Analysis Of Robert Hempel's 'Mosaic'

1936 Words4 Pages

In poetry, it is important to be meticulous of your punctuation. By doing this, the flow of the poem will be clearer and better understood by the reader. Not only is this significant in a writer’s work, but the use of other literary devices, such as description and personification, is also necessary in conveying the thoughts of a poem. There authors, Elise Hempel, Brian Simoneau, and Peter Munro, from the Valparaiso Poetry Review use these literary devices to their advantage to effectively portray the messages of their seasoned poems. While the length of a poem can be significant in how well it portrays the message of the poem, a long poem is not always the most effective. In Elise Hempel’s poem “Mosaic”, Hempel expresses her thoughts within three, four-lined stanzas. Her thoughts are short, yet concise and to the point. Within the poem, she describes the scene of a child making a mosaic piece and placing herself into the picture. She begins with a descriptions of the scenery that clearly defines where the overall poem will take place. Hempel writes, “That little island with a single palm-tree / (its cluster of coconuts that never fell)…” (1-2). Instantly, the reader imagining his or herself into the scene. Hempel uses this classic, desolate island to her advantage, noting that many of her readers are already familiar …show more content…

In his poem “Observants,” Munro describes the ever unavoidable winter. He begins his poem with, “Light snags frost as it edges into winter, / dragging glint and spark along pavements embossed / with ice…” (1-3). Here, he incorporates the personification of an otherwise lifeless object, drawing the reader in with just the first sentence alone. By making the light have qualities of an animate object, Munro gives it a personality that the reader can hang onto. With this type of description, the reader is now more engaged than simply saying “the light reflects off the

Open Document