The Good Life
By Tracy K. Smith
When some people talk about money
They speak as if it were a mysterious lover
Who went out to buy milk and never
Came back, and it makes me nostalgic
For the years I lived on coffee and bread,
Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday
Like a woman journeying for water
From a village without a well, then living
One or two nights like everyone else
On roast chicken and red wine.
Summary of The Good Life
- Popularity of “The Good Life”: Written by one of the best African American writers, poet laureate, and award-winning poet, Tracy Smith, this beautiful poem “The Good Life” shows the ups and downs of one’s life and the role of money in the public imagination. The poem first appeared in her collection, Life on Mars, published by Graywolf in 2011. She used this financial tinge beautifully into her personal journey of life from a pauper to a rich lady which has made this poem popular across the globe.
- “The Good Life” As a Representative of Significance of Money: The poet presents the metaphor of a good life through the money to which she calls a mysterious lover. She is of the view that public opinion regarding life and money is equated with a good life. She goes on to discuss her own example, saying that it seems that money is a mysterious lover who has gone out to buy milk and has never returned, while she becomes nostalgic about it. However, she has lived a hungry life with pauses of coffee and bread and getting a monthly salary like a woman who has spent her life in a village carrying water and eating something good once in a while.
- Major Themes in “The Good Life”: The role of money in life, the concept of money, and a good life are major themes of this poem. Although the role of money is significant in life, she is of the opinion that money has been a mysterious lover for her who has gone out to buy things and never returned. This has made her nostalgic as it is just a public perception. However, her own perception is based on its salary-based concept that comes and goes to her to enable her to purchase coffee and bread to satisfy her hunger like a routinized village woman who continues her routine of carrying water home and enjoying roasted chicken and red wine occasionally. This means a good life for several, but for her, it is just a routine, and money is a routine for her.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Good Life
Tracy K. Smith used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices in this poem are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday” and the sound of /o/ in “One or two nights like everyone else.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /m/ in “makes me.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /l/ and /m/ in “When some people talk about money” and the sound of /n/ and /r/ in “Like a woman journeying for water.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. This poem shows the use of enjambment, such as;
Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday
Like a woman journeying for water
From a village without a well, then living
One or two nights like everyone else
On roast chicken and red wine.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Tracy K. Smith used imagery in this poem, such as “They speak as if it were a mysterious lover”, “Who went out to buy milk and never” and “Came back, and it makes me nostalgic.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of a lover for money.
- Simile: It is a figure of speech for direct comparison to understand the meanings of a thing being compared. For example, the poet used similes such as she has worked like a village woman and has enjoyed the food as everyone has done.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as money, milk, roasted chicken, and red wine, to show the role of money in life.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Good Life
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
- Free Verse: It means to use the free verse that has no rhyme scheme, rhythm, or meter. This poem is a free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This is a single-stanza poem having ten verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a loving, nostalgic, and realistic tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the role of women in village life.
Like a woman journeying for water
From a village without a well, then living
One or two nights like everyone else
On roast chicken and red wine.