Theme Of The Keepsake

Kiran Nayyar

Ms. Chan

Advanced English 9

15 March 2022

The Desolation of Death Death is a universal experience that everyone deals with once in their lifetime. It is often accompanied by fear, which prompts people to talk about it in hushed whispers, behind closed doors, where they feel safe from its grasp. Yone Noguchi was one of the few who dared to share his thoughts on this subject. In his poem, “The Keepsake'', he reflects on the brutal loneliness that comes with death. The poem was published in 1926, following the death of his wife. The death of his wife, not only left Noguchi a widow, but a single father as well. To add to that, Noguchi was a Japanese immigrant which caused him to face many challenges because many discriminated against people of color. This period was not

While mindlessly working, Noguchi describes how “the rats in the ceiling gnawed a pillar,” (Noguchi, Line 8). This line is important because the use of the word gnaw ties back with how the narrator feels like life is chewing him up. This feeling seems to share a similarity with the theme and how he cannot keep up with life anymore. The image of rats gnawing at the pillar further suggests a slow decline, which mimics Noguchi's struggles with life. with this idea of being “bitten” later on in the poem. He describes houses, saying that they “stand like the teeth of a comb” (Noguchi, Line 11). The idea of teeth is often connected to the action of biting or chewing. This metaphor puts focus on the theme by showing the pressure life puts on a person. Furthermore, a comb often is correlated with the idea of keeping things clean and proper. This idea directly contrasts with the author's feelings, because rather than having perfection and sharp rigidity, Noguchi feels as if life is slowly wearing him down. The consistent use of the idea of biting helps highlight the author's message of life becomes a lot harder without