A Poetry Explication of "Accident, Mass. Ave."

"Accident, Mass. Ave." by Jill McDonough is a powerful poem that focuses on an everyday occurrence on a Boston street: a minor fender-bender. What is the range of human emotion when the unexpected happens? Do some view people and places in a stereotypical fashion without even thinking? In the poem "Accident, Mass. Ave.," Jill McDonough uses poetic devices such as alliteration and free verse to convey a powerful message about American society and how it reacts when even the most minor accident randomly occurs in life.

This narrative poem begins with the setting of the scene by the narrator. It does not beat around the bush in giving the gist of the setting, conflict, and characters. The reader can get a sense of the narrator’s character from the get-go. They immediately spout out the details of the accident, and they express their self-righteousness and indignant personality. An accusatory tone is immediately established: “…and a woman in a beat-up / old Buick backed into me. Like, cranked her wheel, / rammed right into my side” (McDonough 3-5). The narrator’s overbearing attitude is also displayed through McDonough’s use of alliteration in the following lines: “in Boston, a couple blocks away / from the bridge, and a woman in a beat-up / old Buick backed into me” (McDonough 2-4). This narrative poetry gives the reader an image of the plot, setting, and conflict with an angry, no-holds-barred type of language.

Part of the theme is also established in the opening lines of the poem. The reader can gather that the narrator is agitated about the accident before they even know what the damage to their truck entails. Even the title of the poem produces the meaning of exaggeration, urgency, and an abbreviated way of speaking that is abrupt, to the point, and in your face. Perhaps how a Bostonian would be? Or maybe the way an American chauvinistic male would behave in his big Chevy pickup? It is clear that the woman is probably from another country, as the narrator assumes that English is not her first language. It is also clear that the narrator, in their American-made truck, ironically sees themselves as superior to the little foreign woman in a quintessential big American city.

In determining the reasoning for this poem, it is necessary to ask: “Who is the speaker?” It is easy to assume that the narrator is male due to their size and demeanor. The narrator seems to tower over the “little woman” as they describe themselves as “enormous,” but this is the way they view themselves. The reader never gets the little woman’s point of view regarding the incident. The narrator assumes that she is frightened, “her little eyebrows pursed / and worried” (McDonough 31-32). But that is all the reader can tell.

The explicate language in the poem is another device that McDonough uses to support the theme and the aggressive nature of the narrator. The multiple uses of “fuck” are intimidating, shocking, and bold. The language accompanies the narrator’s flailing arms and jerking motions, all of which support their irrational nature.

According to the narrator, it is in both characters’ second nature to immediately throw a tantrum filled with explicatory language. However, the reader can assume from the following lines that the narrator is the only person who is yelling and cussing like a mad person:

But she lived and drove in Boston, too, so she knew,

we both knew, that the thing to do

is get out of the car, slam the door

as hard as you fucking can and yell things like What the fuck

were you thinking? You fucking blind? What the fuck

is going on? Jesus Christ! (McDonough 9-14)

"Accident, Mass. Ave." has no rhythm, and its form is choppy with line breaks in the middle of sentences. This supports the questionable frame of mind and demeanor of the narrator. It also supports the general theme of society’s brute-like abruptness and accusatory thought process. Towards the end of the poem, the lines become less choppy. This could symbolize the narrator’s possible newfound clarity in the end.

The narrator seems to take a step back and look at themselves through the eyes of the woman: “I was enormous, / and I'd been acting as if I'd like to hit her” (33-34). This is when their demeanor transforms, and they display some compassion, patience, and human kindness. This is also when the narrator realizes that the vehicles did not have any damage, which is something they could have learned earlier by simply taking the time to look. What was only a minor incident was portrayed as a full-fledged accident by the narrator, but their realization of their overreaction came at the price of bringing the woman to tears.

Perhaps this “accident” changed the narrator’s way of looking at the world. Was it only for that fleeting moment when they hug and laugh, or did it change them forever? The reader will never know. Maybe they will change their aggressive demeanor. The beauty of "Accident, Mass. Ave." is that it gives the reader hope for a society that seems to be getting more and more self-absorbed and defiant every day. Sometimes, it takes an “accident” for some to see their faults before they can change.

Work Cited

McDonough, Jill. "Accident, Mass. Ave." Three Penny Review McDonough Samples, http://www.threepennyreview.com/samples/mcdonough_sp08.html. Accessed 1 Nov. 2013.