Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe’s death was a tragedy surrounded by mysteries. Edwin Morgan’s thought provoking poem “The death of Marilyn Monroe” deals with the terrible loss of the 1950’s legend and the way in which the media controlled and destroyed her life. Throughout the poem, Morgan creates a sad, sympathetic mood for Marilyn Monroe’s death and effectively uses this mood to enhance the reader’s understanding of the central idea of the poem that the media are to blame for her death.
The poem opens dramatically with a clamor of rhetorical questions to echo the public’s reaction to the shocking news of Marilyn Monroe’s death. “What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast?” This series of questions mimics newspaper headlines and alludes to the media’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe both in life and death. Morgan uses the word “innocent” to convey how childlike Monroe was believed to be to make the reader pity her and to create a feeling of tragic loss. The use of the metaphor “Crumpled orphan” creates an image of her innocence yet portrays the idea that she is a person broken down by the demands and pressure of the stressful lifestyle that she led. Her childlike innocence is portrayed further in the phrase “white hearse” which is normally associated with the death of a child. Usually, hearses are black however Marilyn Monroe’s hearse was described as being white to give a sense of purity and vulnerability. By repeating the image of the “white hearse” in the last line of the poem, the idea of Monroe’s innocence is reinforced. This is further strengthened through the metaphor “child of America” which points the blame surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death firmly towards the American society. Monroe was in every sense a “child of America”, being born in America, being produced by the American film industry and possessing a childlike innocence that persisted throughout her career. However, the metaphor also implies that she felt like she was literally America’s property, that she could not be herself. The metaphor also contains an implied sense of parental responsibility on the part of American society. This introduces a sad mood for Marilyn Monroe’s death as the feeling is given that the public has abdicated all responsibility for their “child” and left her for dead. The poet manages to create a sad, sympathetic mood, reminding us that in a world almost desensitized to death, Monroe’s death is different; it touches us.
Edwin Morgan’s use of the question “Whose guilt?” in the opening of the poem reflects the controlling media and the ambiguity of Marilyn Monroe’s death. “Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America!” By using repetition, the poet is emphasizing the key part “Los Angeles” had in her death. Although the true cause of her death remains a mystery, the poem implies that the film industry was at least partly responsible for Monroe’s demise as she had no privacy and was constantly hounded by the media. This media obsession shows that Hollywood also has a dark side and causes the reader to reflect on the media’s pursuit of celebrities if suicides are the result. Ironically, “Death” is described as Marilyn Monroe’s “only protector”, suggesting that she lives a life so intolerable that death is seen as a welcome release. In every aspect of her life, the film industry controlled her therefore dying was the only way she could control her life. “Uncertainty” is also personified in the poem as a voyeur preying on the suffering of Marilyn Monroe. Morgan succeeds in not only intensifying the sense of her insecurity and confusion but also in introducing the idea that Monroe is no longer in control of her life. The public treated Monroe’s life as their possession to call upon and “watch” anytime they wanted. This voyeuristic control destroyed Marilyn Monroe and eventually led to her death from a drugs overdose. The poem ends as it begins, with a series of questions focusing on responsibility. “And if she was not responsible, not wholly responsible, Los Angeles? Los Angeles? Will it follow you around?” The reader is forced to see that while Marilyn Monroe was willing to accept responsibility for her life, “Los Angeles” is unwilling to accept any responsibility for the part it played in her death. Although Monroe was partly to blame, Morgan believes that America manipulated her and drove her to her death. We are left with an indelible sense of pity for Monroe as her life was controlled to the extent of causing her death. She was created for and destroyed by the American dream.
The word choice of the poem is effective in shocking the reader by the extent of control others had on Marilyn Monroe’s life. By using the words “eyes” and “breast”, it represents the “child of America” image she was given and her mother-daughter relationship with America. It also implies that all eyes were on her as she was simply seen as a sex icon. She sauntered through life as the most delectable sex symbol of the century and she was held up on a pedestal for everyone to admire. In a sense, it seemed like she was just a possession owned by America with no freedom of her own. The poet goes on to show how “the great cameras and lights”, basic tools of the film industry have become instruments of torture, “an inquisition and a torment.” Although she seemed to have everything from beauty to wealth, in reality she was being tortured in her mind. A picture of her life of loneliness is built up. She was constantly surrounded by people from “autograph hunters” to “inflexible directors” however these people were there because of her name and not because they were her friends. Despite the many people that pursued her, she did not have any friends. This sense of emotional isolation once again creates a very sad mood and effectively drives the reader into sympathizing her as she was a sad and lonely person who had to face life alone. In an attempt to block out her life, she became dependant on “bewildering barbiturates.” Ironically, Monroe was taking drugs to help strengthen her yet it resulted in her death. The poem serves as a reminder of the price that comes along with fame. Although Marilyn Monroe had risen to icon status, she was still eventually cast aside by the American public who claimed no responsibility for her death.
Edwin Morgan’s poem “The death of Marilyn Monroe” is an outpour of emotion about the loss of one of the world’s most talented women, Marilyn Monroe. The poet cleverly creates a sad, sympathetic mood for her death and uses this mood to enhance the reader’s understanding of the central idea of the poem. It presents the unpleasant fact that the media and Hollywood are to blame for the death of Marilyn Monroe. The poem left the reader empathizing Monroe as she led a meaningless life that was dominated by the film industry to the point where it drove her to suicide.
The poem opens dramatically with a clamor of rhetorical questions to echo the public’s reaction to the shocking news of Marilyn Monroe’s death. “What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast?” This series of questions mimics newspaper headlines and alludes to the media’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe both in life and death. Morgan uses the word “innocent” to convey how childlike Monroe was believed to be to make the reader pity her and to create a feeling of tragic loss. The use of the metaphor “Crumpled orphan” creates an image of her innocence yet portrays the idea that she is a person broken down by the demands and pressure of the stressful lifestyle that she led. Her childlike innocence is portrayed further in the phrase “white hearse” which is normally associated with the death of a child. Usually, hearses are black however Marilyn Monroe’s hearse was described as being white to give a sense of purity and vulnerability. By repeating the image of the “white hearse” in the last line of the poem, the idea of Monroe’s innocence is reinforced. This is further strengthened through the metaphor “child of America” which points the blame surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death firmly towards the American society. Monroe was in every sense a “child of America”, being born in America, being produced by the American film industry and possessing a childlike innocence that persisted throughout her career. However, the metaphor also implies that she felt like she was literally America’s property, that she could not be herself. The metaphor also contains an implied sense of parental responsibility on the part of American society. This introduces a sad mood for Marilyn Monroe’s death as the feeling is given that the public has abdicated all responsibility for their “child” and left her for dead. The poet manages to create a sad, sympathetic mood, reminding us that in a world almost desensitized to death, Monroe’s death is different; it touches us.
Edwin Morgan’s use of the question “Whose guilt?” in the opening of the poem reflects the controlling media and the ambiguity of Marilyn Monroe’s death. “Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America!” By using repetition, the poet is emphasizing the key part “Los Angeles” had in her death. Although the true cause of her death remains a mystery, the poem implies that the film industry was at least partly responsible for Monroe’s demise as she had no privacy and was constantly hounded by the media. This media obsession shows that Hollywood also has a dark side and causes the reader to reflect on the media’s pursuit of celebrities if suicides are the result. Ironically, “Death” is described as Marilyn Monroe’s “only protector”, suggesting that she lives a life so intolerable that death is seen as a welcome release. In every aspect of her life, the film industry controlled her therefore dying was the only way she could control her life. “Uncertainty” is also personified in the poem as a voyeur preying on the suffering of Marilyn Monroe. Morgan succeeds in not only intensifying the sense of her insecurity and confusion but also in introducing the idea that Monroe is no longer in control of her life. The public treated Monroe’s life as their possession to call upon and “watch” anytime they wanted. This voyeuristic control destroyed Marilyn Monroe and eventually led to her death from a drugs overdose. The poem ends as it begins, with a series of questions focusing on responsibility. “And if she was not responsible, not wholly responsible, Los Angeles? Los Angeles? Will it follow you around?” The reader is forced to see that while Marilyn Monroe was willing to accept responsibility for her life, “Los Angeles” is unwilling to accept any responsibility for the part it played in her death. Although Monroe was partly to blame, Morgan believes that America manipulated her and drove her to her death. We are left with an indelible sense of pity for Monroe as her life was controlled to the extent of causing her death. She was created for and destroyed by the American dream.
The word choice of the poem is effective in shocking the reader by the extent of control others had on Marilyn Monroe’s life. By using the words “eyes” and “breast”, it represents the “child of America” image she was given and her mother-daughter relationship with America. It also implies that all eyes were on her as she was simply seen as a sex icon. She sauntered through life as the most delectable sex symbol of the century and she was held up on a pedestal for everyone to admire. In a sense, it seemed like she was just a possession owned by America with no freedom of her own. The poet goes on to show how “the great cameras and lights”, basic tools of the film industry have become instruments of torture, “an inquisition and a torment.” Although she seemed to have everything from beauty to wealth, in reality she was being tortured in her mind. A picture of her life of loneliness is built up. She was constantly surrounded by people from “autograph hunters” to “inflexible directors” however these people were there because of her name and not because they were her friends. Despite the many people that pursued her, she did not have any friends. This sense of emotional isolation once again creates a very sad mood and effectively drives the reader into sympathizing her as she was a sad and lonely person who had to face life alone. In an attempt to block out her life, she became dependant on “bewildering barbiturates.” Ironically, Monroe was taking drugs to help strengthen her yet it resulted in her death. The poem serves as a reminder of the price that comes along with fame. Although Marilyn Monroe had risen to icon status, she was still eventually cast aside by the American public who claimed no responsibility for her death.
Edwin Morgan’s poem “The death of Marilyn Monroe” is an outpour of emotion about the loss of one of the world’s most talented women, Marilyn Monroe. The poet cleverly creates a sad, sympathetic mood for her death and uses this mood to enhance the reader’s understanding of the central idea of the poem. It presents the unpleasant fact that the media and Hollywood are to blame for the death of Marilyn Monroe. The poem left the reader empathizing Monroe as she led a meaningless life that was dominated by the film industry to the point where it drove her to suicide.
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