Rita Dove Wishes the Reader Term Paper

" The reader is meant to empathize with the situation and to smell the stink of oncoming death as compared to the living and the dead which had been visited earlier, presumably by all the family, excepting perhaps the diabetic grandmother, who sensed here own approaching and imminent passing on.

The rest of the adherents in the poem are enjoying the treat provided by father, even though the "recipe was secret" (5) while the grandmother is preparing for death. The poet states that the participant did not even remember the taste of the treat (25) which could have been an implication for the fact that the participant did not remember the grandmother. The evidence of this is found in line 16 when the poet ties "lavender" to both the grandmother and the treat.

In lines 8 and 9 it tells how the character in the poem 'galloped through the grassed-over mounds' which is another way of portraying death and how forgetful society can become of those who have already died. The reader is able to imagine how the grass has already overtaken the mounds where those who have fought so valiantly lay, and the fact that it has done so could be used as a comparison to society who, similar to the grass, also overtakes in an inexorable and ever encroaching fashion, those that have died.

On the other hand, in lines 11-14 the reader finds that father's treat is a lot like life itself, receiving a dollop of sweetness here, and a dollop of sweetness there.The reader can enjoy those dollops of life even more so in the type of setting provided by the poem's background which was very death oriented. This is in sharp contrast to the sweetness of life which the poet believes is enhanced because of the nearby dead and the nearby dying (the grass covered mounds and the grandmother).

The clear proximity of the dead is displayed as having a poignant aftereffect on the living, making the circumstances a little more enjoyable for those who remain living. The little 'dollops' of sherbet along the way (or the enjoyable events in life) ensure that living are able to progress in a manner that makes it all worthwhile.

It is not until the end of the poem, when the poet states; "now I see why you bothered" (27-28) that the reader is left with the assurance of being able to persevere throughout the life, even knowing that death is imminent.

It is with this assurance that the reader is able to bring away more of an understanding of life based on the poem's premise that death should not be ignored (viewing of the grass covered mounds), and that it cannot be overcome (as witnessed by the grandmother's flat refusal to acknowledge its closeness) but that readers should enjoy life not matter what circumstances affect that life. The poet seems to be enlightening the reader as to the fact that life may not be what the reader wishes it was,….....