Otherwise by Jane Kenyon 1 I got out of bed 2 on two strong legs. 3 ...

<str<strong>on</strong>g>Otherwise</str<strong>on</strong>g>
<str<strong>on</strong>g>by</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Jane</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Keny<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g>
1 I <str<strong>on</strong>g>got</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>bed</str<strong>on</strong>g>
2 <strong>on</strong> <strong>two</strong> str<strong>on</strong>g legs.
3 It might have been
4 otherwise. I ate
5 cereal, sweet
6 milk, ripe, flawless
7 peach. It might
8 have been otherwise.
9 I took the dog uphill
10 to the birch wood.
11 All morning I did
12 the work I love.
13 At no<strong>on</strong> I lay down
14 with my mate. It might
15 have been otherwise.
16 We ate dinner together
17 at a table with silver
18 candlesticks. It might
19 have been otherwise.
20 I slept in a <str<strong>on</strong>g>bed</str<strong>on</strong>g>
21 in a room with paintings
22 <strong>on</strong> the walls, and
23 planned another day
24 just like this day.
25 But <strong>on</strong>e day, I know,
26 it will be otherwise.

1. Poem Synopsis
“<str<strong>on</strong>g>Otherwise</str<strong>on</strong>g>” <str<strong>on</strong>g>by</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Jane</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Keny<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> is a poem ab<str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> appreciating the little things we have in life, and
realizing that those things could’ve turned <str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> differently. Ranging from being able to walk <strong>on</strong> <strong>two</strong>
str<strong>on</strong>g legs to sleeping in a decorated <str<strong>on</strong>g>bed</str<strong>on</strong>g>room, the poem reminds the audience, the readers in
this case, <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> all sorts <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> things worth being grateful for.
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Jane</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Keny<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> (1947 ­ 1995), the poet, was an American writer and translator. She was famous
for being a simple, spare and emoti<strong>on</strong>ally res<strong>on</strong>ant writer. In 1994, <str<strong>on</strong>g>Keny<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> wrote ”<str<strong>on</strong>g>Otherwise</str<strong>on</strong>g>”
after finding <str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> that she has leukemia. In my opini<strong>on</strong>, it’s admirable that instead <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> writing a rage
poem <strong>on</strong> the lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> fairness in life, <str<strong>on</strong>g>Keny<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> produced a poem ab<str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> being thankful for everything
in life.
2. Speaker and audience: The readers
* First pers<strong>on</strong>
* Well­punctuated
* Stream <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>sciousness
* Familiarity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the discussed subject matters (physical c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>, food, daily activity,
togetherness, objects)
3. Main Ideas
Humans tend to undervalue the day­to­day things they encounter; they d<strong>on</strong>’t realize that things
could’ve turned <str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> differently.
●
Daily activity
○ Two stanzas
■ The poem is divided into <strong>two</strong> stanzas, each <strong>on</strong>e talks ab<str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> a different part
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the day. The first stanza talks ab<str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> the speaker’s, the poet’s, morning
r<str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g>ine, whilst the sec<strong>on</strong>d <strong>on</strong>e delineates her activities in the evening. The
gap in between the <strong>two</strong> stanzas represents the passing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> time in the
afterno<strong>on</strong>. This structure does not <strong>on</strong>ly improve the overall organizati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>
the poem, but also indicates the period <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> time explored <str<strong>on</strong>g>by</str<strong>on</strong>g> the poem,
which in this case is a day in the speaker’s life.
Knowing that the poem covers a single day emphasizes the idea that
there’s something good in every day, in fact, there are numerous
day­to­day things that we can be grateful for.
○
Dicti<strong>on</strong>
■ “All morning I did / the work I love” [line 11 ­ 12]
●
Physical c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>
○ Enjambment
■ “I <str<strong>on</strong>g>got</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>bed</str<strong>on</strong>g> / <strong>on</strong> <strong>two</strong> str<strong>on</strong>g legs” [line 1 ­ 2]

●
Food
○
○
Enjambment
■ “otherwise. I ate / cereal, sweet / milk, flawless / peach. It might” [line 4 ­ 7]
Symbolism
■ Peach
● Symbol for l<strong>on</strong>gevity and state <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> good health in many Chinese and
European literature.
●
●
Togetherness
○ Imagery
■ “At no<strong>on</strong> I lay down / with my mate” [line 13 ­ 14]
■ “We are dinner together / at a table with silver candlesticks” [line 16 ­ 17]
Objects that we own
Examples in this case include a dinner table with silver candlesticks, a <str<strong>on</strong>g>bed</str<strong>on</strong>g> and a wall
with paintings ­ more than enough things.
○ Symbolism
■ Silver candlesticks
● Associated with the state <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> being aware.
It’s important to be grateful for the little things, because they d<strong>on</strong>’t last forever.
* Motif: “It might have been otherwise” (repeated four times through<str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> the poem)
* Situati<strong>on</strong>al ir<strong>on</strong>y and foreshadowing
● “I slept in a <str<strong>on</strong>g>bed</str<strong>on</strong>g> / in a room with paintings / <strong>on</strong> the walls, and / planned another day / just
like this day. / But <strong>on</strong>e day, I know, / it will be otherwise.” [line 20 ­ 26]
* Dicti<strong>on</strong>
● “But <strong>on</strong>e day, I know, / it will be otherwise.” [line 25 ­ 26]
5. T<strong>on</strong>e and Rhythm
The overall t<strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the poem is undemanding, the moderate pace makes the poem sounds
relaxed. However, the poem managed to radiate sense <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> urgency mainly because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the
dicti<strong>on</strong>s and enjambments ­ “otherwise” is always the last or first word <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a line. The fact that the
pace is quite relaxed also gives readers time to think and reflect as they read al<strong>on</strong>g. Which helps
what I believe to be the purpose <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the poem, to encourage people to be thankful for anything,
everything, they have.
6. C<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>
Overall, “<str<strong>on</strong>g>Otherwise</str<strong>on</strong>g>” functi<strong>on</strong>s to urge its readers to be more appreciative towards everything
they have in life, especially the little things. The poem’s gentle t<strong>on</strong>e and slow pacing allows
readers to realize that they have not been quite as thankful as they’re supposed to be.

To c<strong>on</strong>clude, having “<str<strong>on</strong>g>Otherwise</str<strong>on</strong>g>” as the title <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the poem further emphasized that we are
fortunate. Yet <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>tentimes, we are not grateful for the simple things in life, we fail to realize that
those things could’ve turned <str<strong>on</strong>g>out</str<strong>on</strong>g> differently, and they will be different at some point in the future.