Need help analizine a poem by alica walker i don't know where to start. HELP?

Question

Gray
Alice Walker

I have a friend
who is turning gray,
not just her hair,
and I do not know
why this is so.

Is it a lack of vitamin E
pantothenic acid, or B-12?
Or is it from being frantic
and alone?

'How long does it take you to love someone?'
I ask her.
'A hot second,' she replies.
'And how long do you love them?'
'Oh, anywhere up to several months.'
'And how long does it take you
to get over loving them?'
'Three weeks,' she said, 'tops.'

Did I mention I am also
turning gray?
It is because I *adore* this woman
who thinks of love
in this way.

Answer 1

Indeed you can look for themes, but as in all poetry, it's not always so cut and dry. If you are doing this for a class, first look at what era it's from.
Is it Modernist?
Is it Beat Poetry?
Is it ________?
Are any elements of the era portrayed in the themes and/or style?
Then, do a close reading...that is look at how it is presented. Just the words, not in any context..for instance : when the speaker of the poem ( whom I'm not sure is a man by the way) asks their friend about love the answers are by and large short...unattached...perhaps showing that to the speaker's friend love is important enough to enjoy, but no tto get hung up in. Therefore, her grey is probably not attributed to being frantic and alone, but to something else, thereby even making the speaker adore this women more. This feeling can be seen not only in the literal answers, but how the answers are written.
Look at the poet's other works...are there any reoccuring themes?
Look up a bio on the poet, but don't always assume that the speaker in the poem is directly voicing the poet's thoughts.


Blah!
Just like a lot of poetry, this may or not make a lot of sense.
Hoped it helped a bit.

I have not really investigated the links below, but they may also help out a bit.
But don't let the internet do everything for you...there are about umpteen million sites that will disect the poem for you...but that's the easy way out...you'll enjoy it more if you do it yourself!

Answer 2

first break it down from each paragraph the first one talks about her friend who is getting old. The second she asking why or how this friend is getting gray hair and how she frantic but alone the third I see there can be two meanings one is that she talking about The friend falling in love quick and staying in love for a short time but moving on in three weeks. The last paragraph talks about him/her turning gray and adoring and even maybe loving the friend. That what I can get out of the poem but poems can be tricky because you may see one thing but then read it again and see another. So Good luck and I wish you well.

Answer 3

Intersting poem! What exactly do you need to do here? Are you required to write an essay?

Anyhoo, to analyse a poem you just need to look for 'main themes'. In this case I'd say 'growing old', 'loneliness' and 'love'. Within each of these themes, try to reword (put into your own words) parts of the poem that match this theme best.

Good luck!

PS: As it's written by a woman, I assumed it was written from a woman's point of view. Therefore the final stanza (paragraph) could mean that the poet envies the other woman's carefree view on love OR that she's actually in love with her. Whole other kettle of fish there!

Answer 4

I don't think it's about growing old. I think it's about growing shallow and closed off from life. Sometimes, in order to protect themselves from getting hurt, people try to insulate themselves from feeling too much (maybe that's what Virginia Woolf meant by "wrapped in cotton batting"). So then they don't risk occasional sharp pains, like the end of a deep romance, but instead they condemn themselves to the continual dull pain of loneliness. This could make them old before their time. Sort of like what the Blue Meanies did by prohibiting joy, in the Yellow Submarine.

Those who remain passionate about life and love, even after emotional trainwrecks, may get frustrated by the over-cautiousness of someone they have chosen to love.

Answer 5

Gray is not just hair color, but a sign of aging--wisdom.

The cause is not vitamin deficiency, but life experiences--love or lack of it.

Gray=wisdom=life experiences=love=loss of love=admiration of "other woman"=comparison to poet=further admiration of "other woman"=beauty of aging/wisdom in all of us.

That is my "Teacher Man Notes" version.

Good luck....

Answer 6

just start explaining each paragraph. first one is that the friend is getting old. second is that she grew up frantica and alone, third tells you that someone (a man) is asking her about the time he/she loved each other. and last it is the man stating that in his old age he is in love with her and they are both getting old.