Analysis of School Children by W.H Auden Essay

As the world evolves over the years people get new ideas, new theories, and develops a new way of thinking. Taking something so simple and elaborating on it making it sophisticated. In the Poem â€Å"School Children†, W.H Auden tries to emphasize to the readers that a simple playground where inhabits their fun filled activities is actually a prison. Here I will be explaining why the poem â€Å"School Children† is actually good. For a short poem Auden packs a lot of information that he sends out to the reader making his point straight and clear. As a little boy that sees his surroundings as a prison he uses many poetic devices to prove or enhance his point. One of the variations used in this poem is a â€Å"simile† A simile is a figure of speech that, like metaphor, compares unlike things in order to describe something. Similes do not state that something is another thing, however. Instead, they compare using the word â€Å"like† or â€Å"as.†On the very first line it says â€Å"Here are all the captivities; the cells are AS real. He is emphasizing that all the â€Å"prisoners† which is children are really living in a real prison environment. On the closing statement of the 2nd paragraph it stated, â€Å"The bars of love are so strong, their conspiracies weak like the vows of drunkards† . What this verse is trying to do is compare the term the children’s wrongful act to the words of a drunkardAnother device being portrayed is Imagery. Imagery is the use of words to create a picture in the mind of the reader. As the author put the readers through a stance where can we actually picture the school being a prison, with detailed descriptions on the first paragraph. 3rd paragraph â€Å"indeed their strangeness is difficult to watch; the condemned see only the fallacious angels of a vision. 4th paragraph â€Å"yet the tyranny is so easy. The improper word scribbled upon the fountain, is that all the rebellion?†(Oxymoron – Awkward Perfection)Another Device being represented is Hyperbole, which means an exaggeration of the truth. Such as, I seen that movie a million times, or I am laughing to death. These cannot be literally true but they are used to make things sound more impressive, or to emphasize something such as emotions, responses, or efforts. In this poem Auden uses Hyperbole to make his work more appealing to the reader and adds a sense of imagination. This whole poem is a hyperbole because the title school children it doesn’t talk directly about schoolchildren but instead he  exaggerates it as a prison. More specific,In the 2nd paragraph 2nd line†With the dumb play of the dog, licking and rushing;† – Auden is using the term DOG as a comparison to a regular school kid playing at the playground. Auden is just giving us a better exaggeration on how school kids act. Like how the schoolteacher throws you a ball and the dog must go get it. Auden doesn’t literally mean the kids are dogs but in reality the relationship is similar. â€Å"The condemned see only the fallacious angels of a vision† – Fallacious meaning false. Those who don’t try in school are proven to hate it. A hyperbole is being portrayed by saying the kids are all angels at some point but it is up to them whether they want to be good or not. (Or their parents in some cases)†The storm of tears shed in the corner† – the hyperbole I this verse is the Storm of Tears.. Literally it translate to he/she cries a lot in the corner. The effect of a storm gives us a more photographic detail on what kids do when they get into certain trouble.