“The Carousel in the Park”

At first glance, “The Carousel in the Park” by Eavan Boland is a poem about a carousel,
as helpfully identified in the title. It describes a carousel and the path with which to take to it, but
more than that, the poem is a command. Boland begins by saying, “Find it”(1), and repeats the
mandate later in lines 10 and 24. Boland manipulates the word choice and structure of the poem
to tell readers not just to find a literal carousel, but to find the feeling of innocence and
enchantment a carousel can bring among trials of growing up and adulthood.
The structure of the poem itself is similar to that of a carousel ride. The poem begins and
ends with a one line stanza and has varying sentence length in between. This variance conveys
the ‘up and down’ feeling of being on a carousel, like a carousel, the poem starts and ends in
the sameway, coming full circle. Additionally, the stanzas length increases from the first stanza
to the second to last, but the abrupt change of this pattern in the last stanza conveys the way
the carousel stopping can feel--all of a sudden the motion has stopped, and when you get up,
world spin. This jarring sense can be felt reading the poem, leaving readers questioning and
uneasy, which prompts the opportunity to take a closer look at the poem. By doing this, and
analyzing the grammatical structure, one can notice a pattern that also lends to the carousel
comparison. Most sentences in the poems have a noun followed by an adjective, like in stanza
5, where she describes “Winter coming:/...necks flexing… the walks leafless and/ the squirrels
gone,/ the sycamores bare and the lake frozen”(17-23). By establishing this grammatical
pattern, Boland creates a rhythmic cadence similar to that of calliope music on a carousel, as
well as the rhythm of the up and down motion. By making the experience of reading the poem
feel like being on a carousel, Boland creates an atmosphere in the reader's mind primed for
understanding the larger metaphor of the carousel.
This stage set, Boland artfully wields diction to create a contrast of the ‘seasons of life’
that this poem and the carousel represent. When describing the carousel, Boland’s diction
conveys the idea that it has a little wear and tear; in line 9 she uses the word ‘russest’, the color
of rust, to convey the carousel’s age. Also in this line is the term ‘petrified advance’, a
contradictory term that not only communicates the image of a frozen statue moving on a
carousel, but also the contradictions of adulthood. The description in stanza 3 also has a
sensuality about it, clear in, “nasturtium rumps, breasts plunging/lime and violet names/painted
on/what was once the same as now littered/russet on their petrified advance”(5-9). This stanza
is obviously about the image of the horses and other animals on the carousel, and as previously
mentioned, the aging aspects of adulthood, but by including this sensual aspect, Boland
specifically depicts the changes a young woman goes through as she matures. This idea of
maturation is juxtaposed later in the poem by stanza 6, in which Boland describes a child on the
carousel. She describes, “her mittens bright as finger paints and holding fast/ to a crust of
weather now...unable to explain a sense of ease in/ those safe curves, that seasonless
canter”(27-31). In these lines, Boland not only paints a perfect picture of a young girl , but she
also identifies the innocence and simplicity of childhood. A carousel goes around only one way;
its journey is always predictable, which is so unlike maturation and adulthood. But when there is
that ‘sense of ease’, it’s calming and grounding, we can breathe it in and just take a moment to
be, rather than be swept up in the complications of adulthood. Boland identifies the young girl as
12 years old, just on the cusp of adolescence, and by capturing what could be one of that girl's
last moments of such ease and joy, she brings that feeling back to readers.
 It’s a feeling of enchantment, and Boland commands us to “Find it”. She wants us to take
a moment to read this poem, take a moment to understand it, and then allow ourselves to feel
the magic nbc of childhood joy once again. She wants us to come back to that feeling of safety
and ease, one that can be so missive in our adult lives. I believe that this poem is one of hope
and of possibility, that even as adults, we can still find that magic again. Boland writes this poem
to those who need to take a breath to just exist in happiness, and I am ever so grateful for the
reminder that I can do so.

“What Love Intended”

Eavan Boland’s poem “What Love Intended” is a poem about reminiscing and reflecting
on memories of the past. But beyond describing places in the persona’s memory with imagery,
Boland uses careful word choice and a deliberate structure to convey the complexity of memory.
The interpretations of the persona’s actual experiences can be numerous, but more uniform is
the awareness brought to our memories that may leave readers reminiscing on their pain,
grace, and ordeals(18-19).
Boland’s excellent wielding of diction creates a dark and grieving mood in the first half of
the poem, perhaps speaking to a break in a relationship or other traumatic memories. She
describes, “Broken mirrors, pictures/ and...cracked upstairs”, painting a scene in readers mind of
a damaged home, and perhaps, planting the idea of a damaged relationship(4-5). She
continues this idea with the use of words like ‘ruined’ and ‘burned’, words that speak to
destruction and loss(23 and 30). With this mood effectively established, it is all the more
noticeable when it shifts in stanza 8. From then on, the descriptions seem more hopeful and
vibrant, like “the yellow/jasmine in the dusk...the voices of our children...and skates in the
summer”(25-34). This shift is preceded by a line that includes the title: “...first to last,/ from then
to now and even/here, ruined this/is what love intended”(21-24). Not only does this mark a
change in the mood of the poem, but also a change in the tone of reflection the persona takes
on. By moving from lines describing brokenness to those describing joy and happiness, the
persona moves into a reflection that focuses on the good of her memories. In my interpretation,
the fact that this comes after the words “what love intended” signifies that rather than focusing
on what happened or the pain of the memories, the persona is choosing now to reflect on the
intentions of the love, which are, like the last half of the poem, presumably good. Yes, in love,
there can be damage and brokenness and unbelievable pain, but that is not often those who
have the love’s intention. This is a significant turning point in the poem, and also speaks to the
contradictions of our memory. It includes the good and the bad, no matter what side we choose
to focus on. Boland’s also fills the poem with contradictory word pairings, like “my pain, my
ordeal, my grace”(18-19) and “taking turns and quarrelling”(30). Our past is more than one
thing, it is complex and near undefinable, and Boand artfully addresses this.
Another astounding manipulation of diction is in stanza 5. When reminiscing, the
persona establishes that they “will be its ghost,/ its revenant”(13-14). Revenant is defined as
one that returns after death or a long absence. This applies directly to this poem, as the persona
is returning back to their memories. But the use of ghosts implies not only that the haunting
aspect of reminiscing, but that perhaps, there is something unresolved there, and they are
seeking closure. Maybe they find this closure through the shift in tone as they focus on the
good. There is also the interpretation, one that I personally hold and admire, that the person is
returning to those memories to keep them alive. If no one remembers what happened, it still
happened technically, but not in our reality. It remains outside our history. But by continuing to
remember, we keep the memory alive in our minds and histories, similar to the idea of Des Los
Muertos.
The structure of the poem also speaks to the idea of memory and its unique
characteristics and differences among individuals. Each stanza is three lines, and they are all
spaced evenly. This gives the first impression that the poem is neat and tidy. But just like its
subject--our memory--in reality, the poem is different. The spacing of the lines and the fact that
they are not all aligned with one another creates the illusion of jagged edges and broken pieces.
This not only speaks to the contradiction of the good and bad of our memory, but also how,
when we look back on our memories, we recall bits and pieces. These pieces can be difficult to
fit into a larger narrative, and our perspective can be wildly different than someone else who
experienced the same thing. This is akin to how when reading Bokand’s poem, there can be a
multitude of interpretations. In addition, besides the individual words of the poem, the
progression of the poem also follows the pattern of our memory. It begins with a broad view,
identifying that the persona is looking back, but then it zooms in on specific details and events,
like a neighbor saying whitebeams were a man and woman(39-41). Our memory can be the
same way--we first may remember something as a whole, or a general feeling, and then employ
a narrower perspective as we recall specifics.
Clearly, there is much to say about this poem. I am amazed by Boland’s ability to wield
metaphors and the foundations of a poem so expertly that such discourse about just one piece
can happen. This poem speaks about memory, but it is about more than just remembering. It is
about how we feel as we reminisce, the pain and the joy. It is about perspective, and the
contradictions and differences that exist among others. This poem evokes a feeling and
reflection so great in so little time. One just must actually take the time to find the subtleties
within the pieces that really speak to the meaning, and I am appreciative that I have been given
the opportunity to do so.