Week 9 Analysis: Close Reading of "It was essential" by Ghalib
As you depart you say,
"We'll meet once more"
on Doomsday"
How Great -
that doom will have it's day
on one more day. (19-24)
You weren't so uptight
about the give-and-take of life
couldn't Death have been
bribed and dissuaded
from pressing His case
for a few more days? (37-42)
Like many poets, Ghalib was unafraid to capture a single solitary moment or emotion. All literary forms thrive on emotion to create a moments or points for the readers to resonate with. "It was essential" by Ghalib is no different. This poem feels like the encapsulation of grief because of loss/death. For anyone who's lost a loved one or friend, sections within this poem highlight the complex, rush of emotions that are grappled with in the face of loss. Ghalib covers the guilt, yearning and dour feelings felt within the short time span after losing someone you care for. These conflicting moments of grief are particularly prevalent in the two stanzas I chose to discuss above. The first stanza details the exact moment with with following, "As you depart you say,/'We'll meet once more'/on doomsday" (19-21), introducing the concept of doomsday and the associated moment of judgement for all to endure. This introduction of 'doomsday' helps cement the grief felt from loss in the following three lines, "How Great-/that doom will have it's day/on one more day" (22-24), which creates the comparison of loss. Detailing the loss of a loved in the same vein as doomsday completely displays the sort of earth-shattering grief felt from such an event. Ghalib equates doomsday to the doom felt because of his nephews loss.
The second stanza reflects the yearning for at least a couple more days with the individual lost. Ghalib displays the willingness to "bribe" Death with anything just to have "a few more days": "couldn't Death have been/bribed and dissuaded/from pressing His case/for a few more days?" (39-42). The raw emotion of this poems theme is no better demonstrated than within these lines, where the narrator surrenders to the yearning; wishing for at least a few more days with their fallen family/friend. When re-reading these two stanzas and dissecting them it's clear that Ghalib is able to allocate many of the emotional components associated with loss into this single poem.
Hello Ceasar!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great poem you chose, and one that felt more complex in it's approach. Death and loss are such heavy subjects that Ghalib takes head on without restraint. My favorite part of your analysis was your breakdown of his attempt to bribe death for a little bit more time. I think it's a deep question that a lot of people who have grieved a loss deal with. Overall great analysis!