Red Shift Paper

In the poem “Red Shift”, Ted Berrigan suggests that life is slowly slipping away. Berrigan expresses this in his poem at many different points such as when he speaks to the reader about Allan and Frank, loosing his life. Also he expresses in the title, “Red Shift”. The color red can represent a lot. The author makes it seem as though it is talking about love, life and death because that’s what expresses the most and what he talks about the most in this poem.

Ted Berrigan expresses to the reader about Allan and Frank. He is telling the reader that he is looking for Allen and Frank. Allen is a movie and Frank is disappearing in the air. The reader could interpret this in many ways but he makes it seem like those were once his friends and now there slipping away. Being said that Allen is a movie could be that he went to Hollywood and left the author alone. Also being said that Frank is disappearing in the air could mean that he is very sick and he won’t be able to make it out of the illness that he has. There are many ways to interpret this but the author makes it seem as though anything in life is possible and nothing is guaranteed.

Ted Berrigan also mentions towards the end of the poem (line 18); “I am 43. When will I die? I will never die, I will live/ To be 110, & I will never go away, & you will never escape from me/ who am always & only a ghost, despite this frame, Spirit/ Who lives only to nag.” The reader could interpret this in many ways. The speaker make it seem as though he wants to die, but at the same time doesn’t. Ted Berrigan expresses a lot of emotion, he makes you wonder about life, he doesn’t want to die because he is only 43, but to be 43 and think about death is taking a lot out of someone. And the line, “…Spirit Who lives only to nag…” This line was very interesting because it seems like he may feel like he is a sprit to people and a nag to people so that’s why they leave him. The speaker is confusing at times because he states; “I am 43. When will I die? I will never die; I will live to be 110…” It makes it seem like he cant make up his mind on whether or not he wants to live to be 110 or just end it at 43 because all the troubles he’s had in his life. The speaker at 43 should not be thinking about death he should live his life and leave his troubles behind.

Ted Berrigan has a very unique title for the poem. As the reader, it seems like he really wanted to focus on life, death and unhappiness. The color red can mean a lot of things, but when it comes to a title it seems like he wants to mention love and death. (Line 12); “...Not that pretty girl, nineteen, who was going to have to go, careening into the middle-age so , to burn, & to burn more fiercely than even she could imagine so to go.” The line mentions both love and death. Love because it seems like he lost a girl at the age of nineteen and he cant have her back and now he’s 43 and still alone. He expresses that she had to go away to the middle age. He makes it seem like she died in a fire because in the same passage he talks about death. Also the author talks about being unhappy. He really seems like he doesn’t want to be here but he’s forced to be. (Line 24); “Alone & crowded, unhappy fate, nevertheless I slip softly into the air the world’s furious song flows through my costume.” This line makes him seem very unhappy. Maybe the “costume” is something in his past he can’t let go and doesn’t want to let go. The title “Red Shift” is a big hint to making the author seem unhappy. Also when he mentions “fate” it seems like he was forced to be in this world and this life was given to him not chosen.

This poem was very interesting; the author really makes it seem like if he could have another life he would. He doesn’t want to be unhappy. He doesn’t want to have no friends because they leave him and they go away for good. He wants his childhood back where he could forget about everything and just start all over. In this poem it could really make people think about life and not to take anything fro granted and just live life. Ted Berrigan really relates the poem to the title. It seems like he lived it and is just telling a story in a different manner.