18 pages • 36 minutes read
Rita DoveHeart to Heart
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2004A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Feeling Heart
A central symbol throughout the poem is that of the feeling heart. After attempting to define the heart, the speaker concludes in the first stanza that the heart “can’t feel / pain, / yearning, / regret” (Lines 6-9). By claiming that the heart cannot feel, the speaker argues that the heart is “just a thick clutch / of muscle” (Lines 14-15) that cannot “break or harden” (Line 5). The symbolic, feeling heart is an idea that the speaker refutes again and again because it is this heart that the speaker can neither access nor understand. Even though the speaker admits that they can feel it (“Still, / I feel it inside” [Lines 17-18]), because the speaker cannot open it (Line 22), they cannot understand what this feeling means.
As a symbol, the feeling heart is the main source of frustration in the poem. It stands for much beyond itself—for the speaker’s ability express their feelings to the second person (“you”). Being unable to openly share their feelings or be themself, the speaker is at a loss for how to relate to the “you.” “I can’t” (Line 24), the speaker states, “wear it / on my sleeve, / or tell you from / the bottom of it / how I feel” (Lines 24-28). For the speaker, the heart has none of these elements of feeling (“It doesn’t melt, / or turn over” [Lines 3-4]); the heart is literal, it is a working muscle. This paradox is an impasse, and the poem concludes as the speaker hands their heart to the “you” but states, “you’ll have / to take me, / too” (Lines 30-32). These lines indicate that the speaker can only be what they are and the “you” will have to accept this truth.
Cliché
Dove uses cliché throughout “Heart to Heart” to superficially debunk common understandings of the “heart,” the clichés functioning as privatives: the heart is not “red” (Line 1), it does not “melt” (Line 3), it cannot feel “regret” (Line 9). Beginning with the title, Dove uses the cliché or colloquial phrase “heart to heart,” meaning an intimate conversation between two people (often close friends) regarding their feelings. While Dove’s poem is more one-sided (the speaker shares their feelings), it still occupies this space of an intimate conversation, especially once the second person, “you,” is introduced (“I can’t wear it / on my sleeve, / or tell you from / the bottom of it / how I feel” [Lines 24-28]). However, in using these clichéd phrases throughout the poem, Dove complicates the cliché to extend beyond its typical meaning. For example, the title, “Heart to Heart,” comments on more than an intimate conversation about feelings; it also comments on two types of hearts (the abstract, feeling heart or the physical, beating heart) and the hearts (or feelings) of the speaker and the “you,” turning this poem into a more intimate conversation about love.
By using clichés, the poem presents such qualities—sweetness or fragility, for example—as misconceptions, as the speaker negates every single one; the heart is nothing like any of these descriptions. It is a rejection not only of cliché but of symbolism. However, contradiction and ultimately paradox arises when the speaker use descriptions that are not cliché but still metaphorical. These images are new and innovative, as when the speaker states, “Still, / I feel it inside / its cage sounding / a dull tattoo” (Lines 17-20). Using the word “tattoo” (Line 20) instead of a musical word (such as beat or drum) is unexpected. Such surprising description is the opposite of those clichéd phrases often avoided in poetry, unless the poet uses the clichés intentionally (as Dove does) to make a point about a subject. Dove’s reasoning for using cliché is that the heart is more complicated than the cliché suggests; the heart cannot be easily explained.
Resignation
Resignation, as a recurring tonal element, is apparent from the poem’s start through the short, abrupt lines. The speaker’s abruptness is evident in lines such as “It’s neither red / nor sweet” (Lines 1-2) and “so it can’t feel / pain, / yearning, / regret” (Lines 6-9). Yet, the speaker continues, throughout most of the poem, to wrestle with the definition. In Line 10, they begin again, “It doesn’t have / a tip to spin on” (Lines 10-11). The abrupt lines come to climax and the tone shifts as the speaker states, “Still, / I feel it inside / its cage sounding / a dull tattoo” (Lines 17-20). Even though they believe the heart to be merely a muscle, the speaker still feels and hears it speak. However, their melancholy prevails with the admission, “but I can’t open it: / there’s no key” (Lines 22-23).
Resignation becomes the dominant tone in the second half of the poem. The speaker continues the list of what the heart is not, stating “I can’t wear it / on my sleeve, / or tell you from / the bottom of it / how I feel” (Lines 24-28). Here, Dove makes the point clear: The speaker is trying to relate to the “you” but cannot because they do not understand the language of their own heart. The poem concludes in resignation with the word “Here” (Line 28), as though the speaker is literally handing their heart to the “you.” The speaker then states, “it’s all yours, now— / but you’ll have / to take me, / too” (Lines 29-32). Resignation begins through the structure of the poem and individual lines. By the end, through the speaker’s language and voice, their resignation is clear; their heart is locked, the key lost. Nevertheless, the speaker does offer that heart, suggesting their desire for love and relationship is yet to be extinguished. The resignation is neither total nor one-dimensional, and hope is never wholly absent; while the speaker relays that their heart is inexpressible, the poem itself, as a sincere utterance, is paradoxically an expression of the heart.
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By Rita Dove
