Resume Analysis

SuicideWe know that we're being a bit obvious here. But check it out: almost every single line in this poem offers an idea for a different way to die. When it comes to wordplay, Parker's not messi...

Quatrains in DimeterStarting with a one-word title, this poem keeps it simple (at least in terms of form, not subject matter). After the title, we jump into a couple of regular quatrains (a neat A...

We like to think of our speaker as that chain-smokin', red-lipstick-wearin' friend of yours who tells the most outrageous stories without even cracking a smile. After all, who else could casually c...

Ah, the modern world.Sure, we don't get any concrete clues about the world our speaker inhabits – there aren't descriptions of parking lots or big box stores or that wonder of the modern world, M...

It's Sunday afternoon, some time in the middle of summer. You and your friends are sitting around in the backyard, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. The movies cost too much...

Here's the nifty thing about this title: "resume" is a word that can mean "begin again," "picking up where you left off," or "continuing." As a title for this poem (which is basically a list of al...

Dark ComedyYou could even call Dorothy Parker's signature style "deadly wit," but that's too cute even for us. If Parker's writing is known for anything, though, it's for the biting comedy that she...

(1) Sea LevelAs you've probably noticed, there aren't very many words in this poem – and they aren't presented in any complicated patterns. Those few words happen to be simple, small ones too. To...

Dorothy Parker was a key member of the Algonquin Round Table. Back in the 1920s, it was the place where culture was born. Members met in the Algonquin Hotel to tell witty jokes, make fun of each ot...

GWhen you're about to end it all, you're probably not thinking too much about the rest that life has to offer… including sex.