Ode to Dirt

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2016

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Appreciation and Apology

An overarching theme in “Ode to Dirt” is the appreciation for nature. Often overlooked, disregarded, or taken for granted, Olds explores the notion of taking dirt—a natural, necessary element of existence—for granted and how to make amends for this wrongdoing.

Written as an address, the speaker begins “Ode to Dirt” by speaking to dirt itself, stating, “I’m sorry” (Line 1). Begun as an apology, followed closely by a confession, Olds sets the poem’s scene: The speaker, aware of their wrongdoing, desires forgiveness. The theme of apology acts as a catalyst for the writing of the poem, which runs like a thread throughout, carried by other elements like regret. In Line 2, the speaker admits to having taken dirt for granted, stating, “I thought you were only the background.” Throughout the course of the poem, appreciation dawns on the speaker, until they state: “When I understood / I had never honored you as a living / equal, I was ashamed” (Lines 9-11). With shame comes the dawning of realization and enlightenment.

In her TEDx talk, Olds talks about the “in between” moments that have influenced her poetry (Olds, Sharon. “The Poetry of the In-Between.” Poets and Writers.) Such a space is apparent in “Ode to Dirt,” which moves from apology at having overlooked dirt to appreciation and gratitude. The poem falls in an “in between” phase of moving from one mood to another, until the poem culminates in the grandest gesture: “O dirt, / help us find a way to serve your life” (Lines 17-18).

Appreciation in “Ode to Dirt” is a theme Olds explores in several of her poems—particularly her collection Odes. As a poetic form, the ode uses the concept of appreciation as a cornerstone. However, Olds—by writing an ode to something not normally valued or considered deserving of an ode—brings dirt to the reader’s attention. “Ode to Dirt” challenges the reader, asking them to consider dirt (as the speaker has) to realize that humans—along with all elements and objects of earth—are “made of the / same basic materials” (Lines 14-15).

Because the speaker in “Ode to Dirt” admits to misunderstanding, devaluing, and overlooking dirt, this theme of apology intertwined with appreciation allows the reader to reflect and question whether they may also have taken dirt for granted, and asks the reader to appreciate dirt in a new way.

Regret

Regret is another primary theme in “Ode to Dirt.” Regret is often the reason people are driven to apologize; they recognize personal wrongdoing in some manner and seek absolution.

In “Ode to Dirt,” the speaker clearly regrets how they have acted toward dirt. For instance, they state it was “as if I had not recognized / a character who looked so different from me” (Lines 12-13). Regret is also apparent in other similes; for instance, “[i]t’s as if I had loved only the stars / and not the sky which gave them space” (Lines 5-6). These small regrets create a theme that drives the poem from apology to appreciation to enlightened understanding and revelation.

While dirt is silent throughout the poem, the movement of the poem toward revelation signals that the speaker has been absolved of their wrongs and feels a sense of inner peace. The way dirt is glorified and elevated to a cosmic degree at the end of the poem signifies that any regret the speaker initially felt at the poem’s opening has vanished, as the poem ends with deep praise, love, and respect for nature and, in turn, all forms of life.

Nature

Nature, as a theme in “Ode to Dirt,” is the cornerstone to understanding the dramatic meaning of the poem. Dirt is the earth’s topsoil, the earth’s “skin” (Line 8). Throughout the poem, Olds evokes all types of nature from “the plants / and animals and human animals” (Lines 3-4) to the stars, space, and cosmos. Nature serves as a backdrop for the poem and helps the overarching concept of environmentalism to seep from the poem’s seams. “[Y]ou’re our democracy” (Line 9), the speaker states, signaling the concept that humans, like all living species, must live by the rules of the dirt and earth. This theme is developed throughout the poem as the speaker moves through various realizations, coming finally to the truth that together with the dirt, humans are living in an “intricate equation together” (Line 17). This signifies that without one the other cannot survive. An equation, which must be balanced on each side, illustrates the relationship Olds believes people must have with dirt, or nature. Without such consideration, the equation becomes unbalanced. Olds, who began the poem with small, natural images, concludes the poem by expanding the natural imagery outward to the cosmos. Apparent in the final imagery of dirt accepting humans back as decomposing soil to “rotate,” “wobble,” and “orbit” (Line 21), Olds’s use of nature as a theme comments on the larger nature of the world and universe—all of which has a much longer history than the lifetime of one human being.