Poems Comparison

and “Give pearls away and rubies” at the beginning of the poem to show how important the mans innocence is. She also use a simile “Skated over ten clear frozen streams, words like, when you were older, must appease him” Joni uses this to show what the boy is like, and the difference between him now and when he was a child.

In When I Was One and Twenty the narrator is reflecting on a mans experience with romance, and the different phases the man goes through as he gains experience in romance. Later on the diction changes when the author uses words like”No use to talk to me” to show how he lost his innocence because he did not listen to what a wise man told him. Housman uses imagery in his poem to get his message across. Then by the end of the poem the diction changes and the author uses words like “tis true” to show that he has grown and now realizes that he has lost what is most important his innocence, and it was not worth it. The boy then goes through his teenage phase “sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now/cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town” where he now understands more about the world and is taking on more responsibilities, but does not yet fully understand the meaning of life and still has plenty learn. The two poems use similar techniques with diction and imagery to show the reader how the protagonists go through phases in their lives

The way a human goes through phases in their life is a normal and natural part of being a human. The tone of the poem The circle game is reflective, because the boy in the poem, is reflecting back on his life and analyzing how he spent his years. The final phase the man goes through is when he finally realizes that what the wise man has been telling him is true “ And I am two and twenty. He also uses alliteration/personification to get his message across “keep your fancy free” that youthful innocence should be the priority essence of existence.