Kelsey Norden

Professor Rosecliffe
English 105 2:20
6 May 2015 In­Class Essay Based on “Animals” by Frank O’Hara It’s the end of his days and Frank O’Hara is looking back on life. He’s okay in life now, but he doesn’t need anything more; if only he had his lover.

Right off the bat a feeling of grandeur­lost is present. Frank seems to be pulling feelings from a time in the past when he was in love; a time when he and his lover “were still first rate”
(Line 2). Now, “and the day came fat with an apple in it’s mouth” (Line 3) means that when times were good, they were great. Apparently whoever Frank O’Hara was in love with brought him a great matter of happiness and contentment. Only now does he realize how great the times were. Speaking of time;
“It’s no use worrying about time
But we did have a few tricks up our sleeves and turned sharp corners” (Lines 4­6)
The imagery portrayed here is that of speed and living fast. No time was wasted and they were living in the moment. They lived life on the edge with reckless abandon. It was not without some sense of confidence though, as they “did have a few tricks up our sleeves” (Line 5). Meaning no

matter what, they would be fine, and that was how it was to be.
And with this reckless abandon came a sense of pride as well, “the whole pasture looked like our meal” (Line 7); their eyes were wide with anticipation of the bright future they had ahead of them. Two people in love, living in the fast lane, “we didn’t need speedometers”(Line
8) goes to show that when you are with the person you love, life moves at a million miles an hour but it doesn’t matter. No time or distance is counted.
On the topic of infernal love, when Frank talks about making something from nothing on line 9, “we could manage cocktails out of ice and water” it follows the theme that as long as his lover was with him, anything is possible. It wouldnt matter if they were rich or poor because they could turn a glass of water and a dash of ice cubes into a cocktail. It also brings feelings of optimism; A glass­half­full mentality.
The last few lines however portray a rhythm and tone that is much less positive;
“I wouldn’t want to be faster or greener than now if you were with me O you were the best of all my days” (Lines 10­12)
He’s reminiscing on times in his past of glory and happiness. The general tone at the end is that of, “well, life was good, wasn’t it?”. It may be thank Frank O’Hara is on his death bed. When else does one reminisce over subjects and times of such a heavy sentimental value? It’s the end of his days and Frank O’Hara is looking back on life. That’s okay. That’s how life is, if only he could be with his lover one more time.