Ode To Dirt By Sharon Old Summary

The poem "Ode to Dirt" written by Sharon Olds conveys a remorseful attitude towards dirt as she admits her faults and neglectful actions. Olds begins her poem by apologizing to dirt for continuously overlooking and ignoring the significance of dirt for others. Throughout the poem Olds explains how she viewed dirt as unimportant and useless, then she shifts to a more cherishing and acknowledging tone as she realizes her mistakes. In "Ode to Dirt" Sharon Olds employs sorrowful and apologetic word choice and figurative language, including metaphors and personification, to illustrate the speaker's perspective on dirt from initial neglect to eventual appreciation. In a few lines of Olds poem she tells the readers about how sorry she is for insulting and neglectful behavior towards dirt. The

The author claims that dirt should be appreciated and comes to an understanding about the importance of understanding someone or something rather than immediately ignoring their entire existence. Additionally, the author discusses how guilt-ridden she felt and allows the reader to understand how her attitude towards paying attention to the small things has changed. As the poem, there is a shift from apology to appreciation as the author begins to describe how dirt has "brought us forth, and fed us, and who at the end will take us in" (line 19-20). It recognizes how even though dirt hasn't been noticed, it still contributes to those who have done wrong by it. Olds has successfully taught the readers about being open to anything and anyone, she has experienced the significance of acknowledgment to those who are ignored. Olds closed out her poem by paying respect to dirt and explains to the reader about those who may be small and seem unimportant but do things for you that you might not even know