However, as the storm disimproves and changes from grey to black, there is only one small glimmer of hope. Rich feels that all she can do in this situation is shut out the problems as best she can and try to get on with her life, safe inside from the storm. Clearly, this particular storm has had a terrible toll on Rich. When her response finally does come, it seems somehow pathetic and inadequate - “we can only close the shutters”. The use of “shattered fragments” is significant and might just as easily be applied to her life as to the meteorological instruments used to measure the storm. Meanwhile, the reader is very much aware of the metaphorical reading of the poem. She uses an image of destruction and violence to remind the reader both of the inevitability of the storm and of its destructive power. Even though one might know of the troubles in advance, one cannot stop time or the troubles. Rich falters again, and becomes dispirited in the face of such turmoil. This is registered in the phrase “mastery of elements”. Rich’s spirits seem to recover or rally a little, as she begins to consider how one might deal with the momentous change and turmoil that accompany the storm. Rich is quite fatalistic at this point, anticipating the difficulties will not prevent them from happening. Even though Rich hasn’t used a personal pronoun in these lines, it is nonetheless unmistakably private. In the last few lines of this stanza, both literal and metaphorical meanings of the word “storm” come together. The degree of the difficulty is hinted at through her use of the word “polar”. One can reflect on the fact that one might not always know the precise cause of the difficulties now confronting her. Having experienced such problems before, she is somewhat philosophical about them. She creates a sense of expectation, but there is also perhaps a sense of dread for what is to come. Rich hints that she has experienced these troubles in the past through her use of the words “again” and “often”. This is shown to us when she describes leaving her comfortable chair, or comfort zone, to confront this storm that threatens her life as she knows it.Īs she anticipates the approaching storm, she begins to reflect on the nature of the troubles that approach her. We do not know if the poem regards her escape from the control of her father, her increased social activism or her realisation regarding her sexuality, but we are aware that it is something that puts her outside her comfort zone. It is important to note that this is not just a storm in the meteorological sense of the word, but also in an emotional or mental sense for the poet. Alternatively, “glass has been falling” suggests a certain degree of unrest or destruction. The poet describes a change in readings in a barometer or thermometer as glass falling, informing her that a storm is coming. “Storm Warnings” seems to describe not only weather conditions, but also a major event in the life of the poet, Adrienne Rich. These are the things we have learned to do This is our sole defense against the season Of weather through the unsealed aperture. I draw the curtains as the sky goes blackĪnd set a match to candles sheathed in glassĪgainst the keyhole draught, the insistent whine Which clocks and weatherglasses cannot alter.Ī proof against the wind the wind will rise, How with a single purpose time has traveled Moves inward toward a silent core of waiting, Of grey unrest is moving across the land,Īnd walk from window to closed window, watching What winds are walking overhead, what zone The glass has been falling all the afternoon,
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