Melo-Moore 1

Gabby Melo-Moore

AP Literature

Mr. Gallagher

November 1, 2010

Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 [withheld]

In “Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 [withheld]”, the writer Charles Olson suggests that

part of an individual‘s past will always remain as a memory, crafting who that individual becomes

in the future. Charles Olson allows the speaker of the poem to reminisce about the remembrance

of events that occurred while growing up. The speaker goes on arguing that his past is not just

some sort of enjoyment in the future, but something that truly meant a lot to him.

Charles Olson furthers his outline by allowing the speaker to explain to readers how

Gloucester had changed over many years. The speaker flashes back to the past that he attained

while growing up in Gloucester. “I come back to the geography of it/ where my father shot his

scabby golf/ and the rest of us played baseball into the summer darkness…” (1-5). The speaker is

depicting that his childhood was important and the change in his hometown is something that has

affected him, as he goes on to say, “I compell Gloucester/ to yield, to/ change/ Polis is this.” (48-

52). The speaker articulates that he still remembers the events of his past life and that these events

are significant to him because his memory remains somewhere special to him.

The setting in this poem is about Gloucester. The speaker denotes that Gloucester is

special to him representing part of who he became because that is where he is from. The speaker

disapproves how the city of Gloucester had changed by modernization. “the generation of those

facts/ which are my words it is coming/ from all that I no longer am yet am…” (28-30). The

speaker illustrates that everything he stands for in this poem, is real. All he can give is his word

which is factual evidence because he witnessed the corrupt change in Gloucester over the years.

He depicts that the past is not who he fully is because everyone changes themselves, but more

part of who he is because these memories will always be with him.

 Melo-Moore 2

It is indicated that the past becomes a part of an individual’s future because the past will

always remain with that person mentally and emotionally. The speaker of the poem makes it

evident that where he came from and how he grew up will continue on throughout his memory

representing who he is. “Plus this- plus this:/ that forever the geography/ which leans in/ on me I

compell/ backwards I compell Gloucester/ to yield, to/ change/ Polis/ is this.” (44-52). The

speaker argues that the past life will be part of an entity forever because they can always turn

back to it in their memories.

In conclusion, Charles Olson uses the speaker in “Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27

[withheld]” to clarify that one’s past represents who they become in the futuristic terms of life. It

is important because those past events will always be in someone‘s memory. How the change in

Gloucester was able to affect the speaker of the poem’s outlook as he reminisces on his

childhood, shows that some people never understand why something is important to a person and

how it affects that individual overall being as part of who they become.