Compare And Contrast I Shall Paint My Nails Red

How Two Poems Are Written
In the two poems "I Shall Paint My Nails Red" by Carole Satyamurti and "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar the authors express their different ideas in similar ways, for instance, in sound and symbolism. The first poem is written in open form because it does not have any rhyme or meter and the second poem is written in closed form because it is written in rhyme and meter. All though they're written differently, they both have two things in common. Both authors use sound and symbolism in their poems. The two authors chose different ways of writing their poems. Satyamurti did not write her poem in rhyme nor meter which makes it an open form poem. The poem is short and repetitive but it does not rhyme yet it still has rhythm. On the other hand, Dunbar created rhythm by using rhyming words in his poem creating meter which makes it a closed form poem.

Each line is just one short sentence which creates a pause and each of them begins with the word ‘because’. For instance, “because a bit of color is a public service. Because I am proud of my hands. Because it will remind me I’m a woman” (Satyamurti 522). By starting each line with the same word, the author creates emphasis and it acts as a substitute for meter. On the other hand, the poem “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar is written in closed form, and it includes both rhyme and meter. Dunbar also chose to use literary devices. The phrase “we wear the mask” is repeated throughout the poem to create emphasis and get the point across. Both writers create a sound in their poems either in closed form by writing in rhyme and meter or by simply repeating a word in an open form