Starlight | From Tranquility to Desperation
In the following essay, Hill points how this poem quickly takes us from a summer scene of peaceful tranquility between father and son to one of desperation and fear.
Reading Philip Levine's "Starlight" is somewhat like reading an entry from the poet's diary, had he been keeping one at the age of four. Much of Levine's poetry is autobiographical, and many of his poems address the loss of his father when he was a young boy and the subsequent anger, grief, sorrow, and sense of abandonment. "Starlight" is a "father" poem that occurs before the parent dies, and, therefore, no mention of the traumatic event actually appears in the poem. The child's thoughts are revealed through the voice of the now-grown man who may allude to his father's eminent death...
[The entire page is 1823 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Tell a friend about Starlight at eNotes.
