Erica Fryberg Friendships

‘Friendships is a realisatic and relatable poem, written by student Erica Fryberg. This well written poem is about the journey through friendship, including features of the minor and major problems for the speaker in particular. The title of the poem relates to the poem, as the poem is about friendships. It is important to have a title that directly relates to this poem, due to the fact that the poem has many metaphors relating friendships to furniture. The main message of this poem is that some friends only agree with everything you do and/or think, to be liked. Although their company is enjoyed, it is important to have friends that can argue opinions and facts. Some friends bounce back on your ideas, and provide suggestions for improvement.

For example, multiple metaphors are used. These metaphors are used to compare friendships and relationships to furniture. “Very pretty upholstery,/Comfortable padding,/But no firm foundation,/No sound support from supple springs/Thus crumpling under pressure.” This is an example of a metaphor being used in the poem. In this quote, the speaker is communicating the frustration with having fake friends, who do not stand by their values and opinions. The theme in this poem is relevant, and understandable. The speaker is communicating their personal struggle with finding reliable friends who will be there for them. There is an angry tone to the poem. It sounds as though the speaker is speaking angrily towards the teacher and the ‘fake’ friends. In some parts, when the speaker is relating the friends to furniture for example, it sounds as though they are speaking in a neutral tone. These tones both work well with the poem. In the poem, there are some parts which sound like the speaker is narrating their life. “I observed, listened, thought and dropped cautious words.” This makes it seem as though the speaker is telling a story in the form of a poem. The poem was well constructed, each stanza meaning something different, and being a part of an overall story. In each stanza, the speaker grew as a person, and learned something new about their friendships. There was some imagery in the poem, used mostly when the speaker was talking about the furniture. This created a clear image in the minds of the audience. The poem did not follow a specific rhyme scheme, but rather included some alliteration and a clear tone making it easier to read and understand. “Plywood performances and laminex laughter” is an example of alliteration in this poem. The poet wrote the poem to communicate her frustration with fake friendships and what she would need in a