The Emperor of Ice Cream

“The Emperor of Ice Cream”

In “The Emperor of Ice Cream” by Wallace Stevens, an American Modernist poet, he talks about the experience at a wake with really unique and extravagant language. He spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut, but on the side he worked on poetry which turned into a successful poet. I will discuss the poet’s use of language and images, life in stanza one, and death in the last stanza.

Throughout the poem Wallace uses many images. He talks about calling on the muscular one to churn the ice cream for everyone at the wake. He also uses alliteration. For example, he says, “kitchen cups concupiscent curds,” instead of just saying plain ice cream. He used alliteration by repeating the “K” sound. Also it is interesting how he links the stanzas in rhymed couplets when he says, “Let be be finale of seem / The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.” and “Let the lamp affix its beam / The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.” Lastly, he uses words with meanings that we don't usually associate them with. When he says, “how cold she is and dumb,” Wallace doesn’t mean that she isn't intelligent, he means that she is numb and dead. Also when he says, “If her horny feet protrude.” He isn’t speaking about a dead woman's feet in a sexual manner. He means that her feet have calluses.

Stanza one in this piece is about Life. He first begins to describe a wake with everyone feasting and socializing in the kitchen. He presents us with a sense of enjoyment and sensuality. He then describes the ice cream being whipped and the boys bringing flowers to the