Essay Example on Poetry: Expression of Hidden Meanings Beyond Love

Poetry is one of literary work which contains hidden meanings. Poems differ widely in short stories. Most readers believe lyrics are meaningful and revolve around romance and love. Other verses refer to different live aspects other than love. Considering "men Throwing bricks" by Michael Chitwood and "To use" address manual labor and work but in different perspectives. The two poems seem to communicate differently through diction and tone. The tone within a poem shows the character's attitude towards the story is described. "Men throwing the bricks portray a negative attitude towards work whereas "To be of use" creates a positive tone towards work. This paper tries to figure out the difference in the use of figurative speech and Imagery between the two poems.

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In the poem "To be of use," the also portrays her message through Imagery. The author appreciates people who love their work. Use of words such as "... I love best, but they have their merits," shows that the author is satisfied with their attitude. The author gives examples of merits such as hard-working and productive people to have their exuberance surrounding them. Traits such as honesty and hard work, sacrifice, selflessness yield a more significant part of self-confidence within an individual. Piercy creates a positive attitude towards work through her unique description of work and those appreciating their work.

In Michael Chitwood's poem "Men Throwing Bricks" to accomplish a simple task of building a brick wall is demonstrated elegantly. The workers have to correctly place the bricks in a successive way to creating a connection. The fluidity of work, as described in the poem, creates amazement "you'd have to do this daily, morning and afternoon, not to marvel" (989).

The authors in the poem use imagery to portray different perspectives towards work as their central theme. In both poems, the authors use diction and tone to emphasize the poem's subject. Workers in "Men Throwing Bricks" in Chitwood's verses have a negative attitude towards work. Chitwood describes their work to be manual work compared with construction work. One of the men within the poem piles the bricks as he passes them to the next person (Chitwood 989). The men inaction seem to do the same task repeatedly, despite construction being a breathtaking view.

The author uses diction and tone to express the workers' attitude towards work. The tone used is negative since the workers do not seem to enjoy their work. The workers seem to be tired of their daily work. Chitwood uses words such as tiredness to show the general Imagery the workers possess during their working hours.

On the other hand, Piercy's work "To be of use," the workers are described with the job they enjoy. One of the workers likes working within the fields while the other worker enjoys taking care of animals. The workers represented in "To be of use" are identified with their work. The use of symbolic speech aspects such as tone and diction in Piercy's work is positive. The workers enjoy their job, unlike "The men Throwing Bricks" poem. Use of phrases such as 'you'd have to do this daily, morning, and afternoon, not to marvel' (Chitwood 989) shows that the workers are not impressed by the work they do. Instead, the job is a burden to them. Workers can be seen to marvel as they execute their daily chores in Chitwood's poem. Contrary, in Piercy's poem, the workers are contented with what they do, and through the poem, the reader is convinced to have a positive attitude towards work. The statement "the scaffold turns to accept them as a gift and place them on the growing stack" (Chitwood 989) shows that despite doing the same work repeatedly, they eventually have to accept their work.

Piercy's poem "To be of use" differs from Chitwood's work "Men Throwing Bricks" since she uses a positive tone towards work. Piercy states that "I love people who harness themselves, an ox a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo ... who strain in the mud and muck" (Pierce 994). The general tone within the whole context portrays a positive attitude towards work. The author presents each worker uniquely in a passionate manner. The workers readily accept their daily practice through the use of Imagery, as shown by the author.

In the poem "To be of use," Pierce tries to show the importance of real work in human life. People learn to appreciate simple things in life. It's better to wear out than to rust out. The two poems, despite having a different approach towards work, their message is similar. Spending time around other people can be unnerving and intimidating; the more an individual gets submerged in practice, the more relaxed they become. Accepting a job enjoying what we do is the most crucial thing to focus on.

Works Cited

Chitwood, Michael. "Men Throwing Bricks." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 989. Print.

Piercy, Marge. "To be of use." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 994. Print.