Comparison Essay “Before the world intruded” By Michele Rosenthal, “Theme for English B” By Langston Hughes, and “Won’t you celebrate with me” By Lucille Clifton are all portraying the theme of identity but addressing it in a different way. As one can see, “Won’t you celebrate with me” is saying that her identity has forged her into a strong person that cannot be put down, while “Theme for English B” is about a man trying to find who he is. Lastly, “Before the world intruded” is about her identity when she was an infant and how it is hard finding one as a grown up. In conclusion, all three poems are using literary devices in order to portray identity in a different way. “Before the world intruded” By Michele Rosenthal is portraying identity by its different use of literary devices in the poem such as a metaphor, a simile, and imagery. Moreover, Rosenthal uses a metaphor in order to grasp the reader’s attention and make one sympathize with her cause. The following quote “When Ideas were oceans crashing” (Rosenthal. 3), is comparing ideas with oceans crashing, hence making it a metaphor. The device shows how her ideas can sometimes be harsh and opposing to other’s beliefs because oceans crashing to the seashore are never similar to one another and can sometime be coarse. Furthermore, Rosenthal also uses a simile in her poem in order to introduce the theme identity. The quote: “When breath was as fresh as sight” (Rosenthal. 6) is comparing breath and sight, using “as” making