1. A poem by Denise Levertov Presented by Andrew Lynch
Talking to Grief
A poem by Denise Levertov
Presented by Andrew Lynch

2. Denise Levertov Born in Ilford, Essex, England on October 24, 1923
At the age of twelve, she sent some of her poems to T. S. Eliot
He replied approvingly
Her first book, The Double Image, was published when she was twenty-three
She was influenced by the Black Mountain poets
Died on December 20, 1997 (complications from lymphoma)

3. Talking to Grief
Ah, Grief, I should not treat you like a homeless dog who comes to the back door for a crust, for a meatless bone. I should trust you. I should coax you into the house and give you your own corner, a worn mat to lie on, your own water dish.

4. Talking to Grief
You think I don't know you've been living under my porch. You long for your real place to be readied before winter comes. You need your name, your collar and tag. You need the right to warn off intruders, to consider my house your own and me your person and yourself my own dog.

5. Anybody?

6. Talking to Grief
Ah, Grief, I should not treat you like a homeless dog who comes to the back door for a crust, for a meatless bone. I should trust you. I should coax you into the house and give you your own corner, a worn mat to lie on, your own water dish.

7. Talking to Grief
You think I don't know you've been living under my porch. You long for your real place to be readied before winter comes. You need your name, your collar and tag. You need the right to warn off intruders, to consider my house your own and me your person and yourself my own dog.

8. The Speaker A man or woman saddened by an event
I felt that it was a woman considering the author’s gender
Lives by herself in a northern region
“my house”, “readied before winter comes”
Feels a connection with animals
Particularly dogs

9. Attitude of the Speaker
The speaker is forlorn
The speaker is learning to live with the grief
Like one lives with an animal
Akin to a therapeutic animal going to nursing home
The speaker is willing to move ahead and accept what lies ahead
“and yourself my own dog”

10. Organization 3 stanzas Free Verse No major rhyme scheme or pattern
5 lines
12 lines
Free Verse
No major rhyme scheme or pattern

11. Simple Summarization Lines 1-5 Lines 6-10 Lines 11-22
Introduction of the grief / homeless dog simile, speaker feels she should face her grief.
Lines 6-10
Continuation of simile. She needs to confront her grief in a similar manner to getting a dog (i.e. all the steps necessary).
Lines 11-22
She needs to properly identify her grief and work with it to move on and live her life.

12. Diction and Syntax Simple language Conversational
Picture a person literally talking to a dog
The syntax of this poem is simple
“You long for your real place to be readied before winter comes”

13. Dominant Imagery The dog The house
The dog is the same as the speakers grief
It “hides” under her “house”
It needs a name
It needs to be confronted in order to be dealt with
The house
The speakers mind / body / soul

14. Conclusions
This poem is a look into the world of a grief-stricken person.
How one deals with grief
How the speaker deals with grief
Methods of dealing with grief

15. Talking to Grief
Ah, Grief, I should not treat you like a homeless dog who comes to the back door for a crust, for a meatless bone. I should trust you. I should coax you into the house and give you your own corner, a worn mat to lie on, your own water dish.
You think I don't know you've been living under my porch. You long for your real place to be readied before winter comes. You need your name, your collar and tag. You need the right to warn off intruders, to consider my house your own and me your person and yourself my own dog.