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Analysis Of Power And Time By Mary Oliver

Decent Essays

Mary Oliver, a Pulitzer Prize winning author/poet, uses her essay “Of Power and Time” describes to readers the creative process that goes along with writing, and the obstacles associated with it (Poetry). She then explores various contexts in which creativity exists, or should/should not exist. Although many readers can appreciate what Oliver has to offer, she mainly directs her writing towards people who yearn for creativity but cannot find the time to develop it. Oliver uses a specific word choice, anomalous organization, elaborate analogies, bias, and a connection to religion in order to convey the idea that creativity takes time and effort. The word choice Oliver uses is very specific to this essay and her argument.
Throughout her writing, she uses very descriptive language in her various analogies. Some examples of this are “silver morning,” “white spider belly,” “stained with light,” etc (Oliver 620-623). This vivid language allows readers to visualize and get the full effect of Oliver’s main idea. She also uses poetic language at moments, which makes sense with her very successful poetry background, which includes various awards (Poetry). Examples of this are found throughout her essay. For instance, in paragraph five, Oliver says, “I am, myself, three selves at least,” (Oliver 620). This creative use of words provides readers with pleasant contrast from most formal writings. Overall, Oliver’s word choice was unique to her essay and provided a unique

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