VERSIFICATION AND A COMPARISON OF POEMS

Versification can be described as the way a poet decides to arrange the structure of a poem as relates to the formation of

verses. Versification can involve fixed verse and rhyme forms or Free Verse. Free Verse poems are poems that are written

with verses that do not follow a set format for sentence length or rhyme scheme. The poems that are currently being studied

mostly follow the Free Verse format, but also share some characteristics that are similar to poems that the class has studied

in the past.

The poems I will discuss are both written by Randall Jarrellr and are entitled "The Death of The Ball Turret Gunner," and "Next

Day." These poems are as poetic as those written in previous eras because they not only use Free Verse as can be seen in

other poems but they also employ the use of poetic elements such as figures of speech, such as metaphor.

The poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" discusses the experience of an airman who is stationed on a Bomber

aircraft and is ordered to operate the machine guns in the "ball turret" of the aircraft. Metaphor is very apparent in the poem

as can be seen from an excerpt:

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loossed from its dream of life,

In the poem "Next Day" the use of metaphor is also used extensively. The protagonist is an old lady who relates that she is

doing shopping and wishes that a boy that is helping her would "notice" her. She explains that as a younger woman she was

"noticed" all the time by the world but does not experience this as much at her current age. This can be compared to her not

paying much attention to the individuality of the poultry she had just purchase. An example of this can be seen from and

excerpt from the poem:

... Now that I'm old, my wish
Is womanish:
That the boy putting groceries in my car
See me. It bewilders me he doesn't see me.

The use of figures of speech like metaphor is common in these essays and those written in previous eras and I believe that

the poetic nature of these poems can easily be observed