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Shaving Poem

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In the poem “Shaving” by Richard Blanco, the narrator relates how certain acts of shaving in the morning remind him of his late father. In the poem, the narrator seems to have a complex relationship with his father as he states that his father “...never taught me how to shave. (Line 16-17)”, this interpretation could mean that the narrator and his father did not have the finest relationship, but the narrator still remembers his father’s presence as he shaves in the morning like him. In the poem “Shaving” by Richard Blanco, the author uses literary devices such as simile and selection of detail to convey and compare the shaving ritual to the complex relationship between the narrator and his father. In the poem, the author uses the literary …show more content…

(Line 10-11)” the narrator …show more content…

The poem states, “...-it is in that split second, when perhaps the roses drink and the clouds form, that I most understand the invisibility of life and the intensity of vanishing, like steam at the slick edges of the mirror, without a trace. (Line 24-29)”, the author relates how the mystifying of nature, which where used to create similes, is not actually a mystery but just how life goes. The selection of detail that explains why or how roses get their water and answer some of the other mystifying previously mentioned is a way for the readers to see the narrator’s thoughts and his coming to peace with the mysteries of the world. The quote relates back to the narrator as he questioned how certain aspects of nature arrived, but realizes that these things are just how life passes on, which the narrator can relate back to his father. Since the father passed away at a young age, the narrator questioned why his father left him at such an early age at the beginning of the poem, but at the end of the poem, he realizes that he can not spend his whole life questioning why things happen because life is something that constantly moves forward. The literary device is a way for the author to show the narrator's thoughts and questions about his father’s death as he thinks of his own death that will

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In Richard Blanco’s poem “Shaving,” the speaker connects the act of shaving with his father who has passed away. Blanco uses literary techniques to convey the feelings of the author and how he believes the growing of his beard, as well as the passing of his father is a way of life that cannot be avoided. Blanco begins his poem describing how his beard is a creation of life that is to be appreciated. He acknowledges the beauty of how his beard grows and how it is an “elaborate idea,” something humans cannot fully understand. Blanco compares his beard to “like [an] ocean stream rising to form clouds.”

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Like many things, life itself is a cycle: there are the ups and downs, the unexpected and mundane elements that fill each and every day. This idea is clearly represented in the poem “Shaving”, written by Richard Blanco in 1998, where the speaker uses various literary techniques to first symbolize the growth of his beard with awe-inspiring natural phenomena, then dedicate the act of shaving to mourn the untimely loss of his father, and finally compare the ritual of shaving to the cyclical nature of life, revealing the underlying theme that life could be beautiful at times, but also tragic, so it is important to savor the moments with your loved ones. In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker uses literary techniques to symbolize the growth

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Inside, the sound of a woman weeping had become a river of sorrow flowing ceaselessly, and all the thoughts he had managed to stem broke loose and carried him back to a place of pain." Response: This quote skillfully uses imagery to draw a parallel between the external world and the character's inner emotions. The moon's gravitational pull and the rising water symbolize the overwhelming force of emotions welling up inside the character. The river of sorrow becomes a poignant representation of the character's grief and the memories that haunt him. This passage creates a profound emotional response, capturing the intensity of the character's pain and loss.

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Death is also a constant theme of suffering in the narrator’s life, and although it is tragic, the narrator always ends up learning a valuable lesson from it. For instance, when his young daughter suddenly dies from polio, it prompts him to write his imprisoned brother. This is somewhat

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Poetry The Poem “Shaving” by Richard Blanco shows how the event of shaving causes the speaker to think about the finer details of his life, and the short but now meaningful memories he has of his father, as well as the the impact that miniscule and unseen processes have on the world. The first stanza of the poem demonstrates to the reader the thought process of the narrator whilst he shaves. The first 5 lines set a precedent for the underlying narrative of a “silent labor” that blossoms into something substantial. This epiphany of a slow, continuous effort having a substantial outcome is supported by other examples of this phenomena stated in lines 4-9; examples of this being “ocean steam rising to form clouds”(line 4), or “the fall of fresh

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In “Hair Relaxer: An Origin Story” Tiana Clark uses Personification and similes to talk about a common experience that most black women have faced in their lives and to characterize the speaker and the hair relaxer. In this poem the hair relaxer is the embodiment of the European standards of hair that Black women have long tried to achieve. Recently, there has been a move away from European standard of beauty and a return to embracing the natural hair that black women are born with.

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