Flying at Night
By Ted Kooser
Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations.
Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water. Below us,
some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death,
snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn
back into the little system of his care.
All night, the cities, like shimmering novas,
tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.
Summary of Flying at Night
- Popularity of “Flying at Night”: The poem ‘Flying at Night’ was written by Ted Kooser, a great American poet, and author. It is a symbolic poem and was first published in 2005 in his book Flying at Night. The poem presents earth not as a planet but as an object flying over a city. It also sheds light on some important scientific concepts. This poem gained worldwide fame due to the writer’s creative use of poetry and a fresh perspective on earth..
- “Flying at Night”, As a Representative of Wonder: This poem is written from a young man’s perspective. It begins when the speaker contemplates over the magical happenings of the universe.The speaker provides vivid details of the earth surrounded by both stars and constellations in the depth of the space. He further paints an exciting picture of a supernova when he says that five billion miles away, a galaxy dies, and it does not create any difference for us. Comparing the explosion of a dying star with a snowflake, he explains how these major happenings remain unnoticed and insignificant on the earth. According to him, it is ironic that people notice the little light that a farmer has in his small yard, but they ignore significant happenings of the universe. However, the farmer’s light is also swallowed up by the radiance of the entire city, implying the rapid growth of industrialization has created a gap between man and nature.
- Major Themes in “Flying at Night”: Wonder and man versus the natural world are the major themes of the poem. This short poem introduces us to various significant happenings that remain unnoticed in our busy lives. The writer tries to explain some scientific truths about stars, galaxies, and supernovas. He wonders how great explosions create no impact on the earth.To clarify his point, he paints a bigger picture to show how important things lose their attraction in the face of reality. Through this simple text, he reveals the frustration any stargazer may feel while looking at the night sky, living in a bustling city.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Flying at Night
literary devices are powerful tools that allow the writers to create a good impact using their distinct ideas, emotions, and feelings. Ted Kooser also used various literary devices in this poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /ee/ and /i/ in “some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death” and the sound of /ai/ in “tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /f/ in “farmer, feeling” and /l/ in “at lonely lights like his.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /t/ and /s/ in “tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his” and the sound of /n/ and /s/ in “snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example:
“Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water. Below us,
some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death.”
- Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate any statement for the sake of emphasis. Ted Kooser exaggerates about the farmer’s tiny light;
“snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn
back into the little system of his care.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Ted Kooser used images in this poem such as “Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies”, “some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death” and “Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows amazement as an extended metaphor to show the greater happenings of the universe.
- Oxymoron: It is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunctions. Ted Kooser has used this term in the ending lines of the poem where it is stated as;
“All night, the cities, like shimmering novas,
tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.”
- Simile: It is a device Used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. Ted Kooser has used this device in the opening lines of the poem such as,
“Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water. Below us.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of amazement, wonder, and natural beauty just to show how nature soothes our sight.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Flying at Night
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetoric devices, symbolism, and impressive images. The tone, however, is sincere.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are only eight lines in this poem, with no stanza break.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from ‘Flying at Night’ are useful to quote in lectures, and speeches to explain space-related concepts.
“Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations.
Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water.”
