Similes And Metaphors In The Poem On The Subway

In “on the subway” there are many contrasts that convey both portraits in the poem. The speaker is obviously frightened of the young black boy sitting across from her on the subway, though he gave her no reason to be. She gives a description of him including his feet, shoes, clothing, and the emotion she perceives is on his face but for some reason doesn’t give an actual description of his face and body type, which I find strange. The speaker’s similes and metaphors are very disturbing because she seems to like to allude to death and pain. For example, she says that the laces on his sneakers are”…in a complex pattern like a set of intentional scars,” and “he is wearing red, like the inside of an animal taken and used.” Those comparisons,