Blue Bowl Analysis

“BLUE BOWL”

The poem “Blue Bowl” by Jane Kenyon, tells a story how a family tries to move on after the death of their cat. The line: “We buried the cat with his bowl,” shows by burying the bowl with the cat, the family attempts to avoid the continuous reminder of their loss. The line:” We stood and brushed each other off,” shows that the family is trying to be more accepting of their loss. This is also supported by the line: “There are sorrows keener than these.” By continuing their routines after the burial in line twelve and thirteen: “We worked, ate, stared and slept”, they tried to convince themselves that everything is okay. However this is proved otherwise when the next morning the robin’s cheerful song is felt as an annoyance rather than uplifting: “And a robin burbles from a dripping bush, like the neighbor who means well but always says the wrong thing” In this poem the poet uses multiple literary devices and figurative devises to show how the family attempts to overcome the experience of losing a pet.

This poem uses multiple literary devices such as metaphors and similes to explain how the family tries to overcome the loss of their pet. The simile, “Like primitives we bury the cat with its bowl.” Their cat is buried with its bowl without being put in any sort of box or coffin. Kenyon compares this action to that of the primitives. Another example of a simile is exhibited in these lines, “And a robin burbles from a dripping bush like the neighbor that means well but always says the wrong thing.” The sound of the birds chirp is felt as more of an annoyance than a welcoming sound. This is because the memory of their loss is still fresh in their mind. In addition to the similes, the poet also makes use of metaphors makes the reader even more aware of the family’s state of mind. In the line “It stormed all night; now it clears, and a robin burbles from a dripping bush.” Even though the storm has passed, the effects of the storm can still be seen in the dripping bush. Similarly even though a new day dawns, the family still feels the sorrow of the loss of their cat. Not only does the poet use these literary devices in this poem, she also makes use of figurative language to convey emotion felt by the family.

Figurative language such as rhymes and meters further help the reader in understanding the family’s struggle to overcome their sorrow. The rhyming words in this poem such as “bowl” and “hole,” allow the reader to link the two words together and emphasize the family’s effort to suppress the loss of their pet.