The Sonnet-Ballad Figurative Language

“The Sonnet-Ballad” was written in 1949, from the mind of Gwendolyn Brooks, a highly regarded poet with the honor of being the first black author to win the Pulitzer prize. Though the sonnet isn’t inspired by any events in Brooks’ life, it is part of an entire book by the name of “Annie Allen”, the second volume of the series. Therefore, the women in this poem is Annie Allen. This snippet from the book speaks of Annie’s grief and loss. Her lover had went off to the war and she mourns the possibility of him dying. While it is never stated as to whether or not he came back, it can be assumed that he either passed away or will return changed. Ultimately, the theme of this poem is that the consequences of the war, even after it has ended, will change people forever. The author conveys this through the effective use of figurative language and form. …show more content…
In line 4, “What I can use an empty heart-cup for”, Annie basically is saying that in her heart there is no more love, which is a metaphor. She is comparing her void heart to an empty cup. This pushes the author’s point that Annie is feeling hopeless, devoid of any emotion but grief. Another form of figurative language used is personification in lines 4 and 5, “Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange/Possessive arms and beauty (of a sort)...”. There are two examples in these lines, both fitting together to make a cohesive message. “Coquettish death” gives death the personification of a flirtatious lover, one who doesn’t regard Annie. “Possessive death and beauty” personifies death, again, and beauty as possessive in a way. These thoughts together show that what the author is trying to convey. She wants to show that Annie feels that her husband, if in the situation, would give way to death and accept it instead of fighting back and