on its asterisk after Line 9. A palindrome in its simplest form is something that can be read the same way forward or backward as in the word noon. In a poem, this technique is more sophisticated. The initial lines are written, but then generally turn on a line in the middle, whereupon the original lines appear in reverse order. In “Myth,” the use of palindrome heightens the idea that grief is cyclical and constantly repeats. Further the form creates a circular action in terms of reading, creating a loop as the poem is read both backwards and forwards returning upon itself.

Although the lines don’t follow a set meter, the use of rhyme creates a song-like effect. The use of the enclosed tercets—three lines stanzas with the ABA rhyme—also adds to the sense of enclosure the repetition of grief causes for the mourner. The “ing” A rhymes in 12 of the lines suggest the continuous processing of grief while the B rhyme of “hollow” (Lines 2, 17), “tomorrow” (Lines 5, 14), and “follow” (Lines 8, 11) suggest the emptiness of coming days without the loved one.

Punctuation and Syntax

One of the key ways Trethewey conveys the emotional shift from the first section of her poem to the second is through the use of syntax rearrangement and punctuation, particularly using these techniques in the second half to change meaning and emphasis in the repeated phrases. In the first section, the speaker in the dream states, “I try taking / you back into morning. Sleep-heavy, turning, / my eyes open, I find you do not follow” (Lines 6-8). In the second section, this line, using the majority of the same words, with order reversal and punctuation shifts, becomes, “my eyes open, I find you do not follow. / You back into morning, sleep-heavy, turning” (Lines 11-12). In the first example, the subject is the speaker whereas in the second, it is the loved one. Further, the speaker tries to take the loved one “back into morning” in the first section, but in the second, the loved one “turn[s]” (Line 12) from the speaker. In the first section, the speaker describes the state between sleep and waking as “the Erebus I keep you in, still trying / not to let go” (Lines 4-5). In the second section the emphasis changes, “The Erebus I keep you in—still, trying— // I make between my slumber and my waking” (Lines 15-16). The long dashes and the use of the comma to break the words “still” (Line 15) and “trying” (Line 16) give a heightened sense of desperation and longevity. This enhances the idea of cyclical grief further.

Juxtaposition of Consonance

One thing that elevates the tension in “Myth” is the continual contrast of the soft consonant of “l” juxtaposed with the harsher consonant of “k” or “r.” In several lines this is done so that the reader at once feels a lulling into sleep followed by a harsh awakening of truth. For example, “It’s as if you slipped through some rift” (Lines 2, 17). This is particularly done in lines that include “k” as in “a hollow I make between my slumber and my waking” (Lines 2-3). The “l” sound in “hollow” (Line 2) and “slumber” (Line 3) are jarred by the “k” of “make” (Line 2) and “waking” (Line 3). This technique is repeated in “You back into morning, sleep-heavy, turning” (Line 12). All of this is another way to highlight the fact that the speaker is negotiating leaving the loved one behind in the dreamworld while they must return to the land of the living.