Poem Analysis - Heres To Adhering

Introduction: A Fragmented Pursuit

Maya Angelou's "Here's to Adhering" presents a fragmented and almost whimsical journey in pursuit of a person. The poem initially adopts a light, almost flippant tone, detailing encounters in exotic locations. However, this lightness gradually shifts to a more direct and yearning plea. The speaker's quest for wholeness and connection becomes increasingly evident, culminating in a direct address to the desired individual.

Wandering and Discovery: Theme of Love's Elusive Nature

One prominent theme is the elusive nature of love or connection. The speaker travels to diverse and far-flung locales - Hollywood, a Greek ship, the Sahara, and the Congo - in search of parts of this other person. These locations, while distinct, all serve as backdrops for fleeting encounters: a laugh, hands, a chest, a face. The journey itself emphasizes the effort and distance one might go to find even fragments of a desired individual, suggesting that love is not easily attained but rather a process of piecing together disparate elements. The initial nonchalance in the descriptions ("shoddy atmosphere," "guests weren't hip") subtly underscores the speaker's underlying quest.

The Unglued Self: Theme of Incompleteness

The poem explores the theme of incompleteness, both in the object of the speaker's affection and perhaps in the speaker themselves. The repeated phrase "parts of you out floating / still unglued as yet" suggests a fractured or fragmented state of being. It implies that the person the speaker desires is not whole, but rather a collection of scattered pieces. Furthermore, the speaker's devotion to "getting" these parts hints at their own perceived lack; they are seeking to complete themselves, or at least find solace, through this other individual. The direct plea at the end reinforces this sense of incompleteness and dependency.

Global Imagery and Symbolic Fragments

The vivid imagery of exotic locations functions symbolically. Hollywood represents superficiality and fleeting encounters, while the Greek ship evokes a sense of tradition and perhaps constrained social circles. The Sahara symbolizes harshness and isolation, yet also the potential for profound experiences ("nights were grand"), and the Congo signifies the edge of civilization, a place of both loneliness and new connections. Each location yields a different physical attribute – laugh, hands, chest, face. These body parts, isolated and seemingly random, represent the fragmented nature of human connection in the speaker’s experience. The "arrow" of the sun suggests sudden, impactful moments, quickly followed by "grand" nights of reflection, mirroring the sporadic nature of their encounters.

The Imploring Conclusion: A Call for Cohesion

The final stanza marks a shift from observation to direct address. The use of "Won't you" indicates desperation and a plea for the other person to take responsibility for their own fragmented state. The capitalization of "FOR ME" and "ONCE" emphasizes the urgency and the speaker's profound desire for connection and coherence. This direct plea underscores the poem’s significance as a testament to the struggle for connection and the yearning for wholeness in a world often characterized by fragmentation and distance.