Anne Sexton may have called her poem “Venus and the Ark” a
spoof because it mocks the relationship between the United States and the
Soviet Union during the Cold War (more specifically, the Space Race). I’m not
exactly sure when this poem was written, but there are several parallels. Both
achievements took place in space. Thankfully, the situation outlined in the
poem didn’t happen. She was trying to portray how ridiculous it would be if the
entire planet was destroyed due to a trait as childish as jealousy. One nation
achieves a great scientific leap that would have benefited all mankind, but a
rival nation gets jealous and starts a nuclear war. It doesn’t make any sense!
This is exactly what Sexton wants readers to conclude: that the whole situation
was ludicrous and insane.
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