Defninig rhetorical analysis as a means of studying writer/audience relationships allowing both intrinsic and extrinsic analysis, the author discusses the three sections of Levertov's poem, "From a Notebook: October '68--May '69." Section 1 is the speaker's personal comparison of her associations with life and death, comparison of herself to literary personae, and a view of her age and education as preparation for the revolutionary commitment she has made. Section 2 is a more personal and philosophical underpinning of the speaker's commitment. The third section finalizes the speaker's definition of revolution: the antithesis of death, the counterpart of life. The poem is then examined in relation to Levertov's biography and as a process of the speaker's working through language to the committed stand toward revolution which she finally adopts and acts on. (TS)