New Year Resolutions By Elizabeth Sewell Reference Context Explanation summary for BA BSc English Notes

Elizabeth Sewell:

March 9, 1919 – January 12, 2001, was a British-American critic, poet, novelist, and professor who often wrote about the connections between science and literature. She visited the States in 1949 and became an American citizen in 1973. She then lives and works in States. She has visited Pakistan and conducted a series of lectures on "Creative Writing" at Kinnaird College in 1988. She was given a National Award by the American Academy / Institute of Arts and Letters for her literary works.

Idea of Poem

New Year is traditionally the time of making resolutions of taking stock of our lives and resolving generally, to be better people. The poetess here makes an extraordinary resolution....that of facing and living with Reality. The "draining of long draughts" is generally associated with drinking wine. But here she is going to drink in quiet, as a means of cleansing herself. The nature of reality is uncomfortable; hence the use of the image of "bony arms"...but there will be comfort drawn from a resolution fulfilled.

Reference: 

These lines have been taken from the poem “New Year Resolutions”, written by Elizabeth Sewell.

Context:

This poem is about New Year's resolutions and promises. Another year has elapsed. At the start of the new year, the poetess takes stock of herself very realistically. She tries to make this world a better place by making new pledges. Her untraditional resolution is to face and lie with reality.

Stanza

I will drain

Long draughts of quiet

As purgation:

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess describes her mental state and the way she would drink to purify her soul. She says that she will drink wine at night secretly. She will have long draughts during night and will purge herself from all kinds of evils. This will assist her in helping other people because her own mind and spirit will be free from all types of evils. “Long draughts of Quiet” also suggests that she will keep quiet most of time. This will be the best means for the purification of her soul and it will help her in leading beneficial and successful life. She says; she will talk less and hear more and mould her life into betterment.

Stanza

Remember

Twice daily

Who I am;

Explanation:

In the given lines Elizabeth says, she will remember herself twice daily, in the evening and in the morning. She will take into consideration what her aim of creation is. She will try to understand the purpose of life in general. Perhaps she means that she should recognize herself, which will help her in recognizing God and leading life for benefit of others.

Stanza

Will lie o' nights

In the bony arms

Of Reality and be comforted.

Explanation:

These are the concluding lines of the poem. Here, the poetess says she will accept reality. While sleeping at night, she will consider the bitter reality of life. During the new year, she will make some promises and pledges. She will sleep on thin, less-fleshy arms of reality. Accepting reality and facts is always a difficult thing, but she will accept it bravely. She will feel relieved and satisfied when she comes to know that she has spent her life for the benefit of others. The image of bony arms is a hard reality. Even then she will get delighted and feel comforted when she has fulfilled her promises and resolutions, she has made at the start of the new year

Summary

In this poem, the poetess, Elizabeth Sewell, has made an extraordinary resolution to make herself a better woman by facing and living with reality at the start of the New Year. New Year is generally understood as starting a new chapter of one‟s life. People make resolution by taking stock of their lives and resolving to be better ones. Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, is reported to have said that unexamined life is not worthy of living and it is almost a tradition with the sensible and reasonable people to take stock of their life and to resolve to be better people, at the start of the new year. So, the poetess has decided to live with reality in the New Year. Reality is not always comfortable but pinching and disturbing. The use of the image “bony arms” points to this fact. But the poetess is resolute and will draw comfort fulfilling her resolution. The phrase „draining of long draughts‟ is linked with drinking wine but the poetess intends to drink calmness and thinks it necessary for cleansing herself. It is quite natural and true that in loneliness and quiet one can examine one’s life honestly. It is self-criticism. A life examined critically purifies one for better future life. It is a short and interesting poem written by Elizabeth Sewell. The arrival of New Year is usually celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm. It is a tradition to make some promises in the light of which one wants to spend one‟s New Year. Usually, people pledge to become better human beings in the New Year. The poetess makes an extraordinary resolution at the beginning of the New Year. She says that in order to purify her soul, she will remain quiet. She will drink long sips of quietness. It is a beautiful simile as if quietness is a medicine that can make her clean physically and spiritually from impurities. Quietness seems to purify her because when a person is quiet and is not taking an active part in the problems of the world, he gets time to have an insight into his own soul. He can then see his own impurities and drawbacks and can get rid of them. The poetess also wants to do this. She will face the reality. She will not have any high opinion about herself in the future. She will not lead a conceited life and have no superiority complex about herself.
From now on, she will speak the truth to herself. She will not misjudge her own personality. In order to fulfill this goal. She will remind herself about her own reality twice during a day. Her assessment of herself will be true and real. During the night also, she will not forget reality. No doubt, it is a time when one forgets the bitter realities of this world and is lost in the imaginary world of dreams. But she pledges that she will not lose her contact with reality though it is hard like the bony arms yet she will prefer it because she has made her pledge and only the fulfillment of her promise will make her happy.
It is a very hard thing to face the reality and especially the reality about our own self. Our ego and our conceited self stop us from seeing our weakness. Without facing these realities, we are unable to improve ourselves. So the resolution to see the reality is the first step towards reformation.