Red Wine: Appreciating the Value of Life (Book Review Sample)

A harmless experience is poetically portrayed by L. Ash Williams in the poem Red Wine Spills. Every day we make thousands of choices, some not very important and others would change the course of our lives. The actions we consider important are those actions we believe to be crucial because of either their historical importance or the role they play in shaping the future. To appreciate the value of life one must look closely at those things that we might consider trivial and draw a deeper meaning from them. How does an experience that can be described as generally benign, such as bumping into someone at the park or spilling a glass of wine, stand out when we think about it more critically? These incidents seem rather ordinary, events that do not deserve a second thought and wouldn’t be remembered at the end of the day but if we decide to evaluate them more elaborately we just might discover connections that have deeper implications. Such as how much work must have gone into making the wine we casually enjoy, how did the person who designed the wine glass come up with the idea and how long did it take to make?
In analyzing the poem we discover that what makes this work unique is the author's ability to use a simple episode that could happen at any time to illustrate how the simplest things are connected in such a way that the reader begins to understand that almost everything around us is connected in one way or another. The poet utilized the mistake of spilling wine on a rug to scrutinize different aspects of her life and history. According to the author, this incident stands out because of the negative feeling it caused at that precise moment. Rather than forgetting about it, the incident prompts her into serious thought and self-reflection. The tone of the poem is mild and lends an image of self-reflection and thought, exploring the themes of survival, history, ancestry, future, identity and self.
The poet refers to herself and the opportunity to survive her mistakes in lines 15 to 20. How I was sure this mistake will find me, and here I am with this clean slate. A red wine stain on a white rug is something that evokes a negative feeling of regret from making a mistake or ruining something of value. However, there is a second chance of correcting that mistake, in this case, a washcloth and water are all that is needed. The poet relates this to her personal life and the chance of being given a fresh slate after making a mistake, a second chance at correcting a mistake. The poem enables the poet to also reflect on her journey of survival by recognizing the sacrifice and price the animal paid by the animal whose fur was used to make the rug: the rug is made of fur which means it died to be here. She is grateful for this sacrifice and the sacrifices of others who taught her.
In her reflection, the poet shares her thoughts on her history and ancestry. She does this by referring to an inheritance, not in form of physical possessions but in heritage and sacrifices made by her predecessors to see her survive. I think of all I have inherited, all the bodies buried for me to be here. She then likens the sacrifice of her ancestors to the sacrifice of the animal that had its blood spilt for the rug. It appears the poet is not proud of everything done by her ancestors to see her survive so she laments at the fact that history cannot be washed away like a wine stain on a rug. How history does not wash away with water and a good scrub. The reader can relate to the frustration of the poet at her inability to change the events of the past. Almost everyone wished they had the power to change the past be it actions carried out by us or others on our behalf as we see in the case of the author who isn’t proud of all the actions taken by her ancestors. This despair does not stop her from appreciating the advantages of her heritage and the gift passed on to her by her ancestors, capable of creating joy from nothing. How I come from a long line of sorcerers who make the good word of building joy from absolutely nothing.
The poet further expresses her thoughts on the future and her identity. She embraces the fact that she comes from a long line of sorcerers who made sacrifices on her behalf: how I come from a long line of sorcerers. Here we can sense the pride the poet feels about her ancestry and heritage which she is unafraid to be identified with. The poet is uncertain of the future and describes how difficult it could be to go through it and come out in one piece. At the same time, she demonstrates that although humans could be fragile, they possess the ability to toughen up and go through difficult situations: how flesh is fragile but makes a needle and thread of itself when necessary.
The poet makes use of both long and short sentences in the structure of the poem. Although the language is simple, the sentences are structured to give the reader intimate imagery as if one could see through the mind of the writer. The mood of the poem is casual as it evokes an imagery of a relaxed everyday incident at the beginning but takes the reader into a phase of deep solemn thought as the poem progresses from a casual setting of a lady drying her hair while taking a sip of wine to sacrifices of ancestors made on behalf of generations unborn. The writer attempts to u