Chaya's AP Lang Blog

In “Before She Died,” Karen Chase uses a wistful tone to convey the feeling of distance and yearning for a lost loved one by using contrast. The title of the pom is “ Before She Died,” yet the actual poem describes what life was like after she died, helping to differentiate between these two stages of life, before and after. The speaker says “When I look at the sky now , I look at it for you ,” showing the difference in the speaker’s purpose now that their loved one has passed. In the second stanza the speaker describes the time setting by saying, “With all the leaves gone almost from the trees,” showing that after the person died, everything around the speaker died as well, contrasting from what life must have been like before the person died. Finally, in the last stanza the speaker says, “It will take a long time to know how it is for you,” because now that the person has died, there is such a vast distance between them and it is hard to connect with them after they have died. Chase...

In “American Cheese” by Jim Daniels, a childlike, reminiscing tone is conveyed as he appeals to the reader through imagery of the familiar tastes, smells, and experiences in an American childhood, showing that your childhood memories always stays with you. The speaker starts out by defending his acquired taste for fine cheeses, showing how as an adult he has established himself and is more sophisticated than his simple background. Despite this, he recollects fondly, through imagery, the “American singles,” and “Day-old Wonderbread” that carried him through his childhood. Much detail is used to describe the American cheese, which represents his boyhood, like “Sixty-four Singles wrapped in wax” and how you had to  “dig your nails in to separate them.” The culmination of the poem occurs in the last stanza, where he explains that although his mother did not remember him being “a cheese eater, plain like that,” it is an insignificant thing that is really a big deal to him. Although the ...

Peter the Electrician He drives his rusty old van from house to house Toolbox by his side, As he goes around the neighborhood Repairing electricity and heaters. Although he has fallen from his previous glory, It reminds him of the power he used to possess, And the glow of the sparks fill him with joy, As if he is creating life on a smaller scale. To his neighbors and coworkers he seemed just like a normal young man, Completely unaware of his shocking past. How would they know what he has done for them? How could they guess what he has sacrificed for them? He goes by Peter, a quiet, unassuming fellow, Yet he is tortured inside and is all alone in his suffering. The mere sight of people fills him with joy, His own handiwork living all around him, And he wants so much to give them everything they need. Would they ever expect that their creator was living among them, Riding the bus with them, Shopping for groceries alongside them? Everywher...