Sae Koyama
J2 Language Arts
Essay 1 The speaker of a poem has a significant effect on how it’s perceived by readers. The word choice the speaker uses can make us interpret the poem as being playful, or serious at times. In Mary Swenson’s ‘Southbound on the Freeway’ and E.A. Robinson’s ‘Dark Hills’ the speakers in their respective poems are completely different, and although the messages they convey to us are just as serious, the tone and imagery used to communicate the poet's message are completely different. The speaker of ‘Southbound on the Freeway’ is an alien coming in as a tourist from Orbitville, seeing cars for the first time. The alien speaks in the naïve tone of one who doesn’t know much, being light and playful in its description of cars. In the first few lines of the poem, we are being assimilated into looking from the alien’s perspective and begin to see cars, a vehicle we see or use as a means of transportation in our everyday lives, in a new light. At the same time, however, assimilating us into the alien’s new take on things means that we are alienated from cars. The diction of the poem is similar to a children’s riddle, comparing the parts …show more content…
The tone of the speaker and the word choice paints an image in our minds, whether it be wistful or playful. It lays the ground for the atmosphere of the poem to be made, and it ultimately changes how the message is taken. The gravity of the message changes - if the speaker has a rather playful tone, it still strikes us but makes us wonder lightly on what the poet related to us in the poem itself. Because the speaker is simple, it takes us much more time for the reality of the message to sink in our hearts. Contrary to this is when the speaker is serious from the beginning, as in the ‘Dark Hills’. The solemnity of the poem is evident from the beginning, and the words settle heavily in our
J2 Language Arts
Essay 1 The speaker of a poem has a significant effect on how it’s perceived by readers. The word choice the speaker uses can make us interpret the poem as being playful, or serious at times. In Mary Swenson’s ‘Southbound on the Freeway’ and E.A. Robinson’s ‘Dark Hills’ the speakers in their respective poems are completely different, and although the messages they convey to us are just as serious, the tone and imagery used to communicate the poet's message are completely different. The speaker of ‘Southbound on the Freeway’ is an alien coming in as a tourist from Orbitville, seeing cars for the first time. The alien speaks in the naïve tone of one who doesn’t know much, being light and playful in its description of cars. In the first few lines of the poem, we are being assimilated into looking from the alien’s perspective and begin to see cars, a vehicle we see or use as a means of transportation in our everyday lives, in a new light. At the same time, however, assimilating us into the alien’s new take on things means that we are alienated from cars. The diction of the poem is similar to a children’s riddle, comparing the parts …show more content…
The tone of the speaker and the word choice paints an image in our minds, whether it be wistful or playful. It lays the ground for the atmosphere of the poem to be made, and it ultimately changes how the message is taken. The gravity of the message changes - if the speaker has a rather playful tone, it still strikes us but makes us wonder lightly on what the poet related to us in the poem itself. Because the speaker is simple, it takes us much more time for the reality of the message to sink in our hearts. Contrary to this is when the speaker is serious from the beginning, as in the ‘Dark Hills’. The solemnity of the poem is evident from the beginning, and the words settle heavily in our