The Beauty of Life in “Common Magic” by Bronwen Wallace: A Thematic Analysis In Bronwen Wallace’s poem “Common Magic”, the theme of seeking out beauty in seemingly banal, everyday occurrences and people is explored through the use of metaphor, diction, and imagery. Wallace implicitly emphasizes throughout the poem the universality and, counterintuitively, the reality of the described common magic. Furthermore, she utilizes the aforementioned poetic devices to show the audience how one can perceive the world’s hidden wonder as the speaker does. In these ways, she effectively establishes the theme of finding life’s beauty in her poem “Common Magic”. Bronwen Wallace introduces a new character or group of characters in each of the first six stanzas.
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A critical part of “Common Magic” is the ubiquity of the wonder Wallace writes about, so creating a poem that tells a story that does not actively include the reader would prove ineffective in expressing its theme. Conversely, Wallace chooses to write in the second person perspective for the entirety of the poem and speaks directly to the audience. In stanza one, she writes about the reader’s friend and the effect a relationship has on her: “Your best friend falls in love / and her brain turns to water.” (Wallace 1-2). By using this sort of personal language, Wallace guides the audience through the poem, allows them to discover the beauty in their life, and encourages introspection on their view of the world. In the final stanza, Wallace even brings the reader to a conclusion: “It’s always the chance word, unthinking / gesture that unlocks the face before you.” (Wallace 55-56). This summarizes the overall lesson she wanted to convey in the poem and plants a final idea in the audience’s …show more content…
In the first stanza, she writes that the reader’s best friend is “making the customary sounds” (Wallace 4). This engages the reader’s hearing and suggests that the sound is one they have heard many times before. This is the way by which Wallace establishes the setting as a well-known one, before showing the reader how such an ordinary occurrence could be seen magical. Similarly in stanza five, she stimulates the sense of touch when she says: “their laughter / tickles that part of your brain” (Wallace 39-40). The word “that” indicates it is a sensation the reader is familiar with, further cementing in the poem the idea that all of the experiences she writes about are commonplace, but still
A critical part of “Common Magic” is the ubiquity of the wonder Wallace writes about, so creating a poem that tells a story that does not actively include the reader would prove ineffective in expressing its theme. Conversely, Wallace chooses to write in the second person perspective for the entirety of the poem and speaks directly to the audience. In stanza one, she writes about the reader’s friend and the effect a relationship has on her: “Your best friend falls in love / and her brain turns to water.” (Wallace 1-2). By using this sort of personal language, Wallace guides the audience through the poem, allows them to discover the beauty in their life, and encourages introspection on their view of the world. In the final stanza, Wallace even brings the reader to a conclusion: “It’s always the chance word, unthinking / gesture that unlocks the face before you.” (Wallace 55-56). This summarizes the overall lesson she wanted to convey in the poem and plants a final idea in the audience’s …show more content…
In the first stanza, she writes that the reader’s best friend is “making the customary sounds” (Wallace 4). This engages the reader’s hearing and suggests that the sound is one they have heard many times before. This is the way by which Wallace establishes the setting as a well-known one, before showing the reader how such an ordinary occurrence could be seen magical. Similarly in stanza five, she stimulates the sense of touch when she says: “their laughter / tickles that part of your brain” (Wallace 39-40). The word “that” indicates it is a sensation the reader is familiar with, further cementing in the poem the idea that all of the experiences she writes about are commonplace, but still