Literary Devices And Techniques In Richard Blanco's 'Shaving'

In Richard Blanco’s “Shaving”, the speaker’s complex relationship is portrayed through several literary devices and techniques. Blanco’s use of imagery, metaphors, shifts in tone, and symbolism create a paradox for the reader by clearing up the base aspects of the poem yet complexifying the underlying meaning; leaving it completely up to the reader’s interpretation. In “Shaving”, the extensive use of figurative language highlights the speaker’s trouble with his identity, with his varying views on shaving being representative of how he feels about himself. First, Richard Blanco uses intense and symbolic imagery to broaden the possibility of interpretation. Blanco describes the shaving cream as “hugging” the speaker like a “new lover”, evoking a sense of comfort and intimacy yet also suggesting the possibility of betrayal. This further complicates the speaker’s complex relationship with shaving and masculinity as a whole. Imagery is consistently used to illustrate the vast emotions the speaker is experiencing, further showing his complex struggle with identity.

An example of a metaphor in the poem is when the speaker compares the razor to a surgeon’s scalpel, reiterating the skill required for a seemingly simple task. The seemingly simple task requiring an extensive amount of knowledge is similar to the poem in its entirety; they both seem easily interpretable and very simple, but become very complex once a deeper understanding is reached. With the use of metaphors, Blanco is able to further associate figurative language with the complexity of the poem, especially by highlighting the complexity of shaving; the act as well as the