Alejandra Yanez Eng 1B Blog

Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith 

The poems denotative meaning is about a dead old man and the cause of death being drowning. His distress calls seemed though as he was simply waving to onlookers, but that was clearly not the case. Onlookers discounted the old man's distress calls because the "Poor chap, he always loved larking," Meaning that the old man always loved frolicking; it is like little red ridding hood and how she cried woof. The connotative meaning is how people are often absorbed in their own personal life that often time we ignore potential danger. Often times people are consumed in their own state of being that we forget to help out and ignore those that need help. Another connotative meaning is a metaphor for the man being depress himself. In the beginning stanza Smith says, "Nobody heard him, the dead man"(462). To me this suggests that the man felt alone and forgotten and the only way he could get means of attention was through his love for pulling pranks, not just pranks, but it was an escape mechanism. Depression took over this old man's life and his way of pulling/drawing people to get his attention was through "not waving but drowning" (462). Smith writes, I was much further out than you thought and not waving but drowning" (462). The old man's depression was greater than he himself imagined it to be, he died drowning from his depression. "It must have been too cold for him his heart gave away" (462). The poor old man's heart gave away, of course through drowning, but through his faults and consumption of his own depression. 

The poems key images are the image of the man waving, but they are not actual waves. They are distress calls that onlookers think are just simple waves/hand gestures. Just by the simple words, "not waving but drowning" (462) I can get an image of someone waving desperately to be saved from drowning. Those four words create a vast image; the use of these words are just enough to create imagery, but in such a way that gets the meaning across without being so confused. It does not just create imagery, but also emotions. Imagining distress calls for drowning being interpreted as waving calls sends chills. There is something utterly sad about someone falling through the cracks of depression and going into the water and drowning. This poem is sad and the imagery that gets created and the emotions is what makes this poem understandable and heartbreaking. The lines, "nobody heard him, the dead man" also help set the tone and image of what this poem is going to be about. They are simple words; there are no complicated use of diction. But yet as it is simple, the words take a sophisticated manner that help create a mental image of someone trying to be saved. Also as well as trying to be saved from their own problems/ depression.