Hook. In the poem, Talking to Grief, Denise Levertov portrays her sudden change of perception of grief through various metaphoric figurative language. Levertov’s personification of grief indicates that she has experienced grief before, and that now she is learning to accept and even welcome it, knowing that she cannot avoid it. Levertov compares grief to a dog to illustrate her changed perception of grief. At the beginning of the poem, Levertov refers to the emotion as a stray and pestering dog, whereas towards the end of the poem, she recalls grief as a companion with its own right and privilege. This transition of attitude from negligence to acceptance of grief parallels with Holden’s process of experiencing grief. In the novel, The Catcher
