Question

how does the poetic devices in "miss Rosie" the poem by Lucille Clifton, help us understand the tone of the poet? and what are these poetic devices? please help

Answer 1

"Miss Rosie" by Lucille Clifton- Tone of the Poet and sound devices used in the poem.

The poem is regarding an old woman that describing some old life circumstances using a plenty of comparisons to describe 'Miss Rosie' from a time of her young age to an old woman.

Mnemonic device(smile): "Wrapped up like garbage", which makes the poem get started and helps to analyse and understand easy.

'Garbage' and 'the smell of too old potato peels', indicates the thought that she is talking to a homeless person.

Potato peels are too old, symbolizes the person's time which has gone and have nothing left. Thus creates the feeling of sympathy.

'In your old man's shoes', shows the depiction of a man which is totally different from the first stanza, and moving to the future.

Metaphor: " You wet brown bag of woman", a rhetorical effect directly refers to one thing by mentioning another.

'Sitting, waiting for your mind like next week's grocery', gives that nothing good will ever take place to them again.

Repetition: "When I watch you", repeats the same words more to make clear idea of the poem.

Alliteration: "Who used to be the best", share the same beginning consonant sound.

Consonance: "You wet brown bag of a woman", repetition of identical sound in neighboring words.

'You wet brown bag of a woman', signifies a tone of hard and unkindness and, also making more emotional dispute,

'The Georgia Rose', describing as a beautiful girl in Georgia.

'I stand up, through your destruction, I stand up', reveals about the success of woman by several trials and finally, up to succeed. Hence, the poet clifton's success is not completely her own, but she achieved it by many helping hands, to reach there.