Ends of the Earth by Kate Partridge
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: University of Alaska Press (2017)
Purchase @ Amazon
Review by Abigail LaMay.
Myths and Truths, Love and Strength
Kate Partridge’s book Ends of the Earth encompasses a wide range of different themes including love, humor, history, travel, and the wonders of daily life. The poems draw parallels between mythological characters’ lives and Partridge’s own, attest to love’s powerful nature, and applaud women’s independent strength. The enriching descriptions of her Alaskan homeland make up a common thread that runs through not only this work, but others as well, such as in the chapbook
Guide to Urban Reindeer. One of her other frequent, more unusual subjects is phrenology. In order to investigate this topic, she introduces the reader to the lesser-known aspects of Walt Whitman’s life, in which he believes that the shape of an individual’s skull determines their personality traits and mental abilities. When Partridge recites facts such as these, her voice takes on a more elevated, professional tone. She also adopts this tone when describing the past actions of Siduri and Gilgamesh, who she so thoughtfully relates to herself in the present day.
The parallels that Partridge makes between herself and the characters of myths is made clear by the similarities and differences between her usage of sound in “Aftershock” and “Snap.” In both of these poems, the author uses alliteration and assonance when describing the impact of the storms – an earthquake and thunderstorm, respectively. In “Aftershock,” Partridge describes the “shelves shedding themselves”, and in “Snap,” she describes the waves as Siduri watches
them “flicker, flashbulb frames”. Through these similarities, it seems as though each character is, in a way, experiencing the same storm in different places. However, differences in Partridge’s usage of sound also exist. These can be found in the ways the poems incorporate pauses. The first pause in “Aftershock” takes place after the reader has been relatively calmed down by lines such as the following:
...a pulsing plow may be tossing
a thick birdseed of salt to the ground to draw
us out. The ravens may have taken their place
on the electric lines....
These four lines describe the resettlement of life after the disruption detailed in the first couple of lines. On the contrary, the pause in “Snap” is felt when the destruction of the storm reaches its peak. The reader does not get the same moment of restful relief they do in “Aftershock.” Immediately after the reader has experienced for themselves the drumming rain, the “shouldering” of the wall’s weight, and the “planks, brittle with salt,” they are forced to realize the dawning possibility of the wall splintering. While the similarities between these two poems demonstrate the shared experiences of the speaker and Siduri, the differences suggest there is a contrast between the power of the two storms.
“Visitor” offers a unique female hero who defies gender stereotypes and serves as a classic example of “girl power.” Gilgamesh, the only man in the poem, is described as resting, while Siduri, the woman, is the one actively keeping watch. If this were a traditional scenario, the man would assume that the lesser woman would not be able to handle the responsibility required to keep them both safe. However, even though she may not have the strength to protect both of them, she does have other necessary skills: being “fast with a deadbolt”. This proves that strength alone means nothing; in order to be fully “strong,” one needs to be well-rounded.
According to this poem, men do not fit this definition and should not call themselves “strong” if they are not also fast, clever, etc. This is a direct challenge to society’s image of men versus those of women.
In the poem titled “Concussion,” Partridge’s choice of diction and use of repetition describe love as being a religious experience, so much so that everything else is forgotten. She writes, “Pick one moment that shakes”. At first, the wording of this line seems odd, but it is actually a reference to the Shaker, Ann Lee, who believed in the religiosity of the action:
...shaking was
an act of purification....
The connection made between the speaker’s feelings of having fallen in love and Ann Lee’s religious devotion suggests that the speaker experiences love not just emotionally, but spiritually as well. The repetition used to describe the target of the speaker’s love is paralleled by the description of the Shakers’ commitment to their religion. The Shakers’ mission is stated as being:
...[to] put our hands
to work and hearts to God, wholly
consumed....
Just as the Shaker community is consumed by their love for God, the speaker is engrossed in their adoration for the girl in the poem. Partridge writes:
...I thought first
of breathing and not of her long, long arms
On the following page, she goes on to say, “I try to remember this and not her hair”. These descriptions suggest that the speaker may be trying to push back their thoughts about this girl, for whatever reason. These attempts are in vain, though, as their obvious affection comes out in the fixation on her “long, long arms”.
The first poem, “Ends of the Earth,” and the ending poem, “Elegy,” function together to show the significance of the book’s title not only in relation to Partridge, but to Gilgamesh and Siduri as well. In the first poem, the author poses a question:
Is this the land of riches, swift passage –
or the end of the road?
This acts as a translation of the above three lines in which Gilgamesh asks himself the same thing about the underworld, which he is traveling to in his search for immortality. Siduri advises against his journey, as she sees his destination as “the end of the road.” However, Gilgamesh is ready and willing to make such a trek, as he feels it will be worth it. Accordingly, he views it as being “the land of riches.” The ending poem offers the speaker’s answer to the above question. The closing lines read:
All wrapped
together in hills, the lowland and slush are ours
The speaker feels appreciation and enjoyment towards their homeland despite the “slick danger” that Alaska is known for. In other words, they feel that this land is indeed “the land of riches”; however, it is viewed by others as being “the end of the road”.
The final message, then, is found in the title of the ending poem: “Elegy.” In “Ends of the Earth,” Partridge writes, “Life, which you look for, you will never find”.
This is assumed to be spoken by Siduri to Gilgamesh. In “Elegy,” the speaker describes themselves as “coming to mourn”. The same poem does not mention any subject that the speaker would be mourning over. Additionally, the poem’s title seems odd because of the fact that a death is never mentioned. Thus, the question arises: who or what are they mourning? The connections previously made between the two poems enable this to best be understood as referring to Gilgamesh’s failure to obtain immortality and may also be referencing the closing of the book itself.
Ends of the Earth offers a new way of looking at the world. Partridge gifts the reader with beautiful accounts of love and power, as well as insightful connections between the worlds and characters of myth and herself. She has shown that the “ends of the earth” is a journey, not just a destination, and urges the reader to seek out their own “end of the road” that others may or may not understand.
Publisher: University of Alaska Press (2017)
Purchase @ Amazon
Review by Abigail LaMay.
Myths and Truths, Love and Strength
Kate Partridge’s book Ends of the Earth encompasses a wide range of different themes including love, humor, history, travel, and the wonders of daily life. The poems draw parallels between mythological characters’ lives and Partridge’s own, attest to love’s powerful nature, and applaud women’s independent strength. The enriching descriptions of her Alaskan homeland make up a common thread that runs through not only this work, but others as well, such as in the chapbook
Guide to Urban Reindeer. One of her other frequent, more unusual subjects is phrenology. In order to investigate this topic, she introduces the reader to the lesser-known aspects of Walt Whitman’s life, in which he believes that the shape of an individual’s skull determines their personality traits and mental abilities. When Partridge recites facts such as these, her voice takes on a more elevated, professional tone. She also adopts this tone when describing the past actions of Siduri and Gilgamesh, who she so thoughtfully relates to herself in the present day.
The parallels that Partridge makes between herself and the characters of myths is made clear by the similarities and differences between her usage of sound in “Aftershock” and “Snap.” In both of these poems, the author uses alliteration and assonance when describing the impact of the storms – an earthquake and thunderstorm, respectively. In “Aftershock,” Partridge describes the “shelves shedding themselves”, and in “Snap,” she describes the waves as Siduri watches
them “flicker, flashbulb frames”. Through these similarities, it seems as though each character is, in a way, experiencing the same storm in different places. However, differences in Partridge’s usage of sound also exist. These can be found in the ways the poems incorporate pauses. The first pause in “Aftershock” takes place after the reader has been relatively calmed down by lines such as the following:
...a pulsing plow may be tossing
a thick birdseed of salt to the ground to draw
us out. The ravens may have taken their place
on the electric lines....
These four lines describe the resettlement of life after the disruption detailed in the first couple of lines. On the contrary, the pause in “Snap” is felt when the destruction of the storm reaches its peak. The reader does not get the same moment of restful relief they do in “Aftershock.” Immediately after the reader has experienced for themselves the drumming rain, the “shouldering” of the wall’s weight, and the “planks, brittle with salt,” they are forced to realize the dawning possibility of the wall splintering. While the similarities between these two poems demonstrate the shared experiences of the speaker and Siduri, the differences suggest there is a contrast between the power of the two storms.
“Visitor” offers a unique female hero who defies gender stereotypes and serves as a classic example of “girl power.” Gilgamesh, the only man in the poem, is described as resting, while Siduri, the woman, is the one actively keeping watch. If this were a traditional scenario, the man would assume that the lesser woman would not be able to handle the responsibility required to keep them both safe. However, even though she may not have the strength to protect both of them, she does have other necessary skills: being “fast with a deadbolt”. This proves that strength alone means nothing; in order to be fully “strong,” one needs to be well-rounded.
According to this poem, men do not fit this definition and should not call themselves “strong” if they are not also fast, clever, etc. This is a direct challenge to society’s image of men versus those of women.
In the poem titled “Concussion,” Partridge’s choice of diction and use of repetition describe love as being a religious experience, so much so that everything else is forgotten. She writes, “Pick one moment that shakes”. At first, the wording of this line seems odd, but it is actually a reference to the Shaker, Ann Lee, who believed in the religiosity of the action:
...shaking was
an act of purification....
The connection made between the speaker’s feelings of having fallen in love and Ann Lee’s religious devotion suggests that the speaker experiences love not just emotionally, but spiritually as well. The repetition used to describe the target of the speaker’s love is paralleled by the description of the Shakers’ commitment to their religion. The Shakers’ mission is stated as being:
...[to] put our hands
to work and hearts to God, wholly
consumed....
Just as the Shaker community is consumed by their love for God, the speaker is engrossed in their adoration for the girl in the poem. Partridge writes:
...I thought first
of breathing and not of her long, long arms
On the following page, she goes on to say, “I try to remember this and not her hair”. These descriptions suggest that the speaker may be trying to push back their thoughts about this girl, for whatever reason. These attempts are in vain, though, as their obvious affection comes out in the fixation on her “long, long arms”.
The first poem, “Ends of the Earth,” and the ending poem, “Elegy,” function together to show the significance of the book’s title not only in relation to Partridge, but to Gilgamesh and Siduri as well. In the first poem, the author poses a question:
Is this the land of riches, swift passage –
or the end of the road?
This acts as a translation of the above three lines in which Gilgamesh asks himself the same thing about the underworld, which he is traveling to in his search for immortality. Siduri advises against his journey, as she sees his destination as “the end of the road.” However, Gilgamesh is ready and willing to make such a trek, as he feels it will be worth it. Accordingly, he views it as being “the land of riches.” The ending poem offers the speaker’s answer to the above question. The closing lines read:
All wrapped
together in hills, the lowland and slush are ours
The speaker feels appreciation and enjoyment towards their homeland despite the “slick danger” that Alaska is known for. In other words, they feel that this land is indeed “the land of riches”; however, it is viewed by others as being “the end of the road”.
The final message, then, is found in the title of the ending poem: “Elegy.” In “Ends of the Earth,” Partridge writes, “Life, which you look for, you will never find”.
This is assumed to be spoken by Siduri to Gilgamesh. In “Elegy,” the speaker describes themselves as “coming to mourn”. The same poem does not mention any subject that the speaker would be mourning over. Additionally, the poem’s title seems odd because of the fact that a death is never mentioned. Thus, the question arises: who or what are they mourning? The connections previously made between the two poems enable this to best be understood as referring to Gilgamesh’s failure to obtain immortality and may also be referencing the closing of the book itself.
Ends of the Earth offers a new way of looking at the world. Partridge gifts the reader with beautiful accounts of love and power, as well as insightful connections between the worlds and characters of myth and herself. She has shown that the “ends of the earth” is a journey, not just a destination, and urges the reader to seek out their own “end of the road” that others may or may not understand.
About the Reviewer
Abigail LaMay currently attends George Mason University and is working toward her BA in psychology, with a minor in creative writing. She has done casual poetry readings at Spilled Ink and attended the Edgar Allen Poe Young Writers Conference in Richmond, Virginia. She has always had a love for writing, whether it be essays, poetry, or short stories.
