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Rita Dove's Use Of Metaphor In Poetry

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Many poets used metaphor and simile in poems to bring attention to serious issues in society. Ports used metaphor to pinpoint the issue through direct comparison. For instance, in the poem Hope is a bird by Emily Dickinson, Dickinson introduced her metaphor in the first two lines "Hope is the thing with feathers -that preaches in the soul". She then develops it throughout the poem by telling what the bird does (sing), how it reacts to hardship.
Rita Dove is an African American contemporary woman. Dove use metaphors in her poems to illustrate to readers various ways to describe her character in her poetry. Dove uses metaphor in her poem Persephone Falling in stanza one line 1-2, " one narcissus among the ordinary beautiful flowers." She also …show more content…

This metaphor is used to pay emphasis on Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Among the others present in the garden only Persephone's beauty was seen by Hades. The metaphor is very effective in this case. The other girls in the garden were considered to be flowers, which mean they are beautiful but because Dove used one narcissus, it proved that Persephone was even more beautiful.
Secondly, in the poem Persephone Abducted, "withered her feathers to a hag's" the poet uses the metaphor to compare Demeter feathers to one of a hag's. This metaphor is saying that Demeter is mean and not nice. From this metaphor, readers would have learnt about Demeter's characteristics. The metaphor is very effective because indeed Demeter was very selfish and mean when she had lost her daughter to Hades.
Thirdly, the simile Dove used in Exit was very effective. "The door open into the street like in movies". Dove uses the simile comparing what the doors open into the street like and how it open. When Dove said the door open like movies, she gave readers a vision on how the doors open. Readers can therefore understand.
In conclusion, not only poets use metaphors and similes, writers, actors and many others also use these devices. These devices are used in songs, stories, plays etc. they illustrate important points and

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