"Cozy Apologia" by Rita Dove

• Rita Dove reflects on how content she is with her relationship with her husband against the backdrop of an approaching hurricane. The hurricane triggers her memories and daydreams about love.
• About the poem

  • The poem is dedicated to "Fred", the poet's husband.
  • The poem references Hurricane Floyd, a hurricane that hit the east coast of North America in 1999.
  • The poem takes on an autobiographical, personal tone.
• CONTEXT AND MEANING

  • "Apologia" indicates that the poet is personally defending her own opinions. The word "apologia" comes from Greek rhetoric and is a defence of the speaker's opinions ( it isn't an apology).
  • In this context, the poet subverts this form to defend something domestic and simple rather than impassioned ( showing great emotion) or political.
  • The poet is African-American and her husband is white, which might add another reason to defend their relationship.
• SUMMARY

  • In the first stanza, Dove daydreams about her husband. She compares him affectionately to a knight in shining armour.
  • In the second stanza, she reflects on memories of past boyfriends, who were weak and pointless compared to him.
  • By the third stanza, she thinks about the almost embarrassing comfort of her relationship and the happiness she feels.
• Dove highlights the difference between her present and former lovers. Dove's use of pathetic fallacy and a changing rhyme scheme reflects the destructive nature of the storm.
• COMPARISONS

  • Dove uses a cliché ironically by referencing to "chain mail glinting". This implies her husband is like a knight in shining armour, who will rescue her (as she mentions in the final stanza) from the "blues".
  • Then, the simile being "as thin as liquorice" emphasises how insubstantial and ridiculous these other boyfriends were.
• SHIFTING RHYME SCHEME

  • The rhyme scheme breaks down over the course of the poem. The scheme shifts from a sequence of rhyming couplets to a more irregular pattern.
  • This mimics how the hurricane will remove order and disrupt life (and this is a good thing for the poet).
• SUBVERTED PATHETIC FALLACY

  • Dove subverts (undermines the power of) pathetic fallacy.
  • The impending "storm" of "Big Bad Floyd" and the disruption and aggression of the word "cussing" contrasts with the peace and happiness of her relationship.
• KEY QUOTATIONS:

  
  

  "Do-it-now-and-take-no-risks"

  • Dove uses hyphenated words to create speed, which mimic the fast pace of daily life- there's almost no time to reflect.
• KEY QUOTATION:

  
  

  "I could pick anything and think of you."

  • Dove's use of the first person emphasises the autobiographical feel of the poem.
  • The idea that she can relate any object to her husband exaggerates their love and implies how deeply she loves him.
• KEY QUOTATION:

  
  

  "I fill this stolen time with you"

  • Because of the hectic pace of modern life, Dove is glad for the "stolen time" the hurricane provides- nature frees her from day-to-day life and gives her time and creates a space to explore her memories and to reflect on life.
• KEY QUOTATION:

  
  

  "Chain mail glinting"

  • This creates an image of courtly (elegant) love. The narrator presents her husband as a knight in shining armour to save her. It is also a humorous image as she describes him with his "legs braced... far apart" which makes him seem slightly ridiculous.
  • Dove seems almost afraid to be too sincere.
• KEY QUOTATION:

  "Fall short of the Divine"

  • Dove recognises that their love is mundane (boring) and normal, rather than an elevated grand passion. She is trying to be honest, rather than exaggerate her love.