Van Gogh’s Bed
By Jane Flanders
is orange,
like Cinderella’s coach, like
the sun when he looked it
straight in the eye.is narrow, he sleeps alone,
tossing between two pillows,
while it carried him
bumpily to the ball.is clumsy,
but friendly. A peasant
built the frame; and old wife beat
the mattress till it rose like meringue.is empty,
morning light pours in
like wine, melody, fragrance,
the memory of happiness.
Summary of Van Gogh’s Bed
- The popularity of “Van Gogh’s Bed”: This descriptive poem ‘Van Gogh’s Bed’ was written by Jane Flanders, an American poet. This poem is truly fascinating and exceptional, as it skillfully employs various figures of speech to create a vivid and immersive experience for the readers. However, what makes it popular is its pleasant attitude towards the paintings of the renowned artist, Van Gogh, on which many other poetic pieces have been written, yet it has managed to achieve this level of popularity.
- “Van Gogh’s Bed” As a Representative of Poetry Prompt: This poetry prompt written on the popular painting of Van Gogh beautifully paints the picture of the bed with all its attendant features and impacts and effects it exudes on the readers. As an ekphrastic piece, it opens with two distinct but different similes comparing the bed with Cinderella’s coach and then that coach with the sun. The very next stanza, comprising eight lines, sheds light on its size, shape, and impact; which are narrow, clumsy, and friendly with a mini tale of a peasant and his wife making a bed and creating a frame. The following lines provide insight into the imaginative nature of the bed in the morning as it transitions from being occupied to empty, revealing the beauty that emanates from its simplicity and luxurious style, accompanied by elements such as “wine, melody, fragrance”.
- Major Themes in “Van Gogh’s Bed”: Luxurious lifestyle, comfort, and imagination are three major themes of the poem. The luxurious lifestyle lies in the description of the bed as if it is in the fantasy stories like that of Cinderella or that of the peasant and his wife. The comfort lies in the elements of comfort that the poet states about the bed, such as melody, wine, and fragrance. The imaginative aspect is evident in its similarity to the peasant’s bed, Cinderella, orange, and the sun.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Van Gogh’s Bed
literary devices are integral to poetic or prose writing to make the text beautiful and worth reading. The analysis of these devices in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ in “while it carried him”, the sound of /ee/ in “is narrow, he sleeps alone”.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line at the beginning of the word, such as the sound of /t/ in “tossing between two pillows”, the sound of /b/ and /l/ in “bumpily to the ball”.
- 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,
is empty,
morning light pours in
like wine, melody, fragrance,
the memory of happiness. - Ekphrastic: It means to render some painting into descriptive rhetoric. This poem is an example of ekphrastic as it describes Van Gogh’s painting.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “tossing between two pillows”, “the mattress till it rose like meringue” and “morning light pours in”.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of the metaphor of the bed for luxury and comfort.
- 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 bed as a symbol of fantasy or a luxurious lifestyle.
- Simile: The shows the use of different similes such as the bed is, sometimes, compared to an orange, then to the bed of Cinderella, then to a sun. Even the sunlight has been compared to wine, melody, and even fragrance.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Van Gogh’s Bed
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.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem having no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas with each having four lines, while the second has six lines/verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Van Gogh’s Bed” are relevant to use when teaching about the natural elements and their impacts on human beings.
is empty,
morning light pours in
like wine, melody, fragrance,
the memory of happiness.