The poems "Red Brocade" (40) and "Jerusalem" (92) are two poems that both illustrate how life use to be versus how it is now, and speaks of determination to continue on.
Nye talks about the good old fashioned hospitality and trust that use to exist. how "When a stranger appears at your door, feed him for three days before asking who he is" (40). There was a sense of trust and generosity that has shriveled away. Toward the end, however, Nye wont give up "I refuse to be claimed" (41).
At first glance the poem "Jerusalem" seems very different. With closer examination, however, I found several similarities. In this poem Nye's father becomes betrayed by his best friend. A rock is thrown at his head and then the friend says that "he was aiming at a bird". The following statement "and my father starts growing wings" clarifies that the friend is in fact lying. A best friend use to be a sacred thing, like hospitality. Being betrayed by your best friend is a huge change in the old classic dynamics. But the father keeps his head up even when "Soldiers stalk a pharmacy: big guns, little pills" (93). When your whole world becomes turned upside down, staying strong and fighting is the best thing that can be done. Both of these poems illustrate this staying strong against changing surroundings.
Irene Bloomer
There are many different meanings and interpretations of Nye's work, but I agree that she is very intuitive when it comes to discussing customs and trust within a culture. That being said, as you have pointed out, sometimes in order to experience all that our own culture has to offer, we have to spread our wings and learn that not everything we grew up knowing will remain constant throughout our lives.
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