Through the literary techniques of personification, paradox and imagery of simple experiences or objects, Jane Hirshfield manages to simplify the complex emotions and ideas within society by utilizing symbolisms of everyday items and experiences to convey her perceptions about solitude and regrets in life as well as analyze the complexity of one’s identity. Hirshfield’s Zen Buddhist affiliations contribute to the philosophical tone of her poems in their abstract conceptualization of life experiences and emotions. In her 3 works “Rebus”, “Moment” and “A Hand is Shaped for What it Holds or Makes”, Hirshfield’s strong Buddhist influence is revealed.
As a result of Hirshfield’s vast childhood experiences from growing up in New York City, she adds …show more content…
The literary critic Miriam Sagan states that Hirshfield’s poem Rebus is “decidedly written from the perspective of a woman in middle age who has lost friends and family and is on increasingly intimate terms with aging and death” (Sagan 41). Through this quote, Hirshfield is able to explain how she feels regarding things she wished she would have done differently in life as well as the choices she has made. She uses diction like grief, stubbornness, carelessness and weariness in comparison to clay, which demonstrates to the reader her despair pertaining to friends and family she has lost in life. Additionally, Hirshfield reveals these feelings through the depiction of clay. In the poem, she describes “the red clay of grief, the black clay of stubbornness… clay that smells of the bottoms of rivers and dust” (Hirshfield 1), which provide visual representation for her actual emotions and regrets. This portrayal is an example of what the title of her poem Rebus means. A rebus is a puzzle where words are represented by pictures. In all of Hirshfield’s writings, she is able to utilize rebus to describe different emotions, feelings or experiences, further creating an elaborate artistic writing style. Overall, Hirshfield’s expressions about her life through nature imagery reveal to the reader how she has been influenced by a pastoral view of the world through Zen Buddhism. The critic Sagan explains “Hirshfield's usual themes are readily identifiable here, a pastoral view of nature, an examination of the relationship between the self and the world, the close observation of domestic objects” (Sagan 41). Hirshfield’s close connection with nature and view of the world contribute to the way she conveys her emotions, feelings and choices in her life. The obvious regret, the battle with aging, and contemplation of
As a result of Hirshfield’s vast childhood experiences from growing up in New York City, she adds …show more content…
The literary critic Miriam Sagan states that Hirshfield’s poem Rebus is “decidedly written from the perspective of a woman in middle age who has lost friends and family and is on increasingly intimate terms with aging and death” (Sagan 41). Through this quote, Hirshfield is able to explain how she feels regarding things she wished she would have done differently in life as well as the choices she has made. She uses diction like grief, stubbornness, carelessness and weariness in comparison to clay, which demonstrates to the reader her despair pertaining to friends and family she has lost in life. Additionally, Hirshfield reveals these feelings through the depiction of clay. In the poem, she describes “the red clay of grief, the black clay of stubbornness… clay that smells of the bottoms of rivers and dust” (Hirshfield 1), which provide visual representation for her actual emotions and regrets. This portrayal is an example of what the title of her poem Rebus means. A rebus is a puzzle where words are represented by pictures. In all of Hirshfield’s writings, she is able to utilize rebus to describe different emotions, feelings or experiences, further creating an elaborate artistic writing style. Overall, Hirshfield’s expressions about her life through nature imagery reveal to the reader how she has been influenced by a pastoral view of the world through Zen Buddhism. The critic Sagan explains “Hirshfield's usual themes are readily identifiable here, a pastoral view of nature, an examination of the relationship between the self and the world, the close observation of domestic objects” (Sagan 41). Hirshfield’s close connection with nature and view of the world contribute to the way she conveys her emotions, feelings and choices in her life. The obvious regret, the battle with aging, and contemplation of