Sharon Olds On The Subway

In the poem “On the Subway,” Sharon Olds uses poetic devices, tone, and imagery to identify the contrasts between a woman and young man who are on the opposite sides of the subway and who live opposite lives due to the color of their social classes in order to give insights on the result of the experience.
Olds use of simile shows how she judges the boy instantly. Olds states “His feet …, in black sneakers laced with white in a complex pattern like a set of intentional scars.” She compares the pattern of his sneakers to intentional scars, which expresses how she doesn’t approve of the way he looks or thinks that his clothes aren’t stylish.
Olds use of tone allows a reader to acknowledge how the wealthy woman stereotypes the boy due