Prince Ea Summary

In this poem, Prince Ea shows regret for the way our past generations have treated the Earth. The utilization of anaphora in this work emphasizes the emotions behind the words. Prince Ea is shameful of the planet 's conditions due to the ignorance of the population, comparing the Earth to “a marriage gone wrong”(lines 8-9). Also, imagery is put to use so that one may have a better understanding of the damage that is engendered on the planet. Antithesis is used when the planet is related to “a credit card with no spending limit”(line 40). Prince Ea apologizes, once again, for treating the planet as if it had no breaking point. He also used allusion when referring to “the golden rule”(line 39). The poem is very didactic in the sense that Prince Ea is reaching out in an attempt to persuade the audience to take better care of the planet rather than obliterating it. Prince Ea uses adverse diction when he makes reference to Sara Palin and how she loves the “smell of fossil fuels”(line 53). He urges her to talk to children who have to wear pollution masks to school. He also uses a metaphor when referring to his foot as a sinkhole. Prince Ea begins saying “I’m sorry”, but he stops himself to say that he is

He states, “we must look at the root and not to the branches of the government, not to the politicians runs by corporations. We are the root, we are the foundation”(lines 73-76),which utilizes parallel structure. Prince Ea wants to bring forth the power of nature, saying “whatever you’re fighting for, racism, poverty, feminism, gay rights, or any type of equality. It won’t matter in the least, because if we don’t all work together to save the environment, we will be equally extinct.”(lines 84-89). Epanalepsis is displayed when Prince Ea says the final word of the poem, “sorry”(line 90). This shows the remorse Prince Ea feels, even after explaining how the environment could be