David by Earle Birney

"David," written by Earle Birney is a very emotional piece. The poem is narrative as told through the eyes of Bob, David's friend. One of the themes that follow throughout this poem is the onset of maturity and all the barriers that must be over come. The tone is a cynical one, when Bob is asked by David to push him over the edge to his death. This poem also includes figurative language and poetic devices that help to develop an element of suspense, complication, and emotion. Birney has created a poem that consists of eleven sections that break down into quatrains. There is not a set pattern that is constant throughout this poem. Some verses are different from other verses, thus do not follow the same rhyming scheme, it adds the story element. One of the rhyming schemes that does occur in some verses which have the first and the fourth lines rhyming, it reminds the reader that it is also a poem. Alliteration is also included in his poem. It helps the reader flow from one word to another; "seracs that shone" is one example of this device. There is no exact rhythm in this poem; it is more of a story then a classical poem. Since not all of the verses rhyme or follow the same rhyme scheme it sets the emotion of the poem to a more serious and mature piece then a happy and fun poem. Birney has used the lack of verse to clearly set the subject matter for a very serious and emotional poem. This piece has impressionistic, decorative, and picturesque imagery. All of these images allow the reader to visualize what's going on and experience the emotion expressed. There are many symbols to help add to the picture conveyed by the poet. The symbol of a bird that has a broken wing and is going around in circles symbolizes that everyone is impermanent and can get hurt. The goat's bones on the mountain also symbolize the danger that is always present in the our lives and paints the reader a picture that danger is even in ordinary activities. One of the similes that gives the reader