Home Baked Bread Figurative Language Essay

Improved Essays
In the poems “Home-Baked Bread”, by Sally Croft, and “The Joy of Cooking”, by Elaine Magarrell, the authors use the topic of cooking to describe different types of relationships between people. Both poems use many different types of devices and figurative language, such as metaphors and symbolism, to convey their true meaning and message to the reader. In “Home Baked Bread”, Sally Croft uses the simple topic of baking bread to describe a sexual relationship. She uses many figures of speech to convey this to her audience. An example of this is her use of metaphors when conveying her messages. When she writes, “Step into my kitchen, / I have prepared a cunning triumph / for you”, she is actually referring to the speaker’s plans to have an affair (Croft 3-4). This is a metaphor, as the speaker’s “cunning triumphs” are actually hints to her plans with her lover. Although this line seems as if she is talking about her home-baked bread, it …show more content…
The speaker is clearly annoyed by the way her sister talks, and often finds herself wanting her to stop talking so much even though she knows it is futile. Magarrell implies that the speaker takes every opportunity she can to get her sister to stop talking, even if it is only for a little while. Similarly, the author suggests that the speaker’s brother does not have much of a personality. Like the previous stanza, the speaker states that she is cooking her brother’s heart. Magarrell writes, “I will have my brother’s heart, / which is firm and rather dry, / slow cooked” (9-11). This is a metaphor for her brother’s personality, implying that he is likely stiff and cold-hearted, lacking any interesting traits or empathy. When Magarrell writes, It resembles

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    The literary device example I will be expanding is Repetition. I found repetition on page 109, “She didn’t like it,” he said immediately. “Of course she did. ”“She didn’t like it,” he insisted. “She didn’t have a good time.”…

    • 176 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Ruth Reichl’s, Tender at the Bone, the reader witnesses the impact that food can have on peoples lives along with the relationships we form through food. Food becomes a catalyst in Ruth’s life, finding her true identity and the people she wants to surround herself with for the rest of her life. Ruth Reichl’s love and passion for food opens up a world unimagined in educating her and nurturing her into the women she is today. Ruth is determined to escape the negativity and control her mother has attempted to put on her since she was little, and live a life full of love and happiness through overcoming her deepest fears. In order to understand Ruth’s growth in life, it’s equally important to understand the decline of Ruth’s mother and how they…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The poem that I will be interpreting is called ‘Otherwise’ by Jane Kenyon. This poem may be short, but it has a lot of underlying meaning and a world of thought hidden beneath the printed words on the page. This poem by Jane Kenyon is written about the idea of the possibility that things could have been different in not only her life, but others lives as well. The title of the poem itself foreshadows to this idea; it also makes the audience think and reflect upon their own lives in order to appreciate the little and big things they have now because the circumstances could always be different. Jane Kenyon begins the poem with the scene of her getting out of bed on two strong legs.…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dekanawida vs. Jonathan Edwards To introduce the purpose of this essay bluntly, I will compare and contrast the similarities and differences in the figurative language used between “The Iroquois Constitution” and “Sinner's in the Hands of an Angry God”. First, I will begin by explaining how Dekanawida, author of the Iroquois Constitution, uses figurative language. Then, I will explain how Jonathan Edwards uses figurative language in his sermon.…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the short story “Janus” by Ann Beattie we learn about our desires and dislikes with life through the character of Andrea and her ceramic bowl. Beattie heavily enunciates Andrea’s obsession with the bowl through the use of literary devices of symbolism, allegory, and tone. Beattie uses these tools to show how her relationship with the bowl displays her true desires. In the story the main example of symbolism would be the cream colored bowl she got at a crafts fair.…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Wilderness “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). Biblical scripture itself does not omit poverty from its pages. Messages of the vulnerable and poor are interwoven to express how pervasive their plight has been and will be in society. Religion assumes a righteous and perfect image outlined by preachers and painted by its followers. However, Grace Lumpkin’s…

    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction Sometimes in life people choose material objects to represent something emotionally in their lives. Some material objects can make someone feel so many emotions that the object feels like a real thing or person in their lives. In the story Janus by Ann Beattie readers see how the main character uses a bowl to symbolize emotions and memories felt. Andrea the main character of this story uses this bowl to feel confident and love. Ann Beattie did a wonderful job using an inanimate object as a symbolization for deeper feelings.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Since the beginning of time, society has had rigid criteria for men and women with their roles blatantly labeled as either masculine or feminine. The man is suppose to be strong and in charge, while the woman cooks and looks after the children. We are constantly reminded of this through sources such as T.V shows and advertisements. The post modern literary movement has shed light on this phenomenon and stressed the need for flexibility in these clear cut roles. However the process of change is no easy accomplishment, and with this new found flexibility struggle is inevitable.…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby is a memoir that tells readers about Bauby’s life after, and some memories before, he had a stroke. He was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, who suffered from a stroke at the age of forty-three that leaves him paralyzed. Unfortunately, he suffers from “locked-in syndrome” until he passed away. Throughout the memoir, Bauby still uses many different types of figurative language, especially symbols and metaphors, and can still find the irony in certain situations, considering he composed it with just the use of blinking his left eye. It shows that imagination isn’t always lost in times of hardship and it can help readers gain some insight through the author’s point of view.…

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many of the Latin American stories consist of depicting death, loss, oppression, and in some odd ways the obstacles in love. Everything unfolds in a surreal way while others convey magical realism into their plots; making each spun tale more alluring and breath taking. In the nineteenth century Latin America was transitioning from a world where society was its people spoke out and rebelled against those of higher authority with the goal of gaining freedom. However, for the most part there was a lot of terrorizing of the town folk, torture and death as far as the eye could see.…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine a bowl being the object of your love life. “Janus” by Anne Beattie portrays the meaning of the special bowl, but more in depth of how Andrea’s life really is. However, in the short story, Andrea realizes that the bowl has brought numerous good things to her life. Anne Beattie conveys an underlying meaning of how the bowl partakes in Andrea’s life and the symbolic message it sends to readers.…

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Girl”: The oppressive attitudes exhibited in a mother-daughter relationship In today’s society parenting styles are more on the side of trial and error, however twenty years ago parenting styles were of a dominant demeanor. In this short story, the oppressive, arduous manner of the mother reflects back to how parents nurtured their children. “Girl”, by Jamaica Kincaid, employs the structure of word choice to capture the commanding tone which creates themes: that depict the mother- daughter relationship.…

    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Symbolism in “Trifles” Susan Glaspell ’s play “Trifles” is set in the early 1900’s. Throughout the course of the story, the main setting is in the kitchen. This would not sound so bad if we were not informed of other characteristics of the house. The kitchen and the house is described as gloomy and the overall sense of the house is just depressing.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the poems, Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy and Let me describe for you her eyes by Glenn Colquhoun, the writers have used many different language techniques to show their thoughts on relationships. In Valentine, Carol Ann Duffy uses metaphors and personification to communicate her ideas about love. She thinks that love isn’t always good and joyful and can be miserable and heart breaking. In Let me describe for you her eyes, Glenn Colquhoun uses metaphors and similes to let the readers know his ideas and perspective on love. He shows that love can cause a lot of pain and it doesn’t always turn out the way you want.…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In today 's society, divorce is more the norm than ever before. With fifty percent of marriages ending in divorce, it is no surprise that we have become so familiar with the concept of divorce. Whether it be through personal experiences or through the works of literature, the idea of a marriages failing has become more known and sadly more accepting. In “A Temporary Matter”, author Jhumpa Lahiri delineates one woman 's desire to end her marriage while her husbands seems to do everything possible to save it. This idea of one sided love makes it evident to the readers that their marriage will inevitably come to an end.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays