Point of View

The first-person speaker provides an intimate window into his worldview, which at once accepts the inevitability of death and celebrates the vitality of life. Though speakers should never automatically be equated to the poet, the speaker in “Sorrow Is Not My Name” expresses sentiments that Ross Gay discusses in interviews, personal essays, and other poems. For example, gratitude appears as a common theme in Gay’s oeuvre, and plays a central role in “Sorrow Is Not My Name.” The speaker lists out a few of the beautiful, sweet, and joyful things he notices in his life. By using imperatives, the speaker instructs the reader to do the same. This staves off either a fear of death or suicidal ideation that plagues certain people. The speaker acknowledges then playfully dismisses the inevitability of death.

By affirming beauty, the speaker ultimately becomes that which he beholds: the...