21 pages • 42 minutes read
Edna St. Vincent MillayA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
After the volta, or “turn” in Millay’s sonnet, the tone of the speaker becomes much more introspective. Once they comprehend that they have, indeed, conquered and trapped Chaos and that they “have him” (Line 11), it is almost like a veil is lifted. The speaker is finally able to truly see Chaos as he really is. He isn’t invincible and all-powerful as they initially expected. Now that all of the “years of duress” (Line 9) are over, the speaker reveals Chaos to be “nothing more nor less / Than something simple not yet understood” (Lines 11 - 12). Chaos only has as much power and authority over the speaker as they are willing to give to him. Individuals often have a tendency to build up their fears and feed into them, making them bigger, scarier, or more dire than they actually are. When confronted, however, these fears that are given full reign over our reasoning can be controlled with effort. Once viewed through order and reason, they amount to little more than “nothing” (Line 11). It is when they are “not yet understood” (Line 12) that fears are at their worst and most influential.
By Edna St. Vincent Millay
An Ancient Gesture
An Ancient Gesture
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Conscientious Objector
Conscientious Objector
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ebb
Ebb
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Lament
Lament
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Not In A Silver Casket Cool With Pearls
Not In A Silver Casket Cool With Pearls
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Song of a Second April
Song of a Second April
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Spring
Spring
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver
The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Courage That My Mother Had
The Courage That My Mother Had
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Spring And The Fall
The Spring And The Fall
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Travel
Travel
Edna St. Vincent Millay