“The Rest” by Margaret Atwood (1985)

The motif of physical boundaries is further employed in Atwood’s 1985 poem, “The Rest.” Here, the poet tells the story of a group of onlookers, who “watch from beyond the fence” (Line 1) as an afflicted woman struggles on the other side. While the helpless observers sympathize, they are unable to assist the woman. Atwood uses physical barriers like fences and “the trees and the grasses” (Lines 14-15) as well as intangible barriers like “language” (Lines 6-8) to reinforce the sense of separation between “us” and “her.” As in “The Landlady,” the poet uses sound to immerse the reader in the action: “we hear sounds but no language” (Lines 5-6), “explosions in mud” (Line 13), “call something out to her” (Lines 18-19), and “Some form of cheering” (Line 19). This creates tension as the reader is immersed in the sensory stimuli with the bystanders while sharing their lack of agency. The reader, like the “rest of us” (Line 1) wants desperately to help but is able only to witness the woman’s suffering; “There is pain but no arrival at anything” (Line 20).

“More and More” by Margaret Atwood (1968)