Keeping Things Whole : Summary and Question-Answer

- October 08, 2020

Keeping Things Whole

Summary :

Keeping Things Whole is a beautiful poem composed by Mark Strand. This poem deals with two darker sides of human life. They are alienation (distance / separation) and fragmentation (breaking into small pieces).

If we think carefully, we will find different fragmentations are there in our lives and also in our society. Our society is divided by several narrow domestic walls, such as rich-poor, upper caste-lower caste and many more. Our personal lives are also fragmented in different ways.

Fragmentation in any form isn't good. So the poet is raising his voice against it. We find him pleading for wholeness in nature, lives and society.

Here he has presented himself as an example. When he stands in a field, he takes up a space in that place. In other words, he is causing a fragmentation in the field, breaking its wholeness.

Similarly, when we walk in a field, we part the air. We are again creating fragmentation.

But nature never likes a vacuum or any kind of fragmentation. So, as we move forward, air moves to fill spaces where our our bodies have been. It shows nature's efforts for wholeness.

Lastly, the poet says that he also doesn't like fragmentation. He keeps moving to maintain the wholeness of the field.

The poet wants an undivided world. A world whole and not fragmented. A world where people understand the strength in unity.

Question-Answer

Question 1. Interpret the poem in any way you like.

Answer : This beautiful poem is an argument for wholeness against the usual fragmentation that goes on in life. It is also against the alienation that usually takes place in our life.

He says that we people are unknown about the strength in unity. That is why we make fractions among ourselves. Fractions don't do good to anyone. People know it very well. But, they ignore it and become selfish.

The poet wants a world undivided. A world whole and not fragmented .

Question 2. How does the poet view himself in the field, in the air, and in the backdrop ?

Answer : He finds himself absent and missing in the field. He parts the air while he moves. In the backdrop, he finds the space immediately filled by the air. So, understanding the worth of the wholeness, he keeps moving to keep things whole.

Question 3. What does the last stanza suggest ?

Answer : In the last stanza the poet is giving his reason for moving. He moves to keep things whole. The poet moves forward and he parts the air but it becomes whole again. It suggests his endless effort to stop fragmentation either in nature, or in society, or fragmentation in any form. Thus by presenting his own example he pleads (requests) every body to try in this direction.