Summary Of Jet By Tony Hoagland

Tony Hoagland’s poem “Jet” presents a carpe diem ideology as the narrator reminisce over the past and desires return. Discussing past events the narrator talks of how he would drink and spent time with his friends and the joy it would bring them. The poem then shifts when the narrator explains how he would give anything to live those moments a bit longer. In “Jet”, Tony Hoagland, the author, uses interstellar imagery, lively diction, and memorable flashbacks to convey his delight in being young. With a tittle of “Jet” one could only expect a poem full of space references and with the amount that are found there is no disappointment. The use of this interstellar imagery is seen before the shift of the poem and not so much after that as the narrator uses it to bring a sense of delight when talking about the past. “we soar up into the summer stars. Summer. The big sky river rushes overhead, bearing asteroids and mist,” (Hoagland 6-8). The imagery used describes many wonders of space presenting a feeling of nostalgia. This allows the reader to understand the joy the narrator had when he was younger and how full of life he was.

Of this diction specific words tend to stand out with their description of the youth and the life of the youth. “On Earth, men celebrate their hairiness, and it is good, a way of letting life out of the box, uncapping the bottle to let the effervescence gush.” (Hoagland 10-13). The narrator states how men celebrate their liveliness on Earth through the use of words like hairiness and effervescence. Saying on Earth the narrator makes it out as though he is in a different place, mentally, and he no long celebrates his youth or “hairiness”, so he can't enjoy life or “let the effervescence flow”. The narrator misses being young and the delight it gave