The Colonel Carolyn Forche

Introduction

In her poem "The Colonel" Carolyn Forche does not use many poetic devices; the simple narrative manner only highlights the brutal reality of the depicted situation. The description of the supper and the TV-program in The Colonel serve to emphasize the impression of a forthcoming event. However, some frightening details give a hint on the second layer of the narration.

Discussion

In the poem “The Colonel,” Carolyn Forche recounts a cruel encounter with the titles main character of interest while working in El Salvador. The colonel personality can best be summed as a remorseless man in a chaotic country where violence is customary to the colonel and his people. He also cares not for the civil liberties of the citizens of El Salvador that he governs or the fact that he is revealing his evil personality to Forche with no compunction.

This poem "The Colonel," immediately comes to mind, like a somersault in the anthology of poetry average. Amid the couplets, triplets and verses oddly laid out, a small, dense block of text, like a brick wall in midfield. The colonel is a hard man in the world of violence, and he does not care about the rights of the people he governs, not the fact that he is showing his evil nature to the poet.The poem increases this fact through irony and short poetic add-ons, appearance, length and the plotters in the capacity of their feelings. The colonel is so subtle and delicate, like a brick wall, and thus resembles a poem about it.

The theme for “The Colonel” could be that if people see that wrong is being done in their presence they should try their best to give those a voice that don't have one. Though Forche is often described as a political poet, she prefers the ...