On The Subway Sharon Olds Analysis

many types of imagery throughout his poem that depicts more negativity than positivity, however both are present. For instance, the poet says “ The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death” (lines 1-3). This pinpoints one example of negative imagery in the poem because whiskey on his breath, dizzy, and death all provide unfavorable images in the reader’s mind. Another representation of this, is when the author states “ You beat time on my head ” (line 13). This also portrays negative imagery in the poem because it reveals an abusive image to readers. Lastly, a contrasting illustration of imagery is when the author conveys “ We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf” ( lines 5 & 6). This encourages that there also is positive imagery present in the poem because the father dancing with his child which provides love and security for the reader's mind.

The hidden purpose of the subway system which Jurgis helps to construct is to break the teamsters’ union. Because Jurgis got hit by one of the rail freight cars, he broke his arm and lost his job.

In "On the Subway," Sharon Olds shows the distinctions of two people using artistic gadgets, for example, analogies, symbolism, and imagery. The storyteller's musings give more top to bottom comprehension to how society treat the general population that are "comparable" to the kid.

The use of simile in the last stanza ‘matchstick hands as pale as the violet stems they lived among’ is used to compare a frog to violet flowers, which are very delicate and easily broken. The innocence of childhood is painted through this visual technique as the narrator only sees the frogs being very delicate, but to the readers the simile also creates a vivid image of the condition of the ‘Frogs’/ the French. The use of first person helps to create a reminiscent tone about the narrator’s experiences, and further helps to stress the ideas of childhood innocence and the influence of war on children because the poem is written from a child’s perspective. The use of enjambment generates a conversational and personal tone, emphasizing to the readers the reality of the themes discussed throughout the poem. The use of symbolism of frogs as pets and also representing the French highlights the idea that adults saw ‘Frogs’ as insignificant or unworthy to speak about, whereas the children could not understand this adult thought, and they placed exemplary regard to the wellbeing of the

In the story, “On the subway”, the author Sharon Olds uses literary devices to help the reader get a clearer understanding of the theme of the passage. This devices are seen on the style and grammar being used in the story such as symbolism and imagery which illustrate the point of view the protagonist has towards society.

In “On the Subway” Sharon Olds uses metaphor, tone, and imagery to bring together two ethnicities which are black and white. First, Olds uses a metaphor when she compares the man’s face to a mugger. Olds remarks, “He has the casual cold look of a mugger, alert under hooded lids.” She expresses how the man is on guard and makes the comparison to a mugger because she believed that he would have the power to steal any of her belongings.

”Comparing the man’s shoe laces to “intentional scars” is a way she used imagery to develop an idea of the black male. Again in lines 9-12, Olds compares the color red that the man is wearing to the inside of a body exposed. This use of imagery allows the reader to understand the women’s perspective. These lines let the reader know the descriptive details

After reading “On the Subway” by Sharon Olds, the reader knows that it compares two different social classes. It involves symbolism, imagery, and tone. One of the devices Olds use is symbolism. In the short story, the author said that the white girl felt as if she was “taking the food form his mouth,” referring to the African American boy.

In the poem “On the Subway,” Sharon Olds uses imagery and descriptive language, tone, and metaphors and similes to express the contrast between the two individuals and her thoughts afterwards. Olds uses imagery and descriptive language to show the differences between them. She’s white he’s black, he’s “dressed poorly like that of a mugger” but she has on a fur coat. She’s eating steak but he is not, and they are on opposite sides of the car. She also uses similes and metaphors. “A couple of molecules stuck in a rod of light rapidly moving through darkness.” which I think explains the train ride. “he is wearing red, like the inside of the Body exposed.” showing how open he is from all the negativity he gets from his skin color. “The rod of

On the surface, one would be led to believe that this is just Invisible Man describing an ugly woman whom he is next to on the subway (one such description could rile up a lot of feminists). However, if one were to read this simile closer, one could figure out that this is actually a physical representation of where Invisible Man is in this world. The

are hundreds of airports just like this one all around the world. I cannot be intimate with a location that is constantly repeated because it does not exist as an individual place. The structure of the airport does not require individuality in order to function. Its production of repetition and homogeneity is the basis for its efficiency worldwide because it creates an order through which people's movements can be controlled smoothly.” Those places have become spaces of transition, junkspace. They usually don’t carry notions of history of cultures. They don’t contain within themselves enough spirit of quality spaces. People move in and out without experiencing them as meaningful moments to be inhabited. People come to the airport in order to leave. They pass through a series of hall ways in such a hasty pace with anxieties to get to final destinations.

From the first line of the poem the tone is set for the reader. It is not so vague as to use a simple simile, but a strong manifestation of the idea of the speaker as an actual personification of a material object. She does not say My hips are like a desk ,

Riding the subway to a New York City resident is nothing new. It’s something that many of us New Yorkers have to use as transportation because living in a crowded city with limited space to drive is not very ideal. For the people who do drive, they do so for personal comfort and convenience. But for us commuters, having to not look for parking and worry about traffic takes up less of our time. On the other hand we experience train delays and disturbances in personal space. Nonetheless, the pros outweigh the cons and using the subway has become a part of our daily routines for many of us New Yorkers. Marc Auge states that, “If he draws himself into the field of his ethnological inquiry, it is no less fitting for his readers to broaden the scope of appreciation of the work for riders.” With that in mind, I observed the connections with my experience riding the subway in a city integrated with many different peoples and cultures.

When describing the physical appearances and feelings of a person, Angelou uses similes to give the reader a more accurate visualization and sense of understanding. “I sopped around … like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible”. In the opening sentence, Angelou crafts a simile to accurately describe her feelings prior to

Right away, the poem “On the subway” discusses the vastly different lifestyles of two kids on a subway. Undoubtedly, the contrast is defined through imagery, tone, the topics being discussed consisting of the division between the poor and the privileged, race, and enforced stereotypes. First if all, a significant difference between two children is their social status. Firstly, the white boy is obviously descendant of a family of riches.