- Published: September 27, 2022
- Updated: September 27, 2022
- University / College: Newcastle University
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 31
Journal Entry: Pigeon Woman by May Swanson The poem by May Sweson’s expounds on an elderly womans life, which is endowedby loneliness. The daily duty of the woman is to feed some pigeons and as a result she feels alienated and hopelesss (May 54). There is effective use of imagery and diction thus making the poem interesting to readers. The tone throughout the poem is ideal as it delivers the targeted information to the audience with ease; it is clear that the woman in the poem is lonely, and she lacks someone to treasure and love her. This makes the poem ideal for learners in all levels of education.
The image created by the poet is highly appealing. We see the author comparing between the dark nature of the pigeon with the brightness in the woman. This illustrates that the pigeon has no capacity to feel the love experienced by the old lady (May 54). In literature, water symbolizes affection; the author uses this to illustrate the feelings of the woman. This is a well-structured imagery that adds tastes to the whole literature.
The well set diction and the somber tone in the poem helps in capturing the attention of readers; the clearly delivers to mood in the poem, as one feels the loneliness experienced by the woman (May 54). This is following the fact people in the woman’s environment think that she is mad, but she behaves that way as a result of depression and loneliness. The choice of words is also exact, in that there little ambiguity in delivering the intended message. There is also little use of vocabularies thus suit for readers with different capacities. Examples of such terms are “ flints” and “ slates” (May 54). The author also creates a clear picture in the mind of readers through vivid description; she plots the appearance of the woman from head to the toe. From this, we can conclude that the poet has done an admirable assignment by structuring this poem.
Work Cited
May Swenson, Poetry, ” Pigeon Woman,” The New Yorker. 1962.