1. She Was Born in England and Lived Most of Her Life in London

STEVIE SMITH (1902-1971)

I. INTRODUCTION

1. She was born in England and lived most of her life in London.

2. She is principally remembered for one poem--the ironic “Not Waving But Drowning.”

II. “NOT WAVING BUT DROWNING”

1. Situation: The poem was based on a newspaper story about a group of friends who, while picnicking at the beach, waved cheerily back to one of their group who had swum too far out and was desperately signaling for help. Before the friends gathered that the swimmer was calling for help, not just waving to them, the person drowned.

2. Theme: The loneliness and the inability to communicate among human beings, even presumably among friends with whom you go to the beach for a picnic.

3. Structure: (1) ______lines are given to the commentator/speaker and ______lines are uttered by the drowning man. Note: Even in the account of his death, he is slighted.

(2) The structure moves from a specific incident (a ______) to a general comment on life: “I was much too ______out all my ______” (11), a line which implies that he never connected completely with others.

4. Style: Some critics find that the use of the slant/near rhyme of “moaning/drowning” (2/4, 10/12) suggests the slanted life of the drowning man, a life where he was unable to communicate or connect successfully with other human beings.