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POEM
"Poem"
I am like a distracted child
whom they drag by the hand
through the fiesta of the world.
My eyes cling, sadly,
to things...
And what misery when they tear me away from them.
-Juan Ramon Jimenez
ANALYSIS
In this poem the meaning of the "distracted child" (line 1) could be taken two ways. Literally it could be a true child in a fiesta who just wants to stop and look at all the fascinating things he enjoys, but is pulled away by some adult figure. The other meaning found in this poem is one dealing with everyday pleasures or experiences. Ones that deal with the pleasures of everyday life: wanting to watch the sun set or going to the movies. These pleasures are dragged away from us when we are to busy or have too little time to "stop and smell the roses".
POETIC TACTICS
In "Poem", Jimenez uses simplicity in the poems meaning to concisely express the underlying experience of things. This is used to help people understand the meaning easily and have an impact with their everyday lives. The metaphor used to compare an adult to a young child focuses on the readers childhood memories of wanting to do something and having others pull you away from your desires.
The structure of the poem is one in which the poet uses direct words to get his point across. In line 4 and 6 the use of painful words, "My eyes cling, sadly," and "what misery when they tear me away from them" gives the reader a sense of loss and pain. In the last line of the poem, line 6, the line is alone by its self to symbolize the feeling of being left empty or alone when the good or happy things are left behind.