Ariel Dorfman's Poem 'Hope'

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The poem entitled “Hope” was published during the year 1988 by author Ariel Dorfman. In order to comprehend the poem, the reader must understand the background information of the author’s life. Ariel Dorfman was naïve of Chile during his childhood. Ariel Dorfman is described as someone in search of a country. Dorfman moved and lived in countries such as Argentina and eventually emigrated to the United Stated. Stanley Longman stated in his article about Dorfman’s lifestyle that, “In terms of style, all these experiences led him to adopt a multilayered structure to his novels, juxtaposing reflections, parallel action, surveillance, mystery, uncertainty, and distrust” (Longman). The question that arose while searching background information towards …show more content…

The repetition begins when the mother states, that joy cannot be found within this situation through the eyes of the father and mother. Lines 34-39 state, “how can it be that a father’s joy/ a mother’s joy is knowing…” (34-39). This effect allows the reader to understand the pain the family has gone through knowing their son is still captured. Since joy shows a repetition within the poem, it allows the author to emphasize there is not much joy in that. When the author is describing the car that was being remembered when he wrote, “the car with no license plate” (11), readers create a source of imagery inside of their imagination. This provides readers with a visual idea as to the instant capture of their son and his unknown whereabouts. The understatement of the story is founded when others inform the parents of the missing boy that he may still be alive. The author expressed, “they say they recognized/ his voice his scream” (26-27). They may not have seen it as a huge sign of hope to the parents, but it meant the world knowing their son may still be alive. The effect that all literary devices have within the poem is to grab the attention of many who are

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