Dorothy Parker's 'Song In A Minor Key'

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In the poem “Song in a Minor Key”, Dorothy Parker uses optimistic imagery and peaceful yet morose tones throughout the poem to develop a message regarding the theme of relentless love, and how death may be the only way to reunite true lovers. Parker contends that in order for love to go on forever one needs to maintain their strengths and hopes. Parker uses the relationship between two true lovers to portray the strength one grasps when overcoming obstacles to hold onto true love. Parker begins the poem with a peaceful tone. This tone is created through the images of the “birds” and the “lilacs”, thus revealing that nature enhances a buildup of hope and strength within a character. The blending of the natural beauty of both birds and flowers …show more content…

This duality is concealed within a character because the darkness(truth) conflicts with the light(dreams/hopes) when we hold onto our desire to unite ourselves with our true lover. The author reveals that the light of the “sunset” represents the strength, by illuminating that days are going by, but the true lover still sticks to their strength. The author portrays darkness through the “death” of the“lilacs” representing the inevitable truth that one has to face when holding onto their desire to meet their true love. Parker illustrates that one whose “eyes are deep with yearning”, will persist to their strength until their determination does not overcome the obstacles preventing one from accessing true love, embracing love as a natural and beautiful thing. “Deep” represents her strength and “yearning” is symbolic of her desire to meet her husband. “Yearning” adds a sense of beauty and “deep” illuminates a depth to her strength and how it can overpower obstacles in her life. The author blends “deep” with “yearning” to enhance and illustrate that when we hold a desire we have to deepen our strength and embrace it to achieve what we aspire. The image of “an old, old, gate” where “the lady wait[s]” emphasizes the idea that her husband’s death is “old”; it occurred many years ago, but

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