Comparing Imagery In 'Insomnia And When They Sleep'

In “Insomnia” and “When They Sleep”, the authors both use imagery to emphasize the elusiveness of sleep in their lives. “Insomnia”, by Marge Piercy, describes the namesake feeling as if there is “someone inside me [who] will not / get off his tricycle, / will not stop tracing the same tight circle / on the same green threadbare carpet.” The imagery of someone riding a tricycle invokes the idea that inside their mind, lies a restless child, who refuses to calm down. This well known image perfectly describes the experience of someone dealing with insomnia, as it is impossible to relax enough to get any rest, until they become extremely exhausted. Children act the exact same way, bouncing off the walls, then suddenly calming down, as if coming off a sugar

However, in this poem, sleep is not elusive in the sense that it cannot be obtained, but in the sense that we cannot unlock the full potential of sleep. Jacobsen describes sleep “a few hours when nobody can do any harm”, and goes on to reflect on what the world would be like “if only we could speak to each other then / when our hearts are like half-open flowers”. He suggests that in this moment of absolute equality, when “soldiers and statesmen, servants and masters” are all equal, that we could break the artificial chains of bigotry and hatred, and improve our society. However, because this idea seems to be impossible, he asks “God, teach me the language of sleep” reaffirming the idea that this concept of sleep is elusive. The imagery of everybody being equal further proves this idea, because this concept is so foreign in today’s world. A world where everybody is truly equal is almost unimaginable to most in the world, suggesting that unlocking the full potential of sleep is just as elusive. Through imagery, “Insomnia” and “ When They Sleep”, prove that sleep can be illusive in two very different