On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book

Analysis and Literary Devices

Charles Tennyson Turner

What is the poem On Finding A Small Fly Crushed In A Book about?

In his poem, On Finding A Small Fly Crushed In A Book, Turner muses on the fragility of life and how it can be snuffed out in an instant. The poem begins with a description of the fly, crushed and lifeless, found within the pages of a book. Turner uses this image to reflect on the transience of all things and how even the smallest, seemingly insignificant creature can demonstrate the fleeting nature of existence. By using the humble fly as a metaphor for human existence, Turner succeeds in creating a work of art that is a profound reminder to the readers of the preciousness of life and the need to strive to leave a lasting legacy.

What is the theme of On Finding A Small Fly Crushed In A Book?

The theme of the poem is mortality and fragility of life. The speaker finds a fly crushed in a book and compares it to human life. Our life is overshadowed by death and it can end all of a sudden without any prior warnings.

The speaker also emphasizes on the importance of memories as our legacy. These intangible memories can leave a positive impact on the mind of others and can endure for long even though our life is fleeting.

What is the structure of the poem On Finding A Small Fly Crushed In A Book?

The poem is a sonnet, that is it has 14 lines and has a specific rhyme scheme and meter. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABABCDDCEFEFGG. It is written in iambic pentameter meaning each line has five metrical feet alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables. The regular rhyme scheme and metrical pattern adds to the sense of order and balance that Turner is trying to evoke.There is a clear volta in 9th line where the speaker shifts his atttention from the gleaming wings of the butterfly to our mortality.

Line by Line Analysis Of On Finding A Small Fly Crushed In A Book?

The central metaphor in the poem is the analogy between a fly and humankind. The fly is the symbol of mortality.

Some hand, that never meant to do thee hurt,
Has crush'd thee here between these pages pent;

• some hand – the hand of God; providence (caesura after some hand)
• thee – apostrophe (addressing the fly that is dead; the reader’s attention is drawn to the fly and the extended metaphor begins)

• pent: repressed, closely confined

The poem begins with the speaker’s somber reflections on a fly that has been accidentally crushed to death when some absent-minded reader shut the book with the fly trapped inside.

“Some hand” might refer to providence, the hand of God. Everything in life, good and evil, is the will of God. God is not a remote deity as is suggested by the existentialists. Nothing in life is due to chance or fate or evil force but to attain God’s eternal purpose.

“that never meant to do thee harm”: Providence preserves and safeguards the creatures. Death is a part of the divine plan. In death, one is not severed from God, rather he leads the souls to the awaited promised land.

The “pages” might belong to the metaphorical book of life that closes and we are summoned to the presence of the Almighty.

But thou hast left thine own fair monument,
Thy wings gleam out and tell me what thou wert:

• monument – a statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a notable person or event. (OL)
• fair monument – the gleaming wings of the fly; a metaphor.
• wings gleam – a visual imagery

The “fair monument” refers to the fragile wings of the fly that are shimmering even after death. It provides the poet with a trace of the creature.

After death, the human body reverts back to dust. But what monuments can they create that outlast them?

Oh! that the memories, which survive us here,
Were half as lovely as these wings of thine!

• the memories, which survive us here,/ were half as lovely as these wings of thine! – simile(comparing the memories to the wings of the fly

Death is inescapable as the death of the fly denotes. By acknowledging death’s inevitability, the speaker wishes that we would be remembered in a certain way by the memories that will survive us after death. These memories are the monuments that will preserve the idea of who we were and what we did. By beginning the line with the interjection “Oh!” he expresses a strong desire that the memories will be half as pleasant as the shimmering wings of the fly.

Pure relics of a blameless life, that shine
Now thou art gone. Our doom is ever near:

• caesura after “Now thou art gone” and “Our doom is ever near:”
• enjambment – that shine/Now thou art gone

The speaker continues his praise of the fly stating that the gleaming wings symbolize the harmless life of the tiny creature. We never give a fleeting thought to death but it is always creeping up on us.

The peril is beside us day by day;
The book will close upon us, it may be,

The speaker is pondering over the mortality of humans. Death is inevitable and abrupt and every day we are heading toward eventual death. The Book of Life will close and we will face physical death. Life is fragile and fleeting.

Just as we lift ourselves to soar away
Upon the summer-airs. But, unlike thee,

• we lift ourselves to soar away/ upon the summer-airs – visual imagery
• enjambment — soar away/ Upon the summer-airs

Here the speaker refers to the flight of the immortal soul away from earthly concerns after death. The enjambent creates a sense of soul gliding away in the warm summer currents, suggests transcendence and freedom.

The closing book may stop our vital breath,
Yet leave no lustre on our page of death.

The “closing book” symbolizes the end of life. The breath is “vital” as it is the life force of a person and with death, the breathing stops. The line suggests that the death of a person might be abrupt just like the closing of a book. However, the accomplishments or achievements of the person may not leave a lasting impression on the memory of the people around him. Thus, one will eventually be forgotten as the memory of the person lack the brilliance of the fly’s wings.