Summary of "Keeping Things Whole"

Keeping things Whole

Keeping things whole is a beautiful poem composed by a thinker named Mark Strand. He thinks of nature as an integral form of organisms so he also pleads that it shouldn't have useless fragments. He says that we people are unknown about the strength in unity that is why we make fractions among ourselves. Fractions don't do good to anyone and that is known to everyone. But, they ignore this fact for selfish purposes. The poem is against the fragmentation and alienation that occurs usually in our life.

He explains the integrity with the example of himself being in a field. He says that when he is in the field, the field loses its integrity. The field is whole, alone. When we enter in the field, we cover a certain area and contaminate the presence of the field. The field not being whole is similar to an absent field. When he moves, he divides the air. Air fills the space where he had already been. Then the place before becomes whole. From this he says that the only way to keep the field whole is by moving. Moving away from the self of the field.

Finally, he says that everyone has a reason to move and also admits that his only reason for moving is to keep things whole. The poet wants a world undivided. A world whole and not fragmented. A world where people understand the strength in unity and do works with a sole reason for keeping things as they are original; keeping things whole.