Analysis Of Those Places By Kay Ryan

Do we speak with a purpose? Are we using our words to make a difference? In today’s world, everyone uses language to express the way they feel. By doing this, we not only create feeling but we beautifully deepen and clarify them. It’s how we use our words; that makes what we say special. They can have a major impact on someone or something. Kay Ryan’s poem “Those Places” uses language that influences the entire course of her poem. In fact, Kay Ryan is very careful with her word choice because she knows it will be significant to the meaning of her writing. In her poem, “Those Places” Kay Ryan uses literal language to get to a metaphorical meaning.

Over the course of the poem, Kay Ryan uses language that leads the readers to believe this poem

is literal. Another way of thinking about this is that Kay Ryan makes a conscious choice to use language that appears to be literal. First of all, the title “Those Places” initially makes the reader think it’s a physical place that can be visited. Miriam Webster defines “place” as a physical environment or a particular location. The first stanza states, “They are not imaginary but accessible only intermittently.” In simpler words, there are these places that are real but they can only be reached at certain times. This was an indicator that the poem would be about actual, physical places that people could visit. She then adds “Seasonal, shall we say, in the way of the exquisite high parts of Yosemite”. After examining this stanza, I have concluded that this place is reachable during Summer, Spring, Winter, or Fall, hence the word “Seasonal”. She then states, “In the way of the high parts of Yosemite”, which leads the readers to believing this place is located on one of the mountains of Yosemite. All in all, by paying close attention to the way Kay Ryan phrased this poem, we understand that she is using language to persuade us in believing this poem is literal.

Though Ryan’s language seems to be literal, it’s clear that she is making a sly effort to convey a deep metaphorical message.

Throughout the poem, she uses language that leads the readers to believe that this poem is literal. That is, in the first stanza she wrote “They are not imaginary but accessible only intermittently”. The literal message of this stanza is that there are real, physical destinations that can only be reached occasionally. The poet wants us to notice that instead of physical destinations, this “place” is a state of mind and people can only tap into it at certain times. Another way the poet used language to convey a deep metaphorical message was in the second stanza when she stated “Seasonal, shall we say, in the way of the exquisite high parts of Yosemite.” The literal message is very clear; this place is only accessible during one of the seasons and it’s located on the peaks of Yosemite. Based on the line, “Exquisite high parts of Yosemite”, it’s obvious that this was a subtle way for Kay Ryan to express the beauty and pleasantry of this state of mind. The word “Seasonal” implied that this feeling is only attainable for her once in a while. In brief, by focusing on the way Ryan phrased this poem, we understand that she is purposely using her word choice that seems to be literal, as a way to subtly project a metaphorical

idea.
In conclusion, Kay Ryan made the decision to use literal language to get into a metaphorical meaning. As you can see, the way she phrased the poem made a huge impact on the message. Through her words, she was able to slyly change the way people perceived her poem from a literal to a metaphorical message. As seen from the poem, the way we share our thoughts can remarkably shape the way others think. Our remarks are very powerful, therefore they need to be used with caution. When used correctly our words can have a major impact on someone or something.