Part one of term paper
Stevie Smith's "Not Waving but Drowning" and Adrienne Rich's "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" are similar in that both poems' characters have lived their lives with regret and sorrow. Neither of their lives were lived to the fullest and as death approaches, the question of, "what could have been?" remains forever unanswered. Upon first reading, ...

Part two of term paper
... the poem brings forth a more precise interpretation of its meaning. "Not Waving but Drowning," is referring to the man's struggle for help in his everyday existence. People perceive him, as being one who has everything desired in life; financial stability, strength, control, happiness, and independence. While in actuality, this man is emotionally bankrupt. But the front he has put on for so long prevents people from seeing the weakness and struggle he is enduring. In a sense, he is secr ...