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January Chance - College Term Paper

January Chance

is written by Mark Van Doren, the poem is about how a father and son need to patch things up before it is too late. The poem uses many descriptive literal and metaphorical details to describe the life of the father and son. It also uses a purposeful organization of its details and a meaningful title. The message that the poet tries to send is that if a person needs to talk to a loved one, then that person should do it before it’s too late or he/she will never get another chance.
The poem is written so that the literal details are shown first, then as the reader explores deeper into the meaning of the words, he/she begins to see the metaphorical details. For example, "father and ...

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The literal meanings are said through words like time, voyaging, and seat backs. The metaphorical terms are expressed through the more thoughtful words like white noise, time, and train.
The first stanza of the poem begins talking about the relationship between the two passengers. "All afternoon before them, father and boy" tells a reader that they are together early in the day or, metaphorically, early in their lives. Also, as stated above, the father and son do not share a closeness, and maybe this is why it is so important for the father to try and start making amends now. "In a plush well, with winter sounding past" means that as time passes, the two think that there are no conflicts between them, and that the conflicts they do have will simply go away. "With winter sounding past" might imply that they are leaving behind all past memories and bitterness they might have had. "In the warm cubicle between high seat backs that slumber, voyaging ...

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January Chance. (2005, October 22). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/January-Chance/35289

"January Chance." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 22 Oct. 2005. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/January-Chance/35289>

"January Chance." Essayworld.com. October 22, 2005. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/January-Chance/35289.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/22/2005 04:36:36 PM
Category: English
Type: Free Paper
Words: 1075
Pages: 4

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