Keeping Things Whole

- Mark Strand

Theme: Being selfish and being unknown that “Unity is Strength’, we all the people divide society into fragments. Fragmentation is against the will of nature because nature is an integral form of living organisms.

Outline of the Poem

Mark Strand wants to keep things whole. He does not want anything to be broken. He thinks when he is in a field; he breaks the wholeness of the field because he takes up space in it. He also thinks himself as a divider of the air but space is soon refilled when he moves. He argues that we all have reasons for moving. The reason is to keep things whole. So, the poem pleads for wholeness against the usual fragmentation that goes on in life.

Summary of the Poem “Keeping Things Whole”

This poem is composed by Mark Strand who indirectly pleads for wholeness both in personal life and in society. In this regard, the poem is against the fragmentation and alienation in our life.

The poet wants to keep things whole. He does not want anything to be broken or fragmented. He thinks that when he is in a field, he breaks the field because he takes up space in it. The only way to keep the field unbroken and whole is to keep moving. It’s for this reason that he moves always.

This poem has a deeper meaning. He wants to indicate the different fragmentation in our society and in our personal life. He does not want that life should be broken into pieces. It should be taken as a whole. It is only then that life is successful. For this, our continuous effort is very necessary.