Friday, April 27, 2012

Does anyone have a short analysis for Lola Ridge's poem "Bowery Afternoon"?

Lola Ridge’s poem “Bowery Afternoon” consists mainly of imagery to convey the mood of Manhattan’s Bowery neighborhood. At the time the poem was written, the Bowery was a notorious haven for prostitution, hence why she included the description of the “bosoms and posturing thighs.”
The speaker of the poem assumes a disdainful tone toward the Bowery, as evidenced by the diction. Examples of judgmental diction include “drab,” “rancid,” “uniformity,” “mangy,” “gaudy,” and “bloated.” All of these words have a strong negative connotation, which indicates that the speaker is disgusted by what see observes.
This is closely connected to the imagery of the poem. “Smoky and fly-blown glass of lunch rooms” suggests a dingy, run-down atmosphere. In addition, the windows are “devoid of light,” which indicates a hollow emptiness and absence of activity. These images reinforce Ridge’s disdainful tone.
The poem’s final simile helps convey the theme. The speaker describes an “Elevated/ Droning like a bloated fly.” Ridge suggests that in each of the depressing images she describes of the Bowery, there is a pervading noise: the ever-present sound of the famous elevated rail line that operated above the neighborhood.
Ridge is commenting on the ugly side of urban life, and how a neighborhood’s literal and moral decay coincides with urban development.

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