Alzheimer's Summary

The poem “Alzheimer’s” by Kelly Cherry explains how glorious a man’s life was before a brain harming disease became a factor within it. Alzheimer’s is a disease that slowly causes one’s brain to deteriorate, to slowly forget about the past, and can even cause people to forget how to breathe or walk. The setting of the poem takes place at a house in which a man, the main character, is returning home after suffering problems caused by Alzheimer’s. According to the poem “Alzheimer’s”, the man’s memory was becoming cloudy but fragments of the past stayed within his mind because he “remembers the walkway he built between the front room and the garage.” Cherry utilizes words describing the man’s life, making strong comparisons between the present

and the past. Cherry also mentions the man’s interest, music, although he is forced to lay it to rest because of his condition. The man’s Alzheimer’s was severe because “the first thing he must do, now that he is home, is decide who this woman is, this old, white haired woman, standing in the doorway, welcoming him in.” The man could not even recognize his own wife, a woman he has been with for many years. The tone of this poem is sadness because a disease has taken over the mind of a person who has had many memories in life and can no longer enjoy an interest without being forgetful.