Analysis Of The Poem Reunion By Dana Gioia

The poem “Reunion” is written by Dana Gioia, well-known for being so unconventionally poetic, is an American poet, writers, poetry and music critic, former corporate vice president of General Foods, former Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts and professor at the University of Southern California. Kooser reveals that this poem is about “a reunion of classmates” who “may have felt the strangeness of being a vaguely familiar person among others who, too, seem vaguely familiar”. In this poem, the poet talks about a state of confusion that seems like an illusion to him. He has described a reunion, a reunion that seems more of a confusion to him. He is reunited with his old friends that seem to be from a distant memory to him. It has been a long time since he last saw his friends. It is due to this reunion that he describes it emotionally. He says that many things have changed yet some are still the same. During this time of reunion, he sees the same smile on the faces of strangers he once saw on the faces of his friends. The time has made his friends strangers. It is now that he is reunited with them and the distance that made them strangers is about to be overcome. The poem is all about a person’s reunion with his old friends. Initially he talks about a state referring to it as his past. He says that in his past, he is not known. No one knows him well. He tells about his past from the present. He says that in my past no one knew me. It can be because he was not known at that time. It can be that now he is known but he is telling from the past perspective where he was almost invisible to people. He talks about a reunion, a reunion with his old friends. He further points out his friends and says that he cannot name them. It is a moment of reunion for him. He is unable to remember the names of his friends as quite a lot of time has passed and he cannot bring himself to remember their names. He states that he is reunited with them after such a long time that their names seem to be erased from his memory. He further says as if pointing somewhere that in the past no one chose him. No one considered him for anything. It is so because he was almost invisible to others. Hence, he was never chosen by anyone for anything.

As he is referring to the past, he says that all the faces are older now. One thing that hasn’t changed is their voice. All the voices are the same. He remembers the voices even if he forgot their names. The voices are still familiar to him. Even if their faces are old, they have aged but they sound exactly as before. Except the faces, nothing has changed. As the faces are older, they seem strangers to him. He ponders why a stranger is greeting him. The reunion leaves him speechless. He further ponders why he is smiling. What is something that makes him smile? As if asking himself, he says that he didn’t utter a joke or anything, then what is the source of a smile on his face? It can be a smile reminiscing the childhood, the old days. That same smiling face calls the children to greet him. All the children are brought all at once in a single shift. Such are the changes of the past? The reunion is a happy one and the stranger is smiling as he remembers something from the past. He says that even though I was in a state of confusion, still I nodded as if I knew them well. I was perplexed, not knowing what to utter. It is normal when you are greeted by strangers, you cannot find the right words. He ponders that why his presence makes them surprised. The surprise can be due to the reunion after such a great time. The friends are surprised because they are meeting after such a long time. He again questions about the woman who turned away. He tries to know who she is. He cannot believe all what he is witnessing. He asks himself is it a dream or reality? He is confused because he never thought of such a reunion. He had no idea that he would get to see his old mates. He asks himself if this is a dream or an illusion, then how come the bread placed on the table looks real. Things look real to him but the presence of his classmates make him think it is a dream. He urges himself to know what is going on. He utterly wants to get out of the confusion he is in.

I chose this poem because it is relatable to my own experiences. The poet has talked about the reality of the world. It is very common that when you leave a place, you tend to forget many things about it. The only thing that stays with you is a memory, and that too, a vague one. It slowly becomes a distant memory. When you come back to that place or people you left behind, you feel like that memory is coming to life again but many things have changed over the years. Whenever I think of my old friends, it is as if they are a distant memory floating in my thoughts. The friends that I used to play in school, they seem far away. I still remember their faces but I don’t remember names of all of them. I happened to meet some of them and it all felt like a memory being played in front of my eyes. Our reunion was a happy one, full of memories of the past. Gioia begins his poem by “These are my friends whom I can’t name (2)”, and I instantly felt connected to the poet’s thoughts. I can’t name the people I once used to be best friends with. The people I promised I would never leave. The poet was able to draw my attention right from the start of the poem.