Telephone Poles (J. Updike)

Linda Arellano

Srygley, Cheryl

AP Literature

Telephone Poles
John Updike

They have been with us a long time.
They will outlast the elms.
Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage sieving the trees
In his search for game,
Run through them. They blend along small-town streets
Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.
Our eyes, washed clean of belief,
Lift incredulous to their fearsome crowns of bolts, trusses, struts, nuts, insulators, and such
Barnacles as compose
These weathered encrustations of electrical debris¬
Each a Gorgon’s head, which, seized right,
Could stun us to stone.
Yet they are ours. We made them.
See here, where the cleats of linemen
Have roughened a second bark
Onto the bald trunk. And these spikes
Have been driven sideways at intervals handy for human legs.
The Nature of our construction is in every way
A better fit than the Nature it displaces
What other tree can you climb where the birds’ twitter,
Unscrambled, is English? True, their thin shade is negligible,
But then again there is not that tragic autumnal
Casting-off of leaves to outface annually.
These giants are more constant than evergreens
By being never green.

1. First Impression: John Updike presents his point of view in a rather clear and concise way. He makes it rather obvious that the developments of technology and urbanization have quickly depleted the evergreen trees with all these telephone poles; nevertheless he does not once acknowledge them directly. Instead he describes them with large amounts of detailed words which quickly help the reader understand that he is talking about the poles which run through the city’s streets. They are so many and so common that people rarely notice them anymore. They sort of blend as if they were trees themselves.

2. Paraphrase:

a. They have been with us for a long time

b. The will outlast the trees

c. Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage filtering the trees

d. In his search for game,

e. Run through them. They blend along in the city streets

f. Like the giants fade in mythology

g. Our eyes began to disbelief

h. The look up at all their details

i. Barnacles as compose

j. These weathered encrustations of electrical junk

k. They look like the head of Medusa, which

l. Could turn you into stone at the right moment

m. Yet they belong to us. We created them

n. See here, You can see where the electricians

o. have made a second bark,

p. Onto the bald trunk, and these spikes

q. They have been placed sideways for the handiness for human legs

r. The nature of our construction is in every way

s. A better fit than the nature it displaces

t. What other tree can you climb where the birds’ twitter

u. Is plain English? True, their skinny shade is negligible

v. But then again it’s not as tragic as when trees shed their leaves in autumn every year

w. These poles are more constant that evergreens

x. By never being green.

3. Syntax and Word Choice: The poem’s structure is a single 25 line stanza. The poem has no rhyme scheme. The line structure varies per line; nevertheless the author uses allusions to mythology as well as alliteration. There is some sort of rhyme scheme that is noticeable within certain lines of the poem. The word choice is very colloquial, so it is not too hard for the reader to follow what the author’s intentions of writing the poem.

4. Imagery: By looking at the poem the reader can get a hint that the poem will talk about telephone poles. The first image used by the author is that of an object that will outlive trees; “they will outlast the elms” These objects can blend into the environment for they have been with us for a long time. One image that is quickly drawn is that of line 8 in which is nearly the most descriptive line of the entire poem. Updike describes nearly every piece that constitutes the entire pole. There is also the image of the spikes that are located on the sides of the pole. Updike also references to the “second bark” the pole has developed due to the wear of so many electricians going up the pole.

5. Figurative Language: One of the most prominent forms of figurative language used in this poem is similes. The author constantly compares one thing with the other, for example “our eyes, like the eyes of a savage…” or “They blend along small-town streets / Like a race of giants…” Updike also employs the usage of alliteration as well as hyperboles and idioms. There is also the allusion to Greek mythology in between the 6^th and 12^th lines of the poem.

6. Tone: The reader can feel the author’s tone of concern and a bit of sarcasm as the poem goes on and on. Initially the poem begins with a brief allusion to Greek mythology which gives the poem an informative tone due to the nature of the comparison. As the poem goes on, the reader can easily identify the author’s bias on his opinion of the telephone poles and their presence in the city. The author acknowledges some of the benefits that have come with the telephone poles; nevertheless he is nearly nostalgic that the trees are no longer there.

7. Theme: There is a theme of the consequences that have been brought along with technological developments as well as urbanization in cities. Before those “never green” poles were placed, trees used to flourish and give shade, but now with the increasing needs communication, these poles have come to take over and blend in as if they were part of nature itself. The overall theme of the poem is the consequences of technology and how it has driven nature slowly but surely out of the picture.

8. Conclusion: The first impression of the poem was accurate.