The Civil War Poem

“The Civil War”
A poem by Anne Sexton
Hayden Lockett

The poem “The Civil War” is about Anne Sexton not knowing which side to take within herself. There is a line that says “I am torn in two but I will conquer myself.” I think that this is a powerful statement because it really expresses the internal conflict and the struggle that she is forced to overcome. The Civil War is just a metaphor for the battle she is having within herself.

Anne Sexton is very good at painting a picture with here writing with her plan for victory of one side. There is another line that states “I will take a crowbar and pry out the broken pieces of God in me.” I think she is thinking that this can all go away if she gets rid of it all. She n describes God as a naked child, soft as an avocado when you peel it. This makes God innocent and not really intimidating.

By the end of the poem she has put back together the pieces and she says “I will build a whole new nation of God in me. But unite, build a new soul, dress it with skin and then put on my shirt and sing them an anthem, a song of myself.” This statement is very powerful because it shows she overcame it all. I would recommend this to anyone who likes poems about conquest and self-esteem.