The Sound of a Memory
Poetry allows people to express their feelings in ways that regular texts cannot. By carefully choosing each word and arranging them on a page, like an artist blending together colors on his canvas, a poet can make readers see, and feel, things that a normal author cannot. Mark Rudman's poem "Chrome," uses carefully chosen words that help to set the pace at which the poem is read aloud. In turn, this tempo helps to create an image, and animate it. Mark Rudman's use of poetic tools create a poem that is strong in imagery. This is because the poem's sounds directly reflect that of the actual events of which Rudman is speaking of. The opening of Rudman's "Chrome" is read aloud at a steady, medium pace. The author is reflecting upon youthful memories of his motorcycle riding days. These memories are triggered by a news broadcast on the authors TV. He uses alliteration to help set a tone that will be repeated again and again throughout the poem. Phrases like "hundreds of helmeted riders," and "tearing up holes of desert turtles," use alliteration to create a smooth flowing, connected sound. The mood is calm and peaceful, yet descriptive. The reader's can see the same things that the author sees in
How did Rudman escape? Rudman remarks that, "I let go of the throttle- threw up my hands- // and the bike went off the highway, keeled over// and died at the cliffs edge" (652). Ok, so it wasn't years of experience, a remarkable, or even sane thought of his, or even a shred of skill which saved him, but simply the fact he did nothing. By simply giving up any attempt at control, Rudman brought the tempo of his bike, and of the poem to a halt. Rudman closes by saying that, "I owe my life to letting go" (652). This line contains alliteration of the "l" sound, assonance of the "o" sound, and perhaps some internal rhymes between "owe" and "go." This ending fits the rhythm of the poem perfectly. It returns the reader to the calm, smooth pace of the intro. It resolves the conflict, and it brings us back into the present time. It is the perfect ending to a very visual and exciting poem which forces readers to read at a pace, and to create a mood, which reflects that which the author must have felt when these events took place. And all of this would have been nearly impossible, had it not been conveyed to the reader in the form of a poem. Needham Heights, Mass: Allyn and Bacon, 1996. 651-652. his own mind, and a calm feeling is felt throughout the opening lines. Now that Rudman has introduced the backdrop for the ride, he reveals his passion for it, "O sweet sixteen, to be sprung again and again against// the rock-studded sand, the danger not in the desert but around it" (651). Again we see alliteration used throughout the quote. The "s" sound in "sweet sixteen," or the "d" in "danger not in the desert," pulls the idea together. And it keeps a steady, smooth sound that is pleasant to the ear. It is not hard to imagine the sound of the tires in the sand, or the harshness of a 2-stroke engine pulling through an otherwise silent landscape. The word sounds are flowing and seamless, just like the bike climbing and descending dune after dune. He continues with "The body's oneness with the mind// on the lean machine seemed just right, the body// soaring while hovering close to the sand..." (651). This quote introduces some internal rhyme to the poem with "lean machine." Obviously these words ar
Some common words found in the essay are:
Desire Rudman's, Mark Rudman, Dust Desire, Rudman's Chrome, Mark Rudman's, Memory Poetry, Allyn Bacon, succulents gulches// providing, rudman throws, rimrock succulents gulches//, gulches// providing borders-, dust desire, help set, providing borders-, pace poem, multitude ideas, borders- boundaries, gulches// providing, read aloud, incomplete ideas,
Approximate Word count = 1500
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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