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In the poem "Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove, the speaker describes a heart in ways that defy the conventional understanding of this important organ. The speaker begins by asserting that the heart is not red, nor is it sweet. This is a departure from the typical association of the heart with blood and love, respectively. The speaker goes on to describe the heart as a thick clutch of muscle, lopsided and mute. These adjectives paint a picture of the heart as being ungainly and unresponsive.
Throughout the poem, the speaker emphasizes the heart's inability to feel or express emotions. For example, the speaker states that the heart cannot melt, turn over, break, or harden, and therefore cannot feel pain, yearning, or regret. This portrayal of the heart as emotionless is in stark contrast to the conventional understanding of the heart as the seat of our emotional experiences.
Another notable aspect of the poem is the speaker's use of the verb "want" in relation to the heart. In lines 19-20, the speaker describes the heart as sounding "a dull tattoo: / I want, I want—". This suggests that the heart is constantly in a state of desire, but is unable to fulfill that desire. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the human condition, in which we are constantly yearning for something but are unable to attain it.
In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker offers the heart to the reader, but with the caveat that they will have to take the speaker along with it. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the intertwined nature of the heart and the self. In other words, the speaker is saying that the heart cannot be separated from the person it belongs to, and that to truly know someone's heart, one must also know the person themselves.
Overall, in "Heart to Heart," Rita Dove uses pivotal words and phrases to describe the heart in ways that challenge conventional understandings of this important organ. The heart is not red, sweet, or emotional, but rather mute, lopsided, and constantly yearning. This portrayal suggests that the heart is not just a physical organ, but also a complex and enigmatic aspect of the human experience.