Storm Warnings

Somber Storms and Senses

People often associate caliginous weather with sorrows and sadness. Rain can be symbolic of tears, and clouds are frequently compared to gloom hanging over our heads. Weather tends to correlate with our emotions, which is what Adrienne Rich points out in her poetry. In the poem “Storm Warnings” by Adrienne Rich, the speaker detects and prepares for a storm. This is a metaphor for the poet’s emotions- she feels emotionally feeble, so she’s preparing for a wave of pessimistic emotions and taking a break. Although “Storm Warnings” is literally about preparing for storms, its deeper meaning is showing how there are often parallels between nature and human emotions and responses to obstacles like loneliness or change.Rich’s successful expression of emotion is shown through personification, repetition, and consonance.

Rich uses personification in her poem to reflect on her loneliness. The speaker says, “What winds are walking overhead, what zone of gray unrest is moving across the land…” (3-4) Rich’s poem has a lonely mood to it. This personification is showing that the closest thing the speaker has to human company is the walking winds of the storm, which enhances the lonely mood. Rich’s use of personification reinforces the reflection on her emotions. The storm is a metaphor for her emotional state, so the personification

Negative emotions are healthy to experience every so often, and everyone feels them at some point. They’re important for us to recognize. Ruch uses her poetry to acknowledge her feelings by comparing them to dreary weather. She uses personification to express loneliness, repetition to reflect trapped feelings, and consonance to create grim feelings, all of which are easy to relate to. Rich’s poetry is exceptional in the way that she opens up and provides prompting for humanity to reflect on their own