In the poem, “ Ode to Dirt,” Sharon Olds uses figurative language and specific word choice to detail her acceptance and apparent repentance of dirt. The author's attitude towards dirt evolves throughout the poem, words such as “slighted” that entail apologetic feelings soon change to words of awe and amazement. This creates an interesting poem based around dirt, the speaker makes an irrelevant object into an interesting subject. To start the poem, the speaker sets the stage with an apologetic tone, referring to how insignificant they previously perceived dirt to be, “ It's as if I had loved only the stars and not the sky that gave them space.” She realizes dirt's importance in the grand scheme of things, and begins to realize its grand importance.
Readers have to read the whole selection to get to it and in the end it leaves them with a challenge. Good Old Dirt by David Montgomery appeals to most readers. He sets up this selection to relate to both a reader’s pathos and logos. As well as calls the reader to take action and trys to get them involved.
Throughout the poem Ode To Dirt the poet, Mrs. Sharon Olds, use of figurative language and choice words allow for clear transitions between the tones such as apologetic (lines 1-7), regretful (lines 8-17), and acknowledging (lines 17-21). To begin the ode Mrs. Olds's immediate response is to apologize to dirt. This stems from the neglect that she has come to realize she has displayed toward dirt throughout her years causing her to feel as though she owes the dirt an apology for not realizing its true worth. This is displayed clearly through the personification stating, “Dear dirt, I am sorry I slighted you,/ I thought that you were only the background/ for the leading characters-the plants/ and animals and human animals.
Contrasting images are used between the beginning and end of the poem. At first, the speaker is described as standing on a “wide strip of the Mississippi beach,” (Trethewey l. 2) while her grandmother is standing on a “narrow plot of sand.” It symbolizes the freedom the speaker now compared to the confinement and limited opportunities her grandmother experienced. Natasha Trethewey uses mood, symbolism, and
In "Ode to Dirt " Sharon Olds ases viid imagen, metaphor and personification to convey the speaker's evolving attitude toward dirt, from revulsion to appreciation, as she explores the complex and often overlooked role that dirt plays in sustaining life and connecting us to the natural world. Sharon Olds states specific language in the poem "Ode to Dirt" to express revulsion. In lines 2,3, and 4, Sharon Olds states," I thought that you were only the background for the leading thoracters- the plants and animals and human animals. " This quote proves revulsion due to Sharon Olds thinking that dirt was not as important as the plants and animals. This information proves that Sharon Olds was never paying attention to dirt.
End rhyme is shown in the second and fourth lines of every stanza in this poem. He made the two rhyming words of every stanza be related to one another. One example is “from the bottom of her purse / ignoring Mama ’s curse” (10, 12). He uses the words “purse” and “curse” to show that if this little kid steals money from his mom’s purse, then he will suffer consequences.
Ode to Dirt Analysis Sharon Olds’s “Ode to Dirt” is dedicated to nature's beautiful and awe-inspiring power, specifically the dirt. “Ode to Dirt,” first published in 2016 as part of Sharon Olds’s poetry collection, Odes, follows the poetic style of an ode in praising the dirt. I chose to analyze “Ode to Dirt” because its title was reminiscent of a classical piece I enjoyed: “Ode to Joy.” Sharon Olds's poem stood out because of its unusual subject matter for its celebratory tone; “Ode to Dirt” celebrates something often overlooked and underappreciated. Another thing that drew my attention was the conversational nature of the poem; Sharon Olds directs the poem to dirt and writes it from a first-person point of view.
Through another list, she offers her observant insight of what’s true success. Going into detail, “the way the wild wrens sang though they hadn’t a penny in the bank,” (ln 10). Using personification, she inserts the liveliness of the forest while acknowledging how the wrens were able be happy without money. The school system trains young adults to think the opposite, that you in fact need money to obtain happiness. Conversely to stanza 2, stanza 4 starts with repetition of the phrase “the way the” showing observation and insight of her surroundings, nevertheless time implying that the reader knows what she’s talking about because it was beyond words.
In the poem "Ode to Dirt" by Sharon Olds, the speakers complex attitude toward dirt evolves from one of disgust to one of admiration and even approval. Olds uses a variety of word choices and figurative language to convey this growth. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker describes dirt as "mud / and dust / and dirt / clods / that stick to your shoes. " The use of these simple, plain words conveys a sense of disgust and disrespect for dirt. The speaker goes on to describe how, as a child, they were forced to clean the dirt off their shoes and wash their hands "as if God / and the germs would be angry with us."
We often overlook the simple pleasures in life, such as waking up feeling healthy or being able to breathe clearly through both nostrils. Sharon Olds' "Ode to Dirt" effectively employs literary techniques, including metaphors and personification to demonstrate the speaker's gradual shift in perspective towards dirt. As a result, the speaker begins to appreciate the true value of dirt. Sharon Olds is able to express the speaker's attitude toward dirt through the use of metaphors. An example of this can be seen in line 2, "I thought you were only the background" (Olds, line 2).
In the late 1890's, growing up in America's first incorporated Black community meant growing up sheltered from the harsh reality of the rest of America. For Zora Neale Hurston, it also meant growing up with a fiery personality as a Black woman. At that time in America, African Americans faced horrifying racial injustice including the Jim Crow Laws, violence, and poverty, with Black woman being even more oppressed. The Black female experience growing up in Eatonville, Florida is illustrated in Zora Neale Hurston's "Dust Tracks on the Road" by employing the use of diction, hyperbole, and details. Hurston utilizes powerful diction in order to describe her home life growing up.
Olds referred to the dirt as "Dear Dirt", revealing that dirt is treated like a person. Dirt is personified as a deity as Olds says "Oh dirt help us find ways to serve your life" this quote serves to emphasize how Olds is trying to change the meaning of dirt but by doing it in such an extreme way makes us to think that instead of trying to change the figurative meaning of dirt, Olds is praising dirt as if it were a god and this is confirmed when he refers to dirt in this way in the poem "you who have given birth to us and you have fed, and who in the end will take us and spin with us, and wobble and orbit”, it is as if Olds is repeating a mantra to express the beliefs you have around dirt and thus declare your devotion to this supposed
So it's the use of personification to describe the dirt. And in the next paragraph we see the author recognize that he has never honored the dirt. They say “ I have never honored you as a living equal.” They use personification to say how they never honored the dirt. And saying they are equals.
Her journey to her father expresses how much love she has for him. From the momment she leaves her home packing in only five minutes and arrive to only discover that her phone departured in only ten minutes, she gave it her all and made it. Olds interprets of enjambent, allusion, and metaphors prepares the storyline of the poem. She chronoloiges her evenst well and allows the resder to fell a part of the story. To the point of feeling anxious along with the writer and desperate to
Even though she thought she is mature, she gets the sense that she is yet imature since it is her first time exploring sexuality. Meanwhile, the theme of poem is portrayed by an adult having a conflict with another person. “How can it be that you’re so vain And how can it be that I am such a pain”(line 10-11). The speaker blames “you” about making her feel despair.
