The Darker Sides of Resume's Poem

On To and In To the Surface of the Poem's Resume by Dorothy Parker.

 

 

                         

          What can I say about this poem is actually is about the real event that occurred surround the poet herself. If you investigate her personal background, Dorothy Parker's first suicide attempt, which was cutting her wrists, took place in January 1923. Later, she made others, overdosing on the sedative Veronal , consuming a bottle of shoe polish, and taking sleeping powder, in 1932. After 1932, Parker apparently gave up on trying to take her life and settled into a long existence of unhappiness and alcoholism.

      

          There's a reason that we call this poem a dark comedy because it's horrible and awful and strangely funny all at the same time. Let's face it. A whole lot of people (including Dorothy) have thought about suicide at some point – or at least options in death. (We bet that in middle school you were asked the age-old question "Would you rather burn to death or freeze to death?") And death is a scary, scary thing to ponder. Parker, however, manages to do so with a dry wit. She makes death mundane – even boring. And, in a strange way, she manages to make suicide even less appealing than other forms of meditation might.

 

            The poem is fairly obvious in being a laundry list of suicide attempts or more precise, how these various means of ending one's life are annoying. They are such a pain in the ass to achieve, you may as well go on living. The title can refer to a resume of suicide attempts or to resume life because suicide is such a hassle. "Resume" is a classic epigram example from a wit of considerable repute. It is brief and makes it point with a final stinger.

    

            Razors can pain you because cutting hurts. Rivers are damp is you get wet drowning. Acid stains you is leaving behind a messed up corpse. Drugs cause cramp is final moments experiencing a stomach ache. Guns aren't lawful makes no sense and seems a stretch to find a rhyme with awful. Perhaps the liberal minded Parker was experiencing some wishful thinking. Noose give is you can botch hanging yourself if you fail to correctly tie the rope. Gas smells awful is obvious.

          

            "Resume" is not a cry for help or expression of pain. It is not even an exclamation of frustration but a sardonic viewpoint. The poem says 'I may as well give up ending it all because that is harder to do than living so I may as well live.' The irony is Parker tried again after writing "Resume" and settled for the slow poison of alcohol.