Bevelizing Eyes - Stevie Smith: “Not Waving but Drowning.
Stevie Smith asks if we couldn't all do a little more to help from time to time. 'A purposeful and substantial talent'Times Literary Supplement In today’s poem we’re going to hear a voice from beyond the grave, the voice of a man who swam out of his depth and couldn’t get back, telling us that he was not waving but drowning. Through this simple repeated line, the poem suggests his death.Essay Not Waving But Drowning By Stevie Smith “Not Waving but Drowning” is a poem by Stevie Smith about a man who is drowning in the cold water but nobody thinks he is drowning but waving at them. The poem is only 12 lines long and has almost a humorous tone considering the horror of watching a man drowning to death.In the poem “Not Waving but Drowning,” there appears to be three speakers including the narrator, the man drowning, and the family and friends of the man. Each of the speakers play a significant role in the poem. The first speaker, the narrator, appears in lines one, two, and seven. The readers do not know much about the narrator.
My university lecturer absolutely loved Stevie Smith and has written books on her, so hopefully I’ve done him proud with this one!. And not waving but drowning.”.Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith: Summary and Analysis Not Waving but Drowning is one of the most appreciated poem of Stevie Smith which was chosen as the fourth favorite poem in England in 1995.
Not Waving But Drowning is an emotionally charged journey through Gregory’s impoverished childhood and the dark underbelly of his later life as a policeman in Northern Ireland performing what was, according to Interpol, the most dangerous policing role in the world.
