Charitypoetry Analysis

7/21/2019 Charitypoetry Analysis

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Poetry Analysis –Fable of the Mermaid andthe Drunks

Charity Almazan

"Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunks" is a poem written

by Pablo Neruda that tells a story of a mermaid who comes out

of the water. She feels scared and saddened by the rowdy men

that surround her, for her surroundings are brand new. he poem

ends with the mermaid escaping the men to a place of

familiarity. She goes back to the ri!er, where she originally came

from. hrough the use of imagery and metaphors, Neruda

focuses on the idea of the struggling points in a girls life.

#t first glance of the poem, the !isuals are !ery clear. $ne

could !i!idly see the image of the mermaid Neruda has

described. he melancholy mermaid entering a place far from

home can represent any girl in present days society. #s a girl

age to her adolescent years, she is faced with who she is and



who she wants to become. he naked mermaid%&who lost her

way&% '(ine )* can be interpreted of a girl taking the wrong

path in life. he picture Neruda painted of the men that +&

blackened the mermaid- with burnt corks and cigarette stubs&%

'(ine /*, suggests that the mermaid is being taken ad!antage

of. Most girls fall into the trap of peer pressure and make

insensible decisions.

his poem mirrors a girl who lacks the knowledge of her

own path0 howe!er, it is a metaphor for the loss of innocence as

well. $ne can agree that the mermaid is far from home. She is

surrounded by the drunks, and though she is sad, she does not do

anything about it. he mermaid from the ri!er has gi!en into a

different en!ironment, 1ust as a girl gi!es into her peers. She is

not the same naked and pure mermaid she was when she entered

her new surroundings, because she decides to stay. 2magine a

kind girl who tries anything to fit in, so she attends a party with



her friends. She doesnt think any harm can be done if she stays

out later than usual0 howe!er, she does not know alcohol was to

be ser!ed at the party. #nd this girl, gentlest of all her friends,

decides to take a few drinks because her friends were doing it as

well. 3hen girls take risky actions, they are usually trapped and

cannot find a way to undo what they ha!e done.

Neruda takes the idea of the struggles of life to relate it to

all girls. #t one time or another, a girl hits the lowest point in her

life where she longs for something more. (ike the mermaid of

the poem, she sees a light and escapes the world of the rude and

wasted men. 4scapes the bottom to where she fell, and begins to

climb her way back up. hough she has finally left the

regrettable place in life, the last lines of the poem +& swam

towards emptiness, swam towards death.% '(ine 5/* suggests

that the life ahead of her will ne!er be the same.



Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunks

#ll those men were there inside,

when she came in totally naked.

hey had been drinking6 they began to spit.

Newly come from the ri!er, she knew nothing.

She was a mermaid who had lost her way.

he insults flowed down her gleaming flesh.

$bscenities drowned her golden breasts.

Not knowing tears, she did not weep tears.

Not knowing clothes, she did not ha!e clothes.

hey blackened her with burnt corks and cigarette stubs,

and rolled around laughing on the ta!ern floor.She did not speak because she had no speech.

7er eyes were the colour of distant lo!e,

her twin arms were made of white topa8.

7er lips mo!ed, silent, in a coral light,



and suddenly she went out by that door.

4ntering the ri!er she was cleaned,

shining like a white stone in the rain,

and without looking back she swam againswam towards emptiness, swam towards death.

Pablo Neruda

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Charitypoetry Analysis