The Author's Message

In life, each individual has the ability to develop unique interpretations, perspectives and decisions about a variety of topics. When someone reads a poem or hears a song he or she will interpret it in a certain way, sometimes different from the intention of the author. There are many contributing factors that bring a poem and song to life, yet we cannot say that all the factors depicted by the author have an effect on every reader. People connect with poems and songs differently, usually as a result of specific personal life experiences and memories. Authors and singers bring poems and songs to life through different methods in an effort to convey a particular message. Some of these methods used are: metaphor, tone, and sound.

Since a metaphor literally denotes one kind of object or idea to suggest a similarity or analogy with another sometimes abstract idea, authors tend to use it frequently in their creations to express their thoughts and feeling. Think of a metaphor as another way of thinking: it offers the reader a fresh and distinct way to examine a perspective and view of the world. Metaphors clarify ideas by using other examples one can relate to. For example, Sylvia Plath compares herself being pregnant to an elephant or a ponderous house in her poem Metaphors by saying “I’m a riddle in nine syllables, an elephant, a ponderous house” (Plath line 1). She continuous to describe the nine-month journey of pregnancy to a train ride: “Boarded the train there’s no getting off” (Plath 9). The metaphors she uses brings her poem to life, it allows the reader to understand the long process of being pregnant to something that we perhaps have experienced like a long train ride, seen like an elephant, or felt like the weight of so...

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...nce in life, we can say that the message conveyed by the art of poetry and music will never be felt exatly the same way be each individual. Therefore, poetry and music might not be appraised exactly how the author expects but nonetheless the unique techniques employed by each author will have a far-reaching impact and resonate with their readers and/or listeners, this is what bringing a poem or song to life is all about. And only then will the recipient of the message capture and appreciate the magnificanct effect behind great words.

Works Cited

Enrique Iglesias, Mark Taylor, Paul Barry. “Hero”.Escape. 2001.

Gwendlyn Brooks “We Real Cool”. 1917-2000.

Marshall Mathers (aka Eminem). “The Way I am”. The Marshal Mathers LP. 2000

Rich Acceta-Evans. “Guilt”. Available at: http://home.netcom.com/~radashe/20simple.htm#GUILT

Silvia Plath. “Metaphors”. 1932-1963.