Poem Analysis: The Race By Sharon Olds

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Throughout the poem "The Race," Sharon Olds describes the journey of a desperate daughter seeking to spend time with her father who is awaiting death. Uneasy about the tragic news, the daughter persevere through many obstacles to achieve her goals. Olds implements specific diction and similes to convey the daughter’s sentiments. Thus, Old establishes an atmosphere of despair throughout out her poem.

Notably, Olds mentions the daughter did not have time on her side. Hence, it demonstrates the daughters persistency. With the utilization of specific diction, word choices such as “I rushed,” “I ran,” and “I used my legs and heart” portray a frantic journey. For example, there was no time to spare and everything happened quickly as it would in

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