preview

Eloquent Feelings And Safe Places

Decent Essays

Eloquent Feelings and Safe Places Stephen Dunn 's poems makes sure to let the reader stop and think, and as a creative writing teacher he knows how to do just that. Winner of awards such as the “Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, “The James Wright Prize”,and the “Paterson Award for Sustained Literary Achievement”, his work “The Sacred”, published back in 1989, shows off his literary genius in normal experiences and captures the vehement thought in his writing that has captured many hearts of the readers. “The Sacred” speaks about what a student believes is his sacred space, and what it means to him. Dunn uses three core poetic devices to not only show that everyone needs an escape from reality, but also the herd mentality of youth when one has confidence. The nihilistic ending and the free form moderate style add to the ideals that Dunn tries to present and helps add a twist ending to the poem when you see the lack of desire for social interactions in the young man who was the first to speak up. The contrast between his outer presentation and his inside emotions are shown strongly between the first and second half, as if he only spoke up to “get it over with”. The enjambment that pushes through the whole poem create a string of consciousness feeling, as if a person in the class is slightly nervous to share his response. In the beginning of the poem, Dunn shows how much this student takes his

Get Access