— Anonymous
After reading the “Bar Napkin Sonnet #11” written by Moira Egan, I felt a personal connection to her writing. Even though alcohol is thankfully not something I consume, sometimes I feel that I need an escape from the realities of life. Weather it would be a great book, or a funny Adam Sandler movie. Alcohol comes with a set of negative affects and can be very dangerous, but it is an escape from the harsh realities of being alone and lonely. Through out my time in English 2850 I have analyzed this poem multiple times, and have attempted to read in between the lines to unravel the deeper meaning. Overall, using my love for poetry, and personal connections to the writing, Moira Egan has created a poem that is really essential for the average person to read.
Upon reading this poem for the first time I thought it was just about a women who consumed too much alcohol during a night out in the bar, and got taken advantage by a man and his friend who were buying it for her. However, this was not the case. Even though this was the plot of the poem, there was a much deeper meaning. One that must be found in between the stanzas. A young woman, who was filled with generosity and vulnerability, lived in loneliness and found an escape one night when a man was showing his generosity and interest in her by buying her drinks. All though he was taking clear advantage of her, she still wanted to kiss him because she felt as if she owed him something. I can relate to the text because sometimes it feels good to be vulnerable. As people we all put up fronts and barriers to fight the demons within, and in times it is good to have an escape from the world we live in.
The “Bar Napkin Sonnet #11” is a great work of literature, because it is one that can be related to. Often times people find that different works of literature are boring and uninteresting, because the reader cannot make a personal connection to it. In this case almost all people need to have even a simple escape from life. A safe zone. We have previously discussed in class how it is important to be comfortable and have a place where you are not judged. For some people that is a physical location, and for others it could be a mental state. For the young lady in the poem we don’t know the kind of person she actually is, all we know about her is that she has the traits of loneliness and in that particular night was intoxicated to the point where that state became her escape. She came to that sobering realization when the man’s friend asked her if it was the mescal worm that made her do the things that she did. She took that question both metaphorically and literally, and saw how both situations apply to her life.
