The poem "The Summer of Black Widows" focuses on a town that went through a short spider infestation during a storm. At first, this doesn't seem like something a normal person could or would want to relate with, however the author uses the spiders in a way that they become representations of something we can relate to, and that thing is stories.
In the third stanza, the poem says, "The elders knew the spiders/carried stories in their stomachs." After this, the poem transitions into the fourth stanza where the author uses symbolism, and connects spiders with stories.
This stanza describes how the people of the town find spiders in every nook and cranny. For example, the poem says they were in their closets, boots, blankets, lights, cereal boxes, etc. However, instead of portraying them as "spiders", the author decides to describe them as "stories", going back to the elders' thoughts in the third stanza. So instead of the townspeople finding spiders, they find stories wherever they look. In my opinion, this is a pretty accurate metaphor. The author is basically saying there is a story behind everything. They're in articles of clothing, furniture, and even food. In other words, nothing magically appears; everything has a story of how it got to where it is. This is highlighted with the second to last line of the stanza: "A dozen stories per acre". This explains how there are many stories all around.
In the last four stanzas, the author goes back to referring to the spiders as themselves. She explains how the spiders all disappeared after the storm, but left behind stories. She described the stories as "small white bundles", which are spider webs. These literally represent stories because they are sort of like the stories of the spiders' lives and where/how they lived. This is another example of how stories can come from anything, including seemingly insignificant things such as bugs. I feel that this is an important lesson and what the author was trying to convey through this poem.
Black Widows. So small, yet so deadly.
"The Summer of Black Widows" Essay
The poem "The Summer of Black Widows" focuses on a town that went through a short spider infestation during a storm. At first, this doesn't seem like something a normal person could or would want to relate with, however the author uses the spiders in a way that they become representations of something we can relate to, and that thing is stories.
In the third stanza, the poem says, "The elders knew the spiders/carried stories in their stomachs." After this, the poem transitions into the fourth stanza where the author uses symbolism, and connects spiders with stories.
This stanza describes how the people of the town find spiders in every nook and cranny. For example, the poem says they were in their closets, boots, blankets, lights, cereal boxes, etc. However, instead of portraying them as "spiders", the author decides to describe them as "stories", going back to the elders' thoughts in the third stanza. So instead of the townspeople finding spiders, they find stories wherever they look. In my opinion, this is a pretty accurate metaphor. The author is basically saying there is a story behind everything. They're in articles of clothing, furniture, and even food. In other words, nothing magically appears; everything has a story of how it got to where it is. This is highlighted with the second to last line of the stanza: "A dozen stories per acre". This explains how there are many stories all around.
In the last four stanzas, the author goes back to referring to the spiders as themselves. She explains how the spiders all disappeared after the storm, but left behind stories. She described the stories as "small white bundles", which are spider webs. These literally represent stories because they are sort of like the stories of the spiders' lives and where/how they lived. This is another example of how stories can come from anything, including seemingly insignificant things such as bugs. I feel that this is an important lesson and what the author was trying to convey through this poem.