High-Ranging Student Essay on “The Naked and the Nude” by Robert Graves
Many people tend to use the words “naked and “nude interchangeably. Yet
Robert Graves objects to this misconception in his poem “The Naked and the Nude.”
Although both words mean “without clothes,” Graves interprets them differently With
regard to their connotations. He points out that “naked” refers to the body itself,
whereas, “nude” refers to a personality or state of mind. Through his use of various 5
allusions and imagery, Graves contrasts the two synonyms.
Graves dedicates one stanza apiece to explain his perception of each word. When
describing the “naked,” Graves uses several classical allusions. He points out that
“the Hippocratic eye will see in nakedness, anatomy.” Likewise, “naked shines the
Goddess when she mounts her lion among men.” It’s clear that nakedness only
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refers to the naked body. However, Graves uses allusions to deception and
trickery to explain his concept of the nude. He says, “the nude are bold, the nude
are sly…they grin a mock religious grin of scorn at those of naked skin.” The
concept of nude seems to be more of a cunning state of mind—“being naked with
attitude.”
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The poet uses these details to create a certain imagery that clearly explains
this discrepancy. His use of classical allusions creates images of peace, beauty, and
spirituality which imply the inherent beauty of the human body on a physical level.
Yet, the imagery created by the second set of details does not deal with the physical
body. Graves explains that the nude have a cunning state of mind, “While draping 20
by a showman’s trick their dishabille in rhetoric.”
The contrast described in the poem, body versus mind, is reinforced when
Graves tells us that the naked are physical bodies that are admired by “Lovers without
Reproach” and men of medicine. The nude, however, are more than that; they “are sly”
and “hold each treasonable eye.” The writer concludes that the naked, therefore, who 25
compete against the nude may know defeat because the nude are more complex and
cynical.
Graves’s final stanza transfers the vulnerability of the naked to the nude.
“When treading the briary patches of the dead,” the nude will not have artifice to
protect them from the Gorgons’ whips—they will be the naked as well as the nude. 30
High-Range Essay Score (8, 9):
 Indicates complete understanding of the requirements for discussing the
differences in connotation between “naked” and “nude.”
 Recognizes and identifies the many differences between the two words.
 Utilizes appropriate literary techniques to present a coherent distinction between
the two words.
 Responds to the irony in the final stanza.
 Perceives Graves’s tone and preference for one of the following words.
 Interprets allusions, images, symbols, etc.
 Uses smooth transitions and clear connective tissue.
 Demonstrates a mature writing style.
This essay is a high-ranking essay for the following reasons:
 Shows complete understanding of the prompt.
 Immediately presents an accurate distinction between “naked” and “nude” (lines
4-5).
 Utilizes allusion and imagery correctly and links examples to meaning (lines 8-11,
12-15, 17-18).
 Reinforces the contrast throughout the essay (lines 16, 22, 29-30).
 Indicates perceptive, subtle analysis (lines 20-21, 29).
 Is well organized.
 Demonstrates a mature writing style.
This high-ranking essay is indicative of a confident writer and thinker. The paper is well
focused, and it exhibits the writer’s facility with literary terminology and analysis.