Piegon Woman

There are many different types of literature to be explored. Throughout this paper the

elements of poetry will be explored. The use of theme, voice, tone, imagery, symbolism, and

figurative language will be discussed through May Swensons poem Pigeon Woman.

There were many different themes in the poem. Aside from the important theme of old

age and trying to defy it Swenson also tells us of the difficulties that an old aged woman

experiences. How her everyday life seemed to be almost always routine, “To treat the motley

city pigeons at 1:30 everyday”. This clearly shows that the pigeon woman day was actually a

routine. She was basically doing the same thing everyday. The use of the phrase “she wears a

plastic pink rain coat with a round collard looking like a little girl, so gay” backs up the theme of

trying to defy old age. The way that the pigeon woman dresses in her old age gives her feeling of

youth. What she wears makes her look like a little girl and not so much as an old lady. Through

the way that she dresses she is actually dressing opposite than someone her age would.

Through the use of imagery Swenson describes and illustrates the idea of old age in

the eyes of other people and the old person as well. “A make believe trade she has come to in her

lost of illness or age” gave a clear picture of how people saw this pigeon woman. The saw her as

taking what she did as a job but it was just a make believe trade. Her old age made people see

her as being in a world of her own because of what she did. She was seen as being in a state of

loneliness caused by her old age or illness. The use of imagery throughout the poem gave a very

clear picture of what the pigeon woman looked like. The use of figurative language was also very

clear.