"Final Love Note" Explication

"Final Love Note" Explication

Clare Rossini's poem "Final Love Note" is a perfect example of a poem that creates imagery with language. The title takes on a very serious sense of loss. If one were to read just the title and make a judgment as to what the poem would be about, they would probably guess the loss of a loved one, most likely through death. The speaker even gives the readers that idea in the first few lines through her language. The title and word usage of the poem makes the reader compare a human lover to what was literally lost, an elm tree. The most effective elements used in this poem are tone, symbolism, and imagery.

One finds out fairly quickly that the speaker was not referring to a human loss, but that of a huge tree that has been cut down by her house. Throughout the entire poem, however, she uses language that one would use to describe a human lover. The poem takes on a very somber tone. This, too, is due to the language and personification techniques the writer chose. She says the tree abandoned her and she says she "endured its silences" (line 8). These examples of personification cause one to automatically compare this dying tree with the loss a lover. It is extremely dramatic and moving. It takes on a more serious tone than one would usually take when cutting down a tree. This tree has brought the speaker much happiness, so she is very depressed in the loss of it.

One makes an assumption that this poem is not meant to be taken literally. Symbolism is used in this poem very successfully. The tree is used to symbolize her lover. The sky is another symbol that could be taken to stand for a new found freedom and independence. Independence and freedom are usually interpreted as wonderful qualities but there is a sense of foreboding in the speaker. She is afraid of the new freedom because she is no longer sheltered and protected by the massive elm.

The images that "Final Love Note" produces are very clear and dramatic. When reading or listening to this poem, one can see a dead tree being cut