Mortality

The inevitability of death is a fundamental facet of the human condition. In his poem “Sorrow Is Not My Name,” Ross Gay uses the speaker’s awareness of his own mortality to increase the intensity of his observations and sense of wonder. In other words, knowing that death is certain to come down the line feeds the speaker’s appreciation for his life. While the speaker acknowledges his mortality, he does not allow fear to engulf him. Ultimately, the speaker affirms and celebrates life, encouraging readers to do the same.

Gay cites fellow poet Gwendolyn Brooks as an influence before the poem even begins. Specifically, “Sorrow Is Not My Name” is in conversation with Brooks’s 1987 poem “To the Young Who Want To Die,” which addresses young people suffering from suicidal ideation. In Brooks’s poem, the speaker urges the specified audience to slow down, breathe...