Poetry Analysis
By: abby
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how two poems can physically look and seem alike, but actually have two completely different meanings. Problems with Hurricanes by Victor Hernandez Cruz its overall meaning is even the beautiful things in nature can be deadly. And Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver is a poem written about life and death.
Tone and word choice
In Problems with Hurricanes it seems that they are serious about what a big shame it would be if you died from a fruit. For example it's says "How would you fell if they had to tell the generations that you were killed by a flying banana?" Also, "If the wind picked you up and slammed you against a mountain Boulder this would not carry shame but to suffer a mango smashing your skull." The word choice seems kind of funny if you think about it but it is said in a serious kind of tone. In Sleeping in the forest it seems as if the poems is about life and death. For example, it talks about how the earth is aligning her darks skirts in line 4 as if the earth was going to attend a funeral. Also " I slept as never before." As intending that the person went to bed but then never woke up? Finally, " I thought the earth remembered me." If you feel the need to remember something that something is usually already gone,like it died.
Figurative Language & Imagery
In Problems with Hurricanes there is no "Figurative language" but there is a lot of imagery. For example, in lines 5-8, "I'll tell you he said, it's the mangoes , avocados Green plantains and bananas flying into town like projectiles.
Form and structure
In Problems with Hurricanes there is an interesting structure. For example, the poem is free verse it doesn't rhyme at all. Also, the lines go from short lines to long lines. Finally there are two lines that stick out the most, lines 21 and 19 they stick out because they are only one to two words long. In Sleeping in the Forest it is similar but different in some ways. For example, the poems is free verse but yet when you read the poem aloud you can kind of hear some rhythm. Finally what sticks out the most is that it is only one stanza long.
Conclusion
As you can tell these two poems, Sleeping in the Forest and Problems with Hurricanes may look similar but actually can have two completely different meanings.