Summary
Both “Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike and “Living in Sin” by Adrienne Rich have many similarities. In this paper, I will address two similarities: the expectations human beings have in life and the extensive use of figurative language. In “Ex-Basket Ball Player”, the basketball player, Flick Webb was once a star player in his high school basketball team and it is expected that his fame would continue after high school. However, Flick does not progress significantly instead he has become a gas attendant at Berth’s garage, and his life seems to have come to a grinding halt. In the poem, “Living in Sin” the fairy tale of a woman who dreams of a stress free marriage full of perfection is cut short by the reality that marriage is not easy and requires love, hard work and determination between the couple to be successful. Consequently, both lives of these individuals are filled with emptiness and sorrow instead of their fantasy-filled imagination to become a reality they end up living lives contrary to this.
The theme of unfulfilled expectations is brought out clearly by the current conditions of both individuals. In “Ex-Basketball Player,” Flick is seen to hold on to his fantasies as he hangs out at Mae’s Luncheonette but still imagines himself being applauded, “Beyond her face toward applauding tiers.” The married woman also had the imagination of a fairy tale in, “Living in Sin,” “She thought the studio could keep itself,” in the first stanza, shows the woman’s mindset was not focused in working to keep the marriage to be the fairy tale she wanted. The fantasies of both characters have led them not to confront their current situation and instead they hold on to the past. They do little to move on and get a new focus in life far from the past.
Both poems use figurative language to give a clear description of the characters in the poems. Some of the figurative language used in the poems includes personification, shift and alliteration. The poem “The Ex-Basketball Player” makes use of personification in reference to “idiot pumps” also in the line “The ball loved Flick.” In the poem “Living in Sin,” where the way she bends in pain is personified, “Each separate stair would writhe under the milkman’s tramp.” Personification enables the reader to have a connection between an object that is distant and ideas to create an emotional connection and relate with the idea and sorrow of both personas.
Alliteration is used in both poems. In, “The Ex-Basketball Player”, alliteration is used in lines such as “loose and low” and “Checks oil and changes flats.” In the poem, “Living in sin” alliteration is used in the line “A piano with a Persian shawl.” Alliteration gives both poems an alternative rhythm to the poem and stresses the tone.
Shifts are used in the poem by John Updike, the first stanza talks about Flicks current situation. Stanza 3 shows a different Flick who was skilled in basketball, in high school. The following stanzas then change to show his depressing situation. In addition, in the poem by Adrienne Rich, shifts are seen in the first stanza where the thoughts of the persona are shown and then change occurs and the reality of her situation is seen in the consecutive stanzas. Shift is used in both poems to give distinction of two different situations and places. The distinction enables the reader to have background knowledge of the personas and understand their current situation. The outstanding similarities in both poems show the relationship between the themes of both poems in relation to the human character and the use of figurative language to give the reader an understanding.
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