Riding the "A" - May Swenson
In "Riding the 'A'," May Swenson depicts the ordinary bleakness of a subway train in a city; however, the common mechanics of the subway gliding along the rails arrouses the writer as if she was frolicking through a flowery meadow. In the openning lines of the poem, May Swenson depicts the dull pessimism of the train amplified by her "gray raincoat," and also noting that "the hollow of the car is gray." The gloomy dreariness of May Swenson's diction exudes a sense of hopeless desolation as if the world suddenly turned black and white. However, the middle of the poem brings a volte-face. At this point, Swenson switches from the dull, literal language into a flowery poetic verse. The steel frame of the train, usually an ordinary and orthodox object, "feels like the newest of knives slicing along a long black crusty loaf from West 4th to 168th." The easy-going subway glissades across the rails as if it were to "make love in a glide of slickness and friction." The embellished figurative language that Swenson uses depicts a contrasting image to the routine and vapid subway car. This complete divergence creates a notion that a simple ride on the train can change a dejected man into euphoric prince as the car floats across the abyss once known as the dull, gray rails.
good description, however, some of your word choice could be changed. The word "arouses" in line 2 could be replaced with a more accurate word. While this word does work, it has a more common connotation and meaning to it, which most readers will associate with the word. Dictionary Def: 3. To stimulate sexual desire in.
ReplyDeleteI like how you incorporate your quotes in this paragraph and also want to comment on how you use the "power verbs" to your advantage. It just sounds more professional. If I were to pick on something, I would say that you could add more transitions to make the piece flow a little more.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the way you use quotes, like the comments above stated. It makes nice and beefy and strong in a good checked way. I would say to add improvement, maybe try to make it flow smoother with less higher education words, to simplify the language so the point can be focused on. Great job though!
ReplyDeletelove trhe diction, but seems as though you could have had a great variety. the quotes gave the post a good effect, but again, they all seem to give the same tone or message as though this book was repetitive within itself.
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