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Abandoned Farmhouse By Ted Kooser Analysis

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Failure is inevitable through the thought of giving up. By giving up, the only option left is to fail, which can leave to abandonment. In the poem “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser, the effects of failure is present in the family that is torn apart by an unsuccessful career. Through diction, imagery and symbolism, Kooser conveys the damaging lasting effects of abandonment and failure. Neglect and failure to fulfill one’s expectations can lead to disappointment. Kooser’s distinct choice of vocabulary reveals the despondent aftermath of “the weed-choked yard” and “stones in the field” (18). Events such as having a loved one abandon one another can be devastating. Kooser uses the word broken in “broken dish” (2) and “Bible with a broken back” (5) to tell the readers that the man is broken from the …show more content…

Kooser describes every detail of the farmhouse to show the reader that not only the feelings of a man can be the effect of failure, but his environment as well. The farmhouse is an “empty house in [a] weed-choked yard” (17-18). The image Kooser wants the reader to capture is the living conditions of the house. He uses imagery to not only paint a picture but to also further express the emotions the man is feeling. The feeling of abandonment and failure can be closely linked to the picture Kooser attempts to get the reader to see. Kooser utilizes symbolism in a significant way to show that the man is not only living in poor conditions due to abandonment but also to explain to the readers the feeling of abandonment. The effects of abandonment are symbolized as “toys [that] are strewn in the yard like branches after a storm” (21-22). The catastrophic mess of toys depicts the man feeling out of place and disastrous. The departure of his loved ones can leave him heartbroken like a “leaky barn” (8). The poem as a whole is a symbol of the man and his feeling of distraught after being

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