Carnal Knowledge

"Carnal Knowledge" Assignment

Stanza 1:

"You, young, whistled again,

entered King's, climbed the stone-murky steps

to the high and brilliant Dissecting Room

where nameless others, naked on the slabs,"

These lines remind me of how scary and lifeless the operating room can feel. I know this verse is about the cadaver being dissected, but the ultimate purpose of practicing here is also preparation for surgery. I've never actually been a patient in an OR, but I've been in one countless number of times as an observer and this verse gives another perspective on how things can seem from the other side.

Stanza 2:

"Your neck exposed, muscles, nerves, vessels,

a mere coloured plate in some Anatomy Book;

your right hand, too, dissected, never belonged

it seemed to someone once shockingly alive"

This line reminds me to think of the fact that the cadaver was once a live person and not just a learning tool. It helps to remember to respect their body and their sacrifice so we could be better doctors.

Stanza 3:

"So, the Anatomy Course over, Jerome,

thanatologist, did not invite me

To the Special Service for the Twenty Dead,

did not say to me, 'Come for the relatives' sake.'"

When I read this line it really makes me dislike the narrator. From a writing standpoint it seems kind of melodramatic, but I suppose it gets the point across. I hope to go to a memorial service for our cadaver if one is provided for.

Stanza 4:

"In certain music, too, with its sound of loss,

in that Schubert Quintet, for instance,

you are there in the Adagio,

playing the third cello that