Summary Of On The Subway By Sharon Olds
Sharon Olds’ free verse poem “On the Subway” rests on the border of white and black, resides on the fringe of light and shadow. The poem contrasts the lives of two very different people, a young black male and a wealthy white woman. Through the use of brilliant similes and vivid diction the speaker of the poem, the white women, is able to recognize the stark differences between blacks and whites. The literary devices illustrate the tumultuous past that divides blacks and whites and the incompatible nature of the present. Due to the divergent face she sees sitting on the other side of the subway, the speaker begins to evaluate the importance of race in society. Olds’ use of striking imagery and point of view helps the speaker realize that color is a …show more content…
In the beginning lines of the poem, the wealthy white woman is studying the young man who is on the subway. She notices his black sneakers and that they are “laced with white in a complex pattern like a set of intentional scars” (Olds). This simile subtly symbolizes the past struggles of African Americans. The specific diction used in this phrase is essential to develop the contrast between races. Olds carefully uses the word “intentional” to describe these scars. These wounds were no accident; these events were not done by mistake. These white laces that look like a set of deadly scars symbolize the slavery, discrimination, and segregation blacks have suffered through. These black sneakers represent all the events that divide blacks and whites. This simile builds the tremendous contrast found in the poem by reminding the audience of all the events that make blacks and whites two separate entities. Further in the poem the contrast is developed further through the use of intense imagery. The speaker vividly describes the outfits of both characters on the subway to show their differences. The black boy is wearing “red like the inside of the body exposed” (Olds). This line
How Does Sharon Olds Use Implied Violence In On The Subway
380 Words | 2 PagesThe implied violence Olds uses shows the different characterization between black and white and how individuals conclude thoughts and feelings about race. Sharon Olds pessimistic tone establishes how she feels sitting across from a colored man who has "the casual cold
Sharon Olds On The Subway Analysis
329 Words | 2 PagesSharon olds in the passage “on the subway” is trying to write the similarities and differences between the way people are with a Caucasian and an African American. Sharon attempts this by using literary techniques like imagery, simile, and tone. Imagery is used to see the differences between a white women and a black boy, the the first part of the passage. The narrator is the white woman and the black boy is the observer; the the shoes that he is wearing are black with “white laces on them”.
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Analyzing Sharon Olds 'On The Subway'
289 Words | 2 PagesIn “On the Subway” by Sharon Olds, the speaker is on a train and finds herself across a man, she describes has “the casual cold look of a mugger.” It is not clear as to why she sees him as a mugger, but he is larger than her. As the poem unfolds, we get a better look at her thinking process and the differences between the speaker and the man. “He is wearing red, like the inside of the body exposed” is a simile the poet used to express how simple and open the man looked; by comparing him to an open body. On the other hand, she is in a fur coat.
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Poem Analysis: On The Subway By Sharon Olds
869 Words | 4 Pages“On the Subway,” written by Sharon Olds, is written from the perspective of what is presumed to be an upper class white woman, who finds herself on a subway with a lower class black boy. In “On the Subway”, Olds focuses on the controversial issue of racial conflict, and the theme of White v. Black. She does so by use of contrast between whites and blacks, by using harsh enjambments, powerful imagery, and by using the tone to convey the purpose. A major strategy used by Olds throughout the poem is contrast; in this case, the contrast between blacks and whites.
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