Auto Wreck By Karl Shapiro
In Auto Wreck by Karl Shapiro, the author uses vivid similes, parallels, and oxymorons to create a grim, ominous tone to approach the sinister theme of death. As an illustration, the author brings the red, abstract fantasy to life when he compares the victim’s blood to be “pulsing out red light like an artery”. The author’s choice of words is unsettling and unusually blunt which adds to the grim tone the author has. He is not describing the scene of the wreck lightly. The vivid image portrayed by the author causes readers to feel like their “throats were tight as tourniquets”. A tourniquet is applied to stop something from coming out. The tourniquet could be used to stop the bystanders from screaming or vomiting from the horrific scene. Furthermore,