Running head: THE DANCE

The Dance: A Comparison Between Two Poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Linda Elliston
The Robert B. Miller College

ENGL 310 Advanced Composition and Textual Analysis

CJ Gilbert, Adjunct Professor
October 7, 2010
The Dance: A Comparison Between Two Poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Most people have heard of the song by Garth Brookes, The Dance. Garth relates life to
a dance, and how one should enjoy the dance while it lasts, no matter what curves life throws
their way. The two poems written by Edwin Arlington Robinson remind me of this song. Each
poem discusses lifes issues and how one chooses to feel or handle the dance. People should be
happy with their lives. They might not be the riches or most famous person in the world, but
they should appreciate what they have. Its the small things in life that makes life worth living:
friends, family, health, food, job, etc. The poem Cliff Klingenhagen is about someone happily
enduring his life, and the poem Miniver Cheevy is about someone wasting his life.
In both poems, Robinson describes two people and their choices in the dance of life. In
Cliff Klingenhagen, the unnamed narrator describes a happy man who appreciates everything
in life. He is a generous man that shares what he has with others. The narrator explains, CLIFF
KLINGENHAGEN [has] me in to dine\With him one day (Robinson, 1921, ln 1-2) and makes

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the speaker a feast to eat. This quote leads one to believe that Cliff appreciates the narrators
friendship and enjoys sharing what he has with others. On the contrary, the poem Miniver
Cheevy is about an unhappy man who curses[s] the commonplace (ln 21). This passage
explains how Miniver hates his ordinary living. Furthermore, the poem mentions that Miniver is
a child of scorn (ln1). The speaker never tells why Miniver feels this way: one might believe
he is born out of wedlock and his family disowned him. In the poem he also mourn[s]
Romance (ln 15). This line signifies that he is alone in existence and wants someone to love
him.
In both poems, the main characters have different attitudes about their lives. Life is not
always perfect but one can choose how they feel about their bitter-sweet lives. Cliff
Klingenhagen has a positive attitude. He is a generous man and cheerfully endures his being.
The poem also describes Cliff celebrating his life with the narrator: he [takes] two glasses and
fill[s] one with wine\And one with wormwood (ln 4-5). Cliff gives his friend the sweet wine
and drinks the bitter drink himself. When questioned why he did that, he smile[s], and [says] it
[is] a way of his (In 11). Cliff is truly happy with his existence and wants to share the best with
his friend. In contrast, Miniver [weeps] that he was ever born (ln 3). He is depressed and
hates everything about his being. He mourn[s] the ripe renown and love[s] the Medici (ln
13-17). These quotes show how Miniver just sits around, wasting his life daydreaming of being
someone rich and famous. Furthermore, Miniver does not appreciate the things he has in time.
He eye[s] a khaki suit with loathing (ln 22) and hates the the gold he [seeks] (ln 25). These
passages show us how Miniver hates working for a living. He wishes he was born in a rich
family.
In conclusion, the poem Cliff Klingenhagen is about someone happily enduring his life,
and the poem Miniver Cheevy is about someones wasting his life. Everyone has choices to

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make in life. One can choose to be happy or choose to be bitter. Life isnt always easy. What
one does with their time is what matters. The narrator in Cliff Klingenhagen is wondering
when I shall be\As happy as Cliff Klingenhagen is (ln 14). This citation is significant because
it shows us that Cliff accepted life for what it is and he is happy. Most people go through life
and never find this kind of happiness. Miniver is one of these lost souls who never found true
happiness. He just spends his time going through the motions of existence and dreaming of
things he can never have. Miniver just call[s] it fate\And [keeps] on drinking (ln 31-31). The
narrator feels sympathetic for Miniver since he never learned how to enjoy his life. To clarify,
both poems by Robinson are related to people living their lives and how they feel about it.
People should be happy with their bitter-sweet lives. One might not be the riches or most
famous person, but they should appreciate what they have, (friends, family, health, food, a job,
etc.), and enjoy the dance.

References
Robinson, E. (1921). Cliff Klingenhagen. Collected Works. Retrieved October 7, 2010, from
http://www.bartleby.com/233/221.html

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Robinson, E. (n.d.) Miniver Cheevy. Poety Out Loud . National Endowment for the Arts and
Poetry Foundation. Retrieved October 7, 2010, from
http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems/poem.html?id=174244

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