Essay on Conjoined free essay sample

The Imagery in â€Å"Conjoined† Poets use imagery to capture the emotion and feeling in the poem in which they are writing. Judith Minty, in her poem â€Å"Conjoined,† uses imagery to truly depict the meaning and emphasis of that work. Through the images that Minty paints in the minds of her readers, the essence of the poem is revealed. One can strongly see and feel the emotion that this poem possesses. The images are distinct and bold, and through the first, second, and third stanza, the images can be easily seen and identified. The poem â€Å"Conjoined† is not a pleasant poem, but it speaks of great truth for the situation in which it describes. Minty’s poem begins with a small, yet important, subtitle; â€Å"a marriage poem. † This subtitle begins the imagery of the entire poem. Even though this poem never once speaks of a couple in a marriage, the images that the poem does portray are of just that, a marriage. The first stanza begins with the image of an onion sitting in a cupboard. However, this onion is neither normal nor natural in any conventional sense. This onion, which is actually two onions combined into one, is deformed and distorted from the union. The second image used in the first stanza is an invisible skin that combines these two onions to make them one. These two images represent a marriage between two people, and that marriage has become deformed, distorted, and loveless. The image of the two onions being combined as one shows, that when marriage does take place, the two people are no longer a singe person, but now one unit. The invisible skin, that envelope the two onions, is an image of the matrimony the two people share; however, these images are not ones that express happiness. The two people are miserable with one another, and the marriage that they share is what deforms and alters the two partners. The second stanza brings in two new images that show this marriage and the agony it brings on both of its partners. The first image of the second stanza is of a â€Å"two-headed calf rooted in one body† (lines 5-6). This deformed calf paints a perfect picture of the marriage these two people share. Each head of the calf fights with its counterpart to be able to obtain milk from its mother. This image also represents the marriage that these two spouses have for one another. The calf itself represents the marriage, and the two heads of that calf are the partners within that marriage. This image is perfect because it shows that even though the two partners are joined together through marriage, their union is so incredibly loveless, that each companion must fight to sustain life. The second image that Minty uses in her second stanza is of the illustrious Siamese twins, â€Å"Chang and Eng† (line 7). This image is another perfect example of the anguish these two people share while combined in this marriage. Using these twins as an image for an anguished marriage, one can easily see the stress and grief that these two companions are experiencing. The joining of the twins â€Å"at the chest by skin and muscle† (line 8), is another image and representation of the marriage between the two partners. Minty goes on to say that the Siamese twins were not born together, but the two of them were â€Å"doomed to live, even make love, together for sixty years† (lines 8-9). This image alone shows that these two people are not happy to be in this state of being. These two spouses are doomed under the bonds of marriage. The final stanza of Minty’s poem â€Å"Conjoined† shows one of the most explicit images the poem has to offer. The first image in the third and final stanza speaks once again of a skin that keeps the couple bound together. This image references one of the first images that Minty used in the beginning of her poem. This skin is a representation and image of the marriage that the couple shares. The next image that Minty uses is the strongest image the poem has to offer. â€Å"To sever the muscle could free one, but might kill the other† (lines 12-13). This image sends chills down the spine when it is read and for the first time in this poem, death becomes a prominent role. Having the muscle play the image of the marriage shows the strength and power that a marriage has over two people. When that â€Å"muscle† that joins these two companions is cut or severed, only one will be able to walk away from that situation alive, leaving the other dead. Minty uses this image to show the magnitude of the situation at hand. Having death and murder play a role in this poem, truly shows the anguish and pain that this spouse is experiencing. Minty moves from this image of death to the image of an actual man and wife. â€Å"Ah, but men don’t slice onions in the kitchen, seldom see what is invisible† (lines 13-15). These lines paint a deliberate picture of men in relationships. Minty says that men seldom see the underlying factors as they rarely see what is below the surface. In this instance, the speaker of the poem states that men do not see what is invisible, and the speaker is referring to the damaged relationship as that invisible entity. Minty finalizes her poem with one simple, yet powerful sentence; â€Å"We cannot escape each other† (line 15). This one line explains the poem on multiple levels. The fact that these two partners are miserable together, the one fact that the two can agree upon is that they will never be able to be apart. Judith Minty’s poem â€Å"Conjoined† speaks the direct opposite of the conventional marriage poems that are usually written. This poem does not speak of the happiness and joy marriage brings, but it tells of a marriage that has gone horribly wrong. When reading the title of the poem â€Å"Conjoined,† and the simple subtitle â€Å"a marriage poem,† one would suspect the poem to be about two lovers’ passion or love that has brought them to marry one another. However, with Minty’s poem, this is not the case. The images she uses in each of her three stanzas vividly portray a marriage that is entirely loveless. Even though this poem about a marriage that is far from conventional, Minty’s use of metaphors and similes, along with the images those figures of speech reveal, make this poem quite unique.