A Brief Encounter
A Brief Encounter
The poem “Summer Love” by Marilyn Chin written in 1994 uses descriptive emotional imagery through various tones to illustrate short lived relationships during the summer of a woman’s life. The situations and settings of the poem add to the theme of the poem as well as her use of figurative speech to describe the emotions she experiences during and from these relationships. The author Marilyn Chin has expressed several emotions within the poem through the use of descriptive imagery and by altering the tones of the piece, subsequently stimulating the readers’ imagination. The author’s creative writing conveys her underling message of change of emotions that are experienced in any relationship, whether it lasts minutes or a lifetime. Her use of figurative speech captivates the reader, and allows them to experience her emotional journey through language. Mei Ling Chin was born in Hong Kong in 1955 and migrated to the United States with her family where they resided in Portland Oregon. Upon the insistence of her father her name was changed to Marilyn as he thought it was necessary for school and he also had an obsession with Marilyn Monroe. Having family in Hong Kong, Hawaii and all over the West Coast reinforced assimilation as an important issue to her.1 Being afraid of losing her roots she used poetry to recapture this aspect, however she acknowledges that the truth is we cannot recapture the past. Marilyn Chin is an Asian contemporary writer who has three collections of work and her other pieces can be found in various anthologies. She was influenced by activist poets and has won numerous awards throughout her career. This piece is reflective of a short lived relationship between a young woman possibly the author, and her encounter with a desirable partner with whom she has had a brief sexual encounter. This is concluded in the first stanza, which has her explaining that her companion has spent the night and that she does not
The poem “Summer Love” by Marilyn Chin written in 1994 uses descriptive emotional imagery through various tones to illustrate short lived relationships during the summer of a woman’s life. The situations and settings of the poem add to the theme of the poem as well as her use of figurative speech to describe the emotions she experiences during and from these relationships. The author Marilyn Chin has expressed several emotions within the poem through the use of descriptive imagery and by altering the tones of the piece, subsequently stimulating the readers’ imagination. The author’s creative writing conveys her underling message of change of emotions that are experienced in any relationship, whether it lasts minutes or a lifetime. Her use of figurative speech captivates the reader, and allows them to experience her emotional journey through language. Mei Ling Chin was born in Hong Kong in 1955 and migrated to the United States with her family where they resided in Portland Oregon. Upon the insistence of her father her name was changed to Marilyn as he thought it was necessary for school and he also had an obsession with Marilyn Monroe. Having family in Hong Kong, Hawaii and all over the West Coast reinforced assimilation as an important issue to her.1 Being afraid of losing her roots she used poetry to recapture this aspect, however she acknowledges that the truth is we cannot recapture the past. Marilyn Chin is an Asian contemporary writer who has three collections of work and her other pieces can be found in various anthologies. She was influenced by activist poets and has won numerous awards throughout her career. This piece is reflective of a short lived relationship between a young woman possibly the author, and her encounter with a desirable partner with whom she has had a brief sexual encounter. This is concluded in the first stanza, which has her explaining that her companion has spent the night and that she does not