On the Poem, 'Mementos, 1

A detailed Summary of On the Poem, 'Mementos, 1

In W. D. Snodgrass's "Mementos, 1", we are taken through a wide range of emotions sparked by the speaker's memories of a lost love when he stumbles upon her photograph taken when they had first met. The speaker reminisces about his journey through life with this woman as well as her image. He appears at times to be talking to the memory of this former love, as well as this traveled and forgotten photograph.

The poem begins with the speaker sifting through his "old / Canceled checks, old clippings and yellow note cards/ That meant something once"(1-3). These are pieces of his past, which are useless, yet kept, perhaps in a dusty drawer- long forgotten. He reacts with horror when among the pieces of his flotsam; he discovers the photograph of his former wife and love. "Your pict

His tone changes again, as he remembers the photograph itself, and their journey together through war. He remembers how he carried it through those years as a talisman to ward off the fear and death that he found himself surrounded by. This photograph served as a reminder of the times before he was called away, the simple love and idealism, as well as the promise of its return. Sadly, he points out, it did not return to the way it was.

As the speaker continues in the fourth stanza, this photograph also represents the lie of love being eternal. Life got in the way of ideals and the strength of their romance as well as their lives were sapped by "lies, self-denial, unspoken regret/ And the sick eyes that blame". (20-21) Love changed to resentment, deceit and finally divorce. The speaker becomes m

Some common words found in the essay are:
Snodgrass's Mementos, , mementos 1,

Approximate Word count = 539
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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