"Against Vanity" For Modesty

"Against Vanity"

By Kaveh Akbar

(originally my December blog post)

Nature lends us beauty, but death spares us no dignity. The world wounds us with its pinches, both of skin and heart. We mask our grief with smiles, but we cannot hide our fire behind our hair.

Vanity is the pursuit of appearance over substance, the obsession with the external over the internal. It is a human flaw that has been amplified by the modern world, where social media, consumerism, and celebrity culture constantly bombard us with images of perfection and success. But vanity is a futile and dangerous game, for it ignores the reality of our mortality and fragility. With a deeper sense of self-worth and authenticity, vanity can be avoided.

“Against Vanity” is a poem by Kaveh Akbar that was published in the Fall 2016 issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review. Akbar reflects on his relationship with his own appearance, dignity, and mortality.

The poem begins with a contrast between the speaker’s self-image in a “cruel magnification of a shaving mirror” and his contentment with his “orange teeth and salty skin.” He claims to have “borrowed [his] beauty from the ocean,” suggesting a connection with nature and a sense of impermanence. He addresses an unnamed “flatterer” who may be a lover, a friend, or himself and admits that he still cares about dignity, “like a blindfolded duke being led to the gallows.” Such a simile implies that he is aware of his impending death and the futility of vanity. The line could also be an allusion to historical figures who were executed for treason or other crimes, such as Charles I of England or Louis XVI of France. The speaker could be comparing himself to them, implying that he is facing a similar fate or judgment.

The speaker then reveals some details about his past that suggest a history of addiction and trauma. He mentions “brain holes from memories happily burnt away,” suggesting the usage of drugs to escape from painful experiences. He also refers to “little bags of pills still tucked away in mattress coils,” indicating that the speaker has not completely overcome their addiction. The speaker challenges the flatter to “flatten” him as if inviting destruction or humiliation.

There is then a shift to a hypothetical scenario where the speaker imagines themself singing from the top of a minaret, “like a singing flag.” This image, knowing that the speaker is most likely the same as the poet himself (because of the themes of addiction, resilience, and the presentation of Islamic symbols), evokes his Islamic heritage and his potential childhood recitation of prayers in Farsi/Persian, a language he did not well understand. Akbar wonders if he could “blow away sin like an eyelash,” using a metaphor that contrasts the lightness of an eyelash with the weight of sin. He asks the flatterer to “listen for the silences under [his] words” and to “translate them into touch,” suggesting that he is seeking a deeper communication and intimacy that goes beyond words.

Akbar then compares himself to a snake that samples the air before moving into it but laments that humans lack this luxury. He expresses his vulnerability and fear of being hurt by saying that ‘every place I put my body threatens to punch it open.” He also questions what constitutes home for him: “a house, a mouth, a honeycomb.” These images suggest different levels of comfort, security, and sweetness. He identifies himself as “a means to an end,” highlighting his lack of intrinsic value or purpose. He describes himself as “all chisel mark and dusty rock,” using imagery that conveys sculpture and erosion.

Akbar asserts the absence of grief on his face, despite the hardships he has endured. He compares the sun in his beard to bees stepping through gunpowder, creating a striking contrast between light and darkness, life and death. He invites the flatterer to bite into his skin and behold the blood, which he says appears “so swiftly, so certain, like it was waiting there all along,” suggesting that Akbar is ready to bleed, to suffer, or to die.

The poem’s title, “Against Vanity,” can be interpreted in different ways. It could mean that the speaker is opposed to vanity or that they are struggling with it. It could also mean that the speaker is confronting his own reflection in the mirror or that they are facing something that is vain or futile. The title also echoes the biblical phrase “vanity of vanities,” which expresses the meaninglessness of human endeavors.

The poem uses poetic techniques such as rhyme, rhythm, simplicity, metaphor, personification, and allusion. The rhyme scheme is irregular and varies from stanza to stanza, creating a sense of unpredictability and instability. The rhythm is mostly iambic pentameter, but with some variations and substitutions that create emphasis or tension. The poem uses similes such as “like a blindfolded duke,” “like a singing flag,” and “like bees stepping through gunpowder” to create vivid comparisons between, unlike things. There is also the usage of metaphors such as “the pearl on my tongue,” “the drizzle of sun in my beard,” and “the air of protest” to convey abstract ideas through concrete images. The poem personifies sin as an eyelash that can be blown away, and blood as something that has been waiting to emerge. The poem also alludes to Islamic symbols, such as the minaret, the angel Gabriel, and the concept of sin.

The poem’s diction is varied and rich, ranging from colloquial to formal, from concrete to abstract, and from simple to complex. The speaker uses words such as “kelpy,” “brain holes,” and “flatten” to create a distinctive voice and tone. They use words with multiple meanings or connotations (double-entendre), such as “flatter,” “pinch,” “means,” and “end.” They also use words that evoke sensory impressions, such as “magnification,” “salty,” “pearl,” “drizzle,” and “bite.”

The poem’s structure consists of six stanzas of varying lengths and shapes. The first stanza has four lines, as does the second and third stanza. The fourth stanza is shorter, having two lines, going back to the fifth, sixth, and seventh stanzas, which all have four lines, and ending with the eighth stanza, which has two lines. The poem’s structure reflects the speaker’s shifting thoughts and emotions, as well as their sense of fragmentation and imbalance.

The shift within the poem occurs in the fourth stanza, where the speaker moves from describing his past and present to imagining a different future for himself. He also changes his tone from resigned and cynical to hopeful and curious. He changes his address from the flatterer to himself, indicating a turn inward.

Akbar is in recovery from addiction and writes openly and inspiringly about his struggles with it. He cites poetry as helping him with his sobriety. This poem of his explores the theme of identity, spirituality, addiction, and language, much like his many other poems.

This poem is a powerful and moving expression of a speaker who is searching for meaning and connection in a world that often threatens to harm or erase him. I admire the speaker’s honesty, vulnerability, and courage in confronting his own flaws and fears. I also appreciate the speaker’s usage of language, imagery, and sound to create a vivid and memorable poem. I find the poem relatable in its exploration of self-image, dignity, mortality, spirituality, and communication. I also find the poem challenging in its complexity, ambiguity, and intensity.

The main problems I had in understanding the poem were mostly related to some of the references and allusions that I was not familiar with. For instance, I did not know what a minaret was or what it symbolized until I looked it up. I also did not know much about Islamic traditions or history until I did some research. Some of the metaphors and similes used, like comparing themself to a singing flag or bees stepping through the gunpowder, were a bit difficult for me to follow as well. I had to read the poem several times to appreciate its nuances and layers of meaning.

Overall, this poem is a remarkable work of art that showcases Akbar’s skill and talent as a poet. It engaged with me on multiple levels: intellectually, emotionally, aesthetically, and spiritually.