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Spruce Creek High School 쇴

ENGLISH IB English 쇴
July Man Paper 1 commentary.docx

July Man Paper 1 commentary.docx

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page 2 of 3 쇮

The poem "July Man", written by Margaret Avison, depicts a man lost in his present day life

while reminiscing on the things that once were. The poem mentions several lost aspects of the

park the man is in. He examines the inhabitants of the city while acknowledging his

misplacement in this world and feeling alone in the big city. Avison uses visual imagery, sound

imagery, and examples of verbal irony to emphasize the message of the poem. The poem carries

a tone of sadness throughout the entirety of the work. We see major themessuch as sadness,

solitude, lostness, and time in the work.

The main character of the passage, the old man, seems to be living his final chapter of life.

Avison uses heavy examples of visual imagery when describing the old man in the first lines of

the poem. She says the man is "Old, rain-wrinkled, time-soiled, city-wise, morning man" (line

1). These descriptions supply a lot of context behind the old man's life. We learn that he lives in

the city and that he's older. The third line says he "hurts for the moting of time" (Line 3); this

line can be symbolic of the fact that he's upset with his lost time in this world and he's let his

time pass him by. Another noteworthy line that relates to the theme of time is when Avison

writes "in the sorrow of the last rubby-dub swig" (Line 25 ). This line from the poem suggest

that this man is an alcoholic that has lived his life under the control of the drink and he has come

to his last drink. His last drink can be symbolic for death or even a better future that the man

hopes to have. Time is often referred to as the most valuable commodity of life and I believe

Avison promotes that statement in her work. She depicts the "July Man" as a man who has let

his life slip by. Avison emphasizes the regrets of the man and the events that have led him to the

point at which he's at.

Furthermore, lostness is a significant concept within this poem. Avison makes it clear that the

July Man is lost within his life and feels lonely. This concept of the poem is emphasized when

she uses the metaphor, "the rushing river of cars makes you a stillness, a heart-stopping, blurt in

the sorrow" (line 22). This metaphor refers to the "rushing river of cars" as life and the people

around the man. Therefore the city and life itself functions around the man as he's pivoted in one

spot. This reference to life carrying on without the man can be symbolic of the man's loneliness

because no one needs or cares about him in his life. It seems as if he's lost within the junction of

life and is caught in a "stillness" like a deer in headlights. The last lines of the of the

penultimate stanza also carry the theme of lostness and loneliness. When Avison writes that the

city makes him a "stone jar solitude lost", we see a direct initiative to the themes of lostness and

loneliness. Once again, Avison uses visual imagery to depict the themes within this poem. The

author intends to emphasize the effects of living an unfulfilled life and what hardships it may

cause you. The poem desires to influence the reader to take advantage of their time and to enjoy

the precious things in life when you have the chance.

Lastly, it's crucial to note the way the author is able to set a tone of sadness throughout the

entirety of the poem. I think it's important to firstly recognize the title, " July Man, as an

extended metaphor. July is known to be a rainy month therefore Avison is subtly hinting the

melancholy like tone that is usually established with rain. The first stanza also sets this same

tone, as the lines describe all the wonders that once were attributed to the park. Although the

poem goes on to mention that "the beauty [of the park] is fan-tailed, grey and dove grey aslant

folding in from the white fury of day" (line 17). This line uses verbal imagery once again to

describe the park as a place that is no longer upkept. The depiction of the park as "grey" can be

inferred to mean death which is symbolic of the man's absence of life within him or can even

foreshadow his real death. Additionally as mentioned in the previous paragraph concerning

lostness, the penultimate paragraph emphasizes a sad and melancholy tone through its subtle

hints to alcoholism and loneliness. Finally the last stanza subtly hints the realities of life coming

to an end. The "weight" and "sunlight" that is referenced to can be seen as the harsh realities

that faces a man coming to realize his own death. These last lines execute the tone carried

throughout the passage and assimilate it with death.

This poem can be seen as a cautionary tale to the audience. Avison uses this man to

demonstrate the realities of death, loneliness, lostness, and sadness. The author wants to warn

her readers that life can pass you by and if you may let that happen these are the consequences

that are faced. She also insists the reader to enjoy things while they're there so take advantage

and don't end up in a similar situation to the " July Man".

References:

Margaret Avison, The Dumbfounding (1966), taken from Always Now (2003)

TITLE

July Man Paper 1 commentary.docx

SCHOOL

Spruce Creek High School

COURSE TITLE

ENGLISH IB English

UPLOADED BY

LieutenantClover4692

PAGES

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Fall 2013

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