The Speaker

Speakers in general should not be conflated with poets, but the speaker in "Sorrow Is Not My Name" expresses Ross Gay's personal thesis that joy is vital to living well. The speaker urges readers to slow down and notice the world, and his conception of time contrasts the societal pressure to constantly strive, work, gain, and achieve. By studying the everyday details of his life as sources of splendor, the speaker reenergizes himself. He shares this energy with readers suffering from despair by instructing them to look at and think about beauty.

The Reader

In "Sorrow Is Not My Name," the speaker addresses readers who suffer from existential despair. Gay cites Gwendolyn Brooks as a source of inspiration, particularly her poem "To the Young Who Want to Die." The speaker in Brooks's poem urges young people suffering from suicidal ideation to stop, take a breath, and slow...