preview

Compare And Contrast 35/10 And The One Girl At The Boys Party

Decent Essays

Literary Compare and Contrast Essay The poems "35/10" and "The One Girl at the Boys Party" by Sharon Olds explore the process of puberty that one experiences in life. In the case of both poems, this process specifically targets females entering womanhood. Additionally, the poems each discuss several factors involved with the concept of aging, and the themes both appear to have similar and different elements. “35/10” targets the maturity of females in a physical matter while “The One Girl at the Boys Party” focuses on the mental development. The similarities and differences of each poem is supported through the use of mood, figurative language and symbolism. In the poem “35/10” the mood that is expressed throughout is one of slight anguish. …show more content…

Similar to "35/10" there are words and phrases present to depict the daughter as young girl on the verge of womanhood. For example, "...her sweet face, solemn and/ sealed..." (17-18) and "...her narrow silk suit/ with hamburgers and french fries printed on it" (13-14) demonstrate that although the daughter Is growing older, she still maintains certain factors of youth. However, not all symbolism targets the physical aspects of her, but also her mental characteristics. The math references, "they'll plunge in the deep end, she'll subtract/ her height from ten feet, divide it into/ hundreds of gallons of water..." (7-9) represent the maturity of the daughter and her intelligence. The references show how the daughter analyzes and observes her surroundings, making her appear much too wise for her age. Also, there are descriptions of the boys, in comparison to the daughter, "...They tower and/ bristle, she stands there smooth and sleek" (2-3) symbolizes the distinct differences between the genders around the age of puberty. Each element of symbolism, whether directed at the daughter or not, contributes adequate support to the poem's

Get Access