Ray, David : The Progress of the Soul

Literature Annotations

Genre	Poem (51 pp.)
Keywords	Asian Experience, Developing Countries, Disability, Human Worth, Poverty, Power Relations, Scapegoating
Summary	The poet has "grown quite good at ignoring" the suffering people who beg in the streets of India. "The beautiful legless girl," "the spider man," the babies with swollen bellies--he has learned to be almost blind to the poverty, disease and deformity that surrounds him. Or, at least, he pretends not to see, and then tries to sneak a photograph. He knows that if he tried to help these people, "next time / they would claw me to shreds."
Commentary	This poem speaks of our ability to shield ourselves from the horror of human suffering. The poet knows that there are limits to his empathy, limits to his compassion. He is afraid of being overwhelmed, should he actually takes steps to remedy social injustice. Many or most of us have similar feelings--whether it be in India, Haiti, or even in New York City.
Source	The Maharani's New Wall and Other Poems
Publisher	Wesleyan Univ. Press
Edition	1989
Place Published	Middletown, Conn.
Annotated by	Coulehan, Jack
Date of Entry	04/23/97
Last Revised	05/18/97