Ferlinghetti's poem, "The Old Italians Dying," is a perfect balance of artfulness and approachability. Between the distinctly understandable language choices, and the sad sense of romance, the poem reaches a point where it is worthy of both the poet and the lay person's praise.
Part of what makes this poem so accessible is the crystalline imagery at the opening. When Ferlinghetti begins with "You have seen them," he goes on to describe "the old men" sunning themselves while feeding the birds, and the exact details present a picture clear enough that you actually have seen them. He utilizes everyday diction, with especially exact descriptors, like "faded felt hats," "wood benches in the park," to make this particular poem especially vivid and approachable.
The latter half of this poem becomes more artistic: it deals with the sense of inescapable and imminent death, and the dark, quiet realm of waiting for the ultimate destination. Ferlinghetti does an amazing job of transitioning from the simple picture of the old men in the park, listening to the bells, into the feeling of time marching on, leading this line of men who are really just "waiting their turn." The "bell tolls & tolls," as the "black hired hearses draw up," leading to the final end of the old Italian men, and, eventually, the final end of Italian tradition.
Question: What other artistic imagery does Ferlinghetti utilize to represent death and mourning?
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Jocelyn... we really do get the sense of the poet as "urban flaneur" in this poem. It starts out really specific/pedestrian but then opens up into the more metaphysical questions of death, etc. I'm wondering what else we might think about the "Italians." What sorts of concerns do they have, and why is the poet compelled to write specifically about them dying, as opposed to other groups? He seems to be doing something with history and wishing that history would be remembered...
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