Neglect Poem Analysis
Feelings of “Neglect”
“Neglect” by R.T Smith explains the feelings of neglect by using imagery, metaphor, and connotation. This poem talks about a path of neglect that a man followed that led to the destruction of his red apple tree. The narrator put too much of his time and attention on his other marvels to not put it into the apple tree as well. Therefore his red apple tree, though thought to be inevitable, died and filled the narrator with regret. A regret that appears to haunt the author, and fills him with sorrow. One of the literacy devices used in “Neglect” is imagery. Towards the beginning of the poem, the author uses it in the following quote, “ skew the sap’s / passage, blacken leaves, dry the bark and heart” (lines 5-6). This quote is an example imagery because it explains what the author sees and how it affects him. It contributes to the poem because it gives the reader a feeling, in the beginning, of how the author sees this tragedy and prepares the reader for his thoughts throughout the rest of the poem. A second example of imagery is towards the end, “ What remains is this armload of apple wood/ now feeding the stove’s smolder” (14-15). This is an example of imagery because it lets you picture the sad end to the life of the apple tree and helps the narrator get the message thru in a satisfying manner. It contributes to the poem because it lets the reader connect to how the tree will no longer be there and how the narrator won’t be able to have that bond that he had with the apple tree for the last several decades. A second literacy device used is metaphor, which the author uses several times to add emphasis to the subject. The first example is, “…and watched each branch with a goshawk’s eye…” (line 8). This quote is a metaphor because it explains how he could have watched the tree more closely, comparing his sight to a “goshawk” and having a more keen vision on the tree. It contributes to the poem because it shows the neglect that he
“Neglect” by R.T Smith explains the feelings of neglect by using imagery, metaphor, and connotation. This poem talks about a path of neglect that a man followed that led to the destruction of his red apple tree. The narrator put too much of his time and attention on his other marvels to not put it into the apple tree as well. Therefore his red apple tree, though thought to be inevitable, died and filled the narrator with regret. A regret that appears to haunt the author, and fills him with sorrow. One of the literacy devices used in “Neglect” is imagery. Towards the beginning of the poem, the author uses it in the following quote, “ skew the sap’s / passage, blacken leaves, dry the bark and heart” (lines 5-6). This quote is an example imagery because it explains what the author sees and how it affects him. It contributes to the poem because it gives the reader a feeling, in the beginning, of how the author sees this tragedy and prepares the reader for his thoughts throughout the rest of the poem. A second example of imagery is towards the end, “ What remains is this armload of apple wood/ now feeding the stove’s smolder” (14-15). This is an example of imagery because it lets you picture the sad end to the life of the apple tree and helps the narrator get the message thru in a satisfying manner. It contributes to the poem because it lets the reader connect to how the tree will no longer be there and how the narrator won’t be able to have that bond that he had with the apple tree for the last several decades. A second literacy device used is metaphor, which the author uses several times to add emphasis to the subject. The first example is, “…and watched each branch with a goshawk’s eye…” (line 8). This quote is a metaphor because it explains how he could have watched the tree more closely, comparing his sight to a “goshawk” and having a more keen vision on the tree. It contributes to the poem because it shows the neglect that he