Edna St. Vincent Millay's 'I Will Put Chaos Into Fourteen Lines'

Edward Ramirez
Literature
Professor Hall
February 19th, 2017
“And the Snakes will start to Float”

Many individuals living among a society tend to abide by laws for fear of the unknown – in order to stay safe. When speaking of order and chaos, the two juxtapose each other by definition and idea. Chaos being the subject matter for being viewed as a negative entity, will have difficulty getting through even the simple-minded individuals. In Edna St. Vincent Millay’s 1954 Italian sonnet, “I Will Put Chaos into Fourteen Lines”, Millay dispatches an understanding that her thoughts, which represents Chaos, will be able to co-exist within the borders of order and insist that anything deemed dangerous is just different.
To an extent, Millay handles

her notions as an extended metaphor since chaos represents her unwillingness to write a certain way – for the sake of poetry. The octet provides her inner struggles of trying to apprehend chaos within the lines – hence “I will put Chaos into fourteen lines” (1). Figuring out how Millay believes that following a normality when writing only eliminates her creativity overall. Abruptly, throughout the text, chaos is attempting to run free through the heavy laws being imposed on him with words such as “strict confines” (5) and “adroit designs” (4). For harsh circumstances, not only does Millay’s ideas get the best of her, but they are in need of strong incarceration as she attempts to prove her main point. Because Chaos is acting uncivil and rampageous, the audience will have difficulty trying to comprehend how her relationship with her thoughts will affect the outcome of the sonnet. Assisting one in perceiving what is being written among a guided structure only allows the audience to configure what message Millay is trying to send to those blinded by uncertainty.
Furthermore, great thinkers have to derail the audience from figuring out what is being presented to them.

Millay follows a tendency to use personification to display Chaos as masculine by using words as “him” (2) “his” (10) and “he” (11). Millay transcends her inner thoughts as a man incapable to abide by rules – such is the stereotypical portrayal of a man in literature. By using personification on Chaos she is able to connect her audience to a human rather than a word. Millay also laments the idea that certain measures were laid on Chaos: “…years of our duress/… our awful servitude” (9-10). With “duress” (9) Millay believes Chaos did not have a say into what was going to become of her work and have him assimilated into what is expected in a camaraderie. Despite cynical connotations with words as, “Flood, fire, and demon…” (4) used to flaw Chaos throughout the octet, Millay breaches a sense of confidence that she will tame “him” and let everyone know that there isn’t anything to fear. Ultimately, Chaos is able to establish a relationship for those who have difficulty fitting in a group due to his/her physical appearance or even their reputation proceeded by individuals unfamiliar with

change.
All things considered, Millay suggests that Chaos is an aggrandized theory among individuals, since the sonnet does not appeal to a certain group. Millay denounces everyone who believes the freedom to write and express creativity should be detained. Resolved in the sestet of the sonnet, “… something simple not yet understood” (12) is the epitome of Millay’s central message of how assumptions are quick to act. Though the actions of Chaos are left unexplained, it’s safe to say that Millay “will only make him good” (14) – for those contemplating whether time will make use of what she has to say. Fundamentally, the sonnet deviates from a traditional one since the speaker happens to be the author’s thoughts and focuses what needs to be said for ignorant individuals. Because Millay’s trusting relationship with Chaos draws unnecessary attention, the structure of the sonnet will provide guidance for both of them since not many other individuals will take the time and be as understanding as Millay.
In hindsight, very few people will have the patience to try and fathom those of unknown backgrounds in order to feel reassured that they are safe. Millay being a woman during the early 20th century is also worth noting since many memorable sonnets were male dominated and woman weren’t seen as intellectually gifted yet. Through her time spent integrating Chaos within the fourteen lines, she transmits her distinction on literature when having to write a traditional Italian sonnet. By letting the reader know that both chaos and order can coexist within the same boundaries, she succeeds in explaining that certain situations in life should be considered as different, rather than dangerous.