Tolog Review: Selected Poems: 1965-1975

Selected Poems: 1965-1975
by Margaret Atwood
reviewed by Ella Kitt

Selected Poems: 1965-1975 by Margaret Atwood is an anthology of Atwood’s insightful and unembellished organic poetry. Throughout this selection, Atwood uses blunt language to create a lens through which readers can candidly observe raw human emotion. The use of a first-person narrative enables the reader to briefly enter into Atwood’s mind and view the world through her intensely perceptive eyes. She does an astounding job of depicting the beautiful and alluring aspects of life in conjunction with the utterly repulsive. Although her poems are thoroughly penetrating, Atwood seems to always leave room at the end for interpretation. Her style of writing does not force-feed information to the reader but rather gives the option to seek out the subtext within the poems.

While this book does not follow any specific plot, it is synthesized by the similar themes within Atwood’s poetry. She discusses all forms of life, such as animals and plants, with an immense amount of detail. These precise descriptions of something as ambiguous as the natural world add to the mysterious and eerie mood of her writing. Atwood puts a magnifying glass to the intangible with a central theme of isolation. Many of her characters alienate themselves from other people and eventually the world around them. This detachment leads to a sudden epiphany or introspective realization which highlights Atwood’s complex understanding of human relationships and emotions. 

The majority of characters present in her poems are women who have been hurt or exploited in some way. Atwood delves into the objectification of women, a highly relevant subject in today’s social climate. She gives a powerful yet brief description of a toxic and abusive relationship when she says “you fit into me/ like a hook into an eye/ a fish hook/ an open eye” (Atwood 141). The terseness of this poem makes the pain caused by the abusive dynamic almost palpable. Atwood does this in many of her poems which is what makes her writing so fantastically compelling. 

I would recommend this selection to young adults as it is extremely helpful in navigating and understanding human relationships. The intricacy of Atwood’s ideas conveyed in such concise language engrosses the reader in deep thought. This read is for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the natural world and our emotional life within it.