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Essay on the history of poetry
The influence of poetry
Importance of metaphor in literature
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on the history of poetry
The influence of poetry
Importance of metaphor in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Have you ever wondered, if life is important enough for you to be happy and not fear death? The poem “Sing your death song” by Tecumseh is coaxing you to live your life with no fear and regrets. The speaker of the poem, which is Chief Tecumseh, is dedicating his life for his people by fighting for their land. The image that is being portrayed is a warrior who is putting his life on the line for the well being of his people. Figures of speech that are being used are simile and metaphor because it is comparing life and death.
In the poem “On The Subway” by Sharon Olds, the author implements multiple literary devices to get her message across. Her use of metaphors, similes, and symbolism are perceived in such fashions that the reader can feel the tension experienced first hand by the characters sitting on that subway directly in front of each other. The use of metaphors throughout the poem gives the reader a source of comparison when describing the situation the characters are found in. She is illustrating how she feels in those moments while traveling underground with strangers when she mentions: “... a couple of molecules stuck on a rod of light rapidly moving through darkness.”
One of the key literary devices in this passage is a simile, Simile compares the two ideas “ night-frightened faces, like gray animals peering from
On the Subway Sharon Olds depicts the harsh realities of our world. Some may believe whites have privilege over other races; however, Olds tells the story in a way that challenges that notion. Old’s use of imagery and simile help the reader understand the contrast between the white and black world. Olds uses imagery in describing the (black) male. “Casual cold look of a mugger… hooded lids.”
“On the Subway” by Sharon Olds Essay In the poem “On the Subway”, by Sharon Olds, the Author uses descriptive language to vividly depict the contrast of a black and white, With the slight flaw that she is a white female. She also organizes the poem in a way that intensifies the deeper along the poem you get. Lastly there are multiple tone shifts that go along with the organization/scenarios of the poem.
What is the purpose of all the contrasting, descriptive imagery? What elements underlyingly stand for other items? The poem opens with the speaker reflecting on their past and relating to frogs asserting that they
The poem “On the Subway” by Sharon Olds is about a very delicate subject. It is about discrimination and devices such as imagery, symbolism, and first person point of view give the reader that immersion they need to capture the main point of the story. The first device that is used to display this racism in the poem is Imagery. The author tries to make this the most obvious device by basically making the whole poem a big description of the other person on the subway. She uses the imagery to make the other character look bad for example, “I look at his raw face.”
In “On The Subway,” Sharon Olds depicts an affluent white narrator’s initial description of the blatant differences between her and a poor black boy seated on the opposite side of the subway car. The narrator’s external observation then shifts into an introspection of the subtle similarities shared between the two individuals despite their socioeconomic differences. Through juxtapositioning the physical differences between the narrator and the boy, allusions and comparisons of the boy to slavery, Olds asserts that white individuals achieve false superiority through their racist act of discrimination and oppression of the not-so-different African Americans. Old’s repeated allusions to slavery and racism demonstrates that even in modern day,
This assonance begins the poem by setting the scene. We are able to interpret that the unnamed narrator is in a terrible mood, is fearful, and his anxiety is skyrocketing. This is set at midnight, which gives a feeling of uneasiness. These dark terms are emphasized by the assonance to give the
After initially reading the poem “Metaphors,” I had no clue what it could be about. I had to go through it carefully a couple of times. For some reason what really stuck out to me was the first line. “I’m a riddle in nine syllables.” I think it stuck out because it’s so odd and didn’t fit to any idea I had.
“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.