Figurative Language In The Lanyard By Billy Collins

From the constant finger-painting’s to the weird shaped play dough sculptures, children have been giving their parents gifts since they could make them, even though sometimes they are unidentifiable or absolutely atrocious; but it is truly the thought and the love behind it that makes those presents exceptional. Usually children outgrow the feelings of trying to be equal with their parents in terms of gifts. However the speaker is a unique case where the reader sees no evolution in terms of maturity because he still views his gift giving ability to be that of a child’s and his relationships with his mother as sort of a competition to be equal. . Billy Collin’s “The Lanyard” demonstrates the internal struggle many children feel in the inability

The lack of figurative language disables the reader’s ability to interpret and determine and underlying meaning, this method from the author makes sure that the reader knows exactly what he is trying to say and there is no question about it. The lack of the figurative language also incorporates the theme because the speakers is having an issue with his inability to give back to his mother, so the lack of figurative language shows the need to be straightforward throughout the poem just like he should have been straightforward with his mother about his feeling of

A story within a story holds great importance because it relates and connects the past to the present day while simultaneously emphasizing how much and what the effect of past events has had on the present. By calling upon a story from many years ago, the speaker indicates how his feelings towards his mother have changed very little over the years. Now as an adult, the speaker still views the capacity and worthiness of his gifts as that of a child’s. Not being able to move on and grow from one incident in his life has literally trapped the speaker in the past. His mental and emotional state have remained stagnant as he is unable to mature and move past the boy’s impossible expectations that he could ever repay a person for the gift of life. His desire to be “even” with his mother has only intensified over the years although he jokingly admits that he felt some sort of satisfaction when she accepted his lanyard. Again, the speaker uses his sense of humor as a barricade to deflect his true feelings about his lack of