In The Subway Sharon Olds Analysis

In the Subway by Sharon Olds, recurring issues that have been among society for the past century are the main idea throughout the poem. In the past century, racism has been a problem faced worldwide. The poem depicts how white people see african americans and how they have prejudices about them. With the use of Imagery, similes, and allusions, Sharon Olds is able to convey the idea of distinction of races within society.
The first literary device utilized in the poem is Imagery. With Imagery, we are able to acquire a virtual image of the scenario taken place in the poem. For instance, Olds poem narrates the event of a white female and a African American teen in the metro. At the beginning of the excerpt, the white female portrays the black

teen as a criminal when she says,’’He has the casual look of a mugger”. This event occurs due to the preconception of black people being related to crime and violence. This triggers the woman’s sense of fear and says “I am wearing dark fur”. This virtual image given helps the reader deduce that she is in a situation where she is scared that the black teen will do something to harm her. Furthermore, she says that “he looked at her fur coat”. This leads us to infer that the black teen is aware of her presence and is observing her. Sharon’s choice of Imagery is unique because it grants the readers with a virtual image of the scenario taking place in the subway where the woman is scared because this black teen has a very suspicious look.
Another way in which the reader is able to perceive this preconception of races is through Allusions. To start off, the first thing that the woman says about the black teen is that his “black sneakers” are laced with a “white complex pattern like a set of intentional scars.”. When she says that she is referring to the discrimination against black men and women by white society. Olds does a good job in including specific details such as the black sneakers and white pattern. Details such as these help the reader get a better understanding of the message she is trying to convey. Later on in the poem, Sharon alludes to slavery and their masters when she says “...or if he is in my power, the way i am living off his life, eating the steak he does not eat..”. This quote implies the fact that in the past, white slave owners lived off of slaves. Furthermore, this shows that white people will always immediately relate black people to their past of slavery. There are many phrases in the poem that one can reference to something; moreover, the vast majority of the phrases allude to white supremacy and slavery from the past.
Sharon Olds is able to depict the main ideas intended through the projection of white supremacy and slavery from the past. Through Imagery and Allusions, the reader is able to comprehend the work as a whole given that these literary devices give the poem structure and meaning.