Alexei Poem Analysis “The Backbone Sonnet” and “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” are two poems written by Sherman Alexei that share some of the same techniques. However, the two poems are not so alike in many ways. The content of this essay will converse about the themes of the two poems and how techniques are used to illustrate them. The main difference between these two poems is the how Sherman Alexei uses techniques in the two poems. With this in mind, the tone of the two poems will also be analyzed. Sherman Lexis’s techniques he uses in “Grief Calls Us to the Things of
This World” create a sorrowful mood and shows the anger and grief of Alexei towards losing his father. The techniques that Alexei uses in “The Backbone Sonnet” describes Backbone quite truthfully in Just fourteen lines. Rhythm in “Grief Calls Us To the Things of This World” and “The Backbone Sonnet” differ from one another: “The Backbone Sonnet” has a rhythm of that of a Shakespearean Sonnet with three quatrains consisted of four lines each and ends with a couplet with a rhyme scheme of ABA – ABA CD – CD/ FEE – EFFIE G, for example: Welcome to the endless high-school Reunion.
Welcome to the past friends And lovers, however kind or cruel. Let’s undervalue and emend (1-4) But is technically not written in iambic pentameter since each line only has four feet. “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” has no particular rhyme scheme at all, but does follow a pattern of five feet per line. Here you can see the difference in rhythm and rhyme scheme of the two poems. There are other techniques in the poems “The Backbone Sonnet” and “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” that Alexei uses, for example: Personification, imagery, repetition, and metaphors.
In line twelve of “The Backbone Sonnet” it says, “Let church. Com become our church” (12) this is a sign of personification giving the church or the internet human characteristics by saying let the church be a website. “Welcome to the endless high-school/ Reunion… ” (1-2) is a metaphor stating that Backbone is nothing more than an endless high-school reunion and to me this unbelievably true. Repetition is also used throughout “The Backbone Sonnet”, once or twice in each stanza you see the word “let” or “let’s” representing repetition, this gives an overall feel of Lexis’s sarcasm.
Let’s exhume, resume, and extend / Childhood. Let’s all play the games” (7-8) represents imagery in the poem, there is so much time that is spent on the online world and it interferes with the real world, in which it is actually harmful . Alexei shows imagery in the lines, “And sing our praise to forgetfulness / Before they slap our souls with their cold wings. ” (21-22) the meaning behind this: There are always going to be distractions in the world, but when the people are placed back into reality by the “angels” it makes them feel sad. And also personification in the line, “Before they slap your souls with their cold wings. (22) Giving the angels the ability to slap ones soul. “Those angels burden and unbalance us. / Those f****** angels ride us piggyback. ” (23-24) is a metaphor for the angels undertaking the people at times in which sorrow them because their lost Sherman Alexei Poems Analysis By Sweetheart techniques to describe what he is talking about. There are different feelings acquired in these two poems. “The Backbone Sonnet” gives a more sarcastic tone and truthful meaning behind the whole poem, while “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” makes one actually feel sad.
For instance: in “The Backbone Sonnet” the line, “. Undervalue and emend the present” (4) is a compelling line saying that time is passing and that we all live in tomorrow mentally, while we are trapped in today. “Let’s sign up, sign in, and confess / Here at the altar of loneliness. ” (13-14) to me these lines seem sarcastic, but certainly makes one think, especially, “The altar of loneliness” here Alexei is giving Backbone the name “The altar of loneliness” where any people connect, giving it some sort of paradox and absolutely makes one wonder.
Rather than a sarcastic tone in “The Backbone Sonnet” “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” is more so a feeling sadness. While reading this poem the way Alexei writes it, makes it as though one can also feel what he is feeling during the grief and sorrow of him losing his father. The message that I received from this poem is that never to take advantage of one’s life. Through the two poems “The Backbone Sonnet” and “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” Alexei demonstrates quenches and expresses epitomes that are extremely different from one another.
In “The Backbone Sonnet” Alexei uses a sarcastic tone and broad detail about what we all know as Backbone, today. This giving Backbone a complete new meaning in which people never think about. On the other hand, in “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World” Alexei wants the readers to feel the life in his poem and not only to Just observe it. The two poems are completely different from one another, and the way Alexei chooses his words and changes the style of his writing, he allows one to see the difference and feel it.
