Hell, often seen as a place of punishment, can also be a source of poetic and imaginative discovery.
Embracing such difficult symbols can be a form of protest and exploration.
insights INSIGHT
Reclaiming a Silenced Voice
The poem "Alternate Ending: The Escape of Jephthah’s Daughter" reclaims a biblical story by giving voice and agency to a character traditionally silenced.
It asserts the daughter's refusal to be an archetype or subject to promises made by others about her life.
insights INSIGHT
Sonnet's Powerful Turn
The poem's sonnet form includes a decisive volta where the speaker rejects the archetype and the imposed role.
This strong voice embodies confidence and self-determination, refusing guilt or imposed promises.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Old stories — of mythology or religion — have sometimes been depicted as having one narrative and one interpretation. Here, J. Estanislao Lopez takes on the voice of a character whose story ended in violence, inviting listeners to claim their agency as this character claims hers.
J. Estanislao Lopez is the author of We Borrowed Gentleness(Alice James Books, 2022). His poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, The Rumpus, and Poetry Magazine,as well as the anthology The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext. Lopez received his MFA from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers.
Poetry Unbound