15 pages • 30 minutes read
Otherwise
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
“Otherwise” is a poem by Jane Kenyon. She wrote the poem after she received a diagnosis of leukemia; this illness eventually took her life in 1995. This poem is one of a posthumous collection called Otherwise: New and Selected Poems (1996). Kenyon’s husband, the American poet Donald Hall, edited the collection.
The two-stanza lyric is one of Kenyon’s most anthologized poems and is made up of her signature short lines and sharp images. The poem traces the speaker’s daily routine, punctuated by the speaker’s thoughts about life and death. “Otherwise” is an example of Kenyon’s work as a contemporary poet who employs her own poignant observations of mortality. Kenyon, a confessional poet, read and learned from the works of Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) as well as from her former teacher and husband Donald Hall.
Kenyon wrote in free verse, using direct diction and little rhyme. Her resonant imagery reflects both the natural outer world and her own deep inner emotion. Kenyon admired how English poet John Keats (1795-1821) and American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) confronted Unlock all 15 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
