Poem Analysis: Dade County Jail

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My initial reaction to the title of the poem “Dade County Jail,” was as the normal reaction would be---expecting of a morbid environment. By common sense, I know that a jail, whether it be in the local Dade County, or the Brooklyn, incarceration is not a pleasant situation to find yourself in. Because of that, I already had an expectation of a gloomy tone. Driven by the third person point of view, this poem depicts the dehumanizing environment of a jail cell. Strategically, the author decides to focus on the guards of the jail before focusing on the inmate himself. The selective description stating the monotone voices, leads me to assert that the guards themselves, although not physically incarcerated, are jailed within their professions.

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