Ode To Things Literary Devices
Kirtney DeVera
Ms. Talbott
English Honors
24 August 2016
Odes To Common Things: Literary Analysis
“Ode to things”
In the ode “Ode to things”, I found 2 poetic devices: simile and alliteration. A simile is a comparison between 2 different objects using “like” or “as”. Alliteration uses multiple words, usually in a series, that have the same first consonant sound. A simile I found within the text was, “...that one because it’s as soft as the softness of a woman’s hip…”(15-17). Having this device helps the reader see the connection between the 2 items listed. For example, a connection the reader may see is how soft something is in comparison to the soft “curves” of a woman’s hip. An alliteration Neruda used reads, “...clocks, compasses, coins, and the so-soft softness of chairs.” (18). This is an alliteration because of the consonant sound “c” and “s’ being repeated over the course of a series of words. By including this sound device, the ode is given a more light-hearted mood instead of a serious one. As …show more content…
I came to this conclusion after seeing these phrases throughout the ode, “The rich man’s table...there is also a lonesome table in our aunt’s dining room...And there is a faraway table, a humble table...There’s a table in a shadowy room…” (19-21). These phrases portray how a table can show our economic class as well as our personal struggles. Our economic class can be dictated just by what is on the table, for example, the rich man’s table “...is a fabulous ship bearing bunches of fruit.” (19). The table containing large quantities goes to the rich, while little to no food can represent the poor. But these tables may also show our personal struggles, as one mourns for a loss, “...a humble table, where they’re weaving a wreath for a dead miner.” (21). Whether or not we think a table is a place to eat or do homework, it most certainly can mean much more, as Neruda exhibits in this
Ms. Talbott
English Honors
24 August 2016
Odes To Common Things: Literary Analysis
“Ode to things”
In the ode “Ode to things”, I found 2 poetic devices: simile and alliteration. A simile is a comparison between 2 different objects using “like” or “as”. Alliteration uses multiple words, usually in a series, that have the same first consonant sound. A simile I found within the text was, “...that one because it’s as soft as the softness of a woman’s hip…”(15-17). Having this device helps the reader see the connection between the 2 items listed. For example, a connection the reader may see is how soft something is in comparison to the soft “curves” of a woman’s hip. An alliteration Neruda used reads, “...clocks, compasses, coins, and the so-soft softness of chairs.” (18). This is an alliteration because of the consonant sound “c” and “s’ being repeated over the course of a series of words. By including this sound device, the ode is given a more light-hearted mood instead of a serious one. As …show more content…
I came to this conclusion after seeing these phrases throughout the ode, “The rich man’s table...there is also a lonesome table in our aunt’s dining room...And there is a faraway table, a humble table...There’s a table in a shadowy room…” (19-21). These phrases portray how a table can show our economic class as well as our personal struggles. Our economic class can be dictated just by what is on the table, for example, the rich man’s table “...is a fabulous ship bearing bunches of fruit.” (19). The table containing large quantities goes to the rich, while little to no food can represent the poor. But these tables may also show our personal struggles, as one mourns for a loss, “...a humble table, where they’re weaving a wreath for a dead miner.” (21). Whether or not we think a table is a place to eat or do homework, it most certainly can mean much more, as Neruda exhibits in this