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I Knew A Woman: An Analysis - Online Essay

I Knew A Woman: An Analysis

Theodore Roethke focuses on a single woman in this poem, as is obvious from the title. This is a woman that he puts on a pedestal, but his description makes this seemingly grandiose praise apropos. To appropriate this description, he uses alliteration and diction. Each of these two devices contribute to the overall image of and emotions about this woman that Roethke knew.
One way he accentuates his feelings about this woman is the repetition of the letter "s" in the front and middle of words throughout the poem, often in key places. The letter "s" is a soft sounding letter, especially as the first letter of a word. When a string of "s" sounds are strung together, there is a sinuousness ...

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In the third stanza, this is most obvious: "She played it quick, she played it light and loose; / My eyes, they dazzled at her flowing knees; / Her several parts could keep a pure repose, / Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose / (She moved in circles, and those circles moved)." Here, there are almost a dozen leading or strong trailing "s"'s weaving through the words, outlining the form one can picture as her "several parts keep a pure repose" and "one hip quiver"s as she "moved in circles, those circles moving." Roethke clearly paid close attention to the physical side of this woman as well, making these small observations that would normally be overlooked.
In the previously mentioned stanza, there are quite a few strong "l"'s.. The letter "l" implies a light and loose feeling (a "liquid" sound in linguistics) like he says in line 17: "She played it [the note] quick, she played it light and loose." This woman he describes is not necessarily "loose" in the sexual ...

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I Knew A Woman: An Analysis. (2008, July 1). Retrieved August 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/I-Knew-A-Woman-An-Analysis/86094

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 7/1/2008 10:26:22 AM
Category: Poetry & Poets
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 967
Pages: 4

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