In the Park

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1989

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Kumin’s “In the Park” is a free verse poem, which means it lacks a structured metrical pattern or rhythm. Largely unrhyming, the poem does have instances of end rhyme, usually placed at the end of the stanza to sonically conclude the stanza. For example, Stanza 1 ends with the following two rhyming end rhymes: “to travel across, up, down, over or through / —you won’t know till you get there which to do” (Lines 7-8). The words “through” (Line 7) and “do” (Line 8) are rhyming, ending the stanza with a sense of completion. The stanza is also end stopped, adding an even greater sense of finality. This occurs one other time in the poem, at the end of Stanza 4, which concludes the poem. Having a similar effect, this end rhyme (where “dark” [Line 29] and “Park” [Line 30] are the two rhyming end words) also adds a sense of finality and closure to the poem.

For rhythm, “In the Park” uses instances of repetition, which create a sonic rhythm from line to line. For example, Lines 26-27 repeat the word “no,” which echoes throughout the lines: “No longtailed Devil, no eternal fire, / and no choosing what to come back as” (Lines 26-27). A similar instance of repetition occurs in the second stanza with the word “heart”: “He laid on me not doing anything at all. I could feel his heart / beating against my heart” (Lines 12-13). The repetition of “heart,” which occurs at the end of each line, almost functions as an end rhyme, sharing a similar sonic quality.

Allusion

“In the Park” makes use of many forms of allusion throughout the poem. Allusion in poetry is defined as when a poem refers to a person, place, historical event, or ancient source. Allusion is often used to set the poem within a larger context or setting or to evoke a specific emotion or state of mind. “In the Park” uses almost all these instances of allusion. Roscoe Black is a legendary, historical figure who survived a near deadly attack with a grizzly bear in the late-20th century. The Old Testament is an ancient source, documenting writings and stories from thousands of years ago. The poem also alludes to places, such as the “English Channel” (Line 4), which runs through the Atlantic Ocean between southern England and northern France, and the “Washington Monument” (Line 6), which is in Washington, D.C. Furthermore, there are allusions to the Buddhist faith (Line 2), “angels” (Line 20), “Heaven” (Line 23), and “Hell” (Line 25).

Rich with allusions, “In the Park” draws on all these specific people, places, sources, and historical events to form its conclusion regarding life and death on earth. A philosophical poet who often writes about the nuances of the cycles of life, Kumin’s use of religious allusion and the example of Roscoe Black feed the poem’s argument regarding death as the only certainty in life. What follows is filled with the mystery of the unknown.

Point of View

Kumin uses various points of view in “In the Park” to position the speaker—and the reader—within the narrative. Defined as the perspective from which a story or poem is told, point of view in poetry emphasizes the poet’s intentions. With a poem with a shifting point of view, Kumin shifts the reader’s perception of the poem. For example, the poem opens with the second-person point of view (“you” [Line 1]), in which the speaker states a fact about the Buddhist faith. Concluding the stanza, the speaker again uses the second person, placing the emphasis on the reader: “—you won’t know till you get there which to do” (Line 8). This use of the second person emphasizes that death is not something that just a character in a poem goes through; it’s something that everyone goes through, including the reader.

The poem functions piecemeal in that every stanza employs a unique point of view. Kumin switches to the third-person singular point of view in Stanza 2 when her speaker relays the story of Roscoe Black. In Stanza 3, her speaker uses the first-person singular point of view to relay a personal experience (“I was raised on the Old Testament” [Line 17]). The final stanza uses the first-person plural point of view (“each of us waits for him in Glacier Park” [Line 30]), indicating a unified voice between speaker and reader—and all living beings on earth.

By switching points of view in each stanza, Kumin creates a loosely structured poem based on perspective. What’s more, her poem speaks to many different voices, illustrating the commonality and universality of its overarching themes. Rather than use the second-person point of view continuously, Kumin introduces the example of Roscoe Black and the speaker’s own upbringing to console the reader and gain the reader’s trust and understanding.