Cozy Apologia Flashcards
Poet
Rita Dove
Structure
The poem takes the form of a first-person narrative. The poem may be autobiographical as it could be dedicated to her husband, Fred, and it describes the home of a writer. Equally it could be about a character similar to the poet. The poem is composed of three 10-line stanzas. Stanza one is made up of five rhyming couplets, to make a rhyme scheme aabbccddee. This rhyme scheme starts to break down in stanza two, as if reflecting the disruption of the oncoming storm. By stanza three, a new rhyme scheme has begun to emerge: ababccdddd. Perhaps the poet intends the reader to see this suggestion of order and its progressive disruption as a way of representing the oncoming storm on the page.
Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd, who
Hurricane Floyd has potential to bring destruction, the
brings a host/ Of daydreams’
Alliteration is used to describe the aggressive character of the storm, which again is personified as male. While speaker suggests that the storm is unwelcome - it frees her from the business of everyday life. Being cosy indoors also allows the couple to be together - this gives the speaker the chance to reflect on their happy domestic life together.
Astride a dappled mare
Silver stirrups
Chain mail glinting
The speaker imagines her partner as a heroic knight on a horse in shining armour. This is a cliché (overused and unoriginal) of romantic love which may be used in irony (a mismatch between the actual meaning and what is implied). The speaker may be gently teasing her partner by making this comparison.
Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast
The hurricane is a metaphor for the buildup of emotions that can occur between husband and wife. The poet uses personification to reflect the strength of the storm and to emphasise that the brainstorm is like the niggling arguments between couples
The glossy blue
Upon the page
My pen exdudes
The details of the choice of verbs of the adjectives creates strong imagery and gives an intimate look into the parts mind, showing the concentration. She’s remembering each member minute detail, which shows she cherishes those memories. We can therefore picture the scene in exact detail
Floyd’s/
Cussing up a storm
Enjambentis used to link stanzas two and three. This is to sharply contrast in significant boyfriends of the past, and also to compare the storm to the husband. Again, personification is used to describe emotions of anger or aggression
Context
American poet, Rita Dove is married to fellow-writer Fred Viebahn and Cozy Apologia seems to be an affectionate tribute to him. The poem notes details of a couple’s domestic life as writers, ‘Twin desks, computers, hardwood floors’. It is set against the arrival of Hurricane Floyd, a powerful storm which hit the east coast of the USA in 1999. This factual, real-life context supports the idea this is an autobiographical poem.
