Stevie Smith - Not Waving But Drowning analysis

[@andrewbowen7735]

'Poor chap, he always loved larking..... They said.' This would indicate that 'They' must have known him quite well. The use of the word 'always' shows us that ''They' were in fact very familiar with him on a regular basis. Perhaps 'They' were members of the local community or friends. I'm not sure 'They' were family as it lacks emotion. His 'larking' was a pretence to show that he was a happy go lucky person but was in fact nothing of the kind. He was miserable, depressed, afraid and lonely. Whoever 'They' were didn't know him as well as they thought they did. Thanks for the analysis, very thought provoking.

[@AyushDaGamer]

Thanks for pointing this out I have an exam on this poem and 2 other poems this point will help a lot

[@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor]

This just shows us how we can be mistaken, and how others can be misunderstood and unhappy but they bottle it in or pretend. Look at L.M.Montgomery. She wrote cheerful children's books but her diaries reveal a deeply unhappy person, she wasn't as sweet and cheerful as everyone around her thought, her friends and community were mistaken. She was drowning without anyone noticing. I do think she took her own life. Great poem!

[@AyushDaGamer]

Thanks a lot i recently moved schools a few weeks before the midyear exam and this poem is coming in the exam this explanati9n explained it really well

[@notpog.4455]

Thanks, helped with my homwork.

[@keiranleonard1301]

Powerful statement on mental health this.

[@professoroblinski]

Very good. Glad that the dead man is finally getting the attention that he craved and didn't get in life. Such a seminal poem, just that phrase - not waving but drowning, a pure pop lyric almost, but Stevie Smith seems to have got there first in declaiming the sad modern irony of such loneliness? Ing - means the - The People Of - in place names, so - The man is - The People of Wav - and The People of Drown???

[@RoosFopma]

Great analysis! I just have one question: in the Norton Anthology of English Literature, this poem comes with a drawing, also by Smith. Are you familiar with this drawing? If so, what do you think it adds to the poem as a whole?

[@SHTMusik]

I believe this is one of Smith´s own doodles/drawings and I think it places the author in close proximity to the deadman in the story. To me it seems she is coming out of the water with the weight pulling down her hair. We could suppose that she actually survived the drama that killed the man in the poem. Just an idea. I could go on and on analyzing this poem. It´s a masterpiece.

[@hououinkyoumaich2]

The word poor and the refrence death by coldness can refer to how poor people die because of coldness. This may also refer to how people blame on physical problems as the cause of the death, than mental problems of a person.

[@soypalmtree]

This was helpful. Thank you.

[@TheLexusAlexey]

Fantastic!

[@ms.alaayoussef874]

Thank you❤ very thought provoking

[@Mozarts-Sister]

I always felt this describes Asperger's, especially for those unaware they have it, neurological processing variant, but are aware that something separates, isolates them.

[@zuckerbunte]

I have a son with Aspergers and understand what you´re saying. I also suffer from cptsd and feels this poem in my heart - I think everyone with severe isolation, which is often caused by mental illness, gets the meaning of this poem in his core.

[@munchermuncher7663]

Doing this in school

[@freddielees3534]

U r amazing

[@saahil5790]

Thank you but can you emphasise more on “and not waving but drowning”

[@TheVerkor]

What do you want to emphasise? Waving - either hello to people or asking for help which was misunderstood. Drowning - in emotion, lost in society, nobody cares about him. The author of the video said it. :) It is up to you which option you prefer.

[@SHTMusik]

BTW, I wrote a song and made a video based on this poem. May I suggest that you check them out?

[@instography]

So many maybes.

[@wavgod4871]

xbox mic

[@frankfeldman6657]

There's no need to "interpret" a poem this straightforward. It's just picking the wings off a living butterfly, dude. You only succeed in killing the damn thing.

[@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor]

He is very succinct in comparison. There are other videos which are 40 minutes long.