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What Does The Woman Hanging From The 13th Floor Mean

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I see poems like riddles, that readers try to figure out, and interpret in their own way. Writers tend to write in code, they write in a way that can be interpreted as many things, and it’s all about how the reader understands it and to me that is so interesting. There are two things specifically to me that help a writer hide the true meaning of the piece, and that is symbolism and figurative language. Symbolism is so important in poetry because it allows the writer to tell a story without outright saying it. Symbolism helps hide the true meaning, however figurative language helps the reader get a better understanding of what the author is describing. I will be pointing out the impact these have on the poems “Persimmons” by Li Young Lee, “Metaphors” …show more content…

This poem is about a woman with thoughts of suicide. The symbolism I noticed in this poem is a little more deep. Usually, in buildings there is no 13th floor because of the fear of the unlucky number 13. So, in this poem, in my eyes, the 13th floor symbolizes bad luck and non-existence, which is what is going through the woman's mind as she hangs from the 13th floor. The aspect of the thirteenth floor adds incredible depth to this poem. When it comes to figurative language in this poem there’s plenty. I noticed more similes in this one, my favorite being: “Her mind chatters like neon and northside bars” (Harjo 140). The figurative language in this poem specifically helps emphasize the depth of the problems in one’s mind when having suicide thoughts. It helps it make more sense to people who may not understand the struggle. It uses real life scenarios to describe what’s going on inside the woman’s head so your average person can make more sense of it. I think this poem describes the struggle beautifully. The reason I chose this poem specifically is because of how different it is from the other two I chose, the symbolism and figurative language is used

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Another example of figurative language that the author uses is personification in lines 18 and 19 “tucked away like a cabin or hogan in dense trees, come knocking.” to show in his poem that he will protect her. When she is sad she can use this poem to keep her safe. It also

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Throughout each poem, metaphors are evident. In line 11 of the poem “Remember,” “ For if the darkness and corruption leave,” the metaphor is used to describe that the person will become happier after moving on or forgetting about the dead loved

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This particular poem is about parents that have no idea what's going on in their kid's daily life and what they go through. With this type of action, the parents act as if all is good and make little to no effort to get involved in their day to day activities. This shows the kid that the parent does not care or seems like it. The kid will be influenced to do things they normally wouldn't do. If the parent would at least make an attempt to get involved, it may influence them for the better but until then it will not happen.

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677 Words | 3 Pages

The last two stanza’s in the poem turns into an evil tone. The line where it reads “he was my uncle, the one who lived in the half-finished basement, and he took me by the hair” the basement in the stanza is the underworld in

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1228 Words | 5 Pages

Poetry is an important part of literature which conveys an author 's ideas across to the reader through the use of descriptive language. Poetry helps an author to express their inner emotions and often incorporates various poetic devices which enriches the text. Poetry gives the reader a different perspective and when read closely, can give the audience a look into the authors imagination. Likewise, poetic devices enhance the writing and can drastically change the mood of the poem, as well as, how the reader interprets the poem. Poetic devices are important in literature because they help to convey a message, add spontaneity to a poem, and give the reader a strong visual.

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146 Words | 1 Pages

Joy Harjo’s “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”, references a broken woman who is deciding between life and death. The thirteenth floor in this poem is critical because the number 13 is viewed as an unlucky number and here you have an Indian woman who is poor and is dangling on the unluckiest floor of them. In fact, many buildings across this world do not have 13th floors and skip from 12 to 14. It is possible that the woman is mentally ill “The woman hanging from the 13th floor hears voices” (141). The woman hears one side telling her to jump and the other voice wants to help her save her life.

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834 Words | 4 Pages

This allows the audience to feel what the poet is feeling when writing the poem. A poet should be able to create a story that not only states what happens but also provides a deeper meaning that unfolds an underlying storyline. Poetry is a form of art rather than a form of journalism or history. Instead of simply relaying information, a poet uses language and imagery to make the poem feel real. The poem should stimulate readers to think about different ways to interpret the text, instead of everything being

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540 Words | 3 Pages

However, someone else questioned whether the poem was about the narrator “killing someone” or the narrator“killing themselves” due to the line about “killing a demon”. Most of the class seemed to agree with the “killing themselves” interpretation, but one student argued that the narrator “forcing [herself] to look ahead” implies that the character did not commit suicide. Another classmate agreed and pointed out that the narrator “tapping [her] feet against the asphalt” does not indicate suicide either. Ms. North commented that this line should be changed to better fit the dreary tone. However, another student interpreted the “tapping” as happening before the narrator commits suicide.

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1715 Words | 7 Pages

Like, Alfred North Whitehead has said that, "We think in generalities but we live in detail." To live in details we have to be knowledgeable, critique what the poets present to us, have information about the history of things to comprehend the context of poetry or any other literature. Many poems are open to interpretation. However, a lot of poems are not and are overtly political. A reader is likely to profit from some knowledge of the poet’s previous days and epoch.

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833 Words | 4 Pages

Poetry is a piece of literature where the author shares his ideas of a subject or person. He is attempting to allow the reader an understanding of his feelings regarding this subject. Most of the time poetry can be very pleasing to the ear; however, at times it can be written in a manner that is odd. Some poetry is written in a way that the reader can “hear”, “feel”, “see” or “taste” elements in the poem. Some poems may rhyme while others may not need to in order to convey the message.

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Let us start by learning about the poem. Suicide Note tells the story about a young Asian woman in college who committed suicide. The girl was raised by strict parents who seem to want nothing but perfection from their daughter. The young girl did her best to have a 4.0-grade point average, but still ended up coming short.

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Poetry is a very unique type of writing. Poetry allows people to express their emotions in a way they feel comfortable. Every poem has a meaning to it, whether it is talking about food, interest, or a moment in their lives. Readers often mistake the poet as the narrator, although in many cases this is true. Many poets are the narrators and the poems are about their personal life.

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There is such a bigger meaning to these poems on overcoming hardships in life that everyone has to go through. To not give up and to fight for what is

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1163 Words | 5 Pages

Poems are short meaningful pieces of literature that can be interpreted in multiple ways depending upon the reader at hand. That is what makes a poem unique compared to other literature pieces because in a poem the author tends to use figurative language to fulfill meaning behind their work. One poem “Love is a Sickness Full of Woes” by Samuel Daniel describes the pains of being lovesick. Love can either benefit us if nurtured and cared for, but if not tended to then let loose can ultimately hurt us. As to another poem “American Solitude” by Grace Schulman describes a life of solitude being most warming to the soul to ward off loneliness.

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171 Words | 1 Pages

I really love it. I think this poem can be interpreted in many different ways, I really recommend it to everyone, also, it is not a long poem and the style of it is more simple and makes it easy to understand because it doesn't use difficult words. Hanging Fire is a poem that can make people realize that even

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