In “A Supermarket in California,” the narrator describes a crush they have on Walt Whitman. The poem is has a fanciful and dreamy tone. Both diction and line structure contribute to this tone. Specific words that evoke an airy mood include “thoughts I have of you tonight” (line 1), “full moon” (line 3), “neon fruit” (line 5), “dreaming” (line 5), “my Angel” (line 17), “brilliant stacks of cans” (line 18), “imagination” (line 19), and “lost America of love” (line 33). The lines of the poem flow easily. There are no abrupt breaks or punctuations in the lines besides the exclamation points in the first two stanzas. These exclamation points serve to reveal the narrator’s excitement. Additionally, the repetition of the exclamation points after each sentence gives the stanzas a unity. They surprisingly do not take away from the easy flow of the poem. This tempo reinforces the dreamy tone. Additionally, the poem closes with a reference to the Underworld of Greek mythology. Including a reference to mythology also adds to the dreaminess of the poem. Underlying this dreamy tone, there is also a feeling of urgency. While the narrator conveys their interest for Walt, they also question both theirs and Walt’s happiness in loneliness. This suggests that the narrator wishes to date Walt soon to end both of their loneliness. Particularly their loneliness is referred to in lines 21 and 22, which state “together in our solitary fancy,” and line 29 through 31, which state “Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out in the houses, we’ll both be lonely.”
In “America,” the narrator addresses issues in modern-day America in a sarcastic and demeaning tone. Some of the issues mentioned are the “atom bomb” (line 6), “murder” (line 32), drugs (line 36), and obsession with the media (lines 48-51). Addressing issues like these with sarcasm slightly lightens the brutality of the accusations, making the reader more acceptably read about them. An example of this sarcasm can be found in lines 50 through 51, which state “I’m obsessed by Time Magazine. I read it every week.” In reality, the narrator does not love time magazine. Instead, the writer is trying to make a point about Americans’ obsession with the media. Additionally, contrasting the words “saint” (line 21) and “sinister” (line 24) serves to reflect the writer’s view of America as corrupt and hypocritical. Though America offers the fantastical “American dream” of freedom and happiness, the writer believes that Americans are trapped in a country with murder, drugs, consuming media, and war.
In “In the Baggage Room at Greyhound,” the writer compares the Greyhound Terminal with heaven, God, and Jesus. The bus symbolizes the journey a person will take to be judged by God. In Part 1 of the poem, “hundreds of suitcases full of tragedy rocking back and forth waiting to be opened” (lines 29-30) represent the people at the terminal waiting to board the bus and be judged by God. In Part 2 of the poem, the person ushering people onto the buses holds an “iron shephard’s crook” (line 43), comparing him to the Good Shephard, Jesus Christ. In Part 3, the writer describes racks that were made to hold the riders’ things, holding them together. The narrator goes on to say that the racks were God’s way of holding the people together and giving them an opportunity to enter into Eternity (lines 64-72). The racks described here symbolize Jesus Christ, God’s Son sent to die for mankind, offering them forgiveness and eternal life.
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