"Discuss Skunkhour in order to bring out its qualities as poetry, and to show how it is characteristic of Lowell's work."
             Skunkhour is one of Robert Lowell's best known poems. It is a satire of the upheaval of the social order that is transformed by the poet's all consuming depression. It is therefore possible to see similarities with his earlier, more traditional work, in the poetry techniques used, and themes of the first four stanzas. The second half is far more reminiscent of his later, more renowned work, with the depression fuelled, violent introspection, that later poems featured prominently. As a poem in itself it is restrained and technical if you consider the turbulent state of Lowell's mind. It paints a vivid picture of not only its writer, but also of society as a whole.
             The opening stanzas, document the upheaval of the social order, and the decay of society's tapestry of formality. This is one of the few times in his depressed state, that he seemed to empathize with the aristocracy, from whence he came. Interestingly, Lowell himself says, that "The first four stanzas are meant to give a dawdling more or less amiable picture of a declining Maine sea town"; however, the amiability of his tone still seems to be a ruse. He is describing more than scenery, he is describing the rotting of a whole social structure. His use of theme repetition, is outstanding in Skunkhour more than other poems, the line, "This season's ill" ties all the elements together and reinforces the idea of upheaval. The fourth stanza also features vivid colour imagery, a regular occurrence in Lowell's work.
             The introduction of Lowell himself comes in the fifth stanza. He writes in the first person, which is common in his confessional poems. In a purely poetical sense, the first person viewpoint does lead to an interesting note of ambiguity, but I think the lines "I myself am hell/ nobody's
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