Argument By Elizabeth Bishop: Poem Analysis

American poet and short story-writer, Elizabeth Bishop was known for her highly accurate point of view and detailed descriptions of the physical world that surrounded her. The poet used to focus on specific topics, ranging from the difficulty of finding meaning in life and the expression of her grievance. In 1946, Bishop published ‘North and South’, a collection of poems which introduce the major themes in Bishop’s poetry such as the human connection with the natural world, the description of geography and landscape.

Although ‘Argument’ is a poem which seems to be related with love and feelings, it also deals with the flowing time. As the days go by, it creates a large distance with the speaker’s beloved, and disorder in their relationship.

These small words give a staccato, broken rhythm. The alliteration of the ‘g’ sound conveys violence in the weight of words is inevitable, hence the frequent change of tone: ‘or will not’. We can imagine a couple arguing, where each want to have the final word each. But nobody seems to win the battle.

Moreover, the use of simile with the second stanza ‘all that land// beneath the plane’ is particularly interesting as Bishop creates imagery with the comparison of the distance between the land and the plane.

The atmosphere is also ambiguous in ‘conversation’. On the contrary, this poem analyses the psychological relationship between the ego and the superego which causes chaos and disorder of the mind. According scientists, the conscious is unable to know what is stored in the subconscious mind (more powerful) which generates many conflicts. The two are intertwined and get confused making it impossible to make the difference between these two aspects of the mind, explained in the last line of the first stanza: ‘No one could tell the difference’. In poetry, to create a situation is relevant as it enables the reader to imagine a context, a story or a background and these characteristics are quite predominant in Bishop’s writing