"Storm Warnings" Essay

            In the poem, “Storm Warnings” by Adrienne Rich, the author successfully alludes to a literal storm that will soon captivate her house while subconsciously referring to a storm of problems in her life. The structure of the poem allows the reader to notice that the situation quickly elevates; in the first stanza, the speaker is simply aware that a storm is near. However, in the second and third stanzas, the speaker is confused and mystified as to what the storm will hold, and the fourth stanza is simply a wait for the storm.

            While speaking in the literal sense of the storm that is approaching, Rich says, “What winds are walking overhead, what zone of gray unrest is moving across the land,” and “I draw the curtains as the sky goes black, and set a match to candles sheathed in glass.” These phrases indicate that the narrator is physically doing everything that she speaks of, and this diction is chosen so the reader can obtain a sense of insecurity. However, perhaps more noticeable than the literal meaning of the poem is the psychological aspect of how the reader is unsure as to what will happen in her life. She speaks of change that time cannot even change, and it the storm of grey clouds overhead are the problems in her life.

            The speaker may feel guilty over something she has done, and now notices that her problems are catching up with her as fast and severe as a storm approaches. The effect of using a storm as a metaphor is powerful in the sense that it directly relates with the struggles of life.