The Moving Target (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: W. S. Merwin
- First Published: 1963
- Type of Work: Poetry
- Genres: Poetry
- Subjects: Nature, Alienation, Human race, Abandonment, Wolves
The Moving Target catalogs Merwin's ventures into the dark void of possibility available to humans. As before, Merwin finds little hope. “Noah's Raven,” for example, explains why that bird did not return to the ark with the message that the deluge had passed, that God would once again establish his covenant with humans. On leaving, it realized it had nothing more in common with humans; their kinds would henceforth be alienated. By refusing to bring back empty promises, the raven signifies that it sees little hope. Similarly, “Dead Hand” illustrates in two lines that this...
[The entire page is 615 words long]
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