Robert Lowell was an alcoholic, a manic depressive, and a poet.
             There is no poem where these three aspects of Lowell combine than in "The
             Drinker." This poem describes a man's descent into drunkenness one night.
             However, while the poem is just describing one night, it manages to show
             the state of the man's entire life. By using a variety of poetic devices,
             Lowell is able to show that one cannot escape from one's problems, but is
             confined to them, with the person only able to wait until life is over to
             Robert Lowell was a brilliant poet and also a troubled man. His life
             was marked by struggles, with these including alcoholism, broken marriages,
             and manic depression (Kamm 282). This manic depression is especially
             important to note because it meant that Lowell was not able to gain control
             of his own emotional state. He was helpless and could only watch as he
             tumbled from major highs to extreme lows. Evidence of this state is seen
             in his poem "The Drinker," as is Lowell's experience with alcoholism.
             The first line begins with a description of the drinker, with this
             setting the scene for the poem. It must be noted that the title already
             establishes the subject of the poem, so the reader already has an
             understanding that an alcoholic will be described. The first line begins
             with the statement "The man is killing time." While this is a common
             phrase, in this context, it suggests a lot more. The man can actually be
             considered as "killing" time, in that drunkenness allows time to disappear.
             The suggestion is that drinking is not just something the man is doing for
             fun or out of habit. Instead, he wants to kill time. He wants to escape
             from his life and not experience living. With Lowell's manic depressive
             experiences noted, this purpose of drinking can be understood. With Lowell
             swinging to such extreme lows, one can understand why he wants to "kill"
             time. H...