Geography III?

When I first saw the title for this book, I thought to myself, "What? This is a book of poetry about geography?" I thought it sounded strange, but still interesting. When I saw the epigraph and ensuing geography lesson, I thought the poetry was geared toward a younger audience. Then I opened my copy and saw numerous notes scribbled in throughout the pages. From the notes I concluded that the poetry was probably not specifically for elementary school students (unlike the lesson at the beginning of the book). So, why title it Geography III? It might be because location and direction are commonly mentioned in her poetry.

Of the five poems we studied, there was mention of something geographic in each of them. The first poem, “In the Waiting Room,” mentioned the writer’s experience of reading a National Geographic magazine. Volcanoes and Worchester, Massachusetts were also mentioned. In “Crusoe in England,” volcano is again mentioned and repeated throughout the poem. In “The Moose,” Bishop describes the scenery visible to bus riders as they journey west by islands, houses, marshes, et cetera. Then there is “Poem,” which describes a painting of a landscape full of houses, trees, churches, plants, and animals. Finally, in “One Art” Bishop mentions cities, rivers, and continents. So, there is the obvious inclusion of geography in each of her poems, but does something that simple really explain the title? Maybe, but what really helped me understand the title was the lesson at the beginning of the book.

The most important question provided in the front of the book is: “What is geography?” Answer: “A description of the earth’s surface.” With this information, along with the geographical reference in each poem, I glean that Bishop is saying how important her surroundings (the earth) are to her. I think each poem can be loosely connected to some significant lesson—a “first lesson”—she learned by observing her surroundings. It is obvious that she spent a great deal of time studying her surroundings, as evidenced by the descriptions in her poems.

Even though this poetry is fairly easy to read, it was not enjoyable for me at first. I have never loved poetry, but I do not hate it by any means either. I have just never found pleasure reading poetry like I have prose. It was my idea that the more I read poetry, the more likely I would be to enjoy it because of my increased awareness and understanding of it. I am happy to say now that, after delving into Elizabeth Bishop’s work, it is growing on me.