"Money, Money, Money, MONEY..."
Money is something we all know and most of us love. But what is money?
Dana Gioia wrote a poem all about it. Here it is:
Money is a kind of poetry.– Wallace Stevens
Money, the long green,
cash, stash, rhino, jack
or just plain dough.
cash, stash, rhino, jack
or just plain dough.
Chock it up, fork it over,
shell it out. Watch it
burn holes through pockets.
shell it out. Watch it
burn holes through pockets.
To be made of it! To have it
to burn! Greenbacks, double eagles,
megabucks and Ginnie Maes.
to burn! Greenbacks, double eagles,
megabucks and Ginnie Maes.
It greases the palm, feathers a nest,
holds heads above water,
makes both ends meet.
holds heads above water,
makes both ends meet.
Money breeds money.
Gathering interest, compounding daily.
Always in circulation.
Gathering interest, compounding daily.
Always in circulation.
Money. You don't know where it's been,
but you put it where your mouth is.
And it talks.
but you put it where your mouth is.
And it talks.
I'm sure you knew the value of money prior to reading this poem. But did you notice anything you hadn't before? How about how many terms are associated with it? Did you catch that each stanza (sort of like a paragraph) has a different subject? Of course each of them is about money, but they explain different aspects of it. Look back over the first stanza. What is it made up of? Right, it lists the terms we use for money. The second stanza says what someone can do with a poem. Now you try it. What is the third stanza portraying? Yep, it is talking about people who have it. The next one is talking about what money is capable of, and the fifth one is about how money is able to create more money. The final stanza is where the power of the poem comes in. Do you know why?
Every other stanza is just describing money, but the last stanza is where it makes a heavier statement. "You don't know where it's been,/but you put it where your mouth is." This reminds me of a bet. Have you ever said, "I'll bet you a dollar that I can do this!"? I'll bet you have. You've let your money talk for you; to show your confidence. Can you think of any other examples where your money has spoken? What about donating to charity or giving tithes at church? What does your money say when you donate it? See, money is capable of saying a lot, even though it doesn't literally speak.
Figures of speech are when a word or phrase is used in a non-literal sense to add emphasis or flavor to a poem. This poem contains multiple figures of speech. Can you find any? Here, I'll help you find a few and then we can see if you can find some other ones.
A metaphor is when something is compared to another object. Look at the word 'dough.' The literal definition of dough isn't money. But we all know that term for money. It's a metaphor and it compares money to bread. Bread is a necessity and so is money.
Now, let's look at the phrase, "To be made of it!" No one is really made of money. But we refer to rich people with that phrase. This is a hyperbole (exaggeration).
The last stanza holds many figures of speech. Try to find one.
Did you notice the personification of money in the phrase, "And it talks"? Personifying something means that you are giving it life-like traits. Money can't really talk, but it says things.
What about the line, "Put it where your mouth is"? I hope no one is putting money in their mouth, but we hear this phrase frequently. This is a connotation. This means that there is a meaning associated with this phrase that isn't literal.
Wow this is a great explanation.
ReplyDeleteWow, Great review. I am using this review to help me understand this poem. It is so short, yet I need to write about 1500 words essay about it. Now, I am on the right track. Thanks for a great job done there. Learn more on Internet Marketing
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