Resume

Parker’s poem juxtaposes life with death by suicide. In other words, she puts the two side by side so the reader can identify the unpleasant consequences of suicide and choose life. Lines 1-7 center on the ways a person can die by suicide, and Line 8 concludes the poem by centering on the side of life. Even though the final line is the only one that directly promotes the poem’s message, by negating each method of suicide in the rest of the poem, it is clear that the speaker ultimately promotes life over death. However, not all of Parker’s speakers take this side. In “Coda” (1928), the speaker takes the side of death, declaring, “This living, this living, this living / Was never a project of mine” (Parker, Dorothy. “Coda.” American Poems, 1928. Lines 3-4) and ultimately chooses to die and be directed “to hell” (“Coda,” Line 12). In “Résumé,” the speaker’s allegiance is to life as they speak negatively of death, which develops the theme of Suicide Versus Life.

Death is part of life, but death by suicide is a separate issue. Thus, death versus life is too general. A person can die for countless reasons, but Parker’s poem argues that suicide shouldn’t be one of them.