Olds’ Effective Use of Linking Devices in The Elder Sister :: essays research papers

When writing poetry, there ar many descriptive methods an author may employ to communicate an idea or thought to their audience. One of the more effective methods that authors often use is linking devices, such as metaphors and similes. Throughout The Elder Sister, olds uses linking devices effectively in many ways. An effective image Olds uses is that of the printing press of Mothers muscles on her brain, (5) providing a link to the mothers expectations for her small fryren. She also uses images of water and fluidity to demonstrate the natural progression of a minor into womanhood. Another image is that of the speakers elder sister as a metaphorical shield, the one who protected her from the mental strain inflicted by their mother.Olds metaphor of the pressure of Mothers muscles on her brain, (5) compares the literal pressure of the mothers muscles during childbirth to the mental strain that a child can endure from their parents expectations for their children. This is an ef fective metaphor in that both meanings can cause some form of strain, either physical of mental, on the daughter. Also, in both cases, this pain is caused by the speakers mother and inflicted on the eldest daughter. The third similarity between the two is that both are in some way lessening the effect on the younger sister. In the case of childbirth, the first birth is usually more difficult than distributively successive birth. In the sense of the Mothers expectations for her daughters, the eldest child often receives the brunt of the parents vicarious aspirations, thus making it easier for the younger children to amuse them. Because these linked meanings share these characteristics, Olds metaphor is effective.Another linking device that is used effectively is the simile linking a young woman coming of age and developing breasts to a swan rising out of a pond. These two entities are linked in that both rise easily over time. When a swan awakens, it slowly raises its head from i ts body, in the same fashion that the breasts of a woman raise from her chest when she comes of age. The two are also similar in color, as a swans down is white or pale cream colored and skin that has not been darkened by the sun is often very(prenominal) pale. The third similarity in the two entities is the texture. Both the down feathers of a swan and the skin of a womans breast are delicate and smooth to the touch.