Poetry and Personal Response- Thumbprint
English 122
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Personal Response- Thumbprint
Each of us imprints our own mark into the world, and no one is quite like us. In the poem, "Thumbprint" by Eve Merriam, she discusses the theme of how each of us is unique, and that no one will ever be exactly like us. She uses alliteration and metaphors to demonstrate her theme. I have reached a part in my life where I accepted my uniqueness. The poem "Thumbprint" reveals the celebration of being a unique individual. Merriam illustrates the thumb’s separateness by using alliteration in "whorls, whirls, wheels" These images show us how the thumbprint is unique to itself, and allows the reader to actually picture it. Merriam also uses metaphor to compare the speaker’s emotions of happiness and sadness to the words of "my own sun and rain." She wants to show how she is in charge of her own emotions. "Thumbprint" is actually an extended metaphor because the thumbprint is compared with the individuality of the person. A person has a thumbprint that identifies who they are, and at the same time, it shows how each of us is different. As Merriam states, it is "mine alone" and this emphasizes the sense of pride she feels for her distinctive qualities
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The poem illustrates the speaker’s celebration of her life. Like the poet, I have examined my life, and now I value my differentness. It was not always this way because when I was younger, I felt badly that I didn’t fit in. I wanted to be part of the crowd, even though in my heart I did not share the same interests. When I went away this summer, I finally realized that it was okay to be yourself. I no longer feel like a follower trying to keep up with the in crowd, for I now follow my own interests. For the first time in my life although it has only been 17 years long, I really treasure my separateness, and I value my life experience and do things for myself as I am unique. This poem tells us that we are all unique, but most people in
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Personal Response- Thumbprint
Each of us imprints our own mark into the world, and no one is quite like us. In the poem, "Thumbprint" by Eve Merriam, she discusses the theme of how each of us is unique, and that no one will ever be exactly like us. She uses alliteration and metaphors to demonstrate her theme. I have reached a part in my life where I accepted my uniqueness. The poem "Thumbprint" reveals the celebration of being a unique individual. Merriam illustrates the thumb’s separateness by using alliteration in "whorls, whirls, wheels" These images show us how the thumbprint is unique to itself, and allows the reader to actually picture it. Merriam also uses metaphor to compare the speaker’s emotions of happiness and sadness to the words of "my own sun and rain." She wants to show how she is in charge of her own emotions. "Thumbprint" is actually an extended metaphor because the thumbprint is compared with the individuality of the person. A person has a thumbprint that identifies who they are, and at the same time, it shows how each of us is different. As Merriam states, it is "mine alone" and this emphasizes the sense of pride she feels for her distinctive qualities
.
The poem illustrates the speaker’s celebration of her life. Like the poet, I have examined my life, and now I value my differentness. It was not always this way because when I was younger, I felt badly that I didn’t fit in. I wanted to be part of the crowd, even though in my heart I did not share the same interests. When I went away this summer, I finally realized that it was okay to be yourself. I no longer feel like a follower trying to keep up with the in crowd, for I now follow my own interests. For the first time in my life although it has only been 17 years long, I really treasure my separateness, and I value my life experience and do things for myself as I am unique. This poem tells us that we are all unique, but most people in