Cozy Apologia by Rita Dove (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Helen Cunningham
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
What is the poem about?
Written in 1999, ‘Cozy Apologia’ is a poem about the poet’s profound love for her husband, set against the arrival of Hurricane Floyd, the deadliest hurricane in US history. As the couple shelter from the storm at home, Dove depicts the strength of her emotion, proving that even ordinary love is worthy of poetic tribute.
Language, structure and form revision | What happens in the poem? |
Language:
| Stanza One
Stanza Two
Stanza Three
Stanza Four
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Poems for comparison:
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Key words
Context: | Hurricane Floyd | Love poetry | Autobiographical | Post-post-modern |
Themes: | Everyday life | Love | Men | Nature |
Poem analysis
'Cozy Apologia' by Rita Dove
—for Fred
I could pick anything and think of you—
This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue
My pen exudes, drying matte, upon the page.
I could choose any hero, any cause or age
And, sure as shooting arrows to the heart,
Astride a dappled mare, legs braced as far apart
As standing in silver stirrups will allow—
There you’ll be, with furrowed brow
And chain mail glinting, to set me free:
One eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy.
This post-post-modern age is all business: compact disks
And faxes, a do-it-now-and-take-no-risks
Event. Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,
Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host
Of daydreams: awkward reminiscences
Of teenage crushes on worthless boys
Whose only talent was to kiss you senseless.
They all had sissy names—Marcel, Percy, Dewey;
Were thin as licorice and as chewy,
Sweet with a dark and hollow center. Floyd’s
Cussing up a storm. You’re bunkered in your
Aerie, I’m perched in mine
(Twin desks, computers, hardwood floors):
We’re content, but fall short of the Divine.
Still, it’s embarrassing, this happiness—
Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,
When has the ordinary ever been news?
And yet, because nothing else will do
To keep me from melancholy (call it blues),
I fill this stolen time with you.
Language
Title juxtaposes the informal and homely with a formal defence — an apologia; even if their love is comfortable rather than passionate, it is still worthy of a love poem
Dedication to Fred (her husband’s name) suggests this is autobiographical; the use of the pronoun “you” suggests she is addressing him directly
Repetition of “any” emphasises the intensity of her feelings for her husband, who is omnipresent in her thoughts
Assonance in “you”, “blue”, “exudes” adds cohesion to the lines, reflecting Dove’s connection to her beloved and creating a soothing sound, fitting for a poem about cosiness
“Exudes” suggests her thoughts of Fred flow as freely as the ink from her pen
The asyndetic list (“lamp”, “rain”, “pen”) suggests everything reminds her of him
Sibilance in words such as “reminiscences”, “crushes” “worthless” “kiss” creates a whispering effect reminiscent of teenager confidences
The metaphor of an eagle’s nest conjures up images of strength and power; the word “bunkered” contrasts with “perched”, which has connotations of precariousness; together they complement each other
Structure
Juxtaposition between the dreamlike quality of the first stanza with the reality in the second stanza
Caesura after “Event" marks a dramatic shift from the mundane aspects of modern life to the sudden, unpredictable arrival of a hurricane
Enjambment throughout the stanza reflects the chaos of the storm, interrupting the stanza in the same way the storm disrupts people’s lives
The use of parentheses, “(Twin desks…)” reflects their intimate and domestic cocoon
Form
From line 15, the disruption of the rhyme scheme parallels Dove’s wandering mind, becoming awkward as uncomfortable memories emerge
The rhyme “Dewey”/”Chewy” adds a comedic effect
Further disruption to the rhyme reflects the disruption of the imminent storm
The iambic tetrameter in the final line reinforces Dove’s comfort in her relationship
Overview of themes
Themes | Key quotations | Language, form and structure |
Everyday life | “This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue “This post-post-modern age is all business: compact disks
| The speaker finds reminders of her husband in everything, even in an ordinary lamp. This contrasts with the poetic tradition of comparing a lover with grandiose images such as summer, heaven and stars. This implies the authenticity of their love and strength in the ordinary Prosaic images of “compact disks/And faxes” portray the mundanity of life, in sharp contrast to mythological or traditional tales The rhetorical question criticises the human tendency to value the extraordinary over the ordinary |
Love | “I could pick anything and think of you— “And, sure as shooting arrows to the heart, “We’re content, but fall short of the Divine. | The first two lines are written in iambic pentameter (a common structure found in love sonnets) but lacks a fixed metrical structure throughout. This departure from the established form suggests the speaker’s love does not conform to an idealised stereotype
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Men | “Astride a dappled mare, legs braced as far apart “Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd” “They all had sissy names—Marcel, Percy, Dewey; | Although light-hearted, the physicality of the image with its sexual undertones (“astride” with legs “apart”) denotes masculinity and sexual prowess and provides a sharp contrast with the “sissy” boys from the speaker’s teenage years “Oddly male” may refer to the practice of assigning female names to US hurricanes, while also highlighting Floyd’s power. The hurricane is personified and implicitly attributed with the characteristics of “Big Bad John”, a popular song from the 1960s. This links the present day to her memories of crushes in her past
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Nature | “Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast” “Floyd’s Cussing up a storm. You’re bunkered in your | “Nudging” is a surprising verb to use as it means “gently pushing”. This adds irony and helps to highlight the power of their love as mightier than the power of the storm
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Historical and literary context
Rita Dove was born in the United States in 1952, in Ohio:
She is a poet and essayist who has won many awards for her work
In 1979 she married a German writer, Fred Viebhan, to whom she appears to dedicate ‘Cosy Apologia’
In September 1999, The Bahamas and the East Coast of America were hit by the hurricane, the deadliest in US history:
In preparation for Hurricane Floyd, 2.6 million people were evacuated
The worst-hit state in the US was North Carolina, which borders Virginia (where Dove lived at the time)
The hurricane killed a total of 85 people and caused an estimated $6 billion in damage
Although use of the internet was widespread by the end of the 1990s, compact discs and faxes were still commonplace
Comparing poems
Look at this exam-style question about ‘Cosy Apologia’:
How does Rita Dove present love in the poem, ‘Cosy Apologia’? Choose one other poem from the anthology in which the poet also writes about love. Compare the way the poet presents love in your chosen poem with the way Dove presents it in ‘Cosy Apologia’. In your answer you should:
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How you could approach this question:
Thesis/Essay introduction: Both Dove and Duffy reject stereotypical notions of love in their poems. In ‘Cozy Apologia’, Dove focuses on the value and understated power of the ordinary over romantic clichés. Conversely, In ‘Valentine’, Duffy replaces traditional symbols of love with the unconventional metaphor of an onion. While both poets employ free verse and present their ideas using an intimate tone, they diverge in their approaches to portraying love. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poets reject stereotypical depictions of love. Dove conveys the beauty and depth in everyday experiences. Similarly, Duffy uses an ordinary vegetable, an onion, to explore the complexity of love | In ‘Cosy Apologia’, romantic clichés of love are rejected in favour of the ordinary, however unexciting. Conversely, in ‘Valentine’, traditional symbols of love and romance are replaced by the metaphor of an onion, an extraordinary motif |
Both poets use free verse, which adds an intimate and personal tone to their poems. It enables the poets to explore unconventional ideas and challenge traditional ideas about love | Dove’s poem is set within the context of the couple’s cosy home, making it both intimate and personal. Conversely, the setting in ‘Valentine’ is unknown in order to reflect on the nature of love in different contexts and relationships |
Both poets present their ideas through an intimate tone. The use of first-person further adds to this intimacy and exposes the inner thoughts and emotions of the speakers | Dove’s poem focuses on domesticity and complete contentment whereas Duffy’s poem explores the complexities of love, which can also bring pain and distress |
Thesis/Essay introduction: Both ‘Cozy Apologia’ and ‘Afternoons’ depict love within domestic, ordinary settings, but from contrasting perspectives. Dove parodies romance and presents true love as transcending it; in ‘Afternoons’, however, Larkin portrays unfulfillment after romantic love has faded away. Both poets also employ nature: Dove relishes the extra time with her husband during a hurricane, whereas Larkin uses autumn to symbolise ageing and discontent. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poets depict love within the familiar and ordinary setting of everyday life in order to explore love within domestic spaces | For Dove, the domestic setting is a source of cosiness and contentment; in Larkin’s ‘Afternoons’, domesticity symbolises the tediousness of life |
Both poets eschew the idea of romantic love by presenting more realistic portrayals of relationships, which adds an authenticity to their poems | In ‘Afternoons’, the excitement of romance and courting has disappeared, leaving the couples feeling unfulfilled. However, in ‘Cosy Apologia’, romance is parodied and true love is presented as transcending romance |
Nature is employed by both poets. Dove uses the imagery of a hurricane to show the resilience of love amidst the storm outside. Similarly, Larkin uses the imagery of autumn to evoke the passage of time | While Dove finds solace and resilience amidst the turbulence of nature, Larkin’s poem evokes a resignation as nature reflects the changing seasons of life |
Predicted exam questions to prepare for
Compare the ways poets present nature in ‘Cozy Apologia’ and in one other poem from the anthology
Compare the ways poets present everyday life in ‘Cozy Apologia’ and in one other poem from the anthology
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In order to demonstrate your knowledge of the poems, be sure to include relevant evidence. There is no need to write long quotations (and there will not be time in the exam to do so), so try to use a few short quotes, even if single words, to support your arguments wherever you can.
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