Figurative Language in the Poem Parsley by Rita Dove

In the Poem Parsley, Rita Dove uses a legion of figurative language to make a point about the political state of the Dominican Republic and to draw attention to the socioeconomic issues in that society. She effectively utilizes a narrator who gives the reader insight into the lives of the migrant workers as well as the life of the wealthy dictator. We can see into both of their lives and gain an understanding of how they perceive their existence. Diction plays a key role in showing the violence that is going to and eventually does occur. The words chosen relate back to war or make the most ordinary, everyday tasks sound violent. Finally, the parrot in the poem is used to signify all of the major themes and provide insight into the two worlds.

Parsley is broken up into two different points of view, which are crucial to understanding the mindset of the author, who is making a political statement. The poem contrasts the lives of the Haitian migrant workers with that of the wealthy, isolated dictator of the Dominican Republic. The poem is presented in the third person point of view. Despite the fact that the word “I” is never used in the poem, we are still provided with a harrowing insight into the mind of the workers and El General. The first part of the poem, which is titled “The Cane Fields,” gives us the point of view of the migrant workers, defenseless, impoverished people who are tortured and exploited by their wealthy and powerful master (Dove). “El General searches for a word; he is all the world there is” (Dove). The narrator describes the dictator as encompassing the entirety of the workers’ lives.

In the second part of the poem, which is titled “The Palace,” we glance into the mind of El General (Dove). W...

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...e parrot is paramount to bringing the entire poem together; it gives us a description of the major themes of slavery, economic status, and the massacre. At the end of the poem, El General dehumanizes the workers by claiming, “Even a parrot can roll an R” (Dove).

The poem demonstrates the discord that exists when people do not treat others humanely. When we discriminate based on culture or wealth, the ending is a tragic one. The author is able to combine diction, which makes violence occur in the readers mind after every stanza, with a view into both worlds in the society to demonstrate the flaws within the form of government. The author not only brings the tragedy to life, she makes it personal. The poem causes the reader to empathize with the workers and realize that they were slain for no reason other than a cultural difference and an inability to leave.