The Use of Metaphor, Diction, and Symbol in Sharon Olds' The One Girl at the Boys Party
In a poem of reminiscent adolescence, Sharon Olds defines a young girl who has the capacity to judge adolescent emotion with the benefit of time, for she is now a mother herself. This definitive view of adolescent values and thought is mingled with the mystery of symbolic mathematics, which represents a maturity of this thought and a colorful insight into the development of a young girl as she becomes a woman. This poem also accentuates the mystery associated with the minds of the female gender, and the strength of the adolescent, whose mother recounts a vicarious experience that seems to stand a landmark in the social and sexual development of a young female.
This poem starts in the boast: "When I take my girl to the swimming party...," continuing with the first juxtaposition of male with female genders, for the boys "tower and bristle," suggesting something naturally intimidating is inherent to the male gender. This is followed by the description of the girl, who is "smooth and sleek," an alliteration that denotes the use of diction, for the contrasted descriptions also have a set syllable pattern: the description of the boys uses two syllables per word in order to create a harsh, rough connotation, and the girl's description flows smoothly in each of the single syllable words. The next description incorporates the first usage of the mathematical metaphor/symbol, and contrasts the previous description of the girl, for her body is "hard and indivisible as a prime number," adding a independent nature to the character of the girl, and strengthening her role as a strong and feminist model for the beginning of adolescent maturity.
The continuation of line seven models the boys as merely a supporting role for the maturation of this young girl in an adolescent setting. The location of...
More Poetry
essays:
Comparative Analysis Paper: "The Ferryer" by Sharon Olds, "A Supermarket in California" by Allen Ginsberg and "The Junior High School Band Concert" by David Wagoner
... of the dead across the river to the underworld. In Sharon Olds poem she reads, He sits in the prow with the boat ... following poetic techniques were discussed in this analysis paper, connotation, personification, symbols, hyperbole, simile, and denotations. My personal response to The Ferryer was ...
"Rites of Passage" by Sharon Olds.
... A poem by Sharon Olds Minor Generals - By Henning Thiel Sharon Olds' "Rites of Passage" is about the hidden adults in the children that come to her son's birthday party. All the children are boys and display male adult ...
Critical analysis of "Leningrad Cemetery" written by Sharon Olds. Essay uses college-level literary terms.
... " with its "dead" that "could not be buried." Sharon Olds paints dramatic pictures, using powerful imagery that forces the reader to see the despair of having to use "coffin wood for fuel." The poem shows the reader the "dead," the casualties ...
Sharon Olds and Confessional Poetry
... why Sharon Olds is an excellent example of this style. The style of confessional poetry allows the reader to make accurate insights into ... Brian. "'Never having had you, I cannot let you go': Sharon Olds's Poems of a Father Daughter Relationship." Literary Review 37 (1993): 108 ...
Margaret Atwood - relationship between three of her poems.
... feminine views that she believes in. According to a reviewer, Atwood's writings are obtained from the "traditional realist novel," where often the female protagonist is representative of an 'everywoman' character, and is victimized by gender and ...
Robert Frost and Masculinity: Comparing the poems "Home Burial" and "Mending Wall"
... societal gender roles ascribed to both sexes. Frost's "Home Burial" is a darker and more personal portrait of his views on stereotypical maleness, and is perhaps the poem that ... very negative light, where physical and mental dominance over the female sex is his only means of communication, and the way ...
"There is more to poetry than moods and feelings, using Sylvia Plath's poem "Cut" as an example.
... also recount pivotal experiences and attitudes towards particular (often societal) affairs. Psychologically, a poem can ...
An explication of "Late Poem to My Father."
... Late Poem to My Father", a poem by Sharon Olds, carries us on a insightful journey ... heavy air," carries negative connotation about the boy's childhood experiences. "Heavy air" suggests that the boy was trapped and helpless ...