Analysis Of Adrienne Richs Poem Rape
Submitted by jack19 on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
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Analysis Of Adrienne Richs Poem Rape
Analysis of Adrienne Rich's poem "Rape"
In 1929, a powerful and strong willed poet was born. Her name is Adrienne Cecile Rich. Rich lived a literature-based life when she was young. She explored a variety of socially rebelling subjects, including feminism, lesbianism, and she criticized patriarchal societies where women traditionally assume secondary status to men according to Richard Howard an American poet and critic (Poetry Criticism, Vol. 8,361). Now a full-blown feminist, Rich wrote and still writes explosive poetry expressing her views. "Rape" is a major poem that struck a lot of nerves in the society in which she lives and the world around. Rich's poem "Rape" reflects her personal concerns, as well as women in general, and more specifically the feminist segment.
The poem "Rape" is a non-traditional narrative reflective because the beginning of each line was not capitalized, and there is no rhyme scheme of any kind. The poem has six five-lined stanzas, not of equal length, making a thirty-lined poem. Since the lines are not of equal length, there is no controlling meter.
Rich uses an appropriate amount of sound devices in this dramatic poem. Some of the examples of alliteration are as such follows: "You hardly know him in his"; "boats and silver badge" (L.4); "You hardly know him but you have to get to know him" (L.6); "when the time comes, you have to get to know him" (L.11); and "You hardly know him but now he thinks he knows you." Rich also uses abundance of assonance as such: "he comes from you block" (L.2); "You hardly know him in his boots" (L.4); "he has access to machinery that could kill you" (L.7); "from between his unsmiling lips" (L.10); "when you to know" (L.17); "know, grow narrow and glisten" (L.17); and "if, in the sickening light of the precinct" (L.27).
"Rape" has a few examples of figurative language. The poem has three examples of simile such as: "He and his stallion clap like war lords in the...
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