Remember that song by Nelly "Hot in Herre"? No? We'll sing the chorus for you: "It's gettin hot in here / So take off all your clothes / I am gettin so hot / I wanna take my clothes off." Still nothing? Well, there's an undeniable connection between heat and lust, between temperature, arousal, and, dare we say, love and sex. Is "Heat" playing with this idea of not just actual heat, but sexual heat? That's one of the big questions of the poem. Is heat just heat, or is it a metaphor for lust? You've gotta answer that one for yourself, but we'll give you some things to think about in the sections that follow.
Questions About Lust
- Do you think that heat is a metaphor for lust in this poem? Why or why not?
- If you think that heat is a metaphor for sexual desire, what is the wind a metaphor for?
- If you're down with the lust interpretation of the poem, what does the poem say about lust? Does the poem really want an end to the heat? And if so, what might this end look like?
Chew on This
Get your mind out of the gutter! This poem's about hot weather, and hot weather only.
Stop being naïve! This poem's about lust, dudes.