Poem Constantly Risking Absurdity

Thesis: 

Lawrence Ferlinghetti uses format, similes, metaphors, and diction to illustrate that when a poet writes a poem he is taking a risk and that he serves the role as the risk taker in society.

Format:

Ferlinghetti expresses himself through the format that he uses because the sections in the poem are not split up into regular stanzas. Instead he divided the poem into three parts, and each part is shorter than the next. The first section is 18 lines, the second is 9 lines, and the last section is 6 lines. By formatting the poem this way Ferlinghetti shows that he himself is taking a risk because he is doing what he wants in the poem. He gets to create himself and it is up to the reader to hate it or love it. This is the risk that all poets take.

Ferlinghetti also formats the lines differently. He moves from one side of the page to the other. This creates a unique flow to the poem and in some ways represents the way an acrobat moves from one side of the tight rope to the next.

Similes/Metaphors:

Ferlinghetti uses similes to compare himself to an acrobat on a tight rope. He does this in lines 6-7. He uses this comparison because like an acrobat takes the risk of falling off the tightrope he takes the risk of not being accepted by his readers.

In lines 10 he compares the audience watching the acrobat to a sea. He relates the audience in a circus to his readers; they are watching the acrobat just like readers do to see what he is going to do next.

Diction:

Ferlinghetti in line 21-22 explains his role in society as the person who needs to recognize the stretched truth. He describes the truth as “taut” and this relates to how the tightrope is stretched tight just as the truth is.

Ferlinghetti then uses Charley Chaplin (line 29) to describe himself because Charley Chaplin was famous during the silent film era. He does this to explain that just like the audience at the circus needs to interpret the silent acrobat, Ferlinghetti’s readers need to interpret his poems.