Background
Adrienne Rich (born in Baltimore in 1929) once wrote:'Poetry is, among other things,
a criticism of language. In setting words together in new configurations, in the mere,
immense shift from male to female pronouns, in the relationship between words
created through echo, repetition, rhythm, rhyme, it lets us hear our words in a new
dimension.'
These observations might be used to inform a study, not only of this poem but most
of the others in the collection.
Nights like this: Teachers might recall the opening lines of Act 5 of Shakespeare’s
The Merchant of Venice:
'The moon shines bright. In such a night as this,
When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees
And they did make no noise – in such a night . . .'
The scene is clear and students might be encouraged to picture the way the moon
lights up various features as it progresses through the sky; but the moon is
personified throughout the poem and students will need to discover the sensuous
way her actions are described for themselves.
Line 11: hangared fuselage: the body of an aeroplane in a hangar
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