Critical analysis of Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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Critical analysis of Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza

            Merging Dreams of lovers with left over pizza is a poem written by Amylia Grace. In summary, the poem speaks about a romantic moment where the couple’s experience form the crux. Amylia Grace uses various styles, which enhance her message while at the same time, entertaining as well as informing the readers of numerous things.

The use of figurative language in the poem has taken center stage as one of the key poetic elements. Similes are figures of speech where two unlike things are compared. Amylia uses similes to show the reader what took place in the time that the couple in the poem was together. In verse five, the author tries to express how she plays a musical instrument, most probably to her partner. In her poem, Amylia writes “my fingers like children on sea-saws, bouncing through the notes”. (Line 17-18) Here, the couple is having breakfast in the morning together and one of them tries to sooth the other by playing music. The music, of course comes out just magnificently. This was illustrated by the comparison of an agile player’s hands to the bouncing of a see saw when children are on it. The usage of similes can also be found in verse four where the writer says that they were “learning to rejoice in the cacophony. Like trombones sliding inside pianos.” (Line 13) Therefore, Amylia manages to express to the reader, the romantic mood that was set mainly through music. This helps the readers understand what the environment was like. Furthermore, in this way, the reader can be able to perceive the actions at that moment clearly.

The author makes use of personification in this poem as well. Personification is giving human characters to non-living things or ideas as the author did in verse four and five. Amylia writes that “Learning how to rejoice in the cacophony. Like trombones sliding inside pianos” (Line13-14). In doing so, she gives the trombone a human quality of being able to move to a point of sliding inside the piano. Again, this style has been used to stress the mood that was in the room in the morning.

In this poem, the writer uses symbolism as a style. Amylia attempted to symbolize the bonding between the couple by saying “Me in my spa robe, you inside it” (Line 5). Symbolism is seen as the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. In this way, she symbolizes the close relationship between these two people. The author repeatedly used different objects to convey deeper meaning and used variations of the same object to create an overarching mood or feeling. Symbolism was included into the writing of this poem to allude to a feeling, mood or attitude without directly stating the perspective or mood intended. Symbolism was therefore used to support the romantic theme in a subtle manner.

Allusion is used in this poem as a literary style. Allusion is used to clarify a situation by referring to something the reader can relate. In the poem, Amylia writes that “The future fluid and connected like dreams or Great Lakes, only far less dramatic ….” (Line 25) In this quote, she says that the future of the lovers is interconnected like the Great Lakes. The use of allusion in this verse comes out where she refers to the Great Lakes, which are renowned for being the destination for many different rivers in North America. In using this style, Amylia displays the depth to which the two lovers were intertwined, both physically as well as emotionally.

There is a use of hyperbole as a literary style in the poem. Hyperbole refers to the exaggeration of an act, situation or object in order o bring emphasis. She says “Me in my spa robe, you inside it” (Line 5). Here the two people are displayed as cuddling but exaggerated to a point where one of them is literally inside the robe of the other. The author in this poem uses hyperbole in order to bring out the close relationship that existed between the two lovers who spent time wrapped up in each other’s bodies.

The writer also uses metaphors in the poem. Metaphors are used to compare two different things in a direct sense as opposed to likening them as in similes. Amylia, in the first verse, says, “Our dreams are simple. Mid-mornings across the black Formica counter. The Times spread like sunlight over slices of cold pizza I serve on paper plates” (Line 1-4). In this sentence, she directly compares the simplicity of the nature of the moments of two lovers with a lounge on the counter while having cold leftover pizza. Another metaphor, “the wordless hours” occurs where the author is in a bid to describe the silent duration the couple had. In this way, the writer is able to show the reader how engrossed the two people were, so much so that they spent their mornings just lazing around. It also brings out the romance in the poem.

In this poem, metonymy is used to a certain extent. Metonymy is a style involving usage of figurative expression that is closely related to the subject in terms of place or background. This style is unlike the metaphor. Amylia, in her poem, says that “…hide behind the spill of Mahler’s fifth sudden & shifting between emptied rooms. Oh, to live not like Mahler, but a symphony” (Line 10). In this line, one partner urges the other not to hide their feelings behind Mahler’ symphony. Mahler was a great musician in the early 90s who composed captivating classical music. The writer therefore uses a common artistic figure to indirectly the mood at the house as being pleasant.

In the poem, Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza, there is use of the third person narrator as a stylistic device. The usage of third person narrator involves the writer detaching himself for herself from the plot and telling the story in the third person. Usually, the narrator switches from one scene to another but focuses mostly on one character. The writer Amylia uses this style in writing that allows her to take a passive role as herself and get into another character, that of a person who is in love. She goes on and speaks of the different niceties that the couple shares as if she was the one actually present there. Using this style ensures that the readers get a different perspective that is actually the writers own as well as his temporary character.

In this poem, there is a strong use of asyndeton as a style. This is where the write uses sentences that do not have conjunctions to separate different clauses. Instead, they run from one clause to another separated only by commas. This is evident in all the verses that she has which only contain full stops and commas for example “Me in my spa robe, you inside it. The tender hours. No need to practice worse case scenarios. Or hide behind the spill of Mahler’s Fifth”.( Line 5-8) This verse has no conjunctions to join the sentences and instead flows from idea to idea, using full stops to mark the entry of a new thought.

There is also usage of irony in the poem. Irony refers to the difference that is created between the expected and the reality. It is a contradiction of sorts. Amylia writes that the person in the poem is” Learning how to rejoice in the cacophony”.( Line 13) Cacophony refers to a harsh and discordant sound that the writer claims that someone can learn to enjoy, perhaps even rejoice in. This style enables us to get the level of perseverance that the partner had for their counterpart. In conclusion, the poem has a very relaxed mood about it. It speaks volumes in very few words about the nature of the relationship shared by the couple as well as bringing out their optimism for the future.

Works Cited

Grace, Amylia. Merging Dreams of Lovers with Leftover Pizza, Pirene’s Fountain. Web.2010. Web. May 7, 2012