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The Metaphor of Time in Delilah Marvelle's Poetry

Hunter Mitchell

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Metaphor of Time

by Delilah Marvelle

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2760 KB
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Print length	:	239 pages
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Delilah Marvelle is a contemporary American poet whose work has been praised for its lyricism, its exploration of complex emotions, and its use of metaphor. One of the most striking features of Marvelle's poetry is her use of time as a metaphor. Marvelle uses time to explore themes of loss, change, and memory, and her metaphors of time often create a sense of both the fragility and the power of human experience.

In her poem "The Hourglass," Marvelle uses the image of an hourglass to represent the passage of time. The poem begins with a description of the hourglass, its "grains of sand / falling, falling, falling." The image of the falling sand creates a sense of urgency, as if time is slipping away from the speaker. The speaker then goes on to reflect on the things that she has lost in the past, and on the things that she fears she will lose in the future. The poem ends with the speaker asking, "How can I hold on to this moment?" The hourglass, with its relentless flow of sand, becomes a symbol of the speaker's inability to stop the passage of time.

In another poem, "The River," Marvelle uses the image of a river to represent the flow of time. The poem begins with a description of the river, its "waters flowing, flowing, flowing." The image of the flowing water creates a sense of constant change, as if time is always moving forward. The speaker then goes on to reflect on the changes that have occurred in her own life, and on the changes that she expects will occur in the future. The poem ends with the speaker asking, "Where will this river take me?" The river, with its relentless flow of water, becomes a symbol of the speaker's journey through time.

Marvelle's use of time as a metaphor is not limited to these two poems. In many of her other poems, she uses time to explore themes of loss, change, and memory. For example, in her poem "The Photograph," she uses the image of a photograph to represent the past. The poem begins with a description of a photograph of the speaker's grandmother, and the speaker then goes on to reflect on the memories that she has of her grandmother. The poem ends with the speaker asking, "Can I hold on to this moment?" The photograph, with its frozen image of the past, becomes a symbol of the speaker's desire to stop the passage of time.

Marvelle's use of time as a metaphor is a powerful and effective way to explore themes of loss, change, and memory. Her metaphors of time create a sense of both the fragility and the power of human experience, and they help us to understand the ways in which time shapes our lives.

Metaphor of Time

by Delilah Marvelle

4.3 out of 5