Ted Koosers Poems: Similarities and Differences - Literature review Example

Ho Yeung Shiu English 101 Amanda Laughtland Jun 6, Ted Kooser’s Poems: Similarities and Differences Ted Kooser as the genuine American poet depicts the realias of the modern American life in his saturated and vivid poems, yet, he grants much attention to the generally meaningful and ever-relevant topics such as natural forces and their effect on a human being, joy, beauty of nature, and ageing. Thereby, the poet deploys his individual style for communicating these themes in a very peculiar yet bright way. The two poems, “So This is Nebraska” and “Two” are rather different at the first gaze, each of them focusing on a different theme, conveying different levels of expression and deploying a peculiar language and poetic devices in order to unfold the message. The main point of “So This is Nebraska” is about experience of places, while “Two” revolves around the experience of people. However, when looked at more observantly, the poems turn out to have much more in common: literary form and the author’s style reveals itself in certain means of expression such as rhythmic structure and use of contrast. First of all, it would be reasonable to focus on the common features striking the reader’s eye immediately: the literary form. Both poems are written in a blank tripody verse with the rhythm being rather irregular and shifting throughout the poems. At the same time, the position of the narrator in both analyzed poems is virtually the same – the author is involved in the events, yet his viewpoint is detached. In terms of the means of expression, a very illustrative point is the author’s use of contrast as a stylistic device to enhance perception of the poems. In “Two”, Kooser accurately describes the fashionable look of the “fine-looking” (Line 2) men, yet he contrasts it to the age of the father, stating that he is “unsteady” in the polished shoes he is wearing. In “So This is Nebraska”, the contrast is observed in description of the road. While Kooser describes the road as dusty and obviously bumpy (for the car rides in the “slow gallop”), later the tome shifts to the contrasting positive one: “driving along / with your hand out squeezing the air” (Lines 10-11), which means that the ride is very pleasant. Thus, in both poems contras is used to make the impressions more distinct and bright and construct the full image in the reader’s mind. The most obvious difference arising from the comparison of “Two” and “So This is Nebraska” is the form Kooser uses. Whereas “Two” is constructed as a single-stanza poem, the number of stanzas in the second poetic work is as much as seven. This peculiarity of form is probably the reflection of the majority of separate ideas expressed in “So This is Nebraska”, i.e. almost each stanza conveys a certain impression or a piece of description. For example, the second stanza describes artfully old barns seen during the ride, while the third one gives the image of driving on the sunny summer day and watching meadowlarks. “So This is Nebraska” is richer in expression in description of the pleasing experience the narrator of the poem has riding along the bumpy road in Nebraska. The greater emotional colouring, higher intensity of emotions experienced by the author are enhanced with help of numerous repetitions present in the poem, especially in the three last stanzas. Particularly, the emotional component is emphasized via repetitions of the words ‘you’ and ‘letting’ in the following strand: “You feel like that; you feel like letting / your tires go flat, like letting the mice” (Lines 17-18). The word ‘you’ in particular is repeated five times in the second part of the poem, while ‘your’ appears four times, - this strengthens perception of this personal joyful experience and eventually makes the poem more memorable. In addition, such words as like, old and I are repeated. In “Two”, on the other hand, there are fewer repetitions and their meaning is not so significant, but as we look closer, we identify the repetition of the word I: “I met two fine-looking men” (Line 2); “a son and his father, I knew (Line 9); “holding hands, and when I neared” (Line 14). The function of this repetition is similar to that of the repeated you/your in the first poem – emphasizing personal nature of the experience described. Therefore, we can draw parallels in use of repetition as a stylistic device, which appears to be the characteristic trait of Kooser’s poetry. In terms of imagery, there is another difference between the poems. It would be reasonable to say that the language in “So This is Nebraska” is more florid, with the more vivid imagery depicting the roads and landscapes of Nebraska: blackbirds, old barns, “slow gallop” (Line 1) along the gravel road, wind-belt of cedars, nearly personified pickup and others. All these images constitute the whole – peculiar and rather attractive - picture of the rural area in Nebraska. On the other hand, the imagery in “Two” is less diverse, for this short poem focuses on the images of the two elderly men, and Kooser uses rather succinct descriptive words and details: “On a parking lot staircase I met two fine-looking men descending, both in slacks and dress shirts, neckties” (Lines 1-4). In addition to the difference in imagery, there comes the difference in the metaphoric language used by Kooser. “So This is Nebraska” implies a great number of poetic devices and especially metaphors, which are obviously aimed at producing a stronger impact on the reader and giving him/her the sense of presence at the moment of the ride. For instance, a couple of expressive metaphors is encountered already at the beginning of the poem: “the sparks of redwing blackbirds” and “slow gallop” on the gravel roads. However, probably the most extensive and vivid metaphor is that of the old barns standing on both sides of the road - with the barns being personified and endowed with the image of old ladies: “On either side, those dear old ladies, the loosening barns, their little windows    dulled by cataracts of hay and cobwebs    hide broken tractors under their skirts” (Lines 5-8). Barns are compared to old ladies, with the image being enhanced with the metaphorical depiction of their windows ‘dulled’ with cobwebs and hay. Here, the author uses a witty metaphor of the cataract, the eyesight disorder typical for elderly people; while the personification is complemented with the metaphor tractors stored in the barns as those hidden under the old ladies’ skirts. Another expressive metaphor used to show, how joyful and pleasant is the moment for the narrator, is the metaphor of mice building a nest in the car’s muffler (Line 19). This metaphor means that no worries can bother the author or spoil the moment. On the other hand, the use of metaphors in “Two” is less florid. Probably, the most engaging metaphor denoting the age of the man described in the poem is “the other / a good twenty years older, / unsteady on his polished shoes” (Lines 6-8). The man, who is thought to be a father, is over 80 years old, and the consequences of his ageing are subtly shown in the phrase that he cannot stand or walk steadily. In addition, the touching theme of family ties is expressed in the metaphor of “the simple gate / of their interwoven fingers” (Lines 15-16). Therefore, looking at the metaphorical language of the poems, one can see that in both of them figurative means of expression are used to engage the reader, enhance versatility of poetic language and communicate the theme the author wanted to convey. The analysis of the two different poems by Ted Kooser shows a range of differences expressed in the themes, use of stylistic devices and some aspects of form. However, when observed closer, the set of poems turns out to have much in common, apart from the obvious common features such as blank verse, irregular rhythm, use of contrast and the position of the author within the poem. These common features such as use of peculiar metaphorical language for a certain purpose, repetitions of personal pronouns in order to emphasize the personal experience of the narrator and arrest the reader’s attention and others. Judging by the set of common features, one could reasonably state that Kooser has his own peculiar style. Works Cited Kooser, Ted. “So This is Nebraska”. Web. From: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171336 Kooser, Ted. “Two”. Web. From: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/248688 Read More