The poet's use of metaphor in Laura Kasischke's 'Confections' playfully challenges the reader to discern between the literal and the figurative, creating connections between disparate objects and drawing deeper meanings through sensory imagery.
Understanding the Use of Metaphor in Poetry
The poet’s use of metaphor in the poem “Confections” by Laura Kasischke is a sophisticated play between the literal and the figurative. Initially, the poem begins with what appears to be a metaphor — caramel as sugar burnt to syrup — but it is, in fact, a literal statement. This sets the tone for the exploration of metaphorical language, where one could mistake the literal for the figurative and vice versa. As the poem continues, chaos is likened to a mix of joy and screaming, an infant sleeping is compared to a milky sea, and a star is described as both fire and flower. These metaphors entwine the physical and the abstract, encouraging readers to perceive everyday concepts in new, imaginative ways and blur the lines between reality and symbol.
The poem cleverly uses metaphors to draw parallels between disparate objects, engaging readers in a deeper understanding of each comparison. For instance, chaos is not literally a mixture of joy and screaming, yet the metaphor conjures imagery and emotions that bolster our interpretation of chaos. Similarly, an infant sleeping as a milky sea infuses a serene image with the expansiveness and calm associated with a vast body of water. The star as both fire and flower juxtaposes the destructive nature of fire with the blooming beauty of a flower, highlighting the dual aspects of stars — radiant and life-giving yet also powerful and destructive.
In essence, the poet utilizes metaphor as a tool to evoke sensory imagery and connect seemingly unrelated subjects, creating rich and layered meanings. By doing so, the poem also examines the very nature of language and communication, as well as our propensity to seek out and recognize connections in the world around us.