Hummingbird Figurative Language

537 Words2 Pages

Wilco’s “Hummingbird” incorporates figurative language frequently to represent or characterize the man. A leading theme within the song is the man’s weak character, primarily conveyed via figurative language. In the poem, a disparity between the man’s figurative size and the objects around him reinforces the man’s fragile state.
The first instance in which the man’s weakness of character is in the first line, “His goal in life was to be an echo” (Wilco 1). The word “echo” is an example of auditory imagery in which the reader imagines the repetition of a sound. The metaphor in this line is that the man wishes to become an echo. An echo by connotation is inherently negative as it is in a lesser state than the original sound. If the man is planning on becoming an echo, he is desiring to be something less than human. By contrast, the song also mentions the “loudest Manhattans” (Wilco 15). The use of these words highlight a key difference in that they both utilize auditory imagery. Since the man desires to be the smaller sound in becoming an echo and the reader compares that to the noise level of bustling Manhattan streets, the disparity between the man and his surroundings is highlighted, strengthening the theme of the man’s weakness. …show more content…

A simile, this line states that the man in the poem wishes to be similar to a hummingbird. Using the denotation of hummingbirds, they are extremely small birds with rapid heart rates. Although the connotation of hummingbirds is mostly positive, a human likeness to one is primarily negative. To compare himself to a small avian animal furthers the theme of the man being fragile. Juxtaposed to the use of hummingbird is “So he slept on a mountain” (Wilco 18). The contrast between these two words is an additional example of the difference in size of the man’s projected likeness and his

Open Document