Poetry Commentary

Poetry Commentary- Where the Sidewalk ends) Essay The poet uses a prominent theme, various tones and an extended metaphor to make the poem moving and touching to the reader. Shell Silversides uses an extended metaphor to make the poem moving and intriguing. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that lasts for several sentences and sometimes for an entire work. For example, There is a place where the sidewalk ends, and before the street begins, and there the grass grows soft and white. The end of the sidewalk the poet describes represents the end of a journey. It also symbolizes the end of life when you et with your own impermanence and reach death. This is ironic, because the Hawk is proven to be an Insensitive killer, who uses his advantage of strength to kill and damage others; and is now insisting that the earth and its beauty belongs to him. Line 8 begins to develop the idea of the hawks superiority and control, as the world lies below him for Inspection. This Image also gives the Idea of the speakers omniscience, In the third stanza, the speaker clearly describes himself as having the role of God, or Creation. The hawk explains how It took all good efforts of Creation to create him, in fact so flawlessly that now he has taken over the role of the Creator. To further develop this idea, the poet describes the hawk as locked upon the rough bark. This gives the reader the Impression that the hawk has extreme stability wherever he shed to be, and that there is no force on earth which can remove him against his will. In contrast, in the next stanza the speaker describes himself in motion; the image created here is again one of control, as in line 13. The rest of this stanza conveys a powerful Image of a creature who Is both arrogant and violent. In line 15 he states that he needs no verbal reasons to persuade anyone that he is right. The final line of this stanza, my manners are tearing odd heads, emphasizes his power and aggression. In the penultimate stanza, this concept of omnipotence, total control, is again threatened. The predominant image created Is one of life-threatening power which cannot be opposed or contradicted. Uh. The last line states clearly and directly his confidence in his ability to do so. This ending is formulated as an incontrovertible fact, rather than a possibility. In conclusion, Hughes cleverly portrays the possible dangers and downsides involved for a country ruled by a tyrant with a fascist psychology, in a large metaphor, using the poem. I believe that this message is brought across very successfully, using the powerful image of an insensitive yet very powerful hawk.