Auto Wreck

by Shapiro
 
Philosophers have pondered the meaning of life and death
since the beginning of time. There are many hypotheses
ranging from reincarnation to Valhalla -- then on to
heaven. There have been many proposed solutions, yet no one
fully understands death. In Shapiro's poem "Auto Wreck," he
illustrates the irrationality of life for it can be taken
away at any given time for no rational reason.
 
Shapiro uses metaphors to emphasize the fantasy-like and
wild setting of the auto wreck. The following is an excerpt
taken from "Auto Wreck": 

"And down the dark 
 One ruby flare
 Pulsing out red light 
 Like an artery."
 
This statement contrasts the red light emitted from an
ambulance to the blood of an artery. The idea that a light
is spurted out like blood is abstract and bizarre. In
addition to that metaphor, Shapiro writes: 

"One hangs lanterns on the wrecks that cling
 Emptying husks of locusts, to iron poles."
 
This rhythmical sentence paints a picture of locusts,
grass; hopper like creatures, clinging to a luscious green
jungle of grass. Yet symbolically this jungle is the
twisted, black, and crisp auto wreck. This depiction of the
auto wreck is extravagant and almost unreal. Using
metaphors, Shapiro portrays the fantasy-like auto wreck in
which wildness is indispensable.
 
In addition to Shapiro's use of metaphorical phrases, he
emphasizes the lack of comprehension of the on-lookers as a
result of death's inconsistency with logic. Shapiro
directly tells the reader, "We are deranged." The word "we"
symbolizes us as a whole institution, or better yet --
society. He goes on further to say, "Our throats were tight
as tourniquets." By this he means that the on-lookers were
stopped, almost speechless, as they gazed upon the wreckage
contemplating the reason b ehind death. Finally, Shapiro
writes: 

"We speak through sickly smiles and warn
 With the stubborn saw of common sense."
 
What the writer is getting through is that the on-lookers
attempted to rationalize the accident with their common
sense. But their "common sense," or their logical reasoning
ability, was being sawed upon as they continued to puzzle
over death. Once again, the old age question of "What is
the meaning of death?" was tackled at the scene of the auto
wreck.
 
Finally, Shapiro asks rhetorical questions which could
never be answered by logical means. One question which
Shapiro asks is "Who shall die [next]?" This question could
never be answered for death strikes without cause but
randomness. The second question Shapiro asks is "Who is
innocent?" No one knows who is innocent. The driver might
have been suicidal or maybe not. Who knows, for this is
death that is being dealt with. These hard questions could
not be reasoned with deductively. Only an irrational source
such as an all-supreme and omniscient being could answer
these questions.
 
In death, there exist strictly irrational causes for the
loss of life. Death is an eccentric jungle whose twisted,
convoluted, and entangled vines represent the causes of
death. These cannot be mapped out mathematically or
logically.