2nd Essay: Responding to Poetry
Poetry mainly describes love, loss, and regret. However, every writer adds his or her own twist. For example, “Last Night” by Sharon Olds and “Cherrylog Road” by James Dickey deals with the same theme but are two different pieces of writing. They explore the theme of forbidden love and use imagery to show the lust between the two characters. In this essay I will compare and contrast the two poems by presenting different examples.
Titles can say a lot about a poem. Although titles can sometimes be misleading, they often establish the setting or portray the tone of the poem. The titles given to these poems are very similar because they establish the setting, but also serve different purposes. “Last …show more content…
In “Last Night” Sharon Olds established a fast paced and dramatic rhythm. This presents the poem 's theme accurately because lust is a fast paced feeling that causes you to lose control. As I read this poem I can imagine their bodies pressed together as they fight for air. That is what the writer wanted the reader to feel and the rhythm definitely fit the theme. If it was not for the fast paced rhythm than I would have never experienced every single emotion presented by the writer. I felt excitement, passion, and most importantly lust. The poem “Cherrylog Road” has a steady feel and this makes for a slower read. However, I feel as if though the slow pace, rhythm was necessary in order for the readers to pay attention to all the details that made the …show more content…
For example, Sharon Olds uses various similes to describe her night. She states, “Love? It was more like dragonflies in the sun, 100 degrees at noon, the ends of their abdomens stuck together, I close my eyes when I remember.” She uses a simile to compare her sexual experience to dragonflies mating. It seems, like, a weird comparison, but it fits the poem perfectly. When dragonflies mate, it 's under the beaming sun and it’s such a fast paced action that it can be seen as being lustful or lacking tenderness. While, in “Cherrylog Road” there is imagery and symbolism which makes it harder to decipher the story. For example, James Dickey writes about a kingsnake that is slithering on the floor as the narrator enters the junkyard. This is supposed to symbolize temptation because in the story of Adam & Eve, Eve got tempted to eat from the forbidden tree by the snake. Both writers use similar and different approaches but achieve intriguing the
Poetry mainly describes love, loss, and regret. However, every writer adds his or her own twist. For example, “Last Night” by Sharon Olds and “Cherrylog Road” by James Dickey deals with the same theme but are two different pieces of writing. They explore the theme of forbidden love and use imagery to show the lust between the two characters. In this essay I will compare and contrast the two poems by presenting different examples.
Titles can say a lot about a poem. Although titles can sometimes be misleading, they often establish the setting or portray the tone of the poem. The titles given to these poems are very similar because they establish the setting, but also serve different purposes. “Last …show more content…
In “Last Night” Sharon Olds established a fast paced and dramatic rhythm. This presents the poem 's theme accurately because lust is a fast paced feeling that causes you to lose control. As I read this poem I can imagine their bodies pressed together as they fight for air. That is what the writer wanted the reader to feel and the rhythm definitely fit the theme. If it was not for the fast paced rhythm than I would have never experienced every single emotion presented by the writer. I felt excitement, passion, and most importantly lust. The poem “Cherrylog Road” has a steady feel and this makes for a slower read. However, I feel as if though the slow pace, rhythm was necessary in order for the readers to pay attention to all the details that made the …show more content…
For example, Sharon Olds uses various similes to describe her night. She states, “Love? It was more like dragonflies in the sun, 100 degrees at noon, the ends of their abdomens stuck together, I close my eyes when I remember.” She uses a simile to compare her sexual experience to dragonflies mating. It seems, like, a weird comparison, but it fits the poem perfectly. When dragonflies mate, it 's under the beaming sun and it’s such a fast paced action that it can be seen as being lustful or lacking tenderness. While, in “Cherrylog Road” there is imagery and symbolism which makes it harder to decipher the story. For example, James Dickey writes about a kingsnake that is slithering on the floor as the narrator enters the junkyard. This is supposed to symbolize temptation because in the story of Adam & Eve, Eve got tempted to eat from the forbidden tree by the snake. Both writers use similar and different approaches but achieve intriguing the