Abandoned Farmhouse by Ted Kooser is a very interesting poem. Living on a farm has been said to be a struggle for many families, and this family was one that went through the struggles. The poem is also quite mysterious. In stanzas 17 and 24, it says “something went wrong.” This makes the reader wonder what happened. Was there a family death? A natural disaster? Possibly something involving the supernatural? The author does this on purpose to make the reader infer what may have happened. The structure and content of this poem was also quite impressive. The author used alliteration, personification, and simile to strengthen the poem. The author uses an alliteration in stanza 1 when it says, “says the size of his shoes.” The author also uses an alliteration on stanza 5 when it says, “…Bible …show more content…
When the reader finds the shoes, bed, bible, and more, these objects become the voices of the family who lived there. The absence of the family is felt the farther the author goes into the house. The personification introduces the family and leads the reader to wonder what happened at the abandoned farmhouse. The author also uses simile in the poem. In stanza 21 and 22, it says “…its toys are strewn in the yard like branches after a storm.” This simile compares the toys being scattered in odd places like branches from a tree appear after a storm. This also shows that when the family left, they must have been in a hurry and dropped things on their way out. This also adds to the mystery of the poem and really makes the reader think. A major shift occurs on stanza 17. This is a major shift because it informs the reader that the house is abandoned because something went wrong. This brings the readers full attention. The author uses outstanding language to describe the emptiness of the house, such as broke, dusty, cold, lonely, and more. The techniques and language used throughout the poem attribute to the theme of