Résumé by Dorothy Parker
"Résumé" by Dorothy Parker is a notable eight-line poem that explores themes of despair and the struggle for meaning in life through a darkly humorous lens. The poem, structured with a consistent rhyme scheme (ababcdcd), presents an ironic catalog of various suicide methods that the speaker has attempted. This list is delivered in a methodical and detached manner, reminiscent of a job application, which contrasts sharply with the serious nature of the subject matter. Notably, the poem culminates in a poignant twist with the line "You might as well live," echoing the advice of Parker's friend, Robert Benchley, during a critical moment in her life. This final line serves as a reversal, shifting from a tone of resignation to an acceptance of life, underscoring the absurdity of the previous attempts. The title "Résumé" plays on the dual meaning of the word, suggesting both a summary of qualifications and a return to living. The poem's structure and wordplay enhance its emotional impact, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of existence and the resilience of the human spirit. Through its clever language and somber subject matter, Parker's work continues to resonate with audiences, prompting contemplation on life and its challenges.
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Résumé by Dorothy Parker
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1926 (collected in Enough Rope, 1926)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
This little eight-line poem, rhyming ababcdcd, is one of Parker’s most famous, based on her first experience in attempting suicide when she cut her wrists in 1923. The last line (“You might as well live”) is exactly what her friend Benchley said to her at the time. It serves as the punch line or the reversal “point” of the classical epigram, with a switch to a resigned or unconcerned tone of voice which contrasts with the methodical catalog of suicide methods. Addressing a “you” which may be herself or the reader, the speaker casually lists various methods she has tried in committing suicide.
The list is grammatically parallel, so that with the exception of the fourth line (“And drugs cause cramp”), each method is named first, as a noun. Then the problem or obstacle with each method is given. The catalog, objectively stated, appears to be a summary of the person’s qualifications or achievements—as the title indicates—as if she were applying for a job. The title also puns on the word “resume,” which may underscore the end line as a resigned sense that trying to commit suicide is too much trouble in all these ways already tried, and the speaker might as well “resume” her life. This switch in the last line is also highlighted as different by its shift to a five-syllable line, with an accent on the second and fifth syllable—in contrast to all but one of the other lines, which have four syllables and virtually all with an accent on the beginning word.
Bibliography
Capron, Marion. “Dorothy Parker.” In Writers at Work: The “Paris Review” Interviews, edited by Malcolm Cowley. Reprint. New York: Viking Press, 1979.
Frewin, Leslie. The Late Mrs. Dorothy Parker. New York: Macmillan, 1986.
Gill, Brendan. Introduction to The Portable Dorothy Parker. Rev. and enlarged ed. New York: Viking Press, 1973.
Keats, John. You Might as Well Live: The Life and Times of Dorothy Parker. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1970.
Kinney, Arthur. Dorothy Parker. Boston: Twayne, 1978.
Meade, Marion. Dorothy Parker, A Biography: What Fresh Hell Is This? New York: Villard Books, 1988.
Melzer, Sondra. The Rhetoric of Rage: Women in Dorothy Parker. New York: Peter Lang, 1997.
Pettit, Rhonda S. A Gendered Collision: Sentimentalism and Modernism in Dorothy Parker’s Poetry and Fiction. Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2000.