I would like help to understand and find some poetic devices in this poem please. Some of the ones I have found are caesura and enjambment i believe. Enjambment seems to push her away from reality and caesura brings her back if I'm analyzing it right? Also does the full dash after dungarees suggest anything ?
The Changeling
As a young girl
vying for my father's attention,
I invented a game that made him look up
from his reading and shake his head
as if both baffled and amused.
In my brother's closet, I'd change
into his dungarees -- the rough material
molding me into boy shape; hide
my long hair under an army helmet
he'd been given by Father, and emerge
transformed into the legendary Ché
of grown-up talk.
Strutting around the room,
I'd tell of life in the mountains,
of carnage and rivers of blood,
and of manly feasts with rum and music
to celebrate victories para la libertad.
He would listen with a smile
to my tales of battles and brotherhood
until Mother called us to dinner.
She was not amused
by my transformations, sternly forbidding me
from sitting down with them as a man.
She'd order me back to the dark cubicle
that smelled of adventure, to shed
my costume, to braid my hair furiously
with blind hands, and to return invisible,
as myself,
to the real world of her kitchen.
It's also free verse poem, but I don't know why poet would choose this structure to make emotions run loosely?
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+changeling%22+analysis&oq=%22the+changeling%22+analysis&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.7221j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Read lots. I'm sorry I can't help you myself, but I've never studied this poet or his works before.
To identify and understand poetic devices in this poem, you have correctly identified two examples: caesura and enjambment. Caesura refers to a deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry, and enjambment occurs when a sentence or phrase runs over multiple lines without punctuation. Your interpretation that enjambment pushes the speaker away from reality and caesura brings her back is a valid observation.
Now, let's examine some other poetic devices in the poem.
1. Imagery: The poem uses vivid and sensory language to create mental images, such as "the rough material molding me into boy shape" and "dark cubicle that smelled of adventure."
2. Metaphor: The speaker's transformation into the mythical Ché through her brother's clothes functions as a metaphor for her desire to escape her gender role and explore a different identity.
3. Symbolism: The army helmet serves as a symbol of masculinity and a visual representation of the speaker's transformation.
4. Repetition: The repetition of "to shed / my costume" emphasizes the act of removing the disguise and returning to the reality imposed by the mother.
5. Irony: The poem employs irony when the speaker's father listens with a smile to her tales of battles and brotherhood, while her mother sternly forbids her from embracing this identity.
Regarding the full dash after "dungarees," it suggests a pause or interruption in the speaker's thoughts. It can be interpreted as a moment where the speaker is reflecting on the significance of the transformation or a transition point in the poem.
As for the choice of free verse structure, it allows the poet to create a natural flow and rhythm based on the content and emotions being expressed. Free verse enables the poet to break away from traditional poetic structures and use form to mirror the speaker's journey of self-discovery and challenging societal expectations. The loose structure allows for a more organic expression of emotions and experiences, without the constraints of rhyme or meter.