When writing poetry it is important to choose the correct words because poems are not as long as novels where authors can take an entire book to get the message across. The two words that stand out are “stars and moths” (6). Both words are used repeatedly throughout the poem. Boland uses them again near the end of the poem, but in a different form: “Stars rise // Moths flutter” (14-15). They also have another quality in common which is the fact that they both come out at night. A way to interpret the purpose of using both words multiple times is to show their importance. Stars and moths are symbols for those moments in life that are important, but do not get enough attention. Had Boland chosen any other words, the same feeling may not have been expressed. Another word that is used in the last line of the poem is “sweeten” (16). Sweeten is a word that basically means to make something better. The importance of Boland choosing to use this word instead of another is to show how life can be made better when it is not expected. The entire line reads, “apples sweeten in the darkness” (16). In other words it is saying that life gets better when a person least expects it. In “This Moment,” the words that were chosen go beyond the simplicity of what they are in order to convey the importance of the small moments in a person’s
When writing poetry it is important to choose the correct words because poems are not as long as novels where authors can take an entire book to get the message across. The two words that stand out are “stars and moths” (6). Both words are used repeatedly throughout the poem. Boland uses them again near the end of the poem, but in a different form: “Stars rise // Moths flutter” (14-15). They also have another quality in common which is the fact that they both come out at night. A way to interpret the purpose of using both words multiple times is to show their importance. Stars and moths are symbols for those moments in life that are important, but do not get enough attention. Had Boland chosen any other words, the same feeling may not have been expressed. Another word that is used in the last line of the poem is “sweeten” (16). Sweeten is a word that basically means to make something better. The importance of Boland choosing to use this word instead of another is to show how life can be made better when it is not expected. The entire line reads, “apples sweeten in the darkness” (16). In other words it is saying that life gets better when a person least expects it. In “This Moment,” the words that were chosen go beyond the simplicity of what they are in order to convey the importance of the small moments in a person’s