Purposeful Simile And Anaphora In Richard Blanco's Shaving

Richard Blanco’s, “Shaving” (1998), utilizes purposeful simile and anaphora in order to convey the vulnerability of life. Blanco’s distinct interpretation alters the perception of seemingly unimportant tasks (shaving), sharing its profound connection to the narrator’s lineage. Blanco’s similes highlight a progression in significance; his father’s life was grossly underappreciated. Blanco begins, “His legacy of whiskers that grow like black seeds sown over my cheek., my own flesh” (lines 18-20). Blanco’s diction is purposeful here, describing the “legacy” that lives on through his own skin. Almost instantaneously, his father’s memory disappeared, something Blanco shames immensely. In shaving, Blanco feels a tie to his father that irrevocably cannot be taken away.

He continues, “...like steam at the slick edges of the mirror, without a trace” (lines 28-29). Blanco’s reference to steam is significant here, demonstrating the quick nature of his father’s death. Quickly disappearing, people didn’t appreciate his [Blanco’s father’s] memory, a sentiment Richard evidently expressed remorse over. Shaving is similar; hairs go away swiftly with the stroke of a blade. Blanco urges readers to appreciate the present, unbeknownst to when someone [or thing] will be taken away. Blanco’s anaphora underlines his father’s invisibility prior to his death, reiterating the sense of compunction Richard felt following his passing. One phrase in particular is emphasized. Blanco mentions, “I think of all these slow. forces and how quietly my father’s life passed us by” (lines 10-11). Blanco’s reservation is inherently correlated with a seeming detachment from his father, one he didn’t internalize until his father passed away. Shaving serves as a reminder life can change without a moment’s notice. He expresses “these forces” as ones of unpredictability, as examples: whisker and web growth, rain collection,