Question

canadian january night by alden nowlan

ice storm; the hill
a pyramid of black crystal
down with the cars
slide like phosphorescent beetles
while I, walking backwards in obedience
to the wind, am possessed
of the fearful knowledge
my compatriots share
but almost never utter:
this is a country
where a man can die
simply from being
caught outside.

I don't understand this poem so much the man only seems to have hard time surviving in disastrous weather. There is a line break between die and simply I don't know what that is supposed to emphasize. Also does pyramid and black crystal mean anything ? I also can't make out what beetle part is supposed to imply.

Answer 1

The poet is emphasizing Canada's harsh winter weather where a man can die if he's outside very long.

The line break after "die" is intended to call attention to that line.

I think the pyramid and black crystal describes a slippery road in the hills or mountains.

The beetles is a simile for the cars on the road. They seem small and helpless as they slide.

Answer 2

I am Canadian and this poem is one of the most "Canadian" poems I have ever read. In Canada, being caught outdoors without proper clothing or shelter can result in death within a very short period of time. Children have died from accidentally leaving the house and their parents not realizing it. Drunks fall into snowbanks and die. People are lost in the woods and die. Although living in the comforts of the city can fool us into thinking we are protected from Canadian winters, the reality is always there: our climate can kill us in minutes. And yes, the wind and snow hurts our faces, so we walk backwards into the wind.

Answer 3

Okay. It's not a hard break between "die" and "simply". One can die simply/merely from being outdoors (in bad weather).

The cars are like beetles sliding down the icy hill. Ice on black pavement can look crystalline.
And the cars are painted in colors that might appear phosphorescent on the black ice of the hill???

Answer 4

is that so...

Answer 5

You're welcome.

He's walking backwards so that doesn't face the cold wind.

Answer 6

To expand and disagree slightly, the phosphorescence captures the image of the reflection of the lights of the headlights of the icy road, rather than the colours of the cars, which would probably not be readily apparent nor glowing at night.

Answer 7

I thought the poem was very well said and when he is talking about death I feel like he is really coming for a dark place

Answer 8

Canadian literature was built on the concept of survival. The first inhabitants wrote about their early experiences trying to survive the winter. This poem continues a long tradition in the country. The cars are slaves to the weather; he must submit to the wind, the elements. There is danger simply from being alive, outside.

Answer 9

Might be worth pointing out that Nowlan was very likely (in fact, I think one of his friends of the day told me as much) inebriated walking up Windsor Street toward the Castle after a night at the Riverview Arms, or drinking somewhere else with Members of the Flat Earth Society. These are images as seen through a fog of cigarette blurred eyes and and Famous Grouse blurred brain. Misty. Slightly muddled. Amazingly astute.

Answer 10

Cause women wouldn't be caught out in this weather