Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - English Short Story vs Poetry Short Story vs Poetry There are many different forms of writing that all fall under the name literature. These different ways to create literature are often categorized into specific genres. Some of the genres have more in common with each other than others. Two genres, the short story and the poem, share many similar aspects. Both the short story and the poem can successfully send powerful messages or tell complex stories in a very short amount of words. Both genres contain carefully manipulated language that quickly yet effectively establishes the meaning of the short story or poem. Point of view is a prominent aspect in controlling short stories and poetry. The works are thus often told in the first person. By making the narrator a character, authors are able to quickly engage the reader and intensify the emotionality of the story or poem. They do not always, however, use this tactic to accomplish the same objective. Still, authors of short stories and poems usually achieve similar goals when using similar devices. Writers of the two genres also frequently take advantage of the use of symbolism and metaphor. These literary devices allow the authors to create works that deliver more than one meaning or message while only stating one thing. The short story author or poet also successfully creates a complete story or poem in minimal words with the use of irony. Ironic scenarios or statements add shock to the writing and can significantly strengthen the emotional power of the story. Both the writers of the short story and the poem often use similar literary devices to achieve their goals. The use of the first person narrator is frequently seen in both short stories and poetry. It is especially helpful in these short works because, when used efficiently, it can quickly engage the reader. Short stories and poems don’t have the leisure novels do in being able to have a good story with a slow and sometimes tedious introduction. Short literary works are confined to the boundaries on length according to their specific genre; they don’t have time for lengthy or slow introductions. William Faulkner’s “A Rose of Emily” (p. 443) begins immediately with a startling statement about Miss Emily’s death. Faulkner creates a first sentence that describes how “our whole town went to her funeral” (1), using of course the first person form of “we” (28, 43, 46, etc…) The narrator is most likely one of the townspeople who represents the point of view of the entire town. Through the use of plural first person narration, the author makes the reader feel as if though they are part of the story, grasping his or her interest more quickly. Faulkner employs this first person narration in the first sentence of his story, thus immediately capturing the reader’s attention. The reader’s engagement in the story also adds to its emotionality. By feeling as though he or she is a part of the story, the reader often feels sadness, joy and other emotions with the characters of the story. When the townspeople were “surprised when Homer Barron…was gone” (46), the use of “we” (46) forces the reader to feel the same confusion and shock that the townspeople do. The first person helps to enrich the variability and appeal of the short story. This use of first person to strengthen the feeling of the writing is especially prominent in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s tragic poem “Richard Cory” (p. 1073). “Richard Cory” is about a man who the whole town admires, is seen as a total gentleman and is exceedingly wealthy. The poem is told, like “A Rose for Emily,” from the point of view of the townspeople. When reading “Richard Cory” the reader can become so closely involved in the poem that he or she becomes one of the townspeople. Robinson’s use of first person compels the reader to feel the admiration of the townspeople when they see Richard Cory, their misery as they envy him and their shock as he kills himself. Both “A Rose for Emily” and “Richard Cory” uses the plural first person. It is, however, used differently in each work. While the use of “we” is most effective in “A Rose for Emily” in quickly engaging the reader, it is most prominent in achieving a strong emotional engagement in “Richard Cory.” The short story and the poem here have used a similar literary technique, but it has achieved different goals in each of the writings. Short stories and poems do, nevertheless, use similar devices to achieve the same goals. The use of first person is extremely effective when writing in a specific dialect. Toni Cade Bambara uses first person to have the narrator of “The Lesson” (p. 57) tell the story in the vernacular of a poor African American neighborhood in New York. The main character Sylvia tells the story using phrases such as “puredee hot” (2) and “talk about his mama something ferocious” (3). By having the main character tell the story, rather than a third person narrator, Bambara is able to tell the story in nonstandard English. The use of a first person narrator who speaks slang is especially effective in a short story because it reveals much about who the character is and the culture in which the story takes place. Bambra is able to expose the main character Sylvia much more deeply when she is the one telling story. In describing the events taking place Sylvia also reveals her attitudes toward them. Thus the author can reveal more about the character in a smaller amount of writing. Through Sylvia’s narration, the reader is able to easily understand her economic struggle, her cynicism towards the lesson Miss Moore is trying to teach through her trip to the toy store and her confusion in class differences. Sylvia’s thoughts and harsh words communicate her resentment when she thinks to herself how she can’t stand Miss Moore the “nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree” (2). When thinking about the expensive toys in the store, Sylvia wonders what kind of work people do that can afford those toys and how come she “ain’t in on it” (44). Her words do more than simply tell a story, they intimately describe a person. Her language furthermore serves as a reflection on her culture. Through her speech, Sylvia reveals some of the speech, feelings, and activities of her culture. When thinking about how even if little Q.T. could afford the expensive sailboat he wants she remarks that he is so little that “somebody’d just take it from him” (32). Sylvia’s thought reveal the tough neighborhood she grows up in. Through these thoughts she makes known many aspects of her culture. Through the use of first person, Bambra accomplishes three complex objectives in a very short story. She describes the story of the children’s fieldtrip, many aspects of their culture, and many elements of Sylvia’s personality. Poetry also uses first person narration to reveal the personality of the speaker, regardless of whether or not it is autobiographical. Robert Browning uses first person narration to tell a fictitious story in “My Last Duchess” (p. 868). In this poem the narrator, an Italian duke, speaks of the wife he had put to death. The use of first person, as opposed to Browning himself narrating the poem, is highly significant to the effectiveness of the poem. It allows the reader to fully understand the Duke and is enlightening on the culture of royalty. Through the Duke’s narration he reveals his insecurity, his ego, and his hunger for power. He describes how the Duchess treated everyone equally, without giving exceptional reverence to her husband. He says that she ranked his “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift” (lines 33-34). He also expresses how he could have spoken to her about his problems but that would be stooping and he chooses “never to stoop” (line 43). By having the Duke narrate the poem, Browning is able to explain the story and the Duke’s personality without length. The Duke’s attitude and ability to have his wife killed, for what many consider an insignificant reason, illustrates the culture and total power of male royalty. Browning’s use of first person makes it possible to derive such deep meaning from a writing that is less than two written pages. As seen through the use of first person in “The Lesson” and “My Last Duchess,” short stories and poems can use the same device to accomplish the same objective. The first person narration is at times essential to creating a complete story in a short writing. The ability to derive various meanings from a single statement is imperative to short stories and poetry. The use of first person is not the only way to accomplish this. Symbolism and metaphor are remarkably strong methods of establishing various meanings through small statements. The literary devices can give intense and deep meaning to short works. The use of symbols and metaphors creates a powerful impact in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” (p. 95). Chopin tells the story of a housewife who has a sexual affair one afternoon. She, however, turns the story into a powerful and lustful narrative the use of symbolism and metaphor. Chopin sets the story in a house in the woods on the afternoon of a terrible storm. This storm is more than just heavy rain, it is a metaphor for the housewife’s, Calixta, affair. The storm parallels their passionate encounter. As Alcee, Calixta’s lover, mentally arouses her desire the “playing of the lightening (is) incessant” (19). The storm grows stronger as their passion heightens. After they fulfill their sexual desires and are in the anti-climax period, the storm calms and the “growl of the thunder (is) distant and passing away” (28). As Alcee rides away on his horse the rain stops and the sun turns the “glistening green world into a palace of gems” (29). The intensity of the storm parallels the fervor of Calixta and Alcee’s passion. The powerful storm communicates the power of the two lover’s fornication. It allows Chopin to write short yet detailed descriptions of the passionate encounter. The storm serves as a metaphor for how wild and impulsive the encounter was. Chopin also uses symbolism to create a strong impact with few words. She describes Calixta’s bed as “white” with her son’s bed “along side her own” (13). The color of Calixta’s bed is a symbol of her purity. Chopin communicates the message that Calixta is not usually a sexually provocative woman through the color of her bed. She also delivers the message that either she and her husband do not have sex or do so very quietly and without passion by stating that her son’s bed is in the same room. Through the use of metaphor and symbolism, Chopin is able to communicate various messages and deep meaning in a short story. Poetry also takes advantage of metaphor and symbolism to achieve deep levels of meaning in a short writing. Marge Piercy makes a strong statement on the conditioning of women to be feminine and submissive in a poem that seems to be about a plant. “A Work of Artifice” (p. 894) describes a “bonsai tree” (line 1) being trimmed by the gardener. The bonsai tree is, however, a metaphor for a woman. Piercy describes how the tree “could have grown eighty feet tall” (line 3) but a gardener “pruned it” (line 7) and now it stands only “nine inches high” (line 8). She illustrates how the gardener sculpts its branches and tells it that it’s the tree’s nature to be “small and cozy, domestic and weak” (lines 13-14). Piercy, an active feminist, is actually describing how society molds women. She is saying that from the day women are born, they are constantly told they have to pretty, weak, feminine and domestic. She says, “one must begin very early” (line 18) to teach a woman how to be a lady. Piercy communicates her strong message without ever mentioning the word woman. She accomplishes through the use of metaphor. Piercy uses the metaphor to deliver a powerful message in only a few lines. Her use of the bonsai tree as a metaphor for women also adds to the emotional strength of the paper. Readers are often disgusted by the acts of the gardener upon the plants. They are even more shocked, however, when they learn that the poem is really about a woman. Piercy is successful in her use of metaphor to contribute to deeper levels of understanding women’s issues. Through metaphor, Piercy is able to cleverly develop a complete message voicing her opinion on a complex issue in a short poem. Metaphors and symbolism allow writers to develop comprehensive ideas and stories in a short literary work. They are often imperative devices when writing a short story or poem. Writers of short stories and poems often use irony to strengthen their message in a condensed composition. Irony is sometimes more effective than outwardly stating the intended message. It often forces the reader to think about the writing or issue more intensely than when simply receiving a point of view. Ironic elements of a story can also communicate lengthy messages in a single idea through the fact that the reader is not expecting the ironic twist. It allows the reader to hypothesize the reason for the unexpected action or result. Irony is a very clever literary device that authors of short stories and poems furthermore use to communicate often-controversial ideas without offending the reader. The story of a young boy’s unexpected death in Grace Paley’s “Samuel” (p. 12) delivers that author’s harsh opinion through the use of irony. Paley tells the story of some young boys trying to exhibit their fearlessness by riding on the platform area between the subway cars. The story is filled with irony that adds to the tragedy. The irony also communicates a major problem in society without outwardly placing blame. The more obvious ironic aspect of the story is that a young boy dies in trying to exhibit his invincibility. But the narrative is filled with less obvious ironies. As the boys are jumping and playing around on the unenclosed platform of the subways, a train full of fearful adults watches them. The adults fearfully watch the boys but are too embarrassed to say anything to them. One woman who was extremely concerned about the boys’ safety stood and watched too afraid to say anything. She finally musters up the courage to say something to them. When they respond her warning of death and threat to call the conductor with laughter, the woman “blush(es)” (8) and is too afraid of being embarrassed by the boys to follow through with her threat. Another man who becomes angry by watching them is to “citizenly” (8) to approach the boys. He instead walks to the back of the car and pulls the emergency cord. It is this pull that results in Samuel’s death. The man meant to stop the boys from endangering themselves, but pulling the cord caused the train to come to an abrupt stop. Samuel, who at the times wasn’t holding onto anything, is thrown forward and falls “headfirst to be crushed and killed between the cars” (9). The major irony lies in the fact that the adults were so “afraid of embarrassment” (4) that no one took authority over the young kids. The adults could have prevented this tragedy, but in order to preserve their dignity on the subway, no one takes a strong stand against the children. Paley uses irony to communicate the point that peoples are often so obsessed with image that they ignore important aspects of adulthood, such as responsibility. Her use of irony, however, puts much of the blame on the adults without outwardly saying it. Through irony, Paley can indirectly make judgements on society without being offensive. She also adds to the tragedy of Samuel’s death by the mere fact that it could have been avoided. Paley uses irony throughout her short story to point out moral issues and create a significantly tragic drama in just a few pages. Irony is also a successful tool for discussing controversial issues without being offensive in poetry. Jimmy Santiago Baca is extremely effective in his poem explaining that Mexicans are not taking away jobs from Americans. His poem “So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans” (p. 1002) is filled with irony. Baca, who has strong beliefs on the issue of Mexican employment in America, ironically pretends to take the position of a simpleton. He asks how Mexicans take jobs away from Americans. He asks if they “come on horses with rifles” (lines 1-2) or put a knife at an American’s throat saying, “I want your job” (line 11). The absurdity of his questions ironically reflects the absurdity of the notion that Mexicans are taking away American jobs. As the poem progresses Baca unexpectedly switches from his sarcastic point of view to a harsh criticism of elitist white Americans. His use of irony in the beginning of his poem, however, is a clever tool in opening the mind of the reader. The first two stanzas of his poem are essential in providing a basis for his criticisms. The use of irony allows Braca to achieve that base in only two stanzas. Having to explain his point of view without being offensive could become extremely lengthy. Irony is an effective literary tool to concisely and to inoffensively state controversial beliefs. It is used in many ways by both short story authors and poets to convey complex messages and beliefs in a succinct manner. It is one of the main devices used by writers to write effective and powerful short stories and poems. The short story and the poem are two complex literary genres. They astoundingly deliver complete and multilevel stories and ideas in a notably small amount of words. Both works achieve these goals with the assistance of first person point of view, metaphor, symbolism and irony. All short stories and poems, of course, don’t use all of the aforementioned devices. Still, these literary tactics are consistently seen throughout short stories and poems. Some authors use all of the devices in one work while others don’t use any at all. Similar methods can also be used to accomplish different objectives. It is, however, important to distinguish both the short story and the poem from all other literary genres. These two genres are very similar in their ability to contain a complex, emotional, intelligent, deep, and sometimes shocking work of literature within the boundaries of length. The authors of both the short story and the poem use similar devices to manipulate the language into presenting a comprehensive work of art. Bibliography: Barnet, Sylvan, et al., ed. Literature: Thinking, Reading & Writing Critically – Second Edition. New York: Longman, 1997. Word Count: 3125
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