Hoda's+Analysis

“(bottle tower)” by Matthea Harvey utilizes tone, alliteration, and most importantly imagery to contribute to the meaning of death and rebirth. Never before has a fifteen line poem said so much. Harvey uses simple language and an informal tone but creates a meaning not easy to grasp. However through many aspects the meaning of “(bottle tower)” becomes very apparent.

When analyzing “(bottle tower)” a little more thoroughly the meaning is clear. This is the interpretation involving death and rebirth. The poem seems to be segmented. In the beginning, the speaker delves into a list of what seem to be morbid things, but in this case could be seen as worn down. For this analysis, the lines, “Today I want to live/without looking. Give me that & I will give up/the rest,” seem to divide the poem in two. The following lines are a list of the opposite of some of the worn down things in the beginning. The image of the dying flower in lines 2-4, “the peony blossoms bend over/& rest their soft faces on the petals piled up/in the grass,” contrasts with the newborn flower in lines 11-12, “Fat green buds bursting to split into/pink.” Also, the description in line 12, “Trucks piled high with glittering tar,” seems to be the rebirth of the description in line 4, “Tar cools & tires dull you,” because it is replacing the old faded road. This interpretation is not pessimistic but it holds an underlying message that with every death there is a birth. “(bottle tower)” seems to be all connected except for the first phrase in line 1, “Dear nine-thirty.” What is nine-thirty? Is it the time, a person, or a thing? It really is a symbol when perceived as time. All that is said is “nine-thirty” and it doesn’t specify AM or PM, therefore it very well relates back to this interpretation of death and rebirth. Here Harvey gives us a taste of the meaning before we even delve into the poem. One other aspect of this phrasing is setting the tone for the poem. When writing in a diary, one always begins with the date and time, and though it is not exactly like a diary entry it gives the feel of it. This gives the poem its informal mood. Harvey carries on this tone, by writing as if she is conversing with the reader, almost as a ramble. She gives many examples and not very many solid points which just contribute to the tone even more. Though the informal tone may deceive the reader into thinking the poem itself is casual in text, one ought to think again. Harvey uses much alliteration in her work.  “men  / mute with mistakes”, “birds with broken necks / stuck to the sidewalk”, and “the grass starts to smell like the sea”, are just a few examples of the alliteration Harvey uses generously along her work. This provides a sense of sophistication and amusement to a seemingly laid back piece of literary work. There is an uncanny amount of imagery in “(bottle tower)” that it would be useless picking the imagery apart since the poem is almost one long strand of it. Harvey uses the imagery to compare and make a point really. Though all the images presented by the speaker seem fairly different, they are connected. All the images portrayed are very relatable. Everyone has encountered dying flowers, worn out tires, murky puddles, and road kill, just some descriptions Harvey uses. These relatable descriptions do two things. For one, it contributes to the tone by not complicating descriptions so there is a more casual feel to the poem. The second, and possibly more important aspect that the imagery achieves, is that it creates a connection between the reader and the poem because the reader knows what the speaker is observing. Harvey uses the imagery she illustrates not just to paint a picture but also to add to the tone and to relate the reader to the poem and speaker.

Imagery, tone, and literary devices all contribute to the overall meaning of death and rebirth in “(bottle tower)” by Mattea Harvey. The poem also connects the reader in such a way that most poems fail to achieve. Through all these aspects of "(bottle tower)" one can undoubtedly comprehend the meaning Harvey is portraying.