The poem
Nothing would sleep in that cellar, dank as a ditch, Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark, Shoots dangled and drooped, Lolling obscenely from mildewed crates, Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes. And what a congress of stinks! Roots ripe as old bait, Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich, Leaf-mold, manure, lime, piled against slippery planks. Nothing would give up life: Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.
roethke really brings out the essence of the "root cellar" in which case we already know as to what he is actually reffering to. unbelievable forthcomings of obstruelinction is clearly perceived and "pulcifying" if u may is indoubtedly deviant. I would like to see what others have to say about this
The Canadian moron who wrote the post before me doesn't understand the meaning of the words he used. This is one more reason to annex Canada at the first possible oppurtunity!
Not all Canadians are complete morons when it comes to the english language. Obviously, Burkilson just wanted to look smart.
Obstruelinction and pulcifying are not even words.
Roethke had said the green house was his symbol for birth, life, the womb, etc...
The root celler could be related to that, since it is where one keeps the bulbs and roots to be planted in the greenhouse. Mabye its the subcouncious, or the soul before it has a body, or something like that.
The poem blatantly shows sexual imagery and shows Roethke's confusion of these maturing feelings he was feeling at that age. It shows a hunger for life as the "bulbs were breaking out of boxes." A root cellar is used to store bulbs, etc so that they won't grow. However, in the poem, the bulbs are growing as they have a thirst for life. However, it shows both positive and negative imagery when regarding life, as in, "what a congress of stinks." Roethke is developing and is confused.
roots and bulbs trying to get free, reach for life in the darkness- it is the life force herein described, as recalled by the son of florists who grew there own flowers, but it is not necesaary to know anything about the poet to understand what he is describing--did you never see a patatoe trying to break free of the dark drawer in the fridge, and how it smelled when you had to clean up after this sad little plant no longer of use to you nor to itself
This is outrageous! Where are these people coming from! I'm here to understand the poem better. Instead I get the stupidity of the people who provided these comments(except for the last two). Anyway, I personally think that Roethke is trying to find himself. The last line portrays that he wants to discover his inner self. He wants to be free from his dark side. After all he was addicted to alcohol. He didn't want to give up life so easily. He wanted live life to his full extent. This theme is also portrayed in his other poems, such as "Epidermal Macabre" and "In a Dark Time."
ok wow i read these posts...and personally i think u guys have no life...i'm 14 and doing an assignment on this......maybe just maybe..the author went into a root cellar that looked like this.....and whoever found sexual imagery out of this has not been laid.
If you want to know why some people think there is a part of this poem that's about sexuality, then look up the word "congress" in the dictionary. Look down through the definitions until you see the 3rd or 4th or 5th one.
This poem has a whole lot of stuff in it about things wanting life -- the shoots and bulbs and things. But it's also slimy, and stinky, because some things ahve died. So the poem is probably a lot about life and death, and sex is part of that. Not in the "ooh-baby" sense, but like how it's connected to reproducing, you know? I think you can talk about sex and sexual imagery without being gross, just sort of as a symbol.
Okay first of all there is no sexual implacation in this poem. the line, "and what a congress of stinks!" means what a comming together or meeting of smells that the cellar holds. Congress can mean sex, that is not what the poem is saying. b/c he goes on to list the smells and im pretty sure sex doesnt smell like leaf-mold.
This poem is about a root cellar that forms a parallel to a human life, and that human life at the end gains the hope to live which is conveyed in the dirt.
A remark to all of the comments: nobody can be sure what this poem is really about unless you are Theodore Roethke, which your not. We all have opinions to what this poem is about, whether it is about life, sex, or anything else. If you can support your answer with examples from the poem, then you are "right". There is no right or wrong here. Use these opinions to formulate your own ideas whether you agree with them or not. Don't criticize others for what they think!
Root Cellar
Cellar = Family/father
Roethke was illustrating that the life he was living in was harsh and dark. The line that says there was "light shinning through" shows that occasional glimpses of light ( or love) were shinning through and producing life. (The point of a root cellar is to prevent life... ineffective root cellar = ineffective family) BUT then we focus on the yellow vines which have grown from the fragments of sun. The color yellow entails it was unhealthy growth (healthy = green) so we know that although Roethke recieved some love, it was nto substantial enough for healthy growth.