POETRY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 1

Poetry and Figurative Language

Kim Eschler

ENG340

April 14, 2011

Nicole Magann

POETRY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 2

Poetry and Figurative Language

Poetry allows the author freely to flow thoughts, emotions, and ideas. The

carefully woven use of figurative language, diction, rhythm, sound, sense, and even

some nonsense gives the author a flexibility only seen in poetry. Some poets are

passionate about their craft and live a free, bohemian lifestyle to match the free flowing

ways of their words and others just love the expression and detail that comes from

short, direct word play. I find poetry challenging to read and write.

Figurative Language

Figurative language is used in poetry to connect with the reader in a way a short

story or essay does not. Language is of the utmost importance to humans. We teach

each other word so that we may communicate. We communicate to create culture and

society that functions with rules and prosperity. When a child is taught the word “dog,”

they are shown a dog, imitate the dogs bark, maybe smell the dog and recall its damp

dog smell and even pet the dog to remember the feelings of its fur. To grasp the idea of

the word, we use all of our senses. A poet uses the understanding of language to

create a world in their poems that brings the reader to an emotional place that includes

visual, sensual, aromatic, audial, and taste sensation, to relate the message they are

sharing. Poems can be very short, use nothing but metaphors and the structure of the

word layout to take one on a journey of understanding.

Summary of Three Poems

From our reading of various poems I have chosen three that I greatly enjoyed.

From these three poems I will give a brief summary of my understanding of the poem

and outline the imagery, metaphors, rhyme, and structure of each.

POETRY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 3

The Road Not Taken

This is a very well-known Robert Frost poem. The story is of coming to a point

where a choice must be made. The choice is to follow what is known and conformable,

or taking a risk and heading in a new unknown direction. I hesitated covering this

piece, but the message is one so poignant for anyone that takes time to think through a

decision that must be made, it was one of my favorites.

Imagery- In the first sentence he speaks of yellow wood, I picture a full forest at

fall-time with the tuned leaves on the ground. Further in the poem he speaks of

grassy and wanted wear, I clearly see full dark grass with a wear pattern.

Metaphors- This poem is a metaphor for life and the unknown. Each person so

often takes the same uncalculated risks in life, and this poem is telling of a choice

to be made. The choice was not made hastily, for he stood a long time. He even

went a little ways down both paths to make a better choice. Once he made his

choice of the new path, he was happy and believed it made all the difference.

Rhyme- There is some simple rhyme with words, such as wood, stood, and

could. There is also wear and there, day and way. It appears he uses these

rhyming words at the end statements to flow them into the next thought.

Structure- The poem is made up of four stanzas of five lines. The lines are short

and no longer than eight words. The poem flows easily from line to line, some

aided with a rhyming word.

Shakespearean Sonnet

R. S. Gwynn cleverly packs a quick plot summary of 14 of Shakespeare’s pieces

in sonnet format. The piece is fun to read and a game of sorts.

POETRY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 4

Imagery- I found myself searching through the files of known Shakespeare in my

mind, trying to match up the names of the pieces with the short lines of the

sonnet. Each line is clear and easy to understand what piece he is referring.

Metaphors- Each line offers a clear adjective or verb to understand the conflict

taking place. With the direct nature of the sonnet there are no comparisons made

to keep the wordiness down.

Rhyme- I found no specific rhyme in this. The play on words, and simplistic

explanation of the very detailed Shakespearian works is comical and

entertaining.

Structure- This is written in sonnet format. The poem is 14 lines, written in iambic

pentameter, has an unstandardized rhyming scheme, and keeps a similar, to the

point, voice between each line.

Richard Cory

Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem was the most intriguing. The poem tells of a

story of a man who had it all, which people envied, and wanted to be like. We are

shown the greatness and outside of his life, but nothing of the internal and personal life

of Mr. Cory. I found the closing line unexpected and striking.

Imagery- The metaphors used paint a clear understanding of how Mr. Cory is

perceived. Richard Cory was wealthy, kind, slender, handsome, polite, and well

spoken. He had means in a time when most did not and the poem clearly tells

the reader of his life from the outsiders’ point of view.

Metaphors- This poem is full of detailed metaphors; clean favored and imperially

slim, glittered when he walked, and schooled in every grace. Mr. Robinson

POETRY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 5

clearly wanted the reader to see with their imagination how superior a man

Richard Cory was.

Rhyme- In each section there are four lines, every other line rhymes, such as;

town/crown, him/slim, talked/walked and light/night.

Structure- This poem has a specific layout. Four stanzas of four lines. Each line

no longer than nine words. Flowed easily and ended with a startling surprise.

Conclusion

Of all forms of writing I find that poetry is the one I have spent the least amount of

time with. I admit I find it hard to spend a great deal of time to understand what

someone else wants me to find in his/her words. The rules are tricky to recall and

require effort to make work. Like any piece of art, there are many types and loves for

various reasons. The three pieces I choose to cover, I had a connection with, and they

were pleasing to read with little effort to look for the message they were sharing.

POETRY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 6

References

Thiel, D (2005). Crossroads: Creative Writing Exercises in Four Genres. Pearson

Education, New York, New York.