On the Move by Thom Gunn short analysis

 

On the Move
Thom Gunn

v English  poet who was praised for his early verses. He was associated with the movement, looser, free verse style

v His verse became increasingly bold in its exploration of drugs, homosexuality and poetic form

v His verse is known for its adroit, terse language and counterculture themes.

v Bohemian lifestyle in San Francisco

v Interested in syllabics and free verse

v The movement was term coined by JD Scott, literary editor of The Spectator,  to describe a group of writers including Philip Larkin, Kingsley Amis, Donald Davie, D J Enright, John Wain, Elizabeth Jennings, Thom Gunn and Robert Conquest

v To these poets poetry meant simple sensuous traditional and dignified form, Two anthologies of The movement poets :

v Poets of 1950s, New Lines

Poetry collection

•       The sense of movement

•       My sad captain

•       Touch

•       Moly

•       Jack Straw’s castle

•       The passage of joy

POEM

The blue jay scuffling in the bushes follows

Some hidden purpose, and the gust of birds

That spurts across the field, the wheeling swallows,

Has nested in the trees and undergrowth.

Seeking their instinct, or their poise, or both,

One moves with an uncertain violence

Under the dust thrown by a baffled sense

Or the dull thunder of approximate words.

•       Thomas Gunn in this stanza compares human beings particularly gangs with the birds. The blue jay which scuffles in the bushes has some hidden need in doing so. The group of birds those are flying across the fields has some intention. The swallows have their nests in trees and low level bushes. Every bird has been guided by instinct or according to their need and purpose. Now he brings these gangs into the poem saying 'One moves with an uncertain violence' which means one is going very fast on bike raging violence as it may lead to accidents. The motorist is driving crazily Like this first stanza provides contrasting nature of human beings with the birds and the craziness for speed are described.

On motorcycles, up the road, they come:

Small, black, as flies hanging in heat, the Boys,

Until the distance throws them forth, their hum

Bulges to thunder held by calf and thigh.

In goggles, donned impersonality,

In gleaming jackets trophied with the dust,

They strap in doubt – by hiding it, robust –

And almost hear a meaning in their noise.

In this stanza, Thomas Gunn wants to project a picture of long shot to close shot of motorcycle gangs coming from a long and top of the road to nearer. He describes as if he is closely monitoring them. He sees gangs coming. He compares them to flies. When he sees them in a long distance they appear as small creatures like flies in black color as they have worn the black jackets hanging in heat. This is what he assumes when he see gangs in distance. Then the distance throws them to come further, (means as they come near) the distance sound of humming turns into thunder sound with the razing sounds emanated from vehicles. He says they are driving them 'held by calf and thigh'. They wear goggles not be disturbed by the dust emanated from their vehicles. He calls them impersonalities. The shining jackets are turned into dusty and he is saying that the jackets are trophied with the dust. Their sound is unbearable but they can hear meaning in the created noise.

Exact conclusion of their hardiness

Has no shape yet, but from known whereabouts

They ride, direction where the tyres press.

They scare a flight of birds across the field:

Much that is natural, to the will must yield.

Men manufacture both machine and soul,

And use what they imperfectly control

To dare a future from the taken routes.

•       In this stanza, Thomas Gunn explains how they are disturbing and the repercussions of the scientific inventions. He says that there is no fatigue affecting them in their journeys. They do not know where they are going. They do not know where they will stay. The swallows have nests but these motorists do not have shelter at least like them. They travel in the way. They travel in ways where their vehicles can go. They travel without purpose and at the same time they fear the birds which are flying across the fields. These birds follow their instincts and needs but these gangs are against it. Their destination is not known to them. Thomas Gunn is referring scientific inventions especially machines. He says that men made machines as well as their personalities. He says men are using what they cannot use perfectly and they control it imperfectly. They only consider their present, leaving the future to the fate.

It is a part solution, after all.

One is not necessarily discord

On earth; or damned because, half animal,

One lacks direct instinct, because one wakes

Afloat on movement that divides and breaks.

One joins the movement in a valueless world,

Choosing it, till, both hurler and the hurled,

One moves as well, always toward, toward.

•       Thomas Gunn is referring the state of the bike men. He uses the word 'half animal'. He says that they lack the instinct and without any purpose they move on without any destination and target. They only love present going speed. It is violent speed disturbs the flight of birds and the human beings who are with destination. The speed attracts accidents and a loss respectively. He says that no one sleep as he is saying ' one wakes afloat on movement'. One(Motorbike gang) lives in this world without values. There is no need of destination for them. It is always travelling towards.

A minute holds them, who have come to go:

The self-defined, astride the created will

They burst away; the towns they travel through

Are home for neither bird nor holiness,

For birds and saints complete their purposes.

At worst, one is in motion; and at best,

Reaching no absolute, in which to rest,

One is always nearer by not keeping still.

 

•       Thomas Gunn is explaining how these bike men travel and where they would leave to. They sit astride and speed up their vehicles to unknown destiny. He used 'self denied' in this stanza to refer the gangs. They travel through towns where there no nests for birds and homes of holiness. It is because saints and birds have purposes. They travel in that direction. But, these speedy motor gangs do not have purpose, Hence they are travelling away from them. They say they should be on the move always. They want to enjoy the speed without any intention. They are marred with dust. These do not bother them. They are at their worst while they are on the move. They are in continuous motion. Thus they are always nearer to the final rest (death).

ANALYSIS

•       A celebration of black jacketed motorcyclists

•       Subtitle : “on the move man, you gotta go”

•       This is the intended words to describe the lifestyle of motorcycle gangs of 1950s who are by products of altering civilization and inventions spurted in the given periods.

•       Thom Gunn in his poems describes the lifestyle of these gangs and provides a message through this attempt.