David Berry Poem

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The Poet Behind the Poems David Chapman Berry was born July 23, 1942, in Vicksburg, but he mostly grew up in Greenville, Mississippi (Gale). His parents were David Berry and Annette Hays, who also had a daughter named Bettty Berry (Jacobs). Berry started writing poetry in ninth grade because of boredom in church (“D.C.B. Biography”). As a young man, Berry found a love for chorus and drama and continued performing until he graduated from Greenville High School in 1960 (Few). He received a bachelor's degree at Delta State College, after he turned down medical school, he worked at General Motors for a year (“D.C.B. Biography”). Berry married and later than divorced Terri Stoutenborough (Jacobs). He later than remarried and divorced, a woman…show more content…
An extended metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things and continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines. In the poem “On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High” it is comparing the students and speaker to a school of fish throughout the poem (“AP Lit: On Reading Poems”). An example would be “water beginning to fill the room”, Berry is implying that the students are being compared to a school of fish (“AP Lit: On Reading Poems”). Another use of expended metaphor is in the poem “Hamlet Off Stage: Laertes Cool”. Berry is comparing the roller rink to a battlefield (“Hamlet vs. Laertes”). He is saying that Laertes and Hamlet will be having a dual but a roller-derby brawl. In the beginning of the poem Berry is comparing Laertes as a skater. He uses “elephant pants” and “tent-size tee-shirt”, he is saying that that Laertes uses loose clothing just like a skater would (“Hamlet vs.…show more content…
The three poems do utilize a great deal of the same devices and literary terms. Even though the three poems have some similarities, the greatest difference between them is the way in which each poem means. “On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High” has a strong extended metaphor which helps add to the theme and message of teaching students. “Hamlet Off Stage: She Wheel” has more of a allusion to help give the reader a better image of what the poem is about. “Hamlet Off Stage: Laertes Cool” emphasizes more on the theme of the poem which is related to the play Hamlet. Critics agree David Chapman Berry's literary works will influence many for years to
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