summary of the poem “ornithology” | English & Literature Questions & Answers

The poem, Ornithology, by Lynda Hull, chronicles the walk by the speaker in Chicago. Something she sees triggers a memory of a time she spent in Kansas City when she and a friend were looking for the burial place of Charlie Parker. The Ailanthus trees that she references at the beginning are a type of tree that grows in tough conditions, in fact, the worse the conditions, the more beautiful the tree. One of the most touching themes is when they reach the tombstone and it strikes the narrator that it is a sad thing when an artist dies, and comes to the conclusion that it is better to live immersed in life (as messy as it is) than to live an untouched one.

English & Literature

summary of the poem "ornithology"

2 Answers