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How Does Mary Oliver Use Imagery In Crossing The Swamp

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In her poem "Crossing the Swamp" Mary Oliver portrays the swamp as the basis of everything. Oliver uses a combination of both imagery and denotation to demonstrate how a swamp is the basis of all things. The first instance of imagery appears in lines 1-3 where Oliver writes "Here is the endless/wet thick/ cosmos..."(Lns 1-3) showing that the swamp is similar to a vast, cosmic land. Oliver continues to use imagery, appearing strongly again in lines 13-15 stating "My bones/knock together at the pale/joints"(Lns 13-15). By showing how her joints are wearing out, Oliver continues to paint the swamp as the middle of all. The very first instance of denotation is in lines 3 and 4 when Oliver explicitly states "the center/of everything"(Lns 3-4) in
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