Hi, I am working on a project I chose for the poem "here" by Aracelis Girmay and I dont understand one line which is " I am so worried for Jacques Cousteau. I do not want him to get eaten." If someone can explain it to me, it would be great! Thanks.

Answer 1

I also tried searching who he was but I didnt understand how he fit to the poem.

Answer 2

Cousteau was a pop culture figure, sort of a "rock star", a deep sea explorer who swam with the sharks and other sea creatures in TV documentaries that were very popular. He was part of the everyday experiences that the poet brings up in her poem, not personal, but on TV. TV was as much a part of daily life then as Instagram or Spotify might be to you today. So, she worried that he might be eaten by those sharks he swam with on TV. It would be something to be sad about in the "here" of her life.

Answer 3

Thank you so much

Answer 4

You're welcome. Pop culture changes rapidly. What was popular in another decade can be totally unfamiliar and forgotten in a year or two, much less 20 or 30 years later. :)