The Man with the Saxophone

The Man with the Saxophone

By Ai Ogawa

New York. Five A.M.
The sidewalks empty.
Only the steam Line pouring from the manhole covers seems alive,
as as I amble from shop window to shop window,
sometimes stopping to stare,
sometimes not.
Last week’s snow is brittle now and unrecognizable as the soft,
white hair that bearded the face of the city

I head farther down Fifth Avenue toward the thirties,
my mind empty like the Buddhists tell you is possible if only you don’t try.
If only I could turn myself into a bird like the shaman’ I was meant to be,
but I can’t I’m earthbound and solitude is my companion,

the only one you can count on.
Don’t, don’t try to tell me otherwise.
I’ve had it all and lost it and I never want it back,
only give me this morning to keep,
the city asleep and there on the corner of Thirty-fourth and Fifth,
the man with the saxophone,
his fingerless gloves caked with grime,
his face also,

the layers of clothes welded to his skin.
I set down my case,
he steps backward to let me know I’m welcome,
and we stand a few minutes in the silence so
complete I think I must be somewhere else,
not here, not in this city,
this heartland of pure noise.
Then he puts the sax to his lips again 40 and I raise mine.
I suck the air up from my diaphragm

and bend over into the cold,
golden reed, waiting for the notes to come,
and when they do
for that one moment, I’m the unencumbered bird of my imagination,
rising only to fall back toward concrete,
each note a black flower, 50 opening,
mercifully opening into the unforgiving new day.

Summary of The Man with the Saxophone

  • Popularity of “The Man with the Saxophone”: Written by Ai Ogawa, an American poet who completed her major in Japanese from Arizona, “The Man with the Saxophone” is a beautiful free verse poem. The poem first appeared in written format before its proper publication in her collection, which W. W. Norton published in 1985 as The Collected Poems of Ai. The poem highlights the solitude of the poem amid the noise of New York City, its different avenues, and the confrontation with a saxophone man with whom the poet shared the affinity of musical notes on their respective saxophones.
  • “The Man with the Saxophone” As a Representative of Solitude Amid Noise: The poem presents herself as the speaker of the poem roaming around the avenues in the city of New York early in the morning and watching different scenes along with reflecting upon her solitude. She sees the sideways empty but still, she ambles along the pavement, watching the shop windows and thinking about herself when she appears on Fifth Avenue. It is at this place; she thinks that her mind is entirely empty of everything, as it could be like the Buddhists. However, she continues thinking only about herself and about her companionship when she comes across a dirty saxophone man with whom she shares only one affinity that she, too, has that saxophone. Therefore, when both see into each other’s eyes, they start playing with their respective saxophones and share the same notes with each other until they feel fully immersed in the language of music, enjoying their respective solitude.
  • Major Themes in “The Man with the Saxophone”: Solitude, the language of music, and the drab urban lifestyle are major themes of this poem “The Man with the Saxophone.” The poet feels entirely alone, as if solitude is her companion, and she feels at home with it. That is why she feels like emptying her mind on Fifth Avenue in New York – a city identified as the noisiest city in the world. Yet, she feels alone on the pavement looking here and there and finding nothing. Finally, she meets a saxophone man whose fingers show her having never worked. When they meet, she shares the same outlook toward life, and both join hands to play their respective saxophones to show their expertise in music and enjoy the company of each other until they are full of this music. This escape from the dull and drab lifestyle of New York, a city of splendor and solitude. Yet, the irony in the poem’s verses does not escape the readers’ understanding as the poet feels solitude amid the noise of the city and that too on its busy thoroughfares.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Man with the Saxophone

Ai Ogawa’s expertise in using literary devices is matchless even in this free verse poem. The analysis of these devices is given below.

  1. Anaphora: It means to repeat words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive verses. The poem shows the use of anaphora, such as “Sometimes” in the first stanza.
  2. Allusion: It means to use references of historical, cultural, or religious significance to emphasize the main idea, such as the allusions of time, geography, and road signs of New York or the religious allusion of Buddhists.
  3. Alliteration: It means the use of consonant sounds in the initials of consecutive words. For example, the poet used the sound of /s/ in “sometimes stopping to stare” and /m/ in “my mind.”
  4. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ such as “I’ve had it all and lost it and I never want it back” and the sound of /o/ in “and bend over into the cold.”
  5. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of sh/ and /w/ in “as I amble from shop window to shop window” and the sound of /s / in “sometimes stopping to stare.”
  6. Imagery: It means to perceive things involving their five senses. Ai Ogawa used imagery in this poem, such as “I head farther down Fifth Avenue toward the thirties”, “If only I could turn myself into a bird like the shaman’ I was meant to be” and “Don’t, don’t try to tell me otherwise.”
  7. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of a man for the city that is sleeping. Another metaphor is of a bird that she considers herself.
  8. Personification: It means to attribute human emotions to inanimate objects. The poet used the personification of the city as if it has emotions and a mind of its own.
  9. Simile: It means a direct comparison of things to show or clarify the thing being compared, such as the poem shows its use “I could turn myself into a bird like the shaman.”
  10. 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 manholes, shop windows, city, hair, and beard to show the humdrum of urban life.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Man with the Saxophone

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.

  1. Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows effective use of formal, poetic, and dull diction.
  2. Free Verse: It means to use verses having no metrical pattern or rhyme scheme. This poem shows the use of free verse as it is a free verse poem.
  3. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas, with each comprising a different number of verses.
  4. Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a dull, drab, and tired until the middle and optimistic tone by the end.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the lifeless scene of city life.

Only the steam Line pouring from the manhole covers seems alive,
as I amble from shop window to shop window,
sometimes stopping to stare,
sometimes not.
Last week’s snow is brittle now and unrecognizable as the soft,
white hair that bearded the face of the city