Peotry and Figurative Language

Poetry and Figurative Language Paper
ENG/340
George Benson
Edward Wilson
June 12, 2014

Introduction
Poetry has been used since time immemorial for passing information to the society. Poets have however used different stylistic devices in ensuring that their message has been passed to their intended audience. Imagery, rhymes, symbolism, among other ingredients of figurative language is among the commonly used stylistic devices that poets use. This paper seeks to identify imagery, metaphors, rhyme and structure in three specific poems and identifying the effect, which such figurative language has had on the content and the message of the poems.
Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
This is a poem where the poet gives a description of how he met two diverging roads in a yellow road and took the road the road that was less travelled, a decision that brought the big difference in his life. The message presented in the poem is very moving where the poet is speaking about making a decision out of two competing situations.
Imagery- the first line of the poem creates an image where the reader is taken to a yellow wood and the poet describes of the two roads at the yellow woods. In the second stanza, the poet provides an image of the grassy road that also wanted wear. This clicks an image to the reader on the condition that the poet was in and a description of the road. The poet in this piece has tried to involve the reader in getting him or her in getting to understand the situation that he was in.
Metaphors- the metaphor presented in this poem is of life and the uncertainty of the decisions that we make. There are times when situations leave us at confusing states where we have to make decisions. As per the lines of the poem, it took a long time for him to make a decision and even advanced a little distance in both roads in ensuring that he made a better choice. However, he finally took the road that was less travelled by, a decision that he says made all the difference.
Rhyme- the rhyme presented in this poem is very simple and shows words like wood, could, and stood. The poet has also rhymed there, wear, way and day. These words have been used at the end of the lines in trying to bring a point clear in the particular line and connecting the idea with the next thought.
Structure- the poem has five lines in each of the four stanzas. The stanzas are composed of short lines, which do not exceed eight words. The flow is easy in each line with some being aided by rhyming words.
William Carlos William, The Dance
The Dance is a poem where William describes a painting in the 16th century where the artist presents dancers during a saints feast day. William gives an interesting description of the dancers and makes important observations of the dancers.
Imagery- in this poem, William uses auditory imagery by making the reader create an image of something that they can hear. Even though it is not possible to create an image of how a sound is, William has presented words such as blare, tweedle, and squeal, all of which are aimed of creating an auditory imagery of the peasant dance.
Metaphor- the metaphor is this poem can be derived from the simile that has been used. In this line, “tipping their bellies (round as the thick-sided glasses whose wash they impound) their hips and their bellies off balance to turn them.” Even though this line uses “as” for comparison purposes, it compares the bellies and hips, bringing a better understanding of the content of the poem.
Rhyme- the poem does not have any form of rhyme.
Structure- the poem is divided into three beats where the middle beat is stressed than the two beats on both sides. The lines have also been divided into three feet, where each has a syllable. However, the form does not have a rhythm due to the drunken nature of the peasants.
Edwin Arlington Robinson, Richard Cory
This is an intriguing poem, which tells of a man who lived more than life and many people wanted to be like him. The greatness and all the good things he had then have been presented in the poem even though Richard Cory did not have a persona life.
Imagery- the poem gives a definition of an individual who had the most in life and who many people wanted to be like him. The poet gives a description of his height, wealth, politeness, and ability to speak well with people as a traits that he possessed and envied by all people. According to the poet, Mr. Cory had a good life from a point of view in his outside life.
Metaphors- the metaphors created in this poem have been emphasized to show the reader the attributes of Mr. Cory and bring their imagination to aligning with the content of the poem. According to Robinson, Mr. Cory glittered when he walked, clean favored, and imperially slim are the attributes that create a message on how Mr. Cory was such an admirable individual in the society.
Rhyme- In all the stanzas, the first line rhymes with the third line while the second line rhymes with the fourth line. However, the rhyming is different in each stanza except for the second stanza all end words rhyme. Town/crown, him/slim, arrayed/talked/said/walked, king/everything, grace/place, light/night, bread/head.
Structure- this poem has a specific structure with four stanzas where each stanza has four lines. Each line does not exceed nine words and has an easy flow. The fourth line in the last stanza is surprising and carries the whole message of the poem.
Conclusion
In summation, figurative language in the analysis of the above three poems has proven the effect of this stylistic device on driving the message of the poem. With the different structures, rhymes, imagery, and metaphors, it is clear that each poet had a message that they wanted to pass in their content. Each analysis of the three poems has indicated that the use of figurative language carries the meaning of the poem in many instances. This is because, figurative language involves the reader and brings the content of the poem in a more conceptualized manner, which enables the reader to get to understand the aim of the poet and the message intended.

References
Thiel, D. (2005). Crossroads: Creative writing exercises in four genres. Pearson education, New York, New York.

References: Thiel, D. (2005). Crossroads: Creative writing exercises in four genres. Pearson education, New York, New York.