E. J. Pratt's Poem 'Erosion'

E.J. Pratt’s poem “Erosion”, though short, is filled with many details that enhance the poem’s meaning. From the visual and the structural appearance of the poem to the many literary devices used, Pratt allows the reader’s mind wander to find the images of oceans, waves and time passing by. This poem is very complex and therefore the focus on this analysis will be on the visual representation of the poem and the sophisticated metaphor used to describe aging. Starting with the visual aspect of the poem, Pratt uses a pattern of line length to imitate the visual aspect of waves hitting their mark and then shrinking away. This represents “the sea” (1) which, although are usually assumed to be associated with inconsistency and unpredictability, in this poem takes a different meaning. In “Erosion”, the sea takes on the meaning of a constant force that wears away rock throughout time. The consistency of the poem’s line sizes emphasizes the …show more content…
Lines five through eight is the shaping of the soul by a traumatic event represented by “An hour of storm” (6). Storms are usually found to be a source of powerful unexpected chaos that can be associated with negative change, therefore line six can be interpreted as to be some form of unexpected chaotic event changed the woman for what can be perceived as for the worst. The event though unmentioned in the poem would seem to have left the woman with “granite seams” (7). These “granite seams” can be meant to represent a change of composition of the soul into a stronger more resilient one due to the fact that the type of stone seam used was granite. A stone which is generally considered to be strong and hard. The second interpretation of the metaphor is that of aging. The “granite seams” (7) can be interpreted as wrinkles that have been carved into the woman’s face by the wear and tear of