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What Is The Mood Of The Poem The Street By Ann Petry

418 Words2 Pages

In the poem, “The Street”, author Ann Petry uses a variety of literary devices to describe an antagonistic relationship between a girl named Lutie Johnson and 116th Street. Petry’s use of imagery establishes a real environment that is filled with paper, trash, strong winds, and dust. To further engage the reader, personification and other figurative language elements are used to describe the urbanized setting and the characteristics of the wind while a woman is finding her way of staying on this street.

Throughout the poem, the November weather is established as a war zone while personifying the wind as it battles with the urbanized society. The threatening characteristics of the wind are described as, “violent assault”, “blinded them”, ”difficult to breathe”, and “pried their scarves from around their necks”. The forces of nature were considered threats and were in a constant fight between natural phenomena and Lutie. In the novel, using figurative language, author Petry states, “a dark red stain like blood.”, portraying that the blood-like-color, illustrates a dangerous city. This …show more content…

As the wind strikes and tries to eliminate her sight of the hotel sign, Lutie fights back to find a place to stay. This battle signifies how the wind is trying to avoid and push Lutie off the street to keep her from staying. Petry uses imagery and personification as she describes the actions of the wind toward Lutie, such as, “Each time she thought she had the sign in focus, the wind pushed it away from her”. Her efforts to fight against the harsh environment were strong and the urbanized city was something she wasn't familiar with, but she persevered. “She read it rapidly. Three rooms, steam heat, parquet floors, respectable tenants. Reasonable.” While the environment she had been introduced to was trying to encourage her into leaving, her determination of finding a place to stay was her

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