This is also the only poem of part three, and stands amongst its pages alone. Through this poem, the hunger for death is exemplified and can be found in the many words that prove it. Such words include “blood”, in stanza 9, “ashes” in stanza 15, “flesh” in stanza 20, and “coffin” in stanza 34. With these words, the author is able to successfully show ones hunger for death. However, the first few lines of the poem are where death is most palpable. “The figure on our horizon is no metaphor/ It is a man on a bridge overlooking the Los Angeles River.” It is these lines that might lead the reader to believe the entire poem to be related to the hunger for death, because it gives the image of a man, standing on a bridge, as if about to jump into the Los Angeles River. Now, the gentleman might simply be taking in the summer sunset, but the lines that follow, which state “For it is summer, and the shine has dwindled,” might mean otherwise. The word “dwindled”, generally means dying in light, or decreasing in intensity. It is that word itself which may lead the reader to believe that the man on the top of the bridge is about to jump. However, the other words throughout the poem, which also personify death, help proves that …show more content…
This form of hunger could be described as a form of longing or desire for things to go back to how they were. In this poem, the people of Prague honor the death of their Roman emperor, Charles the fourth, by building a statue in his honor. However, it can also be thought that the Emperor, being a man hungry for power, would want the statue built in his passing so that people would always remember him. One might think, with this poem being the last poem in the book, that Bond would like to be remembered as well. Maybe Bond shares the same desires that the fallen emperor did, and wishes that his poems outlive him, much like how the statue of the Emperor has outlived Charles the fourth. Whichever the reader chooses to believe, it can be decided without a doubt that this poem signifies a hunger for remembrance. Whether it is through the people wishing to remember their late Emperor, or the Emperor wanting the people to remember him, the message of this particular hunger is clearly shown throughout the stanzas. In conclusion, hunger is a theme that is thoroughly portrayed throughout the poem. Whether it is through the hunger for love and affection, the hunger for death, or the hunger to always be remembered, Bond successfully portrays each in their individual poems. Though, all the poems are open for interpretation, it can clearly be decided that these three show some sort