Parallel Path by Kevin Clark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parallel Path by Kevin Clark - Essay ExampleThe constant comparison between the twain couples becomes a source of repetition in this poem. This serves the purpose of persuading the readers to think about the ever-changing reality of human relationships. The poet repeatedly refers to the womans stepping away from her cat-o-nine-tails in an attempt to emphasize upon such a difficult decision of her life. She pretends to be confident and her pretension shows that she might be shaky in her decision. As she slowly steps away from him, she might be weighing the pros and cons of making such a decision.So the metaphor is hardly an amusing embellishment or diversion, an escape from the harsh realities of life or of language. It is made out of, and it makes those realities. Their opposite and discordant qualities are given, by metaphors interactive function, a turn and an integrity, a role and an order. In this sense, mans reality is formed by the metaphorical processes that inform his lang uage. (Noppen, 61-62)The main metaphor of this poem is parallel travel plan. It evokes images of people walking on parallel paths and this term is ironic in the sense because even though the sad couple is walking on a parallel path of the happy couple, yet their destinies are poles apart. Parallel path carries different meanings for both couples. One is destined to be together while the otherwise couple is splitting up.But the poet admits that even for the happy couple, there are no guarantees, which means that anything can happen. This is rather a realistic and practical go about to life and relationships. By believing in the uncertainty of life and staying prepared for the unexpected helps a person in the long run. It saves one from the shock of a sudden break-up and enables a person to enjoy life to its fullest. Time is also a significant metaphor that records the happy, sad or tough phases of people. Itseems that the sustainability of relationships between the 2 couples has been gauged over a long time period of time.