Student’s Nam
Professor
Course
Date
“Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde’s poem “Hanging Fire”, is about a teenage confession during her puberty stage. The speaker of the poem is a fourteen-year-old and speaks of an experience that most of the people experienced or they are familiar with. The speaker depicts her experience in a manner that depicts her it and with an expressive honesty to rouse the emotion of the poem. Its is like the speaker intends to the reader to look back in their adolescence and also examine their experience the same way the speaker did. The main theme of the poem is the troubles that young people at their puberty stage undergoes and the main cause of the troubles that they undergo. Though the speaker does not state directly, the poem depicts clearly how emotional changes affects teenagers if they lack parental love or parents supports.
The speaker depicts the emotions of this poem in a serious manner but also in a funny way. The emotions of the poem are serious as the speaker continuously complains of her life the author of the poem also needs help from her mother to assist her through the emotional and physical changes she undergoes as a teen. The speaker is afraid of growing as she lacks somebody to refer to as role model and also parental support. Hence the emotions depicted through lack of parental support and parental support show how serious her emotions her (Audre). The speaker is experiencing confusion, frustration and also anxiety since she lives a life that does not satisfy her. In the line “suppose I die before graduation, they will sing sad melodies” line (14-15). This statement indicates that the speaker feels different and lonely.
The speaker’s emotions in the poem are depicted in various ways. In this poem, the speaker undergoes almost all troubles associated with being in the adolescence stage. The speaker dramatizes her situation by stating that “my skin has betrayed me” (line 2). This indicates that her body might be at war with her inner self, and she has the feeling that she might lose. The speaker also perceives her room to be small to an extend that cannot accommodate her (Audre). This alludes to her emotions that she is now a grown-up, and there is also no space that can make her feel to be herself, both emotionally and physically.
It is therefore essential to note that it seems to be impossible to recall troubles that someone went through but also essential as it makes someone to move on. The speaker of the poem also displays courage by writing about her experience in childhood. In addition, the speaker utilizes descriptive words and figurative languages so as to add interesting elements.
“To My Mother” by George Baker
George Baker’s poem, “To My Mother” is all about mother’s love. The author depicts feelings of love and great admiration of his mother. The first line of the poem and also the superlative successions attests to the strong feelings towards the speaker’s love and admiration towards his mother. The speakers exuberant towards the end of the poem confirms how strong his love and admiration were towards his mother. The humorous, warm and delightfully honest way the speaker describes his irresistible mother convinces the reader how strong the speaker’s attachment was with his mother. The speaker’s feelings are also reinforced through the use of playful, warm and exuberant tone employed in the poem.
The speaker attributes his love to his mother through his memories and feelings of his mother. Perhaps, the speaker uses this approach to overcome his grief over the death of his mother. Thus, the tone of the poem can be described as respectful and sombre. The speaker uses a respectful tone to depict how his mother’s character was and the kind of person she was (Baker). This implies that the speaker respected his mother and the kind of life her mother lived, and this was the main reason that made the speaker write about his mother.
The poem starts by repeating the word “most”. “Most near, most dear, most loved and most far” (line 1). This shows how the speaker valued his mother and that he was unable to explain how much his mother meant to him. Therefore, the line shows that the speaker perceived his mother as the utmost pinnacle in his life (Baker). The term “most near” depicts that the speaker’s mother was in his heart and the term “most far” may imply that the speaker was living far from his mother and also may imply the death of his mother.
The speaker also uses a sombre tone to show that he is mourning the death of his mother. This is clearly evidenced in the line, “But lean on the mahogany table like a mountain” line 11. This shows that his mother was buried and he will never see her again (Baker). The speaker uses symbolism to depict the death of his mother. For instance, the mahogany table is a symbolizes how his mother was laid to rest.
Works Cited
Audre, L. “The Poem, “Hanging Fire”.” University of Illinois Press, 2011, doi:10.5406/illinois/9780252036507.003.0006.
Baker, George. “The Poem, “To My Mother” by.” Poetry Analysis, 2000.