The Death Of Marilyn Monroe Poem Analysis

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The commemoration of Marilyn Monroe in The Death of Marilyn Monroe by Sharon Olds elaborates on the impact left on society of this celebrity death, specifically the ambulance men, with transparency and symbolism. Olds gives details of the emotions of the ambulance men carrying Marilyn Monroe’s cold body away on that desolate day of her passing. This poem only identifies Marilyn Monroe in the title while solely focusing on the ambulance men’s reactions to the death of a celebrity as stated by Olds, "these men were never the same" (562). While summarized above this poem in free-verse form depicts several poetic devices such as caesuras with plosive consonance emphasis, connotation, expressive diction with literal and symbolic meaning among others. …show more content…

Marilyn Monroe’s body lying there lifeless and barren emphasizes the demoralized tone of the poem. The poem introduces the ambulance men while describing the alarming scene of Monroe’s body. The connotation of the mourning and the mortality of women is present with how the men are described while carrying Marilyn Monroe’s body. In the poem, the details of how the ambulance men respectfully treat Marilyn Monroe’s body as if she were alive with the lines, “onto the stretcher, tried to close the / mouth, closed the eyes, tied the / arms to the sides, moved a caught / strand of hair, as if it mattered“ (562). This allows a feeling with impact of this single experience and how it is affected later. The men described as experiencing “nightmares, strange/ pains, impotence, depression” which have literal meaning in the poem that basically stating they are having bad dreams, unusual troubles, powerlessness related to probable erectile dysfunction, and misery all related to this painful experience (562). As they carry her body, “heavy as iron” just like their heavy hearts from their grief, which is described flawlessly how these men will never be the same (562). Also, the literal detail in the line, “the shape of her breasts, flattened by gravity”, which in all actuality symbolizes Marilyn Monroe’s body lying on the stretcher flat on her back …show more content…

Notably, the personification happens to be what “ing” means. Although in the English language “ing” is considered a vowel sound, in this poetic form it falls under the consonance description because of the connotation involved. This is where the twist of emotions with the allusion of being present in the room watching the woman sleeping. Figuratively speaking, allowing this emotional connection and becoming an active part of the beautifully painted picture that the poem portrays, the emotions run free inside. This also emphasizes the emotions involved while dealing with life after such a death is initiated and the present. As far as the poetic critical terms are concerned, the poem could be described as free-verse due to its lack of distinct rhythmic pattern and rhyme scheme. This inconsistency made it sound little off kilter the first read through. However, with emphasis on the intended pauses and a slower reading of the lyrics the emotions of sadness are

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