The Naked and the Nude – analysis

The Naked and the Nude

My personal analysis

Refer to the Poem “The Naked and the Nude” by Robert Graves

According to Graves, Naked is for love, for medicine, for truth. Nude is for sex, for art, for lies. The differences between the two are immense. Why then, are the two used interchangeably? Graves, in his poem, points out the innocence of those who use the two as one, and offers his own experience to express the true differences.
Graves presents his points in a clear and succinct way. The poem flows allowing the reader to transition from stanza to stanza with ease. His use of simple words such as “love from lies, or truth from art” evoke a powerful response from the reader. While the words are simple and well known, they are also personal enough to convey the powerful message he is trying to send.
Naked is honesty, for each individual is born naked. Doctors look upon naked bodies as nothing more than naked bodies. Naked is for those in love. It does not evoke powerful sexual thrills from strangers, only from the one love. Naked is history. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were created naked, and it was natural and honest.
Nude is a lie, for one is not born nude. Nude is a flagrant display of the body to evoke sexual thrills from any eyes, not solely from they eyes of one lover. Nude is something created from sin. When Eve commits the first sin, she and Adam become Nude.
Graves does not paint a powerful picture through his poem, but he does send a powerful message through his artist construction of words. He offers insight on a subject most tend to accept as common. The differences between the meaning of Naked and Nude are not often contemplated in the way Graves contemplates them, and causes his readers to contemplate them.

Tags: Analysis, Naked, Nude, Poetry, Robert Graves