James Schuyler's "October"

I chose to focus on “October” by James Schuyler for this post. “October” seems to fit into the theme of our class in that this poem is much like a painting. We were talking the other day of how Schuyler was more like a painter in the way he presents his images. He shows a certain quality of light in his work and the end result seems to be more important than the process of getting there.

“October” is much like a painting in Schuyler’s descriptions of his images. He uses simple, but pleasurable language to make this poem sweet, short and sound beautiful. This could also easily be another poem written from his window. It is easy to imagine him sitting by his window, watching the outside world, as he notices the summer change to fall. His bed is littered with books, just as the outside is littered with leaves. Here, he is able to reference the natural world and the city world together.

This poem is also representative of time passing. He is remarking on the changes that are happening, specifically those relating to death, as fall brings the leaves to the ground. This could be remarking on a return to the natural world as well. Living outside the city, Schuyler could be commenting on his own potential mortality as well as just a desire to return to nature.

James Schuyler, being a paranoid-schizophrenic, might have also been having trouble with his emotions at time. If this was the case, then he would possibly have been tormented with emotional distance, a feeling of self-importance, and anxiety. This in mind, this poem could be a representation of how Schuyler felt emotionally distant from the world and this poem could show his lack of interest in the changes that were taking place around him.

I think “October” is a beautiful poem that just shows you how beautiful the month of October really is. (Not just because that is my birth month either.) October is when the air changes to slightly cooler weather and fall begins to take shape. The leaves change to a bright reddish-orange before they fall to the ground. The leaves could be Schuyler's representation of light in this poem as well. I was just thinking of how pretty the leaves look in that color when the sun shines through them on the trees. If nothing else, this poem is just about what Schuyler is seeing on a rainy October day from the window at the Porter’s house.