Poetry Analysis
Poetry analysis- Echoes of goodbye “Echoes of Goodbye” by Patricia A. Queen is a skilfully crafted poem that describes the hardships of someone who lost their father at a young age and is recollecting memories of their haunting past. The prevalent themes discussed in the poem, concerning death, loss and suffering, are enhanced by the many poetic devices employed by the poet.
The first stanza adopts a foreboding tone and utilises vivid, striking imagery to enhance its meaning. Emotion and passion is what really sets this poem alight and brings it to life. In the first two lines, powerful, descriptive phrases such as “endless footsteps” and “grieving people” enrich the ideas and themes of loss, and create a reminiscent air typical of the gothic genre. The poet uses personification to evoke a melancholy yet cryptic aura: “The black clouds hide the crying sky” (3). The first stanza concludes by establishing an image of sadness in the reader’s mind - “Amid those timeworn, lonely echoes of goodbye”. This quote further implies a haunting, echoing tone which is maintained throughout the poem. The rhyming pattern used in the first four lines is AABB, and this particular pattern emphasises the rhythm of the poem. Furthermore, the imagery in first stanza implies the setting is a gravegrard, with the “endless footsteps” and “timeworn echoes of goodbye” suggesting the speaker is in a place of sadness and death. These incredibly meaningful first four lines set the scene for the rest of the poem.
The second verse of this poem introduces a different type of narration by recalling memories in the form of an anecdote. This is seen in the first line, “A young man lived here with a wife, a child, a song”. The cumulative listing of his most dear assets reiterates all the earthly possessions he has left behind. The main ideas discussed in this stanza are isolation and abandonment. This is especially seen in the last line, “Left them in a dark, black and shadowed shroud”. The
The first stanza adopts a foreboding tone and utilises vivid, striking imagery to enhance its meaning. Emotion and passion is what really sets this poem alight and brings it to life. In the first two lines, powerful, descriptive phrases such as “endless footsteps” and “grieving people” enrich the ideas and themes of loss, and create a reminiscent air typical of the gothic genre. The poet uses personification to evoke a melancholy yet cryptic aura: “The black clouds hide the crying sky” (3). The first stanza concludes by establishing an image of sadness in the reader’s mind - “Amid those timeworn, lonely echoes of goodbye”. This quote further implies a haunting, echoing tone which is maintained throughout the poem. The rhyming pattern used in the first four lines is AABB, and this particular pattern emphasises the rhythm of the poem. Furthermore, the imagery in first stanza implies the setting is a gravegrard, with the “endless footsteps” and “timeworn echoes of goodbye” suggesting the speaker is in a place of sadness and death. These incredibly meaningful first four lines set the scene for the rest of the poem.
The second verse of this poem introduces a different type of narration by recalling memories in the form of an anecdote. This is seen in the first line, “A young man lived here with a wife, a child, a song”. The cumulative listing of his most dear assets reiterates all the earthly possessions he has left behind. The main ideas discussed in this stanza are isolation and abandonment. This is especially seen in the last line, “Left them in a dark, black and shadowed shroud”. The