Analysis Of Kevin Young's Poem 'The Hunch'

Kevin Young is an American poet, author, and editor of nineteen books. Young typically relies on imagery and rhymes in his poems, however, in his poem “The Hunch,” he used similies when writing to illustrate the evolution of love. Young skillfully depicts this adventure in just nineteen lines, from first sight to drowning in your love for someone. Before genuinely understanding how similes emphasize love progression throughout the poem, it is imperative to understand what a simile is. A simile is a figure of speech that makes a depiction more vivid. Kevin Young used four similes throughout this poem to give his persona a complex narrative. Young’s first attempt at making a vivid representation of his words is found in the first line. “She wore red like a razor—cut quite a figure” (Young, line 1). Even before the simile occurs in this verse, we see Young painting a visual image for us through color. Red is known for representing passion, love, confidence, and stimulation. “Like a razor—cut quite a figure” can be interpreted in two ways: the razor cut her figure, or her figure was so sharp that it appeared sharp as a razor (Young, line 1). Based on the rest of the poem, the second tactile interpretation is most likely to be what Young meant,

. .” (Young, line 8). “Like a car” can be interpreted as the mileage in a car or how often people use it (Young, line 8). Either interpretation conveys somewhat of the same message, yet I find that the mileage reveals a richer message. Mileage refers to how many miles a car can proceed on one gallon of energy, so when put into the context of the poem, mileage indicates that Young’s persona in this poem is a pleasure seeker and someone who typically uses their energy on multiple women. The woman wearing the red dress is someone to who he is willing to put his past behind him and give her all of his