Analysis Of Red Ghazal By Aimee Nezhukumatatkil

Red is Real The color red is associated with many emotions and feelings. If one was “to see red” they would be extremely angry. In the weeks before the holiday, “Valentine’s Day”, stores and shops are strewn with red hearts and red roses to advertise the day of “love and passion”. It also stands for ideas such as violence and blood, strength and energy, and fire and danger. The color evokes many emotions and is why “Red Ghazal” by Aimee Nezhukumatatkil evokes a profound amount of feeling in her short comprise of eight couplets with “red” as her quafia. Within a ghazal’s form, each of the eight couplets should be tied in together some way, but also must be able to stand alone. The ending of the first couplet’s lines are established as …show more content…
In another couplet she talks about a child she babysits with orange hair. She portrays this girl as carefree and happy with the use of the word splayed and upside down as she is sitting on the couch. Splayed means to have limbs or parts (here, it means legs) thrust out or spread apart, often an “unladylike” act or childish displaying of a person’s body. The mentioning of her orange hair gives the idea that she is happy, joyful, and carefree, as these are all usually associated with the color orange and children. Orange also is associated with fire, but is not as powerful or hot as red fire. Not even mentioning that dinosaurs are usually thought of as green and green signifies ideas such as peace, life, growth, and harmony. She talks about how the child insists that her book about dinosaurs is the only one she will ever read. The use of the word “insists” can be paired with determination, another aspect related to the color red. However, when one says the word “read” in the right way, it sounds like red. In this case, it is not quite read that way. What is the significance of this? Perhaps she wants to highlight the idea that the child is not quite understanding of emotions and hasn’t experienced the many emotions that are present in life when one gets older. Her orange hair and childish movement and thoughts reflect this idea. She may have experienced a few like anger and determination, but not the full spectrum; which is why Nezhukumatathil chooses to use the word “read’ that looks like red but not quite the word red itself. Again, the use of “insists” here shows that the writer knows that the child is wrong in her thoughts that life will forever stay the same and will only ever have to read her book about dinosaurs (or, be in peace and harmony for her whole life). It seems that the poet here is displaying her feelings of love and care for the child