The Victim Sharon Olds Analysis

The diction of the poem is crucial in understanding the underlying meaning of the poem. In the beginning, and for most of the poem, it seems like a normal and predictable poem of a mother dealing with the

Two distinct points of views can be seen in this poem, one is that of the father and then the son. The father's point of view is more common and used more than that of the son but both displays and add to the complexity of their relationship. From the father’s point of view, he shows his concern for disappointing his son by not coming up with great stories and losing his son as five years old matures which increases his anxiety as he sees the future approaching. The father fears of a fallout in the relationship with his son “...he thinks the boy will give up on his father”(9). The sons point of view

In the poem it says “The funny faces that she made And the way she'd stomp her feet whenever they mocked the way she walked or the stutter when she'd speak,” This shows being different because she was not like all of the other kids she had these imperfections that the kids would magnify and make fun of. In the middle of the poem it says, “The day his bike met with a car, Leaving him with a dreadful limp And a jagged-looking scar.” This shows the theme being different because he had gotten in a bike accident and had developed these things that were not normal and for these kids to use as coping mechanisms of him to take out their stress or feelings. n the

There are clues throughout the poem that express the man’s past experiences, leading him to have a hostile tone. The speaker represents his past as “parched years” that he has lived through (7-8) and represents his daughter’s potential future as

The turning point of the poem begins.“Had you followed that boy / you would have arrived here, / where I bend over my wife’s right hand (18-20).” Now the speaker is transitioning to present day. We saw how much his father meant to the speaker. Now the speaker is in the position his father was in. The poem continues with “Look how I shave her thumbnail down /so carefully she feels no pain. / Watch as I lift the splinter out (21-23).” The speaker is trying to replicate the gentleness and tenderness his father showed him. “His father’s demeanor inspired so much love in the boy that years later, when removing a sliver form his wife's hand, he finds himself striving to be as gentle as he remembers his father having been” (“The Gift.”Poetry). “What lingers in the son’s memory after he has grown up is the fact that the father looked him in the eye and talked to him in a close, intimate way” (The Gift.” Poetry). After seeing how the son used the memory of his father to help his wife, the poem ends back in the past. “I did what a child does / when he is given something to keep / I kissed my father (33-35).” We see the appreciation of the speaker towards his father who gave him a gift: “The kiss in the last line leaves the readers with the clear impression that he appreciated, and still appreciates, how his father handled the situation” (“The Gift.” Poetry). The

The poem begins first with a conversation between a mother and her daughter “‘Mother dear, may I go downtown instead of out to play, and march the streets of Birmingham in a Freedom March today?’” This conversation occurred in 1963 Birmingham, Alabama at the height of the Civil Rights era with Martin Luther King Jr. leading marchers advocating for equality in one of the most racist places. The daughter asks her mother for permission to be a part of the movement but the mother denies her as she fears for her safety “‘No, baby, no, you may not go, for the dogs are fierce and wild, and clubs and hoses, guns and jails aren’t good for a little child.’” The mother is aware that black people are not treated fairly in society but is also aware of how those that try to retaliate against it are beaten near death or are seriously injured by dogs or pressurized hoses. She does not want her daughter to be hurt or killed.

The Thematic Message of a poem is its “deeper/underlying meaning” and the Theme is “the subject of discussion”. The poem opens up with an intriguing title known as “Unspoken Hostility”. Looking in to this, it is seen that the title may refer to some sort of non-verbal conflict occurring. Stanza 1, Line 1, tells the reader that the persona is in a bus, and is feeling lonely. Line 2, simply, states that they sit down. Looking at Lines 3 – 4, the persona looks out the window and stares at the winter climate, and then, looks at the floor beneath their feet. Stanza 1, Line 5, tells the reader that they see 4 black Jube Jubes, and in the next line, states that they are squished. Looking at Stanza 2, a lady is brought up within the first line. This woman scans the bus and finds the empty seat next to the persona. Moving to Line 6, it is said that the newly introduced character is hesitant to sit next to the narrator, however, does anyways. In Stanza 2, Lines 9 – 10, and Stanza 3, Lines 1 – 2, the lady takes her gloves off and the protagonist perceives her hands as pale as the bitter winter. Looking at the terms “bitter” and “cold”, it is seen that the persona doesn’t appreciate the colour white. Stanza 3, Lines 3 – 4, allow the persona to speak of their hands being the earthy tones of spring. In these lines, it is seen that the persona described themselves with positive terms. At this point of time, the reader knows that this poem refers to

The speaker shifts mood, from happy and optimistic to discontent and hopeless. From the opening line to the closing line, we are presented with polarized emotions that are irreconcilable. Especially, the turn at the end of the poem, serves as a conclusion that tells the reader how traumatic the travesty was. The dialogue with the rapists is a one-way: the rapists ask two questions before attacking the victim, but the victim does not respond to them. She only reports what occurred that night, which is narrated using the past tense.

The speaker has made the choice to have multiple abortions during her lifespan. The tone in the poem seems to show how the speaker is remorseful about the abortion of her children. The speaker talks about how the remembrance of her children “Abortions will not let you forget. You remember the children you got that you did not get (lines 1-2)” and describes what her children would someday be if they were not aborted. Towards the end of stanza two, the speaker’s tone changed, making her action seem less horrific and murderous.

In the poem the speaker is watching his daughter grow up and he is gloomy and depressed because she grows up too fast. The daughter is following in her father’s footsteps by becoming a writer. The tone of the poem is empathetic and disconsolate. The speaker cares very much about his daughter and he does not want his daughter to grow up. The theme and the tone relate because the theme makes you miss your childhood and when you were smaller which creates a gloomy

People knew protesting in the south during the Jim Crow era would be met with turmoil. Randall had the mother speak of this turmoil during her conversation with her child on why she could not attend the protest march. The poem spoke to the heart of the oppression that blacks had to withstand before the change took place. No matter the known dangers people had to stand together for the freedom we know today. Turning her back to the problems of racism did not save her precious child’s life.

I find this poem to be somewhat negative. In the way that the only memories of the father being drunk and abusing the family. So what happens in this passage is somewhat of a tragedy because having a family member that is intoxicated and has anger issues while being intoxicated is not a good mix. So the images that are portrayed are images of being hurt and images of his mother being hurt. How do we know that the father is drunk? By the lines “The whiskey on your breath” which makes it pretty obvious that the father is under the influence of alcohol.

As I read this poem, I felt that the tone was more aggravated than anything else. The son does not want his father to die, but he knows that his father is giving up. It seems as though his father is tired of having all of the pain, and just doesn’t want to suffer any longer. However the son does not see it that way. He thinks that his father is basically giving up his life, and the son is taking the situation rather personal. You can see the aggravation in this poem by the repetition used. For example, “Do not go into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of light.” The last quote really proves the tone to me because of the choice of dictation. The definition of rage is violent, uncontrollable anger. He wants his father to fight

In line four, there is an introduction to the second person. The second party is whom the persona is lamenting to. The second party is represented by the word, “you”, and the persona is complaining to him that he never stopped or even had a second thought before doing what he did. By reading the poem to this point, the reader is not able to identify what is it that the second party did that caused pain to the persona. This line identifies the second party as hurting person. The second person leaving is not considerate as he is not giving a though the fact that he is causing emotional heartache to the persona. This is identified by the

For months, the capital city of Reap had been plagued by a number of gruesomely bizarre deaths. The atmosphere in the city is one of tension and fear. Though the city watch has been quick to respond, no-one has been able to come up with any real answers, and rumors abound, each more far-fetched and ridiculous than the last. Kai Lucien, Arbiter of Death and representative of Living-God Rivas, has been closely following the murders almost from the beginning. He’s a kind-hearted soul --- a trait that has been the cause of some heartache in the past --- and the continuous murders of innocent civilians in the city he feels directly responsible for does not sit lightly with him. He’s just as frustrated with the lack of answers