On The Subway Poem Analysis

“This life he could take so easily and break across his knee like a stick.” This excerpt describes the overall perception of the speaker throughout “On the Subway”, written by Sharon Olds. Using descriptive language, the poem determines the speaker’s perception. The speaker’s fears of the stranger sitting across from her become the reader’s also by her comments and use of descriptive language. The speaker communicates the stranger’s capabilities over her life more than once in the poem. “...he looks at my fur coat, and I don’t know if I am in his power--he could take my coat so easily, my briefcase, my life--” Here the speaker expresses a fear of possible violence and gives a hint at her status in society with her coat of fur, and a