• Enjambment: This is when a line of poetry continues to the next line without a pause or break, creating a sense of continuity and flow. In “Hanging Fire,” Lorde uses enjambment throughout the poem to create a sense of urgency and momentum, as the speaker’s thoughts and emotions spill over from one line to the next.

• Repetition: This is when a word or phrase is repeated multiple times throughout a poem for emphasis or effect. In “Hanging Fire,” Lorde uses repetition to create a sense of anxiety and uncertainty, as the speaker repeats the refrain “I am fourteen” several times throughout the poem.

• Imagery: This is when a poem uses vivid and descriptive language to create a sensory experience for the reader. In “Hanging Fire,” Lorde uses imagery to create a sense of the speaker’s surroundings, as well as her emotional state. For example, she describes the smell of cooking food, the sound of the radio, and the sensation of lying on a bed.

• Personification: This is when a poem assigns human qualities or characteristics to non-human objects or ideas. In “Hanging Fire,” Lorde uses personification to create a sense of the speaker’s isolation and disconnection from the world around her. For example, she describes the clock on the wall as “lonely” and the walls of the room as “gray.”

• Allusion: This is when a poem references a well-known person, place, or event from history or literature. In “Hanging Fire,” Lorde alludes to the biblical figure of Job, who is known for his suffering and endurance. By invoking this allusion, Lorde suggests that the speaker’s struggles are part of a larger, universal experience of human suffering.

Hanging Fire Summary

William Williams explores tenderness, nostalgia, and nature in “The Red Wheelbarrow.” He views the wheelbarrow as a vital instrument that helps farmers and rural communities survive and provide for their families. He portrays the wheelbarrow as an object of great significance and expresses astonishment at its many applications and constant presence. Williams is urging the reader to recognize the importance of things that we typically take for granted by encouraging them to look closely at the wheelbarrow.

The Red Wheelbarrow Summary

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “glazed with rain” and the sound of /i/ in “beside the white.”
2. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “beside the white.”
3. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. William Carlos Williams used imagery in this poem, such as “a red wheel / barrow”, “glazed with rain” and “beside the white /chicken.”
4. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as red and white colors symbolize labor, peace, and the fruit of labor.

The Red Wheelbarrow Summary