something really nice

 Auto Wreck

1. What imagery does Shapiro use in the first three lines to evoke sound and sight? How do these images become increasingly significant in the context of the entire poem?

With the first three lines Shapiro uses the image of the human heart. The author uses lines such as “…beating, beating,” and “…dark one ruby flare” also with the obvious line “…red light like an artery” (Lines 1-3). These lines become increasingly significant with the context of the poem because the entire poem deals with an accident, which in many cases can end in fatality.

1. On a literal level, what contextual significance do the following words and phrases have: mangled (line 9), “tolls once” (line 11), “terrible cargo” (line 12), “rocking, slightly rocking” (line 13), deranged and composed (line 15 and 16)?

The word mangled in line 9 refers to the bodies of those involved in the collision, almost as though they are unimportant. “… the mangled lifted” is referring to the bodies of the victims being taken away by the ambulance, but being “lifted” is not usually associated with a human body. The line “breaking the hush, tolls once” is almost like church bells, being rung once. (at least that is how I perceive it) Another line which makes the bodies of the victims appear inhuman was line 12 with “…with its terrible cargo” takes the bodies of the humans and speaks of them as though they were products having to be shipped. “…rocking, slightly rocking” creates an image of elderly couple, rocking in rocking chairs, which is not an image usually associated with the horrific images that come with an auto collision. Finally the line the words “deranged” and “composed” is oxymoronic. The mutilated and mangled bodies of the victims, apparently at the same time can appear to be composed and eloquent.

1. Analyze the metaphors in lines 3, 18, 22, and 29-30. What pattern do they create and why is it appropriate to the poem?

The metaphor in line 3 is “red light like an artery…” which is referring to the red light of the ambulance and police, however it is subtly referring to the amount of blood that came with the collision. In line 18 the metaphor is “ponds of blood” is a hyperbole for the sheer amount of blood resulting from the collision. Line 22 states “Our throats were tight as tourniquets…” which, this metaphor is referring to the feeling you get when something makes you sick, and you feel as though your throat is closing up. With lines 29-30, which state “ But we remain, touching a wound/ That opens to our richest horror.” Is a metaphor for the feeling someone feels in this situation, pertaining to the “auto wreck.” The pattern these metaphors follow is that they each deal with an aspect of blood, which create a not so pleasing tone.

1. What is added to the theme of the poem by the metaphors in lines 20-21 and the simile in 24-27?

 Lines 20-21 state “One hangs lanterns on the wrecks that cling,/ Empty husks of locust, to iron poles.” Well, perhaps this line is referring to the attraction insects have toward light. The simile in lines 24-27 is, well, honestly I haven’t the slightest idea. Like people gradually returning to health intimate, we speak through sickly similes and warn… sure?

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