Resistance

            In the poem "Storm Warnings" by Adrienne Rich, the speaker describes the events leading up to a storm. The speaker prepares his house against the power of the storm and notes the constant tediousness of the storm's coming. In the poem, Rich creates several comparisons between the literal struggle of the speaker to the storm as well as the metaphorical struggle of human nature to their existence. Based off the information in the poem, it can be concluded that power is something the speaker and society are aware of, but are still perplexed by its proper usage. This can be supported with examples throughout the poem.

            The more that the speaker tries to prepare for the storm, the more melancholy he becomes. As the speaker notices the storm approaching, he quickly acts to, "Draw the curtains as the sky goes black." (22) Here, the speaker is well aware of the extent of his ability to prepare for the storm, and thus draws the curtains. When he sees that the storm begins to produce wind, he says, "We can only close the shutters." (21) By providing the distinct word of only, he is indicating that he cannot do some ludicrous action such as try to stop the storm or stop time. As the poem closes, he notes that drawing the curtains and closing the shutters are two of the few moves he can do.

            Nevertheless, the speaker constantly tries to surpass his human limitations. In one instance, he tries to stop his watches, but he notes that, "Time in the hand is not control of time." (18) This quotation serves to indicate that the speaker cannot control something, in this instance time, that is out of his control as a human being. Later on, when he tries to, "Set a match to candles sheathed in glass," (23) as the sky turns black, the wind enters and puts it out. This attempt at defiance illustrates the idea that if it is going to be dark because of a storm, the speaker is to oblige and submit to it. As the speaker tries to silence the wind, he shows the wind the damage it committed is not fair, but, "the wind will rise." (20) This indicates his attempts to stop the wind are feeble and worthless.

            Clearly, the speaker tries to prepare for the damage the storm will cause. Just as apparent is the resistance he exerts on what is. The speaker's actions pose an interesting question of the actions humans commit. If someone is sick, are we to try to help them? According to the poem, we are not supposed to intervene with what is, and just watch that person die. Are we then supposed to live our lives with no resistance and just allow all unfortunate things to go unchallenged? Would there even be a meaning to life?