Suicide's Note
The calm,
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss.
--Langston Hughes
Discuss the diction, sound, personification, and tone of this poem. Explore the frame of mind that would create this comparison.
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"Calm" and "cool" people are capable of much seduction. It feels to me as if the river has seduced an already delusional, and irrational minded man or woman into it's insinuatingly "calm" embrace.
It's almost sexual.
Maybe the narrator suffered a recent seduction...
Nonetheless the narrator has lost all reason... Rivers aren't people!
The words chosen here are very soothing and soft - "calm", "cool", "asked", "kiss". There's nothing that forces a person to action; it just entices you. Whether you "kiss" the river or not is entirely up to you. I think that a person who feels like they have lost all control and hope of their life, their surroundings, and maybe even themselves could view a river in this way. A frame of mind like that would want something that is peaceful and able to be controlled, which is the river. The first line supports this because it could be read as just "The Calm," something that may appeal to a person in a desperate frame of mind.
The tone of the poem contrasts with the title. The tone is light, "cool," and airy, whereas the title is very blunt and seems hard-hitting. Of course, without the title, it would be hard to tell what the poem is referring to, so it's definitely vital.
It definitely personifies and humanizes the river with words like "face" and "asked" that make it seem human.
It's so short, this poem is almost like a haiku...
The river also bears relief from the suffering (given people contemplating suicide are suffering). Freedom from life's thousand natural shocks--with just "a kiss."
Obviously, a person on the brink of suicide has an altered state of mind. A person so troubled with their current life would find comfort in the simplicity and stillness of the water. Given the choice between a difficult and most likely painful existence and a seemingly "calm" end, suicide seems merciful.
Diya, I have to disagree with you slightly when you say that nothing forces a person to action. Even for a severely depressed person, suicide is an extreme choice. Suicidal people feel that they have no option, and that their depression in a way has forced them to suicide.
This poem is haunting...the idea of being pushed to the point where ending your life seems so simple and peaceful is sad to me.
Remember Moses parting the sea? Moses parted the sea to get away from the Egyptians, the cause of his people's suffering. When I read "Suicide Note" I saw an end to suffering and thought of Moses. Upon further thinking, I thought of poor Ophelia and how she ended her life in the river. She was suffering the loss of her father when she embraced the water and freed herself from that suffering. When I read Erik's first sentence of his response about how "calm and cool people are capable of much seduction" I thought of the Greek sirens who lead sailors, who were hoping to steal a kiss, down to their watery deaths. If you have seen the the end of Beowulf where Grendel's Mother is out on the water, this also supports the logic that the river is seductive. Plus! Aphrodite was born from water and was the goddess of love, where most seduction happens in. But this is really not a good supporter of the seduction the river, just throwing that out there.
As we all know, rivers are constantly moving, therefore washing away what is in the river making the river clean. Perhaps that is why the river is so seductive, because it can wash away your past and sufferings. Ending with the soul being cleansed.
http://wellwornwings.deviantart.com/art/suicide-s-note-104948320
*copy/paste this to see the poem in a work of art.*
I read the title wrong the first time. I was expecting 'Suicide Note' but it's 'Suicide's Note'. Bringing up the personification that Diya noticed, the title lends a feeling of not an actual death. Because the note belongs to the suicide, and not the person, there is a mystical/unreal tone in the poem. Or if this means that the Suicide is a person (like when you refer to a dead person as a 'suicide') the usage of 'me' in the last line makes sense.
I feel like I'm rambling but does anybody get what I mean?
I liked that Hughes chose the word 'asked'. The river didn't demand a kiss, and the person didn't decide to kiss, it asked. A question is easily denied, but this person obviously didn't. I also like that he paired such a gruesome thing like death with a kiss.
The calm and cool adjectives do remind me of seduction, like Erik said. Because this seductive feeling, I don't think of this suicide as a sad suicide...it's one where the person was drawn to the romantic and unexplained nature of death.
(PS Erik, why the change in name?)
The title completes it. But why Suicide's Note?
I feel like the person finds comfort in the river. The words calm and cool give the impression that the thought of falling into that river is relaxing, comforting, relieving, pleasing. The river asking for a kiss, and the words "calm" and "cool" also make the river seem unintimidating and innocent. As if it doesn't have bad intentions. Just a kiss. Yet it senses weakness.
The frame of mind seems peaceful because of the description of the river, even though the person is talking about suicide.
I like how the title causes you to automatically assume that the person decided to jump in.
Natalie's post wasn't even there when I was typing mine! Weeeird. We both noted the same exact things in the same order haha.
Whoa, Natalie pointed out the same thing I mistook. Why is the poem titled Suicide's Note? This poem is getting curiouser and curiouser.
Sarah, that is far from what I envisioned when I was reading this. This was my first thought:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/1tonghost/TheRing-Cliff.jpg
:-(
James, in Epicurus' mind:
"Death means nothing to us"
For when one is dead the pain is gone, and the means by which life is taken, most likely painful, will mean nothing to a dead man or woman once they decide to end life.
Suicide is the easy way out. Like war, if anyone even knew what I was talking about today in class.
Killing anything without remorse is always the easier way out of suffering.
"For who bear the whips and scorn of time?"
Life is suffering.
And thus this person, being on the edge of existence his or herself is suddenly convinced to end the suffering right there and then by the "cool" and "calm" "face" of the seemingly peaceful river.
Sharon,
My visual example feeds upon the seduction of the poem. Does that make sense? Your visual example, to me anyway, seems to convey the more of the sad, lost-all-hope type. Though your example portrays the "freedom" of the open water and the opening of the arms as to embrace the water as they give the the kiss very well.
I believe everyone has a different mental image of this poem and I appreciate that you shared yours. :)
One of the things that stuck out to me was what Natalie and Sharon have pointed out - the title. The fact that it's actually "Suicide's Note" and not "Suicide Note" adds an even creepier personification to this poem. As Natalie asked, "Is Suicide a person, or what?" It definitely adds another layer of mystery.
The image that Hughes is able to create with words such as "calm" and "cool" evoke a peaceful setting. This peacefulness is probably what the speaker lacks, and is what he/she is searching for in the river, or suicide. The speaker sees the bliss suicide offers, and is drawn towards it.
For me, this poem is especially powerful because, although it is extremely concise, it gives off a strong, mysterious emotion. It almost scares me because the river represents something peaceful and calm, which when compared to a suicidal person, emphasizes the exact opposite setting in such a person.
Oh! THE TITLE.
Suicide, the act, is being personified! As I said, it sees water which is also known as pure Truth; it sees the truth of life to be that life is not worth suffering.
Life is suffering and suicidals see nothing worth suffering!
"The undiscovered country from whose borne no man returns" convinces, and deceives the suicidal that life is no longer bearable. Death..... and it's unknown prove too SEDUCTIVE for Suicide, the person, to overcome.
O it is miserable.......
It is miserable when you are seduced to the dark side of the Force.
If it wasn't for the title, I think our whole understanding of the poem would be very different. When I first read it, I didn't expect it to be titled "Suicide's Note". Like Erik, Diya, and many others mentioned, the tone of the poem is very seductive but also ambiguous, haunting, and mysterious. The words "cool" and "calm" seem to create a relaxing atmosphere, which is creepy because the poem is about suicide. However, the poem seems to be underlined with a concealed sadness.
I think that the poem personifies suicide and its seductive nature. When I was reading it, I pictured a lake with pristine water near a beautiful and enchanted forest (or something like that). But the second time I read it, I also pictured a hand with a black glove (not a creepy hand, I hate horror movies) that was luring people into the river. Did any of you get a similar picture in your mind?
If you read the poem aloud, it creates a relaxing and calming image of a river. If one were to skip over the title of the poem I would be so easy to mistake this poem to be simplistic and maybe even somewhat shallow (perhaps shallow is the wrong word, though it is the one that seems fitting right now). However, once you read the title “Suicide’s Note” the description of the river clearly reveals the poets viewpoint on death. Death is a freeing, calm and peaceful experience because after death one could say all the earthy discomfort and dissatisfaction is simply carried away, much like a river would do, sweep you up and carry you effortlessly along.
One of the things I noticed the first time through the poem, which obviously did not take long, was the alliteration of the similar sound of the words cool, calm and even (maybe I am stretching it) kiss. Reading the words over and over in my head, they sound like a faint murmur or possibly a slow ripple in the water, like breaking the surface softly of a completely still body of water. This makes the tone of the piece quite peaceful, almost like a weight is lifting off the shoulders of Hughes. I think that is so completely true of how some people who commit suicide view their death as, a release of sorts, which ties back to what I said above.
Like many have said before me, something that caught my attention was how a few people before me were calling the poem “Suicide Note” as opposed to “Suicide’s Note”, making it possessive. I wonder if that was simply an error or whether people didn’t notice the possession of the note. Either way, I believe that it changes the meaning of the poem drastically. And I wonder how those who believed the title to be “Suicide Note” now view the poem differently after noticing the actual title.
I think Natalie was the first one to mention it, but I thought the comparison of suicide with kiss was interesting. He uses something so intense like suicide and contrasts it with something light, like a kiss. Same with the river. The "calm cool face" of the river is also contrasted with the suicide.
When I read this, I just imagine a really peaceful and smooth water--no ripples or waves. Just extremely serene. And then a person jumping, free falling almost, onto the river, with arms stretched like an eagle. And with his jump, it's creates a mess. As soon as he hits the water, everything becomes chaotic and complicated in a sense.
I just keep imaging the sadness the person might have felt; I know James mentioned it, [ I think it was James] but for someone to have been pushed to such an extreme, is really heavy.
I really like that he used the word face too; like compared to surface, face makes so much more of an impact. With the word face, I'm more drawn in. And as I was reading through, I just realized what Sharon said -- I assumed he jumped.
And I still don't understand the title.
Unstable people are vulnerable. They want anything that could make them feel calm and peaceful. Perhaps this being saw that the river could bring relaxation and peace. A kiss from the calm and cool river seems quite inviting, especially when one feels he has nothing to lose.
I imagine this person as a man.
This does seem seductive in a way. When I think of suicide I think of it being brutal and gruesome. When I read this I imagined someone looking into their reflection in the water and then slowly slipping away, disappearing. It's almost beautiful, in a strange way.
The title is kind of like a mask to the poem. It's what is seen on the outside and what people judge... until they see what is on the inside (i.e. read the poem). People usually see suicides as negative and horrible. But this poem makes it seem calm and... okay. ?
PS Sara.
"curiouser and curiouser"
going alice in wonderland on us here. i like this.
I really agree with Laura's interpretation of the poem. That "death is a freeing" from all of the discomforts of the world. However, not from the poets viewpoint, but from suicide's viewpoint... To someone suicidal, relief from suffering is so enticing that they would do almost anything to end their problems and discomfort.
The innocence of the poem is striking. Without knowing the title, the poem is peaceful, almost surreal. Through words such as "calm," "cool," and "kiss," a feeling of comfort arises. Like Sharon said, "it's just a kiss." The innocence is mysterious, and even somewhat creepy and seductive. The poem describes suicides view of death-- peaceful and ultimately resolute. This poem is powerful, and very mysterious.
I love this poem because it is short and sweet. I think it's the simplicity of it paired with the multidemensional meaning that makes it amazing. I know it is important to consider the title, but if you take it out of the analysis, the poem is quite lovely. It's innocent, as people have already pointed out, calming, and romantic. When you consider the title it becomes dangerous, intriguing, and like Erik said, sexual. The poem is brilliant because it gives a beautiful description of the scene that invites you in - "calm, cool", then it paints an intriguing image of a face on the rive, and it gives it a personality when it asks for a kiss. The title fits the poem, but to me it has a feeling opposite that of the poem itself. When I read it I feel the inner conflict of the speaker because although he is talking about the horrible act of suicide, I want to give the river a kiss too.
"Did any of you get a similar picture in your mind?"
~ Michelle! Did you even bother to read what I wrote?!
PS: Come to me so I can tell you details of what Lizzie, Mckenzie, and I are doing for the opera! Remember my pearls, because they're in on this too!
The adjectives chosen are a breif example of alliteration. The first phrase of the poem just natually rolls of the tongue and offers that seductive tone that Erik, Natalie, and many others brought up. It is a very smooth sounding, short poem.
The personification is the action of the river in the poem, the asking for a kiss. The other personifying quality is that the river possesses a face.
The frame of mind required for such a comparison would seem to be someone in desparation -- from a trouble in life. Perhaps it is someone who is easily enticed to act based on other's thoughts and requests. I think of people who are often said to not have a backbone. The river sort of tricked the author into exploring it's depths, therefore causing the suicide.
Although this poem is very short it completely took my breath away. This poem is cold, blue, and lonely. While I was reading this poem I felt the loneliness of a suicide person and how much a person would go, to seek for comfort and relief (in this case the river is much like a gentle lover that lures the lost in). An image of a person walking slowly, and sinking deeper, into the water appeared inside my head.
This poem perfectly summed up someone's reason for drowning themselves by simply personifying the river as asking them for a kiss. It is much like many suicide notes, touching yet ambiguous.
What stood out to me when I read this poem was just how short and poignant it was. I think it is a poet's paramount goal is to incite emotion. Here, Hughes brings out this metaphor between dying and a river with such brevity, yet the emotions of death are intact.
Obviously the personification is between the river and a woman, but there is emotion to this "woman" as well. Using, "calm" and "cool" to a river, which to me is innately cold and unforgiving, the river seems like a callous entity in tandem with death itself.
Finally, the idea of dying is brought out when this "woman" asks for a kiss. Its interesting how the metaphysical qualities of death are captured in comparing kissing, and its emotions, with dying. I saw this cold kiss, a failed love, as dying not physically, but emotionally.
I thought Sara's blog post was especially intriguing because of all the allusions she had from Moses to Aphrodite. My scope of thought wasn't really broad and I didn't connect much. That was a great post1
When I first read this poem, I was enthralled by its simplicity and power. It is slightly eerie how the poem expresses the desire for death and the seduction to "kiss" the river. However, it seems to be asking what is beyond life and the world that we live in now.
The title is quite a mystery to me. Instead of a person writing a suicide note it is suicide itself that is expressing the unknown and option of freeing yourself from the sorrows of this world.
It's pretty simple and to the point. I mean, it isn't outright saying that this person is going to commit suicide, but masks the river as a person ('asking' the orignal person, seeming 'calm' and 'cool' in the sense of a person's actual face rather than just the surface of a river).
It masks the suicide as almost... I want to say love, but that's not it.....No, something more sedution or lust....but it has this tender feeling to this rather than, with a typical feeling of a suicide, the sense of being trapped or depressed. It isn't dark like a lot of poems that would involve ending your life. It makes it sound rather innocent...like a person that you cared about asked you to kiss them. But there's the snag, the innocence of love being a front for the serious-ness of suicide. It guess that's what gives it power, the two side by side, and the reader being able to see both at the same time.
Does anyone find that title odd? I mean, 'Suicide's Note'. It makes it sound like it's a note that the action (of killing yourself) left behind rather than a person leaving it behind.
Somehow...this poem reminds of that book 'Twilight'....dangerous sedution, followed by death, and this tender sense to it. I guess it's something about the calm, cool, and danger that brings it out in my mind. Or at least that vampire that the main girl falls for (Edward?).
Twilight....Twilight.....I guess it works. The book does embody the same message. Edward could be described as cool and calm in any situation.
One may think of the river as the flowing transtition of life to death. If the reiver is death itself, it is tempting the narrator with its promise of calm and peace. Whether "kiss" is literal, meaning that the narrator is tempted to drown themself, or figurative I don't know. If it's literal that would mean that the river is really there, and it also serves as a metaphor in the dillusioned mind of the narrator.
I'm pretty sure that Greeks believed rivers to be symbolic of death, as when a person dies they are ferried down the river Styx to the gate of the underworld. I find it unlikely that the author meant to make this allusion, but it's there.
"When I think of suicide I think of it being brutal and gruesome. When I read this I imagined someone looking into their reflection in the water and then slowly slipping away, disappearing. It's almost beautiful, in a strange way."
Yes yes I know!
This poem shows the view from the person thinking about suicide. It shows how death can be very inviting, but once you fall for the innocent facade of the river, you can't come back out. I'm not really sure what to think about this poem. The title is a bit confusing for me also. I thought that this poem is from the suicide person's perspective, but since it says suicide's note, maybe it's not?
"I read this I imagined someone looking into their reflection in the water and then slowly slipping away, disappearing." Like the Greek story of Narcissus.
Hi--
This is an interesting poem. Short and sweet. I agree with what everyone has already said. I noticed many “K” sounds within the poem. Just like in The Eagle by Tennyson we read in class.
Calm, Cool, asKed, and Kiss. They create a feeling of comfortableness.
Being that there are not that many words in the poem, nearly every word provided that sound. I think repetitive sounds place emphasis on the descriptive words--we pay attention to them more. And because we are drawn into them, and they roll off our tongue a certain way, our mind grabs hold of them and continue to paint a wonderful, descriptive image.
I think the one thing that makes this little river so enticing is one word: asked. The river is not telling the person to jump in, it is trying to persuade them ever so lightly with a kiss. It doesn’t sound forceful--but it does help to illustrate the person’s conflicting, unsure mind as they stare down into the tempting river.
As for the title, maybe it really is the person leaving this note. BUT, perhaps they are so wrapped up in a depressed mindset it has taken them over and consumed them, taken over all action, reason, and ability to make choices. It is now the thing doing the decision making. So it, the STRUGGLE manifesting within the person, could own or possess the note.
Like we talked about in class, titles are obviously crucial to certain poems. Without this one, the poem could take on a whole different meaning.
Hengxin, you hypothesize that the river is a lover that lures the lost in. But since it's luring people in, shouldn't it be something a tad more nefarious than a lover?
One thing that bothers me about the poem is that it's short for a poem but long for a sentence. Trying to say it quickly just doesn't work for some reason. It seems as though the poem prefers it be read. Try saying it aloud, it sounds weird.
Now let's spout something about the title...
From the title, we can assume that this is a note left by the personification of suicide. In the poem, the river is asking the writer for a kiss. So apparently suicide and the river are involved together, perhaps romantically. This interpretation is not entirely contradictory to a person committing suicide; perhaps the river wanted to thank suicide for a job well done.
I agree with Michelle G when she stated that we would not perceive this poem in the same way if there were no title.The intensity as well as the length of Suicide's note could convey a much different feel to me personally if there were no title. I agree that this poem does have a romantic tone to it, like the river is a beautiful thing that cannot or should not be avoided.
As i read this aloud, I felt that the c's of this poem worked wonders for the first two lines, the words calm and cool provoked a more relaxing and peaceful mood to the river. When the face of the river asked for a kiss (personification), it seems to be more hopeful and seductive. I don't think I have ever seen the likes of a peaceful yet seductive river!
This poem seems very cynical. I believe that the person looking into seems to be enjoying the fact that he's contemplating suicide.
just like mentioned before, I really think the "kiss" is personified into a lustful, seductive woman or man...trying to lure him or her into the river..
If it wasn't for the title, I would have guessed the person just wanted to hey a nice swim.
I don't know if anyone else feels this, but I think this is supposed to be a dark, foggy night, on a bridge. Or I'm crazy.
I like Connor P's introduction of the River Styx, I hadn't even thought of it that way, and I also appreciate Connor S's further insight concerning the relationship of the "river" and "Suicide".
I may be just repeating what I've already said, nonetheless:
Rivers are cool, I'd say they most definitely deceive us, like suicide. When you're playing at the beach, let's say at Sauvie's Island during the summer's scorches, well, after a while we overheat. We're running around so much, and enjoying life, that eventually you break down and can't handle the heat any longer. Well, there's the Columbia River a couple feet to your right. And, O!, you're so delighted as you dip your feet in, and to hell with it... You even jump in. But, one thing you never forget is to take breaths of air, and for every dive under you have to take triple the amount of time above water to gain back your oxygen. Some people, overheated and sunburned in the life of the sun, can't pull themselves out of the seemingly soothing river. They just lay back and drift... and after a while they get chilled, a little hypothermia, but perhaps they fall into a slumber amidst the calmness of the river. It's too late before the heat of life, the heat of your body, is sucked out from you by that cool, calm river. It's not too long until you're floating face-down; now on the River Styx....
And so the heat of life is convinced by the river to end the heat, and suffering, to end life. Is it deception? It is a deception inherently natural.
And one more thing that "Suicide" does not realize is that the "kiss" is an eternal one. Thou art a cunning knave!....
Kiss me..... forever........
This poem is powerful despite its length. The way Hughes depicts suicide makes it seem almost peaceful. A person chooses suicide when they see no better option or no purpose. Suicide is an option that is usually very powerful. But it was a nice contrast that Hughes used a "calm" and "cool" river to the powerful emotions of a suicide. When I read this I thought that the person committing suicide is dying gracefully and peacefully. I agree with the comment about the word choice that Natalie made. Suicide became peaceful because it wasn't demanded. It was only "asked." Overall, very powerful poem.
I thought the waters kiss meant a person falling head first into a body of water. Suicide notes are obviously written before suicide, but I got the impression that this poem reflects a persons state of mind once they have committed to jumping and are in the middle of free falling.
I can imagine that as a person is standing on the ledge of a bridge or other tall structure, they will have conflicting emotions. They may be unsure while on the ledge, but once they have jumped they would quite possibly feel as though their troubles have vanished and they are anticipating the waters kiss to bring an end to their suffering.
Another thing that led me to think this is that the "asked" is in past tense, implying that the person has already been seduced by the water to commit suicide.
A few things: I really like Langston Hughes. My favorite poem by him which I'm sure many of you will like is titled Dreams.
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Now to this:
I noticed that some of you, like Natalie, picked up on the title being "Suicide's Note" and not "Suicide Note". And some of you like Erik nailed it. At the same time though, I think that this poem was not meant to be a very sophisticated and complex work aimed at describing an alternate, mystical reality. I think really that Hughes wanted to write a very beautiful poem with a very appealing feel to it and then title it Suicide's Note as though "suicide" (anthropomorphically) is trying to describe the satisfaction that can be achieved after killing one's self and the temptation that the release from the material life poses. I also think that Hughes is clearly expressing love for the natural world and the fact that he uses a river is very interesting because a river is always moving forward. The dynamic quality of a river is an incongruous juxtaposition to suicide which can lead some readers to suggest that Hughes's poem revolves around the eternal aspects of death.
again though, this poem is simple and should be treated as such. Rarely are simple poems jampacked with a lot of meaning and are almost never multifaceted.
About the diction and sound I think that the K sound is very distinct and creates feeling even though the result is not very relevant to the poem's purpose. The diction is not all that impressive really. It's more the imagery that I think makes this poem fantastic. His tone of course, is very simple and blunt.
Many of you have discussed the personification and frame of mind and I agree with your comments.
I also really like Nick's analysis on "asked" which creates a very pleasant mood.
And Erik, every time I read one of your posts your title "Peasant Slave of Denmark" makes me laugh because you are so insightful and there are no peasant slaves in the world with your intellectualism haha.
Like what many other people have said,I feel that this poem is seductive in nature. The alliteration of the "K" sound is present in the poem, and gives me a light feeling. Rather than the dark and dreary mood associated with suicide, I feel light and cool.
I think of the river as an individual looking to suck the life out of someone. This comes mainly from the words "cool" and "kiss." When I read this originally, I thought of those ghost things in Harry Potter (dementors??). I know it's a weird comparison, but the cool face is definitely there, as is the "kiss."
I think that the frame of mind that would create this comparison would be present in an individual who is extremely desperate. It's as if the river is coaxing the person to explore its depths, until they begin to drown. It may be symbolic, it may not. But either way, I see it as a powerful three lines of poetry.
This poem is as many people said before me, short and sweet. Nima brought up a nice poem and a nice post overall by him. One thing I have noticed in my experience with Langston Hughes, something Nima also mentioned, is that he is often very direct in his meanings even though they are expressed as a metaphor. I think that the poem being titled suicide's note is noteworthy but not hugrly so.
The reason it is not as important or meaningful to me as to some people is that it seems to just be the noun form of suicide rather than the verb. It gives it a greater sense of posession and perhaps a more meaningful title but overall not much to it.
The idea of water is important here, and suicide but I must take great objection to the fact that many of you are claiming to know what someone who commits suicide feels like. Not what you think but rather that it is being stated by many people as if their opinion on the subject is a fact. Similarly I like Hughes' depiction of suicide because I think the poem is open ended enough that it leaves space for our own feelings on suicide rather than tkaing and feeling what he feels.
For me water is very liberating and it is possibly the best way to go, I would throw myself in with those who say that the theme here is liberating oneself from the burdens of the world, it seems reasonable. None of us will ever know but I wish we knew how Hughes viewed water. Other than that I thought a lot of people had great posts on this one that I enjoyed reading.
I apologize in advance for most likely restating what others have said. The first thing that stood out to me about this poem was the title. Rather than being "suicide note", where the possesion of the note belongs presumably to the author of the poem, or note I guess, Suicide has become the possesser, and the note belongs to it. Although this may be speculation in excess, I think that this simple "'s" adds a lot of meaning. Langston Hughes personifies suicide, as an entity of it's own. And the suicide is what is controlling its own act, not the person comitting it. It's as if the person cannot resist it, for it is not their decision, it is in the hands of this personified entity of suicide. This temptress, asking the speaker for a kiss, lures him in, and takes control.
I agree with Erik's statement that the poem sounds almost like a seduction. The calm cool face of the river makes it seems like a person and the personification fits with the fact that the river askes for a kiss.
Also, when people are contemplating suicide, a lot of the time, their mood is eerily calm and relaxed. Because they have reached the end of their rope, the person feels like they have no other option so they almost accept it in a way and see it as their fate?
Just the diction alone in this poem expresses the calm and almost cold mood that a lot of people have when thinking about suicide.
This poem almost reminds me of a man who is beaten down from work and is standing on the side of a bridge late at night, and cannot take the stress of the world anymore and jumps in to feel the "kiss" of the river.
I don't know if someone said this already (I didn't really have time to read everyone's post), but to me it sound more like the temptation of taking one's life. The tone was very peaceful but at the same time, in the back of my head, I sensed a feeling of chaos. It was a "suicide's note" but it was peaceful! Does anyone know what I'm talking about? To me it's oxymoron. To some, death is a peaceful thing but suicide, I would guess, would have some affliction and chaos. Like what a lot of people said, it was almost a sexual seductive poem. I like how Lauren pointed out, if you read the poem out loud without reading the title it creates an image and all sorts of catharsis. However, when you read the title, you begin to think of death, a peaceful "calm" and "cool" death.
I really enjoyed how this poem was short and sweet. I love how the 12 words felt like a thousand. I love how there so many things you could say, think and feel after reading the poem. It's truly a work of art.
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