Alex John
John 1
Mrs. Chamberlain
ENG 4U
Oct 15/13
The closer you look in Madeline starr’s “
Beneath the surface
”
Madeline Starr’s poem “ Beneath the surface “ is about a photo of a beautiful scenery but hidden in the photo is a dead body. Starr uses shift, juxtaposition and imagery of a photo to prove that people will look at a photo for the beauty rather than the death of a photo. To begin Madeline Starr uses shift to demonstrate how the poem changes in tone. At first the poem is describing an alluring scenery with a house, hills and a lake “ I am in the lake, in the center of the picture, just under the surface” ( Starr.17). The whole tone of the poem has a shift when the character in the poem describes the death in the photo. This helps prove that people will look for a beautiful photo rather than a photo that is repulsive. Starr also utilizes juxtaposition to illustrate the difference between a picture of beauty and a picture that is disgraceful. The poem describes a beautiful photo “ In the background there is a lake and beyond that, some low hills”( Starr.13). After the beauty is described in the poem it then describes the death in the poem the total opposite which changes the mood of the poem. This proves rather than looking for a repulsive photo people will look for a graceful photo. As well Starr uses imagery of a photo to express the beauty of the photo. The poem has
