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Societal Conflict In Sharon Olds 'Poem On The Subway'

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“We are stuck on opposite sides of the car…” This quote establishes the contrast between the two characters in Sharon Olds poem, “On the Subway.” This immediate contrast at the beginning of her poem reflects societal conflict through the use of poetic devices, organization and imagery. Olds uses many similes and metaphors to relate the white woman to the black man. “A couple of molecules stuck in a rod of light rapidly moving through darkness.” This unusual metaphor presents the two characters as molecules, with no physical distinction of color. The white woman then says, “...this life he could take so easily and break across his knee.” The woman’s thoughts of the man are violent, referring to the strength black men during the period of slavery and having to do laborious jobs. This creates a dramatic contrast between them: a sweet innocent white lady and a violent and shady black man. “And he is black and I am white.” The most definite contrast between Olds’ two characters is presented through the use of light and dark imagery. We know that their skin color is different, but this is not the only …show more content…

Olds uses words like “black cotton”, “murderous beams”, and “intentional scars” to highlight the difference of lifestyles of that of the free white and the enslaved black. One of the most powerful contrasts occurs when the woman says that she is living off of his pain and suffering, that she is joyfully eating the food he struggles to get on a daily basis. “On the Subway” alludes to the lives slaves endured, something that this black man will never no of because of the modern time period he’s in. Sharon Olds uses the contrasts of light and dark imagery and repetitive images of oppression to relate her characters on a subway. Clearly the woman in this poem is unsure of the black man, with the biggest problem being his skin color and the connotations associated with

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The discrimination against the white race begins with a gradual distinct treatment of the African Americans who appear to have a trace of the white race. Helene proves to have a more formal dialect as she asks for “the bathroom” (23) and the black woman cannot understand until Helene finally refers to it as “the toilet” (23). The difference in word choice distinct Helene from the African Americans in the Bottom. The fact that Helene also has fairer skin than the African Americans gives the black woman a reason to believe Helene has a trace of white. Therefore, when Helene approaches the black woman on the train, “[the woman fastens her eyes]…on the thick velvet, the fair skin, [and] the high tone voice” (23), as if surprised and shocked to see an African American women appear in such a manner.

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“On the Subway,” written by Sharon Olds, is written from the perspective of what is presumed to be an upper class white woman, who finds herself on a subway with a lower class black boy. In “On the Subway”, Olds focuses on the controversial issue of racial conflict, and the theme of White v. Black. She does so by use of contrast between whites and blacks, by using harsh enjambments, powerful imagery, and by using the tone to convey the purpose. A major strategy used by Olds throughout the poem is contrast; in this case, the contrast between blacks and whites.

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