Abandonment and Struggle on a Farm Essay -- Literary Analysis

Simplicity, especially in poetry, can be an often underrated and overlooked method of conveying a meaningful and extended message. Ted Kooser, an American poet and writer, is hale k nown for his simplistic style of writing and has been described as using an Honest, accessible verse (Ted Kooser The Poetry Foundation). Kooser was born in Iowa and now resides in Nebraska. Both Iowa and Nebraska are situated in the western United States, an area noted for its hobnailed landscape and population. Koosers rural background and accessible verse are exceedingly evident in his song Abandoned Farmhouse. The poem is as an observation of an abandoned bring forthhouse, it infers inside information ab come on the house and the family that lived in it through inanimate objects as well as the condition of the house and surrounding upgradeland. Using figurative actors line devices such as simile, metaphor, and personification Kooser offers the reader to draw their own conclusions. As well, Ko oser allows the reader to fill in the gaps in his writing, however, he creates themes in this poem that are hard to ignore and thus they must be acknowledged. Themes of apostasy and a struggling family are prevalent in Abandoned Farmhouse and they athletic supporter lend to the broader thematic purpose of the poem which looks to provide an insight on rural life, particularly the realities and hardships of living on a farm. Using the figurative tools mentioned previously, Kooser creates an image of an empty and neglected farmhouse and uses it as a symbolic delegacy for the hardships experienced in farming and the focus it can put on a family. In the 1980s, many farmers in the Midwest were running out of business rapidly and found that they could not stay in the agriculture indust... ...ation the narrator in Abandoned Farmhouse is able to tell the story of a struggling family on a farm while presenting the idea of abandonment, of the farm and of the family. The inferences made o n characteristics of the farm and inanimate objects scattered end-to-end it allow the narrator to conclude that something went wrong on the farm and with the family. The poem, and the observations made throughout it, is a representation of the difficulties faced in rural life and the strain that it can put on a family. The unfortunate ending suggested in the poem symbolizes the struggles that a farm can present and provides an insight into the realities of farm life. Works CitedCrisis in Agriculture. n.d. Website. 2 April 2012.Kooser, Ted. Abandoned Farmhouse. ENG 105B Poems for Essay 2. 2012.Ted Kooser The Poetry Foundation. 2010. Website. 2 April 2012.