Daystar By Rita Dove Analysis

There is a wise adage that says you cannot judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. However, this is not just true for judging ways of life, but rather can also be extended to understanding and appreciating poetry. Through this assignment, I have discovered that one of the best ways to fully grasp a poem is by trying to write an original one that mimics the style of the one being studied However, it is essential to not just substitute words, but rather to create a unique poem by mirroring the style the poet uses while incorporating one’s own story, in this case relating to ethnical identity, and other poetic devices into it. In my poem “Running from Expectations" I strived to emulate the style and structure of Rita Dove’s

Dove structures her poem into three distinct stanzas each with a different subject of focus; this structure develops a storyline plot that makes the poem flow more smoothly and allows the meaning of the poem to be deeper than just recounting an experience. I mimicked the structure and storyline plot in my poem because it presents the issue in a methodical and clear order and also enables me to develop the deeper meaning of my poem. In the first stanza, she expresses that she wants space alone to think, but is surrounded by reminders of her role as a mother everywhere, so she decides to retreat to nature. Similarly, in my first stanza I introduce the problem of ethnic identity that I faced in this situation: that I feel strangled by all the expectations that are directly and indirectly put on me in the from the highly competitive Metropolitan society in which I was raised. I am constantly reminded of what society thinks I should be achieving and doing as a female, high school student and try out for the cross-country team to try to escape. In the second stanza, Dove describes how she spent the time by herself including how she enjoyed observing nature. Likewise, my second stanza focuses on how I spent many of my initial practice on the team: too timid and reserved to engage with my teammates, instead preferring to stay to the side and observe everything,

While Dove does use some visual imagery, she does not use other poetic devices such as similes and metaphors. I tended toward similes in that they enabled me to strengthen the imagery of the line by making comparisons to two unlike things to emphasize a particular characteristics and mannerisms. For example, the simile “I was as invisible as a wallflower” followed by the simile that “I was content with just watching like an owl” emphasizes that due to my tendency to be quiet and timid, I managed to blend in so well that some people did not even know I was on the team but I was extremely observant of everything happening (Tarbrake 6). Additionally, my combination of the personification of “doubt, uncertainty, and pressure” with the simile that they “came creeping back like a pack of hyenas, preparing to pounce” emphasizes their looming nature and the tight grip them seemed to have on me due to all the expectations that engulfed me (Tarbrake 13). Furthermore, in the finally two lines I use a metaphor to compare how free I felt while at practice to that of a wild horse: “ I was more free than a wild horse / galloping about, carefree and unphased by what society expects” (Tarbrake 21-22). I choose wild horse for this metaphor because a few summers ago my family and I stayed near Assateague Island and got to see the wild horses; I