An Analysis Of Tracy K. Smith's Life On Mars

“Life On Mars” is a collection of poems written by award-winning author Tracy K. Smith. Throughout the text, she plunges into ideas about space and the unknown as well as the physical world, while incorporating emotions derived from her father's death. Smith’s poetry can be described as abstract, intriguing, and thought-provoking. As stated in The Gray Wolf Press, the Pulitzer Prize judges explained her work as “a collection of bold, skillful poems, taking readers into the universe and moving them to an authentic mix of joy and pain" (qtd. in “Life On Mars”). Smith’s fascination with the universe has allowed for readers to become knowledgeable about the mysterious world of outer-space and connect it to life on Earth. In the poem, “My God, It’s

Smith also uses her father's work with the Hubble Telescope to symbolize change within humanity, which furthers the growth of understanding space. When talking about the telescope, Smith states, “The first few pictures came back blurred, and I felt ashamed / For all the cheerful engineers, my father and his tribe. The second time, / The optics jibed. We saw to the edge of all there is--” (101-103). Smith describes the telescope in a way that can metaphorically be translated to the human race. The telescope failed with the first few pictures. However, the second time, the pictures changed and came back awe-inspiring. Humanity is sometimes clouded by poor actions, like the pictures, but people change and society grows, hopefully for the better. Smith wants readers to learn from her father, as well as from her writing. She incorporates images and symbols that help people comprehend her ideas of the unknown, which facilitates their ability to envision the universe. One author writes on So To Speak, “The telescope allowed us to see the universe as never before, and now come Smith’s words to show us even more of it.” Smith’s father aided in unlocking a pathway for people to explore space on a deeper level. Her father wanted to explore, and Smith states that he was “hungry for what it would find” (95). Smith’s father was eager to learn more about space, and now his daughter is pursuing a path through her writing that allows people to learn and think about space in a different perspective. As Smith sees “We [learn] new words for things. The decade [changes]” (100), the author wants people to seek change within their own lives, so there will be a better outcome in the future. People have improved language from the past; the pictures returned with a better result. Smith hopes humans, too, can initiate a change that will conclude in a better result. Smith uses the telescope as a metaphor for human kind, so people understand that there can be a change and with a