Extenuating Circumstances Essay Examples

Krog’s use of imagery throughout this poem conveys her message with emphasis. For example, when she mentions how ‘every word stubbornly’ (1) tilts into writing, the personification there could be interpreted to say that her writing has a mind of its own and how they don’t want to be only a piece of writing but more. She also refers to how ‘it leaks’ (4) strangely. The connotation implied by the word ‘leaks’ is negative, because when something is leaking, the substance leaking is not wanted to be dripping out.

This could be interpreted to mean that she has almost full control over what she writes but she cannot control everything. In addition, when the speaker expresses how writing brings ‘mildness afterwards’ (11) it shows the speakers appreciation for writing as she has done before, it could be interpreted as once she has expressed herself she feels relieved after. . A striking feature of imagery in the poem is when the speaker refers to her family being ‘beheaded’ (15), the use of a single word line in the middle of the longest stanza of the poem provides the mild shock of a family without heads.

Extenuating Circumstances Essay Examples

The lines leading up to this line gradually get smaller creating emphasis on piece of imagery. All of these striking examples of imagery convey her message of the power of writing, how it can have a mind of its own, how it can help express oneself. The overall effect this has on the poem is to evoke appreciation for writing, but also note that it can be uncontrollable.

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The most prominent sound features used in this poem are literary devices such as alliteration, sibilance, plosives and nasals.

For example, Krog refers to the aortas of her family ‘reeling and staining’ (16). The nasal sound implied could be intended to balance out the fricative used in the single word line before, ‘beheaded’ (15), therefore contributing to the undulating tone of the poem. The sibilance used in the next line (‘through the spittlesoft sounds’) reinforces the sound imagery given through the meaning of the words.

In addition, when the speaker refers to ‘the blubbering blood swabs’ (18), through the use of alliteration and plosives, it emphasizes the gruesome imagery. The effect of the sounds would be to enhance the meanings of the words hence create an ominous atmosphere. In conclusion, the impact of the whole poem is quite significant in that it makes the reader see the power of writing. The theme of power of writing is a distinctive feature of Krog’s style and can be seen in her other work such as ‘Nightmare of A Samuel Born Krog’.

The poet’s purpose is thoroughly achieved through the more striking literary features such as the imagery, language and the sound. In my personal opinion, the poem is beautifully written although the imagery of the beheading didn’t come as much of a surprise because it is a characteristic of Krog’s style to challenge the modern reader with ideas that no one would want to talk about. This could be seen in the vulgarity of ‘Salad’ or in the questioning of whether she belongs in Africa in ‘How Long’, but overall a very well written poem.