Sunday Morning by Wallace Stevens Analysis by Kailey Johnson,
McDowell Pickle, and Bobby Monaco
Slide 3
"Sunday Morning" by Wallace Stevens On a Sunday morning while
most people are at church, a woman is sitting at home. Once she
notices the beauty around her, she does not feel guilty about
skipping church. As she starts to daydream, she begins to question
Christianity. She likes the idea of heaven, but she feels like she
can find that comfort in the natural world as well. In this poem,
the woman is in constant skepticism of different ideas of heaven
and paradise.
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Metaphysical Poem This poem was written during the time period
of American Transcendentalism. Metaphysical poems usually consist
of strange imagery, frequent paradoxes, and often question
religion, therefore "Sunday Morning" is a metaphysical poem
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Theme and Purpose Theme- Be content with current life and fear
what is to come after. The purpose of this poem is to get society
to understand the flaws and unrealistic nature of an eternal life,
and to accept and cherish the one they are given.
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Annotation Proof
Slide 7
Thesis and Topic Sentences Thesis: In Sunday Morning by Wallace
Stevens satisfaction of natural life is portrayed through the human
fear of death, mortal questioning of the afterlife, and reality of
an eternal paradise. Topic Sentence 1: The poet begins the poem by
depicts the slow and terrifying with dark imagery, reinforcing the
coldness of death. Topic Sentence 2: Once establishing fear of the
act of dying, the author questions religion and concludes nothing
follows death. Topic sentence 3: After citing his beliefs, Wallace
notes the foolishness in praying to an empty heaven in hopes of
eternal paradise.
Slide 8
Secondary source Bachelorandmaster.com sees the poem as a
criticism on Christianity. They not that Stevens applauds the woman
for having a rational fear of the afterlife but then claim that the
poet attacks religion. They cite that Stevens sees the church as
foolish for praying to what he believes is an empty sky, that their
chants are irrational as there is nothing to receive them.
Slide 9
Work Cited "Sunday Morning: Wallace Stevens - Summary and
Critical Analysis." Sunday Morning: Wallace Stevens - Summary and
Critical Analysis. 15 Sept. 2012. Web. 21 Jan.
2015..http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetr
y/sunday-morning.html