Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
"Afterburner" is written from the perspective of a first-person subjective point of view.
Form and Meter
The poem "Sun King Sulking" is written in an iambic pentameter form.
Metaphors and Similes
The main metaphor in the poem "Sun King Sulking" is the sparrow described by the narrator as not having the capability of being happy and of enjoying the beautiful day in the same way the other birds in the park did. The sparrow is used in the context as a metaphor for artists and the main idea transmitted here is that artists are unable to be happy in this world because they always see the worst and are unable to ignore the horrible things taking place every day.
Alliteration and Assonance
We have alliteration in the poem "On the One Hand" in the lines "the grounding of Eagles/ as the legions pull out."
Irony
At the beginning of the poem "To be on the Safe Side," the narrator lists all the reasons why a person should not want to go and put his or her life in danger and why it is better to play it safe. Ironically, towards the end of the poem, the narrator changes his point of view and claims that staying safe is overrated and will only lead to a miserable existence.
Genre
The poem "On the One Hand" is a meditative poem.
Setting
The action described in the poem "Sun King Sulking" takes place in a public park at noon.
Tone
The narrator used a neutral tone in the poem "Afterburner".
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist in "To be on the Safe Side" is the person who takes risks while the antagonist is the person who is too afraid to do anything out of the ordinary.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in "On the One Hand" is between liberty and the oppression of law.
Climax
The poem "Sun King Sulking" reaches its climax when the narrator lifts his cane towards the sky, symbolizing his unhappiness with the modern world.
Foreshadowing
N/A
Understatement
In the first stanza of the poem "Isaiah's Knee," the narrator transmits the idea that the poem will be about religion. This is, however, an understatement as he later starts talking about the way in which various cities influenced art and shaped it.
Allusions
The main allusion in the poem "Afterburner" is the idea that art is not reality but rather is a gross exaggeration of it. Because of this, art should never be trusted and put on the same level as reality.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The term "safe side" in the poem "To be on the Safe Side" is used as a general term to make reference to a person's natural desire to stay as far away from danger as possible even if it not always beneficial for the person in question.
Personification
We have a personification in the lines "The calm of a mirror/ As it copes with guilt" in the poem "On the One Hand".
Hyperbole
We have a hyperbole in the line "All art springs from exaggeration" in the poem "Afterburner".
Onomatopoeia
We find an onomatopoeia in "To be on the Safe Side" in the line "screaming with joy".
