Explore the metaphorical significance of the insect in the poem ere sonnet, ” the cockroach”; written by Kevin Haling, is an extended metaphor. Rough anthropomorphism, the human life cycle is symbolized, and mimicked by : he insect. This essay will fully explore the metaphorical significance of the insect. ere insect metaphorically signifies the poet’s life. Being a sonnet, the poem is split Jp, into 2 parts (the first part is split into two, technically making it three parts); the Skirts octave (two quarters) and the second sextant. These parts each represent a Jefferson phase in the human life cycle.
The first quarter representing Young adulthood and pre-professionalism, the second quarter representing mid-adult nod and professionalism, finally the last sextant representing middle age; this isn’t : he last phase of human life, but can be assumed to be the phase the poet is living Nee he wrote the poem In the first quarter the poet hyperbole describes the : cockroach as a ‘giant’ cockroach, this signifies the world view of himself when in his early life, when the cockroach is ‘giant’ everything around it is small, and that’s most keel how the poet felt in his younger year; he felt like a giant, he felt in control.
The dead of being in control is achieved by the phrase ‘Skirting a ball of dust’; the word ; skirting suggests that the cockroach has full control during this phase of the poem. Irish metaphorically links to the phase of the human life cycle, when we are ‘resented with the illusion of full control, when in reality ‘skirting a ball of dust’ isn’t a ‘ere large display of control at all, even for a cockroach. E quarter ends highlighting, how during this phase, so far from the end of the life : yes, the cockroach has already planned its Journey, and is satisfied to conform to : he path ” between the wainscot and the door”; this symbolizes, the plans he made in is early years, it symbolizes his confidence, in the path he had chosen, in the path e had planned to follow. The second quarter begins with the phrase, ‘but soon’; : his is particularly interesting because it shows how short that phase of life metaphorically signified in the first quarter is.
As the insect changes its actions and ‘egging to Jog in ‘crooked circles’ indicating confusion, it shows the phase of the poet’s fife where, he had entered the professional world, but it’s not how he had expected it : o be, he becomes confused, he begins to realize that all his ‘satisfying plans’ made Nee he was younger, were Just fantasies the that he regrets setting himself on that ‘oath. The idea of circles also indicate that he often returns to the original planned out ‘oath, perhaps out of fear, out of fear of the unknown, out of fear of not liking the new ‘oath.
The idea of circles also indicate how the cockroach isn’t moving forward, this ; signifies how at this point in the human life cycle the person is moving, but not actually achieving anything. Furthermore the word crooked shows the indecisiveness ‘T ten cockroach, wanly suggests now ruling tons apneas, calicles making, wanly was )once a strong and well developed skill (at least when the decisions where petty and mall, as were the problems faced in the younger years) was now a function of the unman brain which could not operate well, perhaps because the decisions became
Geiger, the consequences got bigger, but the cockroach became smaller. By ; wowing the change in the speed in the cockroach’s movement ‘he started to Jog’ ; wows how the cockroach starts to move faster, and how during this new phase of the unman life cycle; the pace speeds up, and everything around it seems to move Just as : aster, I. E the Jogging shows the attempt to stay keep up, with the increasing nastiness. Later in the quarter the cockroach flips over to scratch its wings’ this action indicates that the wings had not been used for a while.
The wings are the insect’s ability to flee from any problem, than can be fled from, they also are the insect’s ability to go anywhere it pleases it represents freedom. The fact that they nave not been used for so long that they begin to itch; metaphorically signifies that curing this phase of human life, the problems faced can’t simply be fled from, so the Sis of the Wings’ had been reduced. The reduction in Wing use also shows how that spite possessing the tools for freedom, he no longer can use them as it’s been so Eng, and he wouldn’t know where to fly off to.
The idea of not using the wings, ; signifies how during this phase of life the person may be tied down, by other -susceptibilities such as family, kids and work (which obviously is not turning out as Nell as planned) despite these obligations and tying factors, the longing for freedom never dies and that’s why the wings are ‘scratched’. This longing which cannot be : lapelled, turns to frustration and restlessness, this is signified by the enjambment of nines eight and nine: ” As if the victims of a mild attack (line break) of restlessness that
Norse over time” this mimics the restlessness of a human during this phase of the : yes, it’s compared to a mild attack, because despite being mild, it is painful because, curing the earlier phases a human knows of this phase (countless books, television ‘orgasm, and elder people going through the phase themselves, have warned them) spite this knowledge the human assumes this phase will never occur during their fife, they expect to be the one percent, and when the realization that they are Just like nettles others going through the same, it hits them that they’re not special, and : hat’s why it worsens over time.
The use of enjambment of the two lines show the : ruinations of phases is no longer as sudden, it becomes more gradual and subtle, it s important for these two line to be enjambment because line eight is part of the )octave, and nine is part of the sextant. (Two different phases) ” After a while, he : limbed an open shelf (line break) and stopped. He looked uncertain where to go was : his due payment for some vicious crime (line break) a former life had led to? These o lines say a lot about this phase again; to start, the fact the cockroach climbs the ; hell shows the inedible event of finally straying from the path, when the longing for : redeem overcomes all the restrictions of middle age life, the word ‘open’ signifies : hooch, and as the cockroach stops, it is faced with a choice of direction, and pauses consider, the idea of a choice makes him uncertain, and unsure of what to do next.
As the idea of choice is now being blamed on a crime the cockroach may have : omitted in its ‘previous life’, it is evident that by this time in the human life cycle he poet suggests that choice becomes to be regarded as a burden rather than a ‘onus. I nee poet teen answers ten seemingly ornamental quest previously Joshed, by saying ” l don’t know’ this signifies how he no longer claims to know ? Retrying as he may have in his younger years. And the poem closes with ” Except, I -agonize myself” this finally ties the extended metaphor together by reveling how ? Even the simplest of creatures like cockroaches can resemble humans, and therefore ; signifying the metaphorical significance of the insect in relation to the poem.
