Alex's English Journal

Poetic device featuring in the poem ‘9/11: Out of the Blue’ by Simon Armatige

The author has used future tense interrogatives to create a pathos of sheer hopelessness, due to the fact that the reader or listener already has a foresight into the fate of the character. For instance the line “So when will you come?” creates an air of desperation and franticness . The line is made even more powerful by the use of second person in the question, generating the effect that the character is pleading directly with the reader. This is an extremely personal effect.

 

PATHOS (Greek, “emotion”): In its rhetorical sense, pathos is a writer or speaker’s attempt to inspire an emotional reaction in an audience–usually a deep feeling of suffering, but sometimes joy, pride, anger, humor, patriotism, or any of a dozen other emotions. You can read more about rhetorical uses for pathos here. In its critical sense, pathos signifies a scene or passage designed to evoke the feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow in a reader or viewer.

 

 

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One response to “Poetic device featuring in the poem ‘9/11: Out of the Blue’ by Simon Armatige”

  1. Christopher Waugh Avatar
    Christopher Waugh

    When I re-read this answer, I can’t help writing to say I believe you have answered with insight, precision and clarity. I’m mightily impressed.

    I still think my broader feedback about contextualising the poetry you write about (looking at the conflict it refers to and the life of the author too) will further enhance your already very thoughtful work – but I still want to affirm the high quality of what you’ve produced on your own.

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