Old Men Pitching Horeshoes by X.J. Kennedy - Essay Example

Outline for “Of Metaphor in X. J. Kennedy’s Old Men Pitching Horseshoes” I. Metaphors in Kennedy’s Poem A. Ditch Metaphor a. Imaginary Hide-Out or Place b. Between Imaginary and Real B. Peg Metaphor a. Defining Boundaries b. Rules that are Imagined and Real C. Horseshoes Metaphor a. Between Freedom and Bondage Essay: Of Metaphor in X. J. Kennedy’s Old Men Pitching Horseshoes X. J. Kennedy’s Old Men Pitching Horseshoes is full of metaphor. The ditch as a metaphor, for instance, resembles an imaginary hide-out or a place where people can do whatever they desire.

The four old men in the poem heavily employ the ditch as a field in which they can perform their activities -- in this case, pitching horseshoes. The images of the old men and the ditch itself are quite interesting for they speak of something deeper. In practice, however, the ditch as a human invention is mainly used for controlling flood water. This implies that the ditch, as described in the poem, becomes a world in itself rather than a mere tool for civilized men -- particularly young men.

The old men fundamentally alter the norm prevalent in their time and place. In doing so, they create their own universe even “[d]own the worn path of earth.” Perhaps the “real” world or civilization that the characters are immersed into seems to neglect the old men’s dignity. To subvert this disrespect marked in an industrialized society, these four men play their game in the ditch as they “considered dignity behooves.” Moreover, the metaphor of Kennedy’s poetry can also be seen in the peg imagery.

As a marker that defines score or location, the peg as a metaphor represents a system of defined boundaries of roles and all. Society such as a civilized one has its conventional rules and laws that govern the people’s thoughts and actions. In the context of the poem, these rules include the exclusion of the old men in terms of active participation in the social life. Old men appear to have no importance or contribution in the “real” world. What is fascination, however, in the text is that the old men are the ones who use the peg in defining or determining a score or location; thus, these old men become powerful for they have the power to alter societal convention.

In their ditch world, old men rule by and for themselves. The paradox, nonetheless, is very prominent in the metaphor of the horseshoes imagery: “Of shoes still hammered to a living horse” (Kennedy 73). True, the old men invent their own world that is different from the “real” world, yet, they are still prisoners of the place and time continuum that they belong to. Whether or not they like it, the old men are held captive in the rules and norms characterized in an urban and progressing society; in wanting to preserve their dignity, the world of young men vehemently fails to recognize or honor such “considered dignity behooves.

” The old men can “fling, kick dust” all they want, however, this kicking, flinging, and all are useless for they are still the ones who breathe the “sheaves of air.” And no matter how many ditches they will groove, and no matter how many pegs they will manage to utilize, these old men -- like living horses with shoes still hammered on their feet -- are still held bondage to the whimsies and prerogatives of the “real” world. Work Cited Kennedy, X. J. “Old Men Pitching Horseshoes.

” The Hopwood Awards: 75 Years of Prized Writing. Eds. Nicholas Delbanco, Michael Barrett, and Andrea Beauchamp. Detroit, MI: U of Michigan P, 2006. 72-73. Print.