Though no one seems to be complaining in "Preludes," the inhabitants of the poem are all suffering. They live in a run-down city and their living situations are impoverished. But it's their souls that are really suffering, argues the speaker. Their souls are filled with sordid images and material preoccupations, and so they don't notice each other's humanity anymore. To the speaker, that's the true definition of suffering.
Questions About Suffering
- Does anyone in the poem actually seem dissatisfied to you? If so, who? If not, does that mean they aren't suffering?
- Why does the poem end with the image of women gathering fuel?
- In the speaker's opinion, how are poverty and suffering related? Does the speaker seem more concerned with material poverty or spiritual poverty?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The speaker is trying to tell us that our souls suffering because of the quality of our lives.
Actually, our speaker seems to be suffering more than anyone else in the poem.