“A Dog Has Died” Style Analysis
“A Dog Has Died” is about a man speaking about his passed away dog and what he did after the dog died. When we look at the title, the poem looks pretty ordinary and possibly boring, but I believe in the fact that poets style is what makes the poem special rather than the topic. So Pablo Neruda’s use of imagery and his vague tone makes the poem to have deeper meanings than just the death of a dog.
First of all, the poem contains various tones that change throughout. These tones used in the specific parts, creates the overall vague tone that makes the poem special. When we look at the title, the poem seems like a cold and distant one, but in the first line, speaker says “My dog has died,” and the reader understands that tone shifts to a much warmer and emotional tone. When Neruda says, “I buried him next to a rusted old machine.” the tone shifts back to the beginning. When the speaker mentions about their friendship with “sadness of having lost a companion, who was never servile ” we see his real bond between his dog and himself, moreover creating a friendly and loyal tone. When the speaker says “only dogs know how to be happy with only the autonomy of their shameless spirit.” we see his both envy and approving approach to his dog. Even though the title and the ending is written distant and monotone, we see speaker’s real thoughts about his dog in the rest of the poem. The overall vague tone represents his hesitation and fear of admitting that he is so connected to his dog, as he finishes the poem with saying “So now he's gone and I buried him, and that's all there is to it.”
When we examine the poem language-wise, we see that almost each and every line has some kind of imagery that precisely describes speakers thought about his dog or something else, which adds another dimension to the poem in our minds. For example, he describes his dogs loyalty with saying, “with those eyes so much purer than mine” Another example of this would be; “he'd keep on gazing at me with a look that reserved for me alone.” We don’t only see speaker owning the dog, but also understanding that his dog wanted to belong to him and the persona was able to see this in his dog’s glances. In contrast to these, Neruda, at the beginning, uses the image of the “rusted old machine” which creates the careless tone. We think that for the speaker, his dog is not so valuable that he buries him next to an abandoned and ancient item. This may seem to contradict his further opinions, but actually he deliberately tries to show that he doesn’t care much about his dog because he doesn’t want to reveal his sorrow to the reader immediately. To sum up, Neruda’s use of imagery creates a picture in our mind and allows him to be more precise on his expressions as well as showing his approach to this incident.
To conclude, Neruda’s choice of tones and imagery combines to form his own style, which we see clearly see in this poem, to write great poetry even from ordinary topics. His ability of using imagery to refer deeper meanings, and his vague and perfect tone choice is what makes his work special.
There are many ways of interpreting poetry: some are viable, some are not; some work with specific poems only, others are good for general study. Looking at a poem as a “window to the soul of the poet” is often a dangerous psychological game, where we more often than not, invent the person behind the poem. “Dangerous” here, referring to the danger of untruth, or in the case of poets we know, the danger of misjudgment. However, psychoanalysis through poetry can be done, only carefully and with great room for error. Oftentimes, the poet’s meaning does not come across perfectly in his/her poetry, especially when it comes to more abstract poetry, or poetry on the self. We all view the world from our own lenses, so when we engage in psychoanalytic examination and study, we must keep this in mind, and approach the poetry with a humble mind. However, as Hanauer points out in the excerpt above, “Poetic identity…can be interpreted in the writing…of the poem” . So, then, turn to “A Dog Has Died.”
As discussed in the Context section of this website, I will use structuralist means to study Neruda’s poem. Neruda’s word choice and the emotional arc he carries us through in the poem places “A Dog Has Died” solidly (though not only) within the poetic sub-genre of Elegiac Poetry.
As many others have observed, multiple tones are struck at the beginning of the poem. As Paul Erland pointed out, Neruda titles the poem “A Dog Has Died”, then in the first line, calls says “My dog has died.” The distance between the man and the dog seems at first almost indifferent, but then as the poem begins, the dog’s status shifts, their relationship deepens. The line after deepens it all the more: the garden is a familiar place, a comfortable place that one tends and cares for. Being buried in the garden, then, seems to go from ownership to favor. Then Neruda finishes this first stanza with the line: “next to a rusted old machine,” drawing us back to the surface, back to being confused about the relationship between the man and his dog.
Stepping back, Neruda’s overall reaction to the death of his dog seems almost confused – at least to start. If we take apart the poem by stanza, we can see Neruda’s emotional arc more clearly:
1) narrative: the dog has died, he has been buried
2) thoughts on afterlife for the dog, not for him
3) instead of “speaking of sadness” Neruda thinks almost objectively about the dog: “aloof”, “no exaggerations”, and descriptions of the dog’s actions
4) elevation of the dog: “paying me the attention I needed” and “with eyes so much purer than mine”
5) description of dog-paradise
6) description of dog’s life in dog-paradise
7 & 8) return to reality.
Here, we also see demonstrated the grief-cycle Neruda goes through in coming to terms with the passing of his dog. “A Dog Has Died” is a textbook example of an elegy: “The elements of a traditional elegy mirror three stages of loss. First, there is a lament, where the speaker expresses grief and sorrow, then praise and admiration of the idealized dead, and finally consolation and
solace”. Pablo Neruda in essence skips this first step of the elegy, a simple statement replaces the lament – much as a materialist might respond emotionally on the subject of a death of this kind! Moving forward, Neruda chooses to first remember the dog as he is. He is initially descriptive, but these descriptions begin to carry the weight of praise – he is not just talking about the dog, he is talking fondly about the dog. This easily qualifies for the praise and admiration, though it builds from objective recognition to glorification. Finally, Neruda goes back to his own mindset and worldview, he is consoled by the fact that his dog is “gone and…buried.”
The fact that Neruda now believes that there is now going to be a heaven because his dog has died shows how much affection he actually felt for his dog; enough affection to make him believe in a heaven when he didn't before. Here he is saying that his dog was more decent than other dogs, maybe even more decent than some of mankind. His dog, unlike others, actually listen he adds the word "Sex" to humanize the dog. he also compares his dog to that of a docile porcupine. Neruda compares his dog to a porcupine through simile. he says that "His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine withholding its authority" which means that the dog, like a porcupine, is capable of harming him but doesn't because he is holding his authority towards him. The dog respects Neruda and wouldn't attack him. Neruda basically states, "I ain't gonna lie, this dog was pretty chill." Neruda continues to describe the dog as without insecurites or prejudices, able to enjoy life simply in being. The dog enjoyed happiness simply because he existed and needed nothing to fuel his joy and love for life.
This is emphasized in the final line, showing that the dog died as he lived; in the purest of simplicity In the image above, the dog does not discern or pretend to understand the events occurring around him, as shown by the blurs of color. But on this same point, the dog smiles and doesn't pretend to understand, he just enjoys the blurs of color for what he perceives them to be. He lives in blissful ignorance, he doesn't need to know more to enjoy existing, and in this simple existence it finds bliss. A commentary on "A Dog Has Died" By Pablo Neruda, and "Happy" By Laura Marsh By stating that he will be buried next to him, Neruda establishes an eternal bond with his dog.
.
.
To read the actual poem follow the link poem_a_dog_has_died
To publish any of your work related to literature(summary & Analysis) with us on this blog, aiming to encourage audience knowledge enhancement, do send us a mail
A Dog Has Died My dog has died. I buried him in the garden next to a rusted old machine. Some day I'll join him right there, but now he's gone with his shaggy coat, his bad manners and his cold nose, and I, the materialist, who never believed in any promised heaven in the sky for any human being, I believe in a heaven I'll never enter. Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom where my dog waits for my arrival waving his fan-like tail in friendship. Ai, I'll not speak of sadness here on earth, of having lost a companion who was never servile. His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine withholding its authority, was the friendship of a star, aloof, with no more intimacy than was called for, with no exaggerations: he never climbed all over my clothes filling me full of his hair or his mange, he never rubbed up against my knee like other dogs obsessed with sex. No, my dog used to gaze at me, paying me the
Don't go far off : The dependency of love Don’t Go Far Off is a beautiful poem written by Ricardo Elice Neftali Reyes Basoalto, also known as Pablo Neruda. Short Summary Don’t Go Far Off, is all about love, which was originally written in Spanish, Pablo Neruda illustrates his message that love can take over and control life as he expresses his emotions and thoughts of misery and depression, f rom this act of sorrow and anguish, Neruda uses the rest of stanza to compare himself to common objects and scenes. In this case, he is in a empty station where there are no trains and the world around him is “asleep”. However, the theme and message reaches its peak in the final line, during the aftermath of the Neruda’s separation, when there is no “happily ever after.” There is no resolution to the desperation and misery that is the tone of the poem. Analysis Dont go far off is about the speaker being hopelessly in love 💖with someone. He spends every minute alone awaiting her return, whi