Man with night sweats; analysis.

 Thom Gunn  "The man with night sweats" (1992) Full text

The poem begins with the image of the author woken up form sleep, feeling uncomfortable due to sweat soaking his sheet. The author is stating that he woke up cold from a dreams of heat. It could mean that he woke up from a sex dream. Gunn, a British-American poet, witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of the disease on his friends, many of whom were part of the gay community. The poem serves as a haunting elegy to those who suffered and died from AIDS-related illnesses. The poem was written in HIV/AIDS era, when there was no cure. Night sweats sounded like a sentence, as everyone who was involved in a risky life style was scared of getting ill. Poem is written in first person, author portraits himself as a person that is sick with HIV virus. 

The title itself, "The Man with Night Sweats," immediately evokes a sense of discomfort and unease. Night sweats are a common symptom of various illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, and serve as a metaphor for the suffering and agony experienced by those with the disease. The word "night" also suggests darkness, fear, and the unknown, further emphasizing the nature of the subject matter.

Poem structure is based on quatrains a (stanza of 4 lines) and couplets (two lines) and it's written in iambic trimeter - that means three metrical feet (one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable). 

First couplet includes a metaphor - my flesh was it's own shield.

As per Saharay (2023) "The word “shield” is used three times in the poem. Here, the shield is used as a noun that does not refer to any armour but the speaker’s own physical body which has been the site of experiencing life’s pleasures and passions. It used to be a self-healing machine that detoxed and defended the system."

Another metaphor seen in last line: 

To hold an avalanche off  - where the avalanche is a metaphor of pain.

We also see enjambment, that is a continuation of a sentence in following line without the pause. And it is visible in below lines:

Even while I adored 

The risk that made robust,

Throughout the poem, Gunn employs vivid imagery and sensory details to capture the physical and emotional turmoil of the experience. Despite the physical suffering described, there is a sense of resilience and determination that shines through the poem. Gunn doesn't capture the regret of the experiences, however he does speak of grieve that youth and health have to end this way. And as per Allen (2022) "The poem laments the suffering that youthful thrills can lead to, and the fact that death comes for our bodies no matter how much we "trust" and enjoy them. "

References:

Allen, A. (2022) . "The Man with Night Sweats." Available at: https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/thom-gunn/the-man-with-night-sweats (Accessed: 15/04/2024)

Gunn, T. (1992) "The man with the night sweats" Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47956/the-man-with-night-sweats (Accessed: 13/02/2024)

Saharay, R. (2023) "The man with the night sweats" Available at: https://igcseenglish.com/2023/01/20/the-man-with-night-sweats/ (Accessed: 13/02/2024 )