Poetry Unbound

Marilyn Nelson — The Truceless Wars

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May 6, 2022
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INSIGHT

Sonnets Force A Turn

  • A sonnet gives a poem a built-in turn (volta) that forces the reader to look twice.
  • Chris Heagle explains Nelson uses the sonnet form to deliver a punch and then a reversal.
INSIGHT

Animals Vs. Human Wars

  • Marilyn Nelson contrasts animal conflicts with human wars to reveal different meanings of violence.
  • Heagle notes animals' killing is functional while human war often destroys possibility and future.
INSIGHT

Questioning As Human Vocation

  • Nelson proposes humanity's vocation is to evolve higher through questioning toward hope.
  • Heagle highlights the poem's claim that questioning drives human progress and hope.
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