Michael Hakim Week 3 - “On Alcohol” - Sam Sax

      Sam Sax takes the reader on an alcohol-filled rollercoaster in “On Alcohol.” The poem consists of Sam talking about his issues with alcohol throughout his life, and the history of his relationship to drinking, which dates back to when he was “in [his] mother.” The entirety of the poem consists of him going over a brief history of the relationship between alcohol and humans over time and then reflecting even further on his relationship with the drink, which led to his eventual overdose.

     This poem is incredibly deep and very sad. Throughout the poem, Sax uses negative language to describe the drink that he seems to be unable to stop. Sax knows it’s bad for him, but the temptations take over; this is made evident when he says that he can “only half blame alcohol for [his] overdose.” Sax isn’t looking for sympathy, and isn’t blaming anyone else but himself; Sax has issues way deeper than meets the eye, and he isn’t afraid to admit it.

     One of the lines that stuck out to me in this poem was “every jean button thumbed open to reveal a different man.” To me, this line perfectly encapsulates the struggles that addicts go through daily. With every drink, they are feeding into their addiction, and they feel like a different person. Sax is struggling with this here; when he is drunk, he doesn’t feel like himself.

     I loved this poem. Though it was very dark and somber, I enjoyed reading it, and I appreciated Sax’s ability to beautifully express his feelings with language that most wouldn’t be able to use. While reading this poem, I felt Sax’s pain, and I was genuinely shocked that it took such a dark turn. To me, the shock factor of writing is what makes it enjoyable for me to read, which is why I enjoyed this so much. If I could take one thing from this poem, it would be that addiction is a serious thing and one that should not be taken lightly.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/118565/on-alcohol

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Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2022 at 5:57 AM

    This poem is really deep. I really liked your interpretation of it. The fact that this addiction is also affected by previous history is something that is often overlooked when discussing addiction. Mental health is too often left out of the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2022 at 5:57 AM

    I really enjoyed reading your interpretation of this poem. It seems like you really enjoyed reading the poem and unravelling the deeper meaning. Addiction is such a serious issue and unfortunately it is often overlooked. Your interpretation of this poem is so important because it gave you an understanding of how serious addiction really is.

    ReplyDelete

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